The Untold Story Behind Rainbow’s ‘Stargazer’: Ritchie Blackmore’s Insights
Among the eight albums in Rainbow’s discography, “Stargazer” emerges as the band’s crowning achievement – a sprawling eight-and-a-half-minute odyssey from the 1976 album Rising. Ritchie Blackmore certainly holds this view. In a recent interview with Guitar Player, he highlighted “Stargazer” as a defining track for Rainbow, placing it alongside classics like “Man on the Silver Mountain” and “Long Live Rock and Roll.”
What Was Left Behind in the mix
However, Blackmore’s memories of “Stargazer” are tinged with nostalgia for what was omitted from the final cut. He recalls that two key musicians who substantially influenced the song’s creation saw their best contributions left on the cutting room floor – one due to its complexity, and the other simply because the recording tape ran out.
recording at Musicland Studios
The band recorded Rising at Munich’s Musicland Studios, shortly after Led Zeppelin wrapped up their own sessions for Presence. During their time there, an engineer played rainbow a track called “Nobody’s Fault but Mine” from Zeppelin’s unreleased album. Blackmore recognized the formidable challenge posed by Jimmy Page’s extraordinary guitar work and Robert Plant’s powerful vocals, which raised the bar for Rainbow’s own output.
(Image credit: Fin Costello/Redferns/Getty Images)
“It was a daunting task for us, as that song was exceptionally good,” Blackmore recalls. “It was challenging to follow. I thought it was phenomenal – a brilliant and unusual riff from Page. And Plant’s vocals were outstanding. I thought, ‘We have to match this level?! We better create something equally impressive.’”
“It was a daunting task for us,as that song was exceptionally good. I thought, ‘We have to match this level?! We better create something equally impressive.’”
– Ritchie Blackmore
Crafting the Epic
blackmore believes that Rainbow rose to the occasion with “Stargazer,” a fantasy epic co-written with Ronnie james Dio during their rehearsals. The narrative follows a wizard who enslaves thousands to construct a monumental stone structure, aspiring to soar into the cosmos.
“Ronnie and I collaborated on that; I came up with the riff and the chord progressions at home, and Ronnie delivered the vocals brilliantly in just a few takes,” Blackmore shares.
Dio also played a crucial role in one of the song’s standout musical sections. “He suggested the transition to the key of B – that memorable part where we sing ‘Where is your star?’” Blackmore explains.
“it was refreshing to have someone else contribute to the writng process. I was thrilled, as I had been accustomed to handling everything myself for so long.”
The Grand Finale with the Munich Philharmonic
At nearly eight and a half minutes long, “Stargazer” culminates in one of Blackmore’s most electrifying solos, eventually fading out over a mesmerizing orchestral backdrop. To achieve this dramatic conclusion, Rainbow enlisted 28 musicians from the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra, led by conductor Rainer Pietsch. Blackmore’s instructions were straightforward.
“I told them, ‘We have a song built around two chords, A minor and G, and I want you to improvise while playing this specific riff.’ I demonstrated the riff and encouraged them to add their own flair, as we planned to conclude the song with an extended two-minute fade-out.”
Pietsch dedicated the weekend to crafting his arrangement. However, when Blackmore and Dio heard the results, they felt the orchestration overshadowed the song instead of enhancing it.
(Image credit: Fin Costello/Redferns/getty images)
“Ronnie and I felt it was too cluttered. We aimed to emphasize the main riff of the song. The conductor was proud of his composition, but it simply didn’t work,” Blackmore recalls.
“Ronnie said, ‘You tell him it’s too busy.’ I said,’No,you tell him.’ We were both hesitant to deliver the news.”
– Ritchie Blackmore
“Ultimately, Ronnie took the lead and informed him it was too busy. We requested a revision that would highlight the main riff without the unnecessary embellishments. He tried again, but it remained overly ornate.
“We had to approach him once more, insisting that the main riff needed to be powerful, direct, and simple. By that point, Rainer was quite disheartened, and all we retained was the 28-piece orchestra playing the riff, which is what you hear in the final version.”
(image credit: Frank Hoensch/Redferns)
Pietsch wasn’t the only one to leave the session feeling let down.Blackmore had also brought in a talented gypsy violinist to improvise during the song’s extended fade-out. The performance was everything he had envisioned - until the tape machine reached its limit.
“As the song was fading, the violinist was pouring his heart into the performance, and it sounded incredible,” Blackmore reminisces. “Unfortunately, the reel ran out. We desperately wanted to include his gypsy part at the end.
“When the musician came into the control room to hear his performance, which was brilliant, we had to awkwardly inform him that none of it was recorded because the tape had run out. He was understandably upset. He had just given an outstanding performance, and it was all for nothing. That was a disappointing moment.”
