A little Blackmore gem that often flies under the radar: Pat Boone’s “Smoke on the Water” (1996/97)
I thought I’d share a recording that doesn’t seem to get mentioned very often, even among Blackmore fans.
Most people know that in 1996 Ritchie was touring Europe with Rainbow on the Stranger in Us All tour, but fewer people know that on 24 July 1996, after Rainbow’s concert at the Sommer Arena in Vienna, he recorded a guest guitar solo for Pat Boone’s rather unexpected version of “Smoke on the Water.” The Vienna show itself was a typical 1996 Rainbow set featuring Long Live Rock ‘n’ Roll, Wolf to the Moon, Black Masquerade, Perfect Strangers, Burn and, fittingly, Smoke on the Water.
The track eventually appeared on Pat Boone’s 1997 album “In a Metal Mood: No More Mr. Nice Guy”, a tongue-in-cheek big-band/jazz reinterpretation of classic hard rock and heavy metal songs. The album caused quite a stir at the time because Boone, who had built his career as America’s clean-cut pop singer, suddenly appeared dressed in leather, covering Deep Purple, Judas Priest, Ozzy Osbourne, Metallica and others. It was intentionally humorous, but musically it was put together with great care and even featured guest appearances by several rock musicians.
For Blackmore, however, I think there was another reason why he agreed to participate.
Pat Boone was one of his childhood heroes.
Ritchie has mentioned more than once over the years how much the early rock ‘n’ roll and pop singers of the 1950s meant to him. Boone was one of those artists he admired long before Deep Purple existed. As the story goes, after recording the solo, Pat Boone personally signed an autograph for Ritchie’s father—a lovely little detail that says a lot about Ritchie’s respect for him. As fans, we’re used to hearing stories about people asking Ritchie for autographs. Here, the roles were reversed.
Listening to the recording today, what strikes me is that Ritchie doesn’t simply recycle one of his familiar live “Smoke” solos.
Instead, he plays something much more restrained and tasteful.
The phrasing is very melodic, there are several elegant blues-inflected bends, and he leaves plenty of space between phrases. It isn’t a flashy performance, nor does it sound like he was trying to prove anything. To my ears it’s simply a veteran guitarist enjoying himself and serving the arrangement.
That’s probably why I enjoy it so much.
It’s one of those guest appearances where you instantly know it’s Blackmore within just a few notes, yet it doesn’t sound like a Rainbow or Deep Purple performance at all.
Another interesting detail is that Dweezil Zappa also appears on the track, so two very distinctive guitar personalities end up contributing to the same version of Smoke on the Water.
What also makes this recording fascinating from a historical perspective is the timing.
July 1996 sits right in the middle of the Stranger in Us All era. Rainbow were still touring successfully, Blackmore was fully committed to electric guitar, and Blackmore’s Night was still more than a year away. Looking back, this guest appearance almost feels like one of the last relaxed studio snapshots before his musical direction changed dramatically.
For me, it’s one of those hidden Blackmore performances that deserves far more attention than it usually gets.
It’s only four minutes long, but his contribution has exactly the qualities I always associate with Ritchie at his best: elegant phrasing, beautiful vibrato, excellent note choice and that unmistakable touch that makes you recognise him almost instantly.
If anyone here hasn’t heard it before, it’s definitely worth a listen. I’m curious what you all think of his solo.
