Machine Head is the sixth studio album released by the English rock band Deep Purple, recorded in December 1971 at Montreux, Switzerland and released on 25 March 1972 on Purple Records.
Following intermittent recording sessions between gigs for earlier albums, Deep Purple wanted a dedicated amount of time to record an album away from the typical studio environment that sounded closer to their live shows. They hired the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio for recording, and block booked the Montreux Casino as a venue, but during a Frank Zappa concert immediately before the sessions, it burned to the ground. The band managed to book the Grand Hotel, closed for the winter, and converted the hotel into a live room suitable for recording. These events, particularly the casino fire, became the inspiration for the song "Smoke on the Water".
Machine Head is cited as a major influence in the early development of heavy metal music. It is Deep Purple's most commercially successful album, topping the charts in several countries. The album reached number one in the United Kingdom and stayed in the top 40 for 20 weeks, while reaching number seven in the United States in August 1973, remaining on the Billboard 200 for 118 weeks.
A1. Highway Star
A2. Maybe I'm A Leo
A3. Pictures Of Home
A4. Never Before
B1. Smoke On The Water
B2. Lazy
B3. Space Truckin'
