The project is most remembered for a re-recording of
Deep Purple's famous hit song, "
Smoke on the Water", with different vocalists singing each verse. The single made it to the
UK Top 40 Singles Chart. The track was recorded by an elite group of contemporary
progressive rock,
hard rock and
heavy metal musicians who gathered at the historic
Metropolis Studios in
Chiswick,
London. Recording began on July 8, 1989 and was completed over 5 different sessions. The rock musicians involved in the recording of the song included:
Vocals: •
Ian Gillan •
Bruce Dickinson •
Paul Rodgers •
Bryan Adams Guitars: •
Brian May •
David Gilmour •
Tony Iommi •
Ritchie Blackmore •
Alex Lifeson Bass: •
Chris Squire Keyboards: •
Geoff Downes •
Keith Emerson Drums: •
Roger Taylor John Paul Jones and
Jon Lord were credited as "helping" behind the scenes with the track. Due to Brian May's arm injury, session guitarist Geoff Beauchamp stepped in to fill in the guitar tracks while he makes a recovery. In 1990, the song was released again with an alternate mix, one example of which was released by Dino Music, which unlike the rest, had "
Black Night" also by
Deep Purple as a B-side and had Tony Iommi's name incorrectly spelt on the front of it as
"Tommy Iommi." Rock Aid Armenia: The Making of Smoke on the Water documentary The recording sessions for the re-recording of "Smoke on the Water" were filmed and released in the same year on video as
Rock Aid Armenia: The Making of Smoke on the Water, along with interviews and a video clip for the single. Film producer Paul Lovell produced and edited the final extended version of the documentary which was released on Laser Disc and VHS in Japan in 1991. The organization has since been made available for viewing via YouTube. ==
The Earthquake Album ==