It's been 34 years since Deep Purple's last hiatus ended. Now with the band nearing retirement, the members are free to tell us what they really think about their catalogue.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band had many hits during its initial run from 1968 - 1976, and others during its '80s Renaissance, but none could ever eclipse the ubiquitous, damn-near obnoxious appeal of "Smoke on the Water" from 1972's groundbreaking Machine Head album.
"Smoke on the Water" is one of the greatest guitar songs of all time with its instantly recognizable opening riff and simple structure.
Glover helped write the song, he's played it at every Deep Purple show of his career, so if employees at every guitar store in America are sick of hearing 'that riff,' how does Glover feel about it?
"I never tire of it," Glover said at a recent Guitar World fan Q&A. "I don't listen to the song, but rather experience the crowd's enthusiastic reaction to it."
The bassist focuses on the smiling faces in front of him, rather than the song he's heard more times than he could (or probably should) count. Because if you buy tickets to see Deep Purple, they better play freaking "Smoke on the Water."
Glover added that he finds other ways to keep himself from sleepwalking through one of the highlights of the band's set.
"It's a very simple and fun song to play," he said. "It's a skeletal structure, which enables me to play different bass parts every night. I stand in awe and watch the audience's joy, whether it's youngsters who have never seen us in concert, or our older fans who have seen us many times."
Deep Purple is heading back out on the road this May. You can get all the band's tour dates here.
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