After a week of searching for an alternative venue, including a session at a nearby theatre that was abandoned due to noise complaints, the band managed to book the Grand Hotel, closed for the winter, and converted it into a live room suitable for recording.

Machine Head became Deep Purple's most commercially successful album, topping the charts in several countries, including the UK.

[4] The band felt that prior studio work did not sound as good as their live performances, and wanted to record in a stage environment.

[6] The group toured the UK from September to October 1971 and previewed some new material that was ultimately released on Machine Head, in particular "Highway Star" and "Lazy".

[4][7] They then began a tour of the United States, which ended up being cancelled after two gigs after singer Ian Gillan contracted hepatitis.

Guitarist Ritchie Blackmore started to think about possible solo work for the future, teaming up with Paice and Phil Lynott for a brief period as a possible side-project,[8] and Deep Purple as a whole looked forward to a dedicated block of time to record, getting away from the pressures of touring.

At the time, the group included singers Flo & Eddie, multi-instrumentalist Ian Underwood and drummer Aynsley Dunbar.

[15] Although the audience were initially unaware of the incident because the roof was covered by a false bamboo ceiling, about an hour into the set, people started seeing sparks emerging.

[16] Nobs relocated Deep Purple to the Pavilion, a nearby theatre, where they recorded the basic tracks for a song provisionally named "Title No. 1".

[18] We had the Rolling Stones' mobile recording unit sitting outside in the snow ... once we got to the truck for a playback, even if we didn't think it was a perfect take, we'd go, 'Yeah, that's good enough.'

[21] An assortment of equipment and sound-insulating mattresses were installed, which meant the band had to walk through bedrooms and across balconies to get to the recording van.

[22] A closed-circuit television system was set up so the band could communicate with engineer Martin Birch and allow staff in the studio control room to see them.

[9] Blackmore based his guitar solo around a figure that he learned from Johnny Burnette, and liked its resemblance to Johann Sebastian Bach.

[25] "Smoke on the Water" documents the experiences of recording Machine Head, including the casino fire and evacuation, and the sessions at the Grand Hotel.

[30][31] As well as Deep Purple, Gillan has performed the song live as part of his solo career, and during his brief time with Black Sabbath in 1983.

[25] It was performed towards the end of the live show, replacing the instrumental workout "Wring That Neck", and was later moved mid-set in early 1972.

[38] A ballad entitled "When a Blind Man Cries" was recorded during the Machine Head sessions, but was not included on the album.

Four songs from Machine Head ("Highway Star", "Smoke on the Water", "Lazy" and "Space Truckin'") were included in the album.

[40] The cover art was created by stamping the album title into a polished metal sheet, which was held up to act as a mirror in front of which the group stood.

[25][41] The album's inner sleeve was mostly designed by Glover and manager Tony Edwards, and features a selection of mug shots that were previously used for record company contact sheets.

Prompted by heavy radio play of "Smoke on the Water" as an album cut, Warner Brothers eventually released it as a single in May 1973.

"[47] Robert Christgau wrote of the album: "I approve of their speeding, and Ritchie Blackmore has copped some self-discipline as well as a few suspicious-sounding licks from his buddies in London.

"[51] AllMusic critic Eduardo Rivadavia called Machine Head "one of the essential hard rock albums of all time.

magazine ranked Machine Head at number 35 on their "100 Greatest Heavy Metal Albums of All Time" list in 1989.

[59] The 40th anniversary edition of Machine Head was released in October 2012 by EMI; this is a five-disc set, accompanied by an illustrated 60-page hardback booklet.

[61] A new Machine Head: Super Deluxe Edition was reissued 29 March 2024 by Rhino with a new remix (including the b-side "When A Blind Man Cries") produced by Dweezil Zappa and a new remaster of the original mix by Andy Pearce on CD 1.

Furthermore, the set contains a Blu-ray audio-only disc including Zappa's Atmos Mix, 1974 U.S. Quad (available for the first time on a digital medium), and three tracks in 5.1 surround (taken from the 2001 DVD-A).