Remember Deep Purple's hit song, "Smoke On the Water?" It tells the story of a fire that broke out during a Mothers of Invention show at Montreux Casino, in Switzerland. Deep Purple was in the audience, getting ready to record their next album at the Casino, but had to find another place.
One week later, Melody Maker put a big picture of Frank Zappa on the front page, and related a first-hand account of the fire, from Mothers drummer Aynsley Dunbar.
This is the complete issue of December 11, 1971. Other fun stories to browse through include George Harrison's dispute with Capitol Records, over the "Concert for Bangladesh" benefit album; articles about British group Patto, Mott the Hoople and pianist Nicky Hopkins; and an interview with Jefferson Airplane. It's also fun to look through the club listings and find ads for shows by future stars like Al Stewart, Genesis, Hawkwind, Fleetwood Mac, America and others. An enjoyable throwback!
As you'd expect of a newspaper that's been in storage for 52 years, it's not in perfect condition. The newsprint pages are quite yellowed, and tattered around the edges. But it's still completely readable.