Who Do We Think We Are Studio
Lichtblick: Mörfelder Straße 20, Walldorf, Frankfurt, Germany. Formerly a recording studio used by Deep Purple to complete their album Who Do We Think We Are in 1972
DTB reader Bernt Kuepper has been trying to track down the exact location of the studio Deep Purple used for Who Do We Think We Are for some time. As we know the band began work in Italy (the exact villa is another location it would be good to pin down) but didn’t get much done, so had to hurriedly find somewhere else to finish the album in during October 1972. Bernt spoke to Roger Glover about it a couple of years ago, and I contacted Colin Hart on his behalf, but neither of them were able to really remember much about it.
The problem was that they used a little known studio in a small suburb of Franfurt called Morfelden-Walldorf, just off the E451 autobahn, a few kilometers away from Frankfurt airport. Our guess is that the place was found by someone at the band’s German agency Mama, who were based in Frankfurt. Morfelden-Walldorf was originally a small village and indeed retains a sort of separate identity even though it is now part of Frankfurt.
Bernt tracked down a guy called Joerg Gruensfelder who was around at the time and he confirmed that WDWTWA was recorded in the Walldorf-Studios. The owner was Herr Pfalzgraf and the studio was a former cinema which he had converted.
Who Do We Think We Are studio entrance
Bernt was able to drive over and have a look. The woman at the desk allowed him to take some photographs. She thinks the studio shut in the late 1980s. It was basically one big room – the cinema floor with the chairs removed. The actual control room is quite small, around 12′ by 10′, and had been the projector space originally (as it is again) but as the band used the Stones Mobile it wasn’t a big concern (they used it as a hanging out area).
Who Do We Think We Are studio area
I’ve never seen any contemporary photographs of this stage of the album recording, perhaps the band just wanted to get it over and done with by that time given the personal problems between them.
Bernt spoke to a few locals and all of them remembered the time Deep Purple were there, so it must have been quite a big deal.
Former studio from the street, 2012
darker than blue 
August 30, 2017 at 8:43 am |
Sid, Martin Birch did not use the projection room for the desk and other equipment, because the Mobile studio parked outside with the whole equipment inside. The band played inside
the large cinema itself.
October 5, 2016 at 12:09 pm |
Still, one of my favorite albums ! Lovely guitarlicks. I still hope they play songs from this album…
March 11, 2014 at 6:38 pm |
WDWTWA is great, it was my first DP album, their latest release back then.
May 20, 2013 at 11:00 pm |
I’m really happy to see how many people love this album. So do I. I think musically it’s really great. I can understand why the band all but disown it given the problems within the band. I do remember hearing it in its entirety when it was released on German radio station SWF3 (today, the station is called SWR3). It was shortly before or after hearing Led Zep’s House of the Holy in its entirety. Who do we think we are completely blew me away – and I was only 13 years old. Always has been and always will be one of my favourite Purple album!
January 13, 2023 at 11:25 pm |
It was my first purple album as well, i was 14 when it came out. Also for me it was a magnificent piece of work. I love all tracks, but have a special place in my heart for Rat Bat Blue (Paicy has an awesome groove there) and Place in Line with the best solo combination of Lord and Blackmore ever.
Soundwise it’s definitely the best Mark II studio album, and i have to say anything blackmore gillan glover lord and paice produced after that, doesn’t come close to WDWTWA…. I’m still enjoying the album to this day.
Cheers Theo Bien
January 31, 2023 at 9:07 am
I do feel these days that Who Do is rather overlooked due to the bad vibes around during recording, but I still play it!
May 20, 2013 at 9:48 pm |
There must have been something about the place. Apart from being a badly underrated album with some fantastic stuff on it, to me it’s Mk 2’s best produced studio album.
January 29, 2013 at 1:58 pm |
Sid, the projection room was inside the Mobile Unit. Thus there was no need to use the place where the cinema’s film projector was located. The recording room was the cinema itself (10m x 12m).
June 4, 2012 at 6:40 pm |
Adding my vote for the excellence of WDWTWA, which has always sounded to me like the logical extension of Fireball. Machine Head is one of THOSE albums which has Classic written through it like seaside rock; In Rock remains Purple’s heaviest record, and saved their career. When writers describe WDWTWA as a “tired” album, methinks they’re being lazy (no pun). The energy level is high.
May 6, 2012 at 10:07 am |
Not their best effort, Ritchie’s playing is slightly under his standard, also at composition level… however it’s Mark II and so it’s good as well. Painted Horse was a leftover, they put it out but it was a mistake, (though) I like Gillan and (also) Glover’s firm bass line.
