10 Artists That Went Too Far For Classic Songs

Once Deep Purple took to the road with their Mark 2 lineup, they seemed to be more and more unhappy about how their records were sounding in the studio. Some of the best work that they had done was on the live stage, and Machine Head was the first album where they planned to cut it live off the floor in Switzerland. The plan may have been straightforward, but everything went to Hell before they had even set up any mics.

After ducking into the Montreux Casino to catch a Frank Zappa gig, their potential recording spot ended up an inferno when someone lit two Roman Candles during the set and caused a fire in the place. While no one was seriously injured, the band did have to find another place, bringing in the mobile studio belonging to the Rolling Stones to capture a new song that they wrote about the incident.

While Smoke on the Water is almost a historical account of what happened that day, it wasn't that easy getting that final take either. Playing well into the night, what you're hearing on the final version almost didn't happen, with the police actually being called and allegedly banging on the door of the studio as tape rolled to shut down the recording. They may have been keeping the entire town awake that night, but it might be worth it if it means making something destined for rock history.