While doing a bit of research on an upcoming story about noteworthy Deep Purple covers, we were reminded of this live 1992 performance of "Smoke on the Water" by Yngwie Malmsteen.
Note that Malmsteen also sings on this version, doing double duty by handling the original roles of both Ian Gillan and Ritchie Blackmore.
It's absolutely no secret that Blackmore had a profound influence on Malmsteen's playing, so it's cool to hear Malmsteen cover one of the elder guitarist's best-known recordings.
"Hendrix is godlike to me, but for a kid who wants to play guitar, the early Ritchie Blackmore solos were more challenging to play," Malmsteen told Guitar World.
"There's no question Blackmore was a big part of my development. I learned how to play the blues from studying him. He has a unique sound a look, and there's a cool mystique about him. There's no one like him."
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