April 30, 2012 at 7:13 pm |
Excellent album, my favourite one right after Machine Head. One thing I’d love to know is the equipment used by Ritchie in the album. Some songs sound like he used the AC30, some others like the Marshall Major.
April 23, 2012 at 2:21 pm |
Great to read this and see those pictures. WDWTWA is a great album, no matter what the band say about it. The writing was maturing and the performances (apart from Ritchie which is sparse) fantastic. Jon Lord and Gillan are outstanding on this album! I know it was the weakest in terms of sales, but MIJ was released around the same time and I think this impacted on the overall sales figures. “Rat Bat blue” has to be in the top ten of any DP songs and Mary Long is as absolute classic too… As with all classic MkII albums for my money there isn’t a weak song on this.
April 21, 2012 at 10:24 pm |
“Who do we think we are” is a far better album than Burn or Stormbringer, you can tell its the end of the line for the MkII but its great, almost up there with Machine Head…
April 21, 2012 at 4:05 pm |
A great album and often over looked by the fans, some great playing and Ian on fine form on songs like “Smooth Dancer” and “Painted Horse”
April 20, 2012 at 8:41 pm |
I was standing in line buying the album in 1973 for Christ sake, and its a very good album, not the best, Machine head is still the one, but I rather listen to WDWTWA any day over Burn or Stormbringer…
Wiktor
April 17, 2012 at 10:00 pm |
It was a powerful album. Unfortunately, the best art sometimes comes from the depths of the greatest misery. I love the songs on this record. Wish they would get played more by the band. “Super Trooper” is a barn burner, “Place In Line” is a fantastic take on the blues and Gillan sings his heart out, “Painted Horse” should have made the final album. Much more to this record than “Woman From Tokyo”.
April 16, 2012 at 11:07 pm |
Thanks for the photographs and the effort put into locating the studio, good to be able to gain a feel for the album in its location setting… still to this day remains one of my favourite albums.
April 16, 2012 at 8:14 pm |
Thank you very much for posting this!
But the recording room was not so small, it was 12 by 10 METERS. It’s the place where the audience sits.
April 20, 2012 at 6:51 pm |
Oops, sorry for the slip there Bernt. I was thinking looking at the photo of that large black wall, wouldn’t it be great to decorate it with a blow up of the LP art one day? Maybe for the anniversary.
December 9, 2012 at 4:16 am |
Bernt,
I believe you may be getting confused with the control room and recording area? Surely the control room (which housed the consoles, mixers, tape decks etc) would logically be the old protection room and not a 12 x 10 metres area at floor level?
That way its a similar layout to the old IBC studio in London where a small control room was up a set of stairs and overlooked the main (and larger) recording area.
12 metres by 10 metres for a control room would be record breaking size! I would think it more likely the band had their equipment set up where that seating area is.
April 16, 2012 at 7:38 pm |
Great pics and info – it’s so fulfilling when you track down these locations, wish I could do it full time!
April 16, 2012 at 1:54 pm |
Michiel, you are so right, and the last from the glory days of Mk2 at full power.
April 16, 2012 at 1:09 pm |
In my view it had the best sound of any of the early MK II albums so it is nice to see where that sound started from. I’ve said this before but will say it again, if you reorder the album tracks like this then it actually a really heavy album and much better to listen to (actually sounds more like a Purple album) –
Rat Bat Blue, Smooth Dance, Super Trouper, Mary Long, Place In Line, Our Lady and Woman From Tokyo
April 16, 2012 at 10:43 am |
Agree, great album!!
April 16, 2012 at 10:01 am |
WDWTW will always be one of my favourites. I can imagine the band, of way back (then) that is, performing on a small stage and me sitting in one of those chairs. No place in line for me, he he he.
April 16, 2012 at 2:26 am |
Agreed Michiel. My favorite Mk2 album.
April 15, 2012 at 10:45 pm |
And no matter what critics say…
April 15, 2012 at 9:11 pm |
Very interesting…
April 15, 2012 at 7:58 pm |
Finally some interesting news about the best album from DP. I agree with Michiel, it doesn’t matter what others say and I have been listening on them since 1970.
April 15, 2012 at 6:52 pm |
Another puzzle solved (in) the story of WDWTWA …
April 15, 2012 at 6:46 pm |
Well done Bernt-thanks for sharing
April 15, 2012 at 3:23 pm |
Great album. No matter what people say.