Guitarists who write songs vs Songwriters who are good guitarists

Fretwired

TheBigDipper said:

Phil_aka_Pip said:

Rocker said:

<snip>

Deep Purple used to write most of their songs. The credit goes Gillan/Blackmore/Lord/Glover/Paice. I am under the impression that each band member wrote his own part.

That's more likely to be a royalties declaration to keep everyone in the band happy. Coldplay, Radiohead and U2 do something similar, I believe. 

Parts don't just appear out of nowhere. Someone has a rhythmic, melodic or harmonic idea that starts everything off. Wouldn't we all agree that Smoke On The Water is a guitar riff with a melody line, catchy chorus and interesting lyric? I don't think the drums or bass really have much influence over the composition - good though they both were as players and good though their parts on the song are. 

Improvised-based bands, like Can, for example, may have developed material by all playing together, and then cut & pasted the tapes to make a recorded composition, but that's different. 

Deep Purple used to jam a lot so many of the songs were a collaboration. See below as an example:

TheBigDipper

Fretwired said:

TheBigDipper said:

Phil_aka_Pip said:

<snip>

Deep Purple used to jam a lot so many of the songs were a collaboration. See below as an example:

We all know the story inside Smoke On The Water, and I knew it was recorded at the end of making Machine Head. I didn't know how they actually put it together, though. 

That's my one new thing for today. Ta!