FOO-EEE Records R2 71021, 1992 Date: Dec 4, 1971 Location: The Casino, Montreaux, Switzerland Length: ~90 min Sound quality: Soundboard B/B+ This is the infamous concert where the Casino caught fire and burned down (the very fire mentioned in "Smoke on the Water" by Deep Purple) so most of the Mothers' equipment was destroyed.
From: FZ (TRFZB)
The 1971 European winter tour gets the award for being hte most
disasterous. On December 4, we were working at the Casino de Montreux in
Geneva, Switzerland, right on the edge of the lake- just in front of Igor
Stravinsky Street- a venue noted for its jazz festivals.
In the middle of Don Preson's synthesizer solo on "King Kong," the
place suddenly caught fire. Somebody in the audience had a bottle rocket
or a Roman candle and had fired it into the ceiling, at which point the
rattan covering started to burn (other versions of the story claim the
blaze was the result of faulty wiring). There were between twenty-five
hundred and three thousand kids packed into the room- well over capacity.
Since more kids were outside, trying to get in, the organizers had
cleverly chained the doors shut. When the fire began, the audience was
left with two ways out: through the front door, which was pretty small, or
through a plate-glass window off to the side of the stage.
I made an announcement- something like: "Please be calm. We have to
leave here. There is a fire and why don't we get out?"
You'd be surprised how well people who speak only French can
understand you when its a matter of life and death. They began filing out
through the front door.
As the room was filling with smoke, one of our roadies took an
equipment case and smashed the big window. The crew then began helping
people to escape through it into some kind of garden place below. The
band escaped through an underground tunnel that led from behind the stage
through the parking garage.
A few minutes later the heating system in the building exploded, and
some people were blown through the window. Fortunately, nobody was killed
and there were only a few minor injuries- however, the entire building,
about thirteen million dollars' worth, burned to the ground, and we lost
all our equipment.
From: FrankZappy (frankzappy[at]aol.com) In the April, 1999 issue of Guitar magazine there is an interview with former Deep Purple guitarist (and my idol for many years) Ritchie Blackmore. In the article Ritchie mentions Zappa two separate times. In the first instance while discussing the abuse Blackmore had to handle from the record company he says: "As Frank Zappa would say, "I smell a rat"" The next quote follows: Q: Can you elaborate on the story told in "Smoke on the Water"? A. We were sitting there watching Frank Zappa play and suddenly someone had one of those flare guns and decided to let it off. It set the roof on fire. Frank turned around and said, "Now everybody clam down." He then threw down his guitar and jumped out the window. It was quite funny. He wanted to be the first one out. We then had about 15 minutes before the place was gutted, which was frightening. If memory serves when Frank told the story he was more like a traffic cop and made sure all the kids got out first. Ritchie never took drugs, but did tend to drink so maybe his recollection of Zappa leaping out a window is blurred, so the question is: what really happened? Did Zappa throw down his guitar (SG?) and leap out the window while Blackmore sat calmly and observed as the place burned down or is this like the Kurosawa film Rashamon, where everyone remembers things somewhat differently?
From: Ttrocc7007[at]aol.com
Arthur Brown was kind of an English version of Screamin' Jay Hawkins (but
without the soul) in the late '60's. In America he had one single from an
LP produced by (of all people) Peter Townsend. The single was called
"FIRE". So....when some poor Swiss dude sees that he's about to become
toast and starts screaming "Fire," Kaylan believing it's a joke goes into
his line "Live right here on stage, Arthur Brown ladies and Gentelmen."
In a weird side-bar to all this, Arthur Brown moved to Austin Texas in the
'80's, and was in a band with Jimmy Carl Black!
From: Nik Lowenberg (Lowenberg-DeBoer[at]worldnet.att.net)
Another thing you might want to add to the Arthur Brown reference (another
crappy sidebar) on Swiss Cheese/Fire! is that Arthur Brown used to set
himself on fire and go out onstage...early shock-rock.
The Joined International Transcribing Effort Of
Vladimir Sovetov
Johannes Labisch
Gordon.Keeble[at]f113.n267.z1.fidonet.org (Gordon Keeble)
If the 8-bit transmission is incorrect:
letter Name spelling
-----------------------------
B "Esszett" sz
ae a-Umlaut ae
Ae A-Umlaut Ae
ue u-Umlaut ue
Ue U-Umlaut Ue
oe o-Umlaut oe
Oe O-Umlaut Oe
This is a piece for those of you in the audience who happen to speak
German. And if you do happen to speak German after this piece you'll
probably regret it . . .
