On 7th December 1988, Armenia was struck by a devastating earthquake. In response to the tragedy, the biggest names in rock recorded an all-star cover of Deep Purple classic Smoke on The Water to raise funds for the stricken region.
Twenty years after the Armenian earthquake, Deep Purple singer Ian Gillan and Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi visited Armenia again and were deeply affected by the passion of the young students of a music school in Gyumri that had never been properly restored since the earthquake shattered the city.
To raise funds to build a new music school, Iommi and Gillan formed Who Cares and wrote and recorded a new song “Out of My Mind” for the kids of Armenia. They assembled an all-star lineup at the iconic SARM studios in 2010. Participating artists included Iron Maiden’s Nicko McBrain on drums, legendary Deep Purple keyboardist Jon Lord and iconic bassist Jason Newsted (who recorded remotely).
This film captures moments from that day in the studio, one of the legendary Lord’s last ever filmed recording sessions. It also features Queen’s Brian May reflecting on the significance of Smoke On The Water. Subscribe and watch on YouTube.
