109 - Deep Purple Smoke on the Water 1971

Deep Purple were on the eve of breaking wide open when they made "Machine Head", a record that launched a heap of hard-rock hits, not to mention the bulk of the live album "Made in Japan". No fewer than three classics were unveiled here: "Highway Star", "Space Truckin'" and their biggest hit ever, "Smoke on the Water". Ritchie Blackmore's crunchy guitar was becoming the group's trademark and the throb that opens "Smoke on the Water" went miles in cementing his position in the pantheon of 1970s guitar deities.