One - two - three.
FZ: Once upon a time, way back a long time ago. When the universe
consisted of nothing more elaborate than Mark Maroon.
Oh, thank you Frank.
Hiya, friends!
What a life?
I can't begin to tell you
I mean.. today as I was walking here
Just like every place else I go
People walk up to me and they go:
Mark, Mark, Mark
Bark, bark bark
I hear a little dog
Mark,
Are you kidding?
And all I can say back to them is friends,
Friends, I am not kidding
I feel great.
I mean I'm portly
And I'm maroon
What else could you ask for?
Can anybody here in this audience
In our vast audience back there
Even you in the cheap seats
Can you guess what I am?
No, we can't guess what you are
we can't guess
Well then, I'll give each and every one of you some clues
Clue number one
(and I've already given this away)
I'm portly Clue number one.
I'm portly I am clue number one.
I still don't know who you are
OK,
Then I'll give you clue number two
And this is very important to the girls in the audience
I'm double knit
Ohhhhh
I stretch
And clue number three
Oh no,no, Still don't know who you are, though..
Well, I was gonna to give ya the clue anyway
Does it matter with response like that?
Clue number three
And these are for the people standing
right in front the vocal PA-mike
Ich bin maroon
Ahhhh, Why didn't you say so
Once upon a time
Way back a long time ago
Way back when the universe consisted
Of nothing more elaborate
than Mark Maroon
Thank you, Frank
Hiya Friends
Trying to convince
each and every members of this audience here tonight
that he was nothing more, nothing less
Than a fat maroon sofa
Suspended in the midst of a vast emptiness
A light shineth down from Heaven
And who should appeare but the Good Lord himself
And his faithful Saint Bernard, Wendell
Down Wendell, down!
And he was feeling fine that day
And if there was one thing that he could use
It would be a nice sofa for him and Wendell
And he looked at the sofa
And he said unto himself : This sofa is all right
Except what it needs is a floor
And so in order to attain the floor
He consulted with the celestial corps of engineers
And addressed them formaly
With the little song in Deutsch
Because that is the way he talks whenever it's heavy business
Take it away God
Gib zu mir
Etwas FuBbodenbelag
Unter diesem fetten, flieBenden Sofa
Gib zu mir
Etwas Fussbodenbelag
Unter diesem fetten, fliessenden Sofa
And of course that means
Give unto to me a bit of flooring
Underneath of this fat floating sofa
And sure enough boards of oak appeared throughout the emptiness
As far as vision permits
Stretching all the way from Fondue Central up on top of the hill
Right down to the front door of the Excelsior Hotel
And the Lord proceeded
To deliver unto the sofa
A brief lecture
That will set forth in specific language
the sum total of all
their future relationships, including options
With an electric clarinet
Ich bin der Himmel
(This goes out to [?Irving Porter] in the box)
Ich bin das Wasser
Ich bin der Dreck unter deinen Walzen
Ich bin dein geheimer Schmutz
Und verlorenes Metallgeld
Ich bin deine Ritze
Ich bin deine Ritze und Schlitze
Ich bin Wolken
Ich bin bestickt
Ich bin der Autor aller Felgen und Damask Paspeln
Ich bin der chrome dinette
Ich bin der chrome dinette
Ich bin Eier aller Arten
Ich bin alle Tage und Naechte
Ich bin alle Tage und Naechte
Ich bin hier
Und du bist mein Sofa
Ich bin hier
Und du bist mein Sofa
Ich bin hier
Und du bist mein Sofa
I'm here and you are my sofa
Eddie, are you kidding me ?
Eddie, are you kidding me ?
Eddie, are you kidding me ?
(translation):
Ein Licht scheint vom Himmel herab (A light shines down from
Heaven.
Kometen und alle rasenden Truemmer Comets and all rushing wreckages
Dunkle Gase und tiefgefrorene ?????? Dark gas and deep-frozen ???
