Hot on the heels of the resurgence in the appeal of vinyl comes the return of the cassette!
The inaugural California Jam was a legendary rock music festival co-headlined by Eagles, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple and Emerson, Lake & Palmer. It was held at the Ontario Motor Speedway in Ontario, California, on April 6, 1974. It attracted over 300,000 paying fans and set world records for the loudest amplification system ever installed, the highest paid attendance, and highest gross receipts. The performances were broadcast live on FM radio and broadcast nationwide on U.S. television.
Deep Purple made the eager crowd wait nearly an hour until near dusk before they went on stage. At the climax of the show, guitarist Ritchie Blackmore trashed his guitar and equipment then attacked one of the ABC network’s video cameras. The infamous mishap with a pyrotechnic effect then caused one of Blackmore’s amplifiers to explode, which briefly set the stage on fire. The group had to hastily leave the concert by helicopter to avoid a confrontation with furious fire marshals and a potential arrest for the pyrotechnics.
Track Listing
Side One
- Lay Down, Stay Down
- Might Just Take Your Life
- Smoke On The Water
- Mistreated
- Burn
Side Two
- Lazy/You Fool No-One
- The Mule
- Space Truckin'