The Mule (song)
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| "The Mule" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Deep Purple | |
| from the album Fireball | |
| Released | July 1971 |
| Recorded | January 1971 Olympic Studios in London |
| Genre | |
| Length | 5:21 |
| Label | EMI (UK) Warner Bros. Records (US) |
| Songwriters | Ritchie Blackmore, Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Jon Lord, Ian Paice |
| Producer | Deep Purple |
"The Mule" is a song by English hard rock band Deep Purple, and was originally released on their 1971 album Fireball. The song became famous for its live performance, which would always feature a drum solo by Ian Paice.
Ian Gillan introduces "The Mule" as "It's all about Lucifer and some of his friends, most of whom are sitting around here somewhere tonight." (From the Live in Concert 1972/73 DVD), however on his website he also states "Yes, the Mule was inspired by Asimov."[2] The reference is to the character of The Mule, in the Foundation series by Isaac Asimov, specifically in Foundation and Empire.
The song opens with the sound of a tambourine being shaken quickly. This lasts for the first 10 seconds, before guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, bassist Roger Glover, keyboardist Jon Lord, and Paice begin playing the song. The opening guitar riff, resembling a fanfare, lasts for the first minute of the song. Soon, vocalist Ian Gillan begins singing about the "Mule" ("Just another slave for the Mule"). The last 3+1⁄2 minutes are instrumental, consisting of solos by Blackmore and Lord.
AllMusic writes "The Mule" is perhaps Purple's finest instrumental. [3]
- Recording accident
Roger Glover remembers:
In an effort to achieve a phlanging effect the tape had been reversed and was in the "record" mode... Half the drums had been erased from the middle to the end of the song. The drums used for the recording had been packed and were on their way to Europe for the next tour dates. A kit was hastily rented and Ian had to overdub new drums onto half the song.[4]
