Mystery Science Auditorium: Ooedo No Hikeshi, “Smoke on the Water”
Here’s a tasty tidbit that even former roommate Texas Steve doesn’t know: “Smoke on the Water” was the first rock & roll record I ever owned. The single was released in May 1973, and I was a freshman in high school; 93 KHJ was givin’ away the hits as they played them—which meant that before a song went on, the DJ would tell you to be the 25th caller (or whatever) and if you were, they’d mail you the 45. I was up late one night, and I won it. I thought it was awesome, and really—all invidious sectarian differences notwithstanding—what an absolutely unforgettable lick, huh?
That said, I pretty much loathe Deep Purple. But this “cover,” which comes to us today by way of my friend Michael Coyle: this is pretty gorgeous. Here, listen:
Something about the sonority of the song, on the Japanese instruments, feels so right: it’s like this arrangement discovered a resonance that was implicit in the song all along. I’m not myself a fan of the vocalization: I think the voice that chants and soars over the lyrical line is pretty engaging—like the aboriginal voice that comes in the last couple minutes of U2′s “Numb”—but splitting lead vocal duties among three or four voices results in a somewhat hesitant production, to my ear. And I would have thought that “Frank Zappa & the Mothers” was the one phrase that would come through untranslated, and that I’d be able to identify: I think it’s just not there. Maybe Frank didn’t enjoy the Japanese success that Ritchie Blackmore & Co. did?
Speaking of that—and I’ll leave it at this—I have to repeat a scurillously unresearched piece of my high-school musical memory. I haven’t been able to confirm it, so I fear I might be wrong: but one of y’all will know. My recollection was that on Made in Japan, one of the songs—I had thought it was the closing cut, which looks to be the 19 min. 41 sec. epic “Space Truckin’”—contained some faintly audible cursing of the Japanese audience from the stage, presumably from Blackmore.
Now you know I love y’all, and there’s little I wouldn’t do for you—but it turns out that buying Made in Japan just to listen to the fade outs of every track really loud in order to confirm some anti-Japanese obscenity from the band is further than I’m willing to go.
Actually, now, I’m hoping it’s not true. The textures and tonalities of the Japanese arrangement of “Smoke on the Water” are just so great—well, why spoil it, right?
C’mon. Everybody should know that the landmark album Machine Head, from which we have Smoke On The Water, came out in late ’71 – probably even in the backwaters of that suburban jungle known as Tarzana.
I have to admit enjoying this variation on SOTW, and it’s certainly a greater stretch from the original recording than the first live version I heard which was performed by a band at the Victoria Falls Hotel in what was then still Rhodesia in December of 1973. Their rendition was totally conventional, but for singing the lyrics in some (unknown to me) southern African language.
Kevin’s story about Space Truckin’ is something he mentioned to me in the past and I’ve been unable to find any internet mention of it or any supporting recollections from other friends enamored with vintage rock minutia. This very morning, I listened to the end of the song repeatedly at high volume, but can’t discern anything of that nature being said. However, I was struck by the polite nature of the Japanese audience’s applause. I’ll try the other tracks and report my findings, but I have to think that Kevin’s progressive rock snob reflex is showing again.
You’re talking about the album release; the single was released in May 73.
If Memory serves the first single Kevin won on the radio was “the Night the Lights went out in Georgia” by Vicki Lawrence, which was 1972. Just sayin’
Yeah, Scott’s totally right here. How did you remember that? No shame in my game, though. “Smoke on the Water” was #2, I guess.
I’m sure the Vicki Lawrence single nicely complemented your Carpenters compilation that you’ve previously confessed to.