Zittern bei der Ankunft des Herren Are trembling at the arrival
of the Lord )
A light shines down from Heaven
A dense ecumenical patina
At the right hand of God's big sofa
And the Lord put aside his huge cigar
And concidered it was time now
to entertain himself
On the Heavenly afternoon
With the sofa, Wendell, his girlfriend
Who was a little bit short
And her assistant Squat, the magic pig
And he did it like this
Bring her zu mir (Means: Bring on to me
Das kurze Maedchen the short girl
Bring on to me the short girl
Und Squat, das magische Schwein and Squat, the magic pig)
And Squat the magic pig
And big light
Because we gonna make a home movie
Fick mich, du miserabler Hurensohn
Fick mich, du miserabler hurensohn
Streck aus deinen heiBen gelockten
Streck aus deinen heissen gelockten
Streck aus deinen heissen gelockten
Schwanz
Ah-ee-ahee-ahhhhh!
( ?????? guys )
Fick mich, du miserabler Hurensohn
Fick mich, du miserabler hurensohn
Streck aus deinen heissen gelockten
Streck aus deinen heissen gelockten
Streck aus deinen heissen gelockten
schwanz
Ah-ee-ahee-ahhhhh!
Mach es sehr schnell
Rein und raus
Mach es sehr schnell
Rein und raus
Mach es sehr schnell
Rein und raus
Magisches Schwein
Mach es sehr schnell
Rein und raus
Magisches Schwein
Bis er spritzt, spritzt, spritzt, spritzt
Bis es spritzt (?) (Both, es and er, is possible)
Feuer!
Bis er spritzt, spritzt, spritzt, spritzt
Feuer!
Bis er spritzt, spritzt, spritzt, spritzt
Feuer!
Bis er spritzt, spritzt, spritzt, spritzt
Feuer!
Aber beklecker nicht das Sofa, Sofa!
Aber beklecker nicht das Sofa, Sofa!
Aber beklecker nicht das Sofa, Sofa!
Aber beklecker nicht das Sofa, Sofa!
Armed Forces Radio, Radio Free Europe
Fuck me, you ugly son of a bitch
You ugly son of a bitch
Fuck me, you ugly son of a bitch
Stick it out
Stick out yer hot curly weenie
Stick it out
Stick out yer hot curly weenie
Stick it out
Stick out yer hot curly weenie
Weenie... weenie, weenie, weenie!
Make it go fast!
In and out,
Magical Pig
Make it go real fast!
In and out,
Magical Pig
Till it squirts, squirts, squirts, squirts
Fire
Till it squirts, squirts, squirts, squirts
Fire
Don't get no jizz upon that sofa, sofa
Don't get no jizz upon that sofa, sofa
Don't get no jizz upon that sofa, sofa
Don't get no jizz upon that sofa, sofa
(Please me
I'm not a groupie!
I'm not a groupie!
I'm not a groupie!
I'm not a groupie!
I'm not a groupie!
I hear and obey, [? ?].)
Sheets of fire, ladies and gentelmen
Lachen von Feuer
Sheets of real fire
Lachen von Feuer
Sheets of dried water
which is a new form of fondue
Lachen von getrocknetem Wasser
And the Lord causeth the short girl to kneel
And make mysterious gestures
Near the reproductive orifice of Squat the magic pig
And proceeded to broadcast her pure sweet voice
Throughout his greatest new PA system
all over the Alps and everything (Yodle)
Fick mich, Schwein, bis meine ???? dunkles Gas blaest,
Funken schieBem heraus, sich Nebel blasen(?) hat(?)
And for our boys in uniform
That means: Fuck me swine
Until my orchestra blows dark gas
sparks shoot out
and nebulas are revealed
Along with sheets of fire
Lachen von Feuer
Sheets of dried water
Lachen von getrocknetem Wasser
Lachen von Feuer
Sheets of dried water
Lachen von getrocknetem Wasser
Sheets of large deprived rumba
Lachen von riesigen, tiefgefrorenen Rumba
A light shines down from Heaven
A dense ecumenical bandana
At the right hand of God's big rumba(?)
And his voice pronounceth out
in sheets of plywood
and bales of old sportshirts
(Vot dooz he say?)
Ballen von alten Sporthemden (????)
And he says in the middle
of his delirious stupor
Beklecker nicht
Beklecker nicht
(...)
Beklecker nicht mein Sofa!
Obviuosly meaning
Don't get no jizz on the sofa
It is now time for
the bales of imported unmiti-con..
unmitigated zircon fondue
Ballen von Zecken Fondu
und alten Sporthemden Fondu
Lachen von Feuer Fundo
Lachen von ????? Fondu
Lachen von Traenen Fondu
Lachen von ??? kleister??? Spitzen Fondu
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