The group dates back to September 1986. The very act of setting up the band took place an hour before Iron Maiden concert in Poznan, when Tomasz "Titus" Pukacki (vocal, bass guitar) met Robert "Litza" Friedrich (backing vocal, guitar) and they decided to sell the entrance tickets. The money they got was in no time spent on cheap Polish wine known locally as "kwas" (English "acid") The line up was then enlarged by Dariusz "Popcorn" Popowicz (guitar) and Maciej "Ślimak" Starosta (drums.) Soon they created a few song such as Barmy Army or Del Rocca which are performed live even these days. Unfortunately, after two months of blissful existence, the band suffered the loss of Titus - the leader, who had been called up to the army. Titus stayed there two years while the rest of the band performed with other bands. Popcorn joined Wolf Spider and Litza became a member of legendary Turbo and later Creation of Death. When Titus was finally released from the army, ACID DRINKERS was reactivated.
They first appeared on stage on 26th August 1989 in Wroclaw at a fairly big metal festival called "Metal Madness". They played three songs during which they remained completely still on stage, which was a pretty shocking idea as for a metal band at that time. The audience was absolutely taken aback. The same year they played only one more gig together with Turbo, Wolf Spider and Gomor.
In the meantime ACID DRINKERS recorded their first demo including Nagasaki Baby, Del Rocca and I Mean Acid. The demo noticed by Tomasz Dziubinski (Metal Mind Productions) was presented at Midem Fair in Cannes. A month later ACID DRINKERS signed a deal with Music for Nations. In 1990 ACID DRINKERS performed at Metalmania Festival in Katowice, which has been the largest metal festival in Eastern Europe for many years. The show was so excellent that not only fans but also critics and journalists regarded it as a triumph. In a blink of an eye the band gained popularity across the whole country. It was even called "Guns'n'Roses at Metallica's speed".
In October 1998 Litza left ACID DRINKERS, soon replaced by Przemyslaw "Perla" Wejmann. The same year the band was awarded "the Best Rock Band of the Year" by Polish Public Television. ACID DRINKERS also received "Fryderyk", the Polish equivalent of Grammy Award in category of "hard’n’heavy" in 1998, 2000, 2004. In 2003 Perla left the band. The place emptied by him was soon taken over by Tomasz ‘Lipa’ Lipnicki, the leader of another famous Polish band – Illusion. When Lipa left the band in march 2004, next guy joined the band. His name is Aleksander “Olass” Mendyk, guitar player from great hardcore band called None.
Acid Drinkers has always been one of the best and the most live-impressive Polish heavy metal bands. It has been estimated that so far they have played over 700 concerts in Poland and abroad. From 1996 to 2003 Acids headlined 7 tours and their audience reached a million of people. They headlined all the important Polish rock and metal festivals. The band supported many international stars, such as Deep Purple (in Katowice 03.06.1996 and 24.06.1998 and 27.06.2004 Legia Stadium-Warsaw), Ian Gillan ("Toolbox In" tour in Poland and Czech Republic December 1991), Megadeth, Bruce Dickinson, Sepultura, Paradise Lost and Slayer. The band has been recognized as the best Polish band of the 90s’ by Polish journalists, readers of Polish rock and metal magazines and, of course, BY FANS.
Line-Up
Tomasz "Titus" Pukacki - lead vocals, bass guitar
Wojciech "Jankiel" Moryto - guitar, bkg vocals
Darek "Popcorn" Popowicz - lead guitar
Maciej "Ślimak" Starosta - drums
Smoke on the Water
Acid Drinkers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
On the Lake Geneva shoreline
To make records with a mobile
We didn't have much time
Frank Zappa and the Mothers
Were at the best place around
But some stupid with a flare gun
Burned the place to the ground
They burned down the gambling house
It died with an awful sound
Funky Claude was running in and out
Pulling kids out the ground
When it all was over
We had to find another place
But Swiss time was running out
It seemed that we would lose the race
Smoke on the water, fire in the sky
We ended up at the Grand Hotel
It was empty cold and bare
But with the Rolling truck Stones thing just outside
Making our music there
With a few red lights and a few old beds
We make a place to sweat
No matter what we get out of this
I know we'll never forget
Smoke on the water, fire in the sky
The song "Smoke on the Water" by Acid Drinkers is a cover of the original song by Deep Purple. This version of the song tells a story about a disaster that occurred during a music festival at Montreux on the Lake Geneva shoreline in Switzerland. The band had come to make records with a mobile; however, their plans were shattered when a fan fired a flare gun into the ceiling of the casino where they were viewing Frank Zappa and the Mothers' gig. The flares caused a fire to break out, and the entire building burnt to the ground. The lyrics of the song describe the moments leading up to the tragedy, the aftermath, and the band's subsequent relocation to a new location, where they were able to resume their performance.
The first verse of the song is about the night of the fire, and it describes the arrival of the various bands that were to appear at the festival. The second verse talks about the fire and the chaos that ensued, with Funky Claude pulling kids out of the ground. The third verse describes the band's arrival at a new location, where they were able to make their music, with red lights and old beds.
Overall, "Smoke on the Water" is a song about the resilience of musicians in the face of adversity, and the ability of music to bring people together, even in the face of tragedy.
Line by Line Meaning
We all came out to Montreux
We all traveled to the beautiful city of Montreux.
On the Lake Geneva shoreline
Located on the shore of the magnificent Lake Geneva.
To make records with a mobile
To record our music using a mobile recording studio.
We didn't have much time
We had a limited amount of time to make our records.
Frank Zappa and the Mothers
Frank Zappa and his band were at the venue.
Were at the best place around
The venue was the best around.
But some stupid with a flare gun
Unfortunately, a foolish person carrying a flare gun appeared.
Burned the place to the ground
The flare gun caused a fire that burned the entire venue.
Smoke on the water, fire in the sky
The scene was filled with smoke and flames from the fire.
They burned down the gambling house
The gambling house at the venue was completely destroyed in the fire.
It died with an awful sound
The destruction of the gambling house was accompanied by a terrible sound.
Funky Claude was running in and out
A man named Funky Claude was frantically running in and out of the venue.
Pulling kids out the ground
He was saving young people who were at the venue.
When it all was over
After the fire had ended...
We had to find another place
... we had to find another place to record.
But Swiss time was running out
However, we were running out of time in Switzerland.
It seemed that we would lose the race
We feared that we wouldn't be able to accomplish what we needed to in time.
We ended up at the Grand Hotel
We ultimately chose to record at the Grand Hotel.
It was empty cold and bare
The hotel was rather barren, lacking warmth and comfort.
But with the Rolling truck Stones thing just outside
The Rolling Stones' van was parked right outside.
Making our music there
We continued to create our music there.
With a few red lights and a few old beds
We had only a few red lights and some old beds to help us record.
We make a place to sweat
We made that space a place to work hard and make good music.
No matter what we get out of this
Regardless of the outcome, we will remain proud of our efforts.
I know we'll never forget
We'll always remember that experience.
Smoke on the water, fire in the sky
That scene still sticks with us today.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Ritchie Blackmore, Ian Gillan, Roger D Glover, Jon Lord, Ian Paice
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Patrick Stott
One of my all time favourite covers of this!
SRinSaname
Carnivorous Mower like :)
SRinSaname
Lukę. Moja żona lepiej się zna na Acidach niż ja :*
Natalia Grendziak
super
SRinSaname
Kocham Cię kochanie :*
pat ay
mdrrrrrr ils sont tarés mais trop fun