Fireball (song)
Encyclopedia
"Fireball" is the opening song of the album of the same name
by the English hard rock
band Deep Purple
. 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
.
"Fireball" (take 1 - instrumental), a bonus track on the remastered Fireball
album, features a guitar solo near the end, at 3:30, after the fade-out of the original version.
It is one of the few Deep Purple songs to feature Ian Paice
using double bass drums, where he borrowed the second bass drum from Keith Moon
's kit as The Who
were recording in the studio next door. When performed live, a roadie brings on another bass drum to perform the song, only to remove it when it is finished.
The noise intro to the song was a sound of an air-conditioning unit, recorded by a young assistant Mike Thorne who was helping engineer Martin Birch on this track. As Roger Glover
turned to Martin and suggested the sound of a machine starting up would be a great way to get the song going (and the album) and the latter could not think of anything suitable off the top of his head, Thorne suggested the sound of an air conditioning unit (he referred to as the West Uzbekistan Percussion Ensemble) would do the trick and duly recorded it to the band's delight. Later Deep Purple members told people who asked what the sound was that it was made by a 'special' synthesizer.
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..
Fireball (album)
-Side two:-Bonus tracks on the 25th anniversary CD re-issue:-side one:-Side two:-Personnel:* Ian Gillan - vocals* Ritchie Blackmore - guitar* Roger Glover - bass* Jon Lord - keyboards, Hammond organ* Ian Paice - drums-Additional personnel:...
by the English hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
band Deep Purple
Deep Purple
Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in Hertford in 1968. Along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, they are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, although some band members believe that their music cannot be categorised as belonging to any one genre...
. 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
Ian Gillan
Ian Gillan is an English rock music vocalist and songwriter, best known as the lead singer and lyricist for Deep Purple. During his career Gillan also fronted his own band, had a year-long stint as the vocalist for Black Sabbath, and sang the role of Jesus in the original recording of Andrew Lloyd...
.
"Fireball" (take 1 - instrumental), a bonus track on the remastered Fireball
Fireball (album)
-Side two:-Bonus tracks on the 25th anniversary CD re-issue:-side one:-Side two:-Personnel:* Ian Gillan - vocals* Ritchie Blackmore - guitar* Roger Glover - bass* Jon Lord - keyboards, Hammond organ* Ian Paice - drums-Additional personnel:...
album, features a guitar solo near the end, at 3:30, after the fade-out of the original version.
It is one of the few Deep Purple songs to feature Ian Paice
Ian Paice
Ian Anderson Paice is an English musician, best known as the drummer of the English rock band Deep Purple. As of Jon Lord's departure in 2002, he is the only founding member of the band who never stopped performing with the group, and the only member to appear on every album the band has...
using double bass drums, where he borrowed the second bass drum from Keith Moon
Keith Moon
Keith John Moon was an English musician, best known for being the drummer of the English rock group The Who. He gained acclaim for his exuberant and innovative drumming style, and notoriety for his eccentric and often self-destructive behaviour, earning him the nickname "Moon the Loon". Moon...
's kit as The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
were recording in the studio next door. When performed live, a roadie brings on another bass drum to perform the song, only to remove it when it is finished.
The noise intro to the song was a sound of an air-conditioning unit, recorded by a young assistant Mike Thorne who was helping engineer Martin Birch on this track. As Roger Glover
Roger Glover
Roger David Glover is a Welsh bassist, songwriter, and record producer. Glover is best known as the bassist and lyricist for the hard rock band, Deep Purple.-Early career:...
turned to Martin and suggested the sound of a machine starting up would be a great way to get the song going (and the album) and the latter could not think of anything suitable off the top of his head, Thorne suggested the sound of an air conditioning unit (he referred to as the West Uzbekistan Percussion Ensemble) would do the trick and duly recorded it to the band's delight. Later Deep Purple members told people who asked what the sound was that it was made by a 'special' synthesizer.
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..
Personnel
- Ian GillanIan GillanIan Gillan is an English rock music vocalist and songwriter, best known as the lead singer and lyricist for Deep Purple. During his career Gillan also fronted his own band, had a year-long stint as the vocalist for Black Sabbath, and sang the role of Jesus in the original recording of Andrew Lloyd...
- vocals, tambourineTambourineThe tambourine or marine is a musical instrument of the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zils". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, though some variants may not have a head at all.... - Ritchie BlackmoreRitchie BlackmoreRichard Hugh "Ritchie" Blackmore is an English guitarist and songwriter, who was known as one of the first guitarists to fuse Classical music elements with rock. He fronted his own band Rainbow after leaving Deep Purple where he was unhappy because his favourite musical style wasn't adequately...
- guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker... - Roger GloverRoger GloverRoger David Glover is a Welsh bassist, songwriter, and record producer. Glover is best known as the bassist and lyricist for the hard rock band, Deep Purple.-Early career:...
- bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Jon LordJon LordJonathan Douglas "Jon" Lord is an English composer, pianist and Hammond organ player.Jon Lord, also known as 'Hammond Lord', is a classically trained piano player. He is recognised for his Hammond organ blues-rock sound and for his pioneering work in fusing rock and classical or baroque forms...
- organHammond organThe Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond in 1934 and manufactured by the Hammond Organ Company. While the Hammond organ was originally sold to churches as a lower-cost alternative to the wind-driven pipe organ, in the 1960s and 1970s it became a standard keyboard... - Ian PaiceIan PaiceIan Anderson Paice is an English musician, best known as the drummer of the English rock band Deep Purple. As of Jon Lord's departure in 2002, he is the only founding member of the band who never stopped performing with the group, and the only member to appear on every album the band has...
- drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....