Deep Purple 'Highway Star' Ritchie Blackmore isolated guitar track

While there are other so called isolated tracks out there that were sourced from Rockband using the Sourceforge software Audacity. Those tracks were not the original recording done in the studio by Ritchie Blackmore.

This recording is what is referred to as a (Stem) in the recording industry and was released directly by the record label. Some may question the authenticity: This recording has mistakes in the beginning and the end as well. Not to mention the Harmonized solo @ 3:49. The entire album was recorded with instruments and amplification setup in hallways, alcoves that were snaked to the Rolling Stones Mobile Recording Unit on a bus in the parking lot. Many so called experts will say that Richie used a Vox AC 30 amp, guess again!

Since his introduction to Fender Stratocaster electric guitars, they have become Ritchie's hallmark instrument. He has the frets scalloped to increase the vibrato. He never uses the middle pickup and has it screwed down even with the pick guard.

Ritchie uses two modified fire-breathing 200-watt Marshall Major amps into four 4 X 12 Marshall speaker cabinets with a Hornby-Kues treble booster. Around 1970, Ritchie debuted his secret weapon, a modified Aiwa reel-to-reel tape recorder. The Sorcerer of the Stratocaster would plug his guitar directly into the recorder’s input, with the tape recorder kept paused in the record mode, he used it as a preamp to boost his Marshalls into the stratosphere.

Interesting excerpt from an interview with Ritchie Blackmore:

“The Aiwa gives me a fatter sound, if I don’t use it, the tone is too shrill. I find it very difficult to play without it. I've tried all types of different amplifiers, but they're a little bit too clear; I like a little bit of distortion which is controlled through my tape recorder. I built my own tape recorder; well, I didn't build it, but I modified it from a regular tape recorder to an echo unit. It also preamps and boosts the signal going to the amp. If I want a fuzzy effect l just turn up the output stage of the tape recorder. I used to do that at home; I used to take my tape recorder and use it as an echo. So I thought if I could use it at home I could use it onstage and it sounded right onstage. I just keep it on record so it records, and it's like a continual echo because I couldn't get that echo with any echo machine. There's a cord from the guitar into the tape recorder input, and the output stage just goes back to the amp. And I can control the volume, too; I can have it loud with no distortion or vice versa. I have a little foot pedal that I can stop and start it with. A lot of people think when they see the tape going that the solos are being recorded. It creates a continual boom, boom, boom and repeats. Most echo machines are awful; it's like you're in a hallway. The tape recorder doesn't interfere with the note you're playing. I'd really be in trouble if somebody stole my recorder.”

- Ritchie Blackmore

[LS-oqqh]

For me, Ritchie Blackmore along with Toni Iommi are the inventors of metal guitar riffs.

[johngray]

Blackmore’s precision and commitment to the riff are the origins of heavy / speed metal. Thank you sir Richie.

[JawTooth]

I turned this way up to fool my wife into thinking it was me playing guitar. But she asked who was playing guitar

[joynthis]

Pretty good. He should find some other guys and start a band.

[novakingood]

5:36 Never noticed this blip before, but wisely they decided to go with it because of the brilliant overall feel. Those were the days. Now it's all drop-ins and antiseptic, artificial perfection.

[christanner]

Just Ritchie and his strat, plugged into an amp. No effects or tricks. Fucking brilliant

[rrguitar]

This simply gives me chills. As a guitarist, I'm blown away by this.

[RicoJazz]

These guys had something in their sound. A kind of rawness, a crude power that is lost today in the digital world of mixing and editing.

[aldiagung]

Seriously, Ritchie is total genius .. no words can describe you!

[astolennova]

There are not too many isolated guitar tracks I would sit through. This is amazing.

[TimRiehle]

Geez, nobody else sounds like this. Killer tone, not overly distorted, and such a snarl!

[Simsanchez]

Basically and amp and a guitar combined with high playing skills, no technology just pure talent.

[poorlake]

In today’s conditions this would be considered a sloppy demo. Yet so many of the modern click track recordings can’t but aspire to be as epic as this song.

[anthonyiannozzi]

Had the absolute pleasure of seeing Blackmore and Deep Purple in 1974. Even with the horrible sardine can accoustics from that Philly Spectrum metal roof ceiling it was a bucket list item at age 15. Even though I still like Led Zeppelin just a little more than Deep Purple, trust me, Deep Purple was better live than Zeppelin.

[kodiakandgrizzlybears]

Even this extracted guitar part sounds excellent.

[bernddorst]

It's an almost clean sound, not played with technical perfection. In the sum it's perfect. Better than any overgained metal sound.Some may think that this playing is old fashioned and out of time but it will touch every Rock loving audience immidiately. It's pure and it's true.

[ndge]

What a guitarist - What a sound. Just naturally brilliant, to create a solo in this song like he did. It is still my favourite solo from the whole Classic Rock era. I have seen Purple with Steve Morse, I have played this solo and taught it to students. He was brave playing single notes under the organ solo, he played outlandish chords on the intro, he had style, stage presence and incredible musicality. The vinyl LP of 'Made in Japan' has a grunt and menace completely lacking in the CD version. Wow!

[michaelwinkler]

Crazy Amazing! Have been listening to DP since I was 16 and I still get blown away by their musical brilliance.

[chocodiledundee]

Mate this is absolutely genius masterpiece, there was nothing like this before it, Ritchie Blackmore is one of the greatest indeed, way ahead of his time and visionary ! Stunning experience to hear his guitar like this !
Thank you so much for posting it, blew my brains out !

[Jake_AC]

This really makes me see his tone so differently. I guess he really knew how to compliment jon's tone without taking up too much space