Deep Purple - Fireball

Sunday, time for a classic. Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in Hertford in 1968. They are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, although some band members claimed that their music cannot be categorised as belonging to any one genre.

Todays tune is the title track from the album Fireball, released in 1971. It was their fifth studio album, and the second with the classic Mk II lineup. It was recorded at various times between September 1970 and June 1971.

The tune "Fireball" is the opening song of the album and it was Deep Purple's second single release in 1971. The song begins with a whooshing sound (which is a recording of the studio's air conditioner which eventually fades out) being turned on and the drums begin at bar 2 at 240 bpm.

"Fireball" is an odd song for Deep Purple as it features no guitar solo. Instead it features a bass guitar solo in the key of F#m which then modulates into an organ solo in Bm. The song ends with a fade-out, with ad-libbing from the organ. The beat is accented with a tambourine played by Ian Gillan.

It is one of the few Deep Purple songs to feature Ian Paice using double bass drums. When performed live, a roadie brings on another bass drum to perform the song, only to remove it when it is finished.

The song, using a fireball metaphor to picture a woman as an alien who makes love as a kind of magic, was one of several, based on Ian Gillan's real life experiences. "She was a complete mystery to me. This is another tale of unrequited love", was the author's comment on the song's heroine.


Guitar virtuoso Yngwie Malmsteen stated on the April 9, 2011 episode of 'That Metal Show' that his older sister gave him this album when he was eight years old and - 'it changed everything for him'. Also, Black metal pioneer King Diamond mentions Fireball as the first studio album he bought by himself, when he was a teenager, being an important influence in his future career.

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