Wring That Neck

Album: Early Years (1968)
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Songfacts®:

  • Although it contains some blistering guitar from Ritchie Blackmore, this ego tripping instrumental is dominated by Jon Lord's powerful organ riff. A single one-sided sheet of the basic music, without the solos, was deposited with the British Museum Library shortly after the track was written. It is credited to Blackmore, Lord, Simper and Paice; the latter two being the bass player and drummer respectively. Copyright is claimed for B. Feldman & Co trading as HEC Music of London, 1968.
  • "Wring That Neck" was originally called "Hard Road" (in the USA), and like the rest of the second album, it was recorded at De Lane Lee Studios, Holborn, London in August 1968. The album version runs to 5 minutes 13 seconds, but in live concert, like "Mandrake Root" from their first album, it was often stretched out to half an hour or more. >>
    Suggestion credit:
    Alexander Baron - London, England, for above 2

Comments: 2

  • Ron from Illinois UsaThe original tune name is 'Wring That Neck', based on Ritchie Blackmore's solo playing. the U.S. release of the album named the tune Hard Road (with Wring That Neck in parentheses) due to concern for sensitive Americans' reaction to the 'violent' nature of the original title.
  • Ron from Illinois UsaThe Deep Purple instrumental 'Wring That Neck' (named for Ritchie Blackmore's solos playing right down to the neck of the guitar) is well considered as inspiration for Dave LaFlamme's tune (Ballad of) 'Don and Dewey'. Some consider this 'borrowing' from D.P. as 'payback' for D.P. borrowing from It's A Beautiful Day's tune 'Bombay Calling' for their song 'Child In Time'. So which came first? - in the Ritchie Blackmore biography 'Black Night' (pg 116) Blackmore is quoted as saying he heard 'a violin piece' that was similar . . . . The 'Don and Dewey' of LaFlamme's tune, Don Sugarcane Harris and Dewey Terry, released a record in 1962 with the tune 'Stretchin' Out' on the B side, which really has to be the inspiration for 'Wring That Neck' as well as later 'Don and Dewey'.
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