Smoke on the Water

Deep Purple, 1972. Solo by Ritchie Blackmore.

The riff is famous; the solo is sharper than people remember.

The riff gets all the attention, but Blackmore's solo is sharper than many people remember. For it he moved to his Stratocaster's neck pickup and isolated his amp in a separate space, getting a rounder, more vocal sound than the riff. The lead is a compact, blues-based statement built on bends and quick pentatonic runs rather than a long showcase, and it was captured with the Rolling Stones' mobile unit during the Montreux sessions. It is a model of saying something meaningful in a small space, and it rewards players who learn more than the famous four-note riff. Listen for the contrast between the biting riff and the warmer solo tone; the pickup change makes the lead sound like a different voice.

Smoke on the Water by Deep Purple is ranked #69 in our consensus of 79 guitar-solo lists. The solo is played by Ritchie Blackmore and the song was released in 1972. It appears on 9 lists, placing as high as #13 (Orchestra Central).

The story of Smoke on the Water

Deep Purple arrived in Montreux in December 1971 planning to cut their next album in the town's casino theatre, using the Rolling Stones' mobile recording truck. On 4 December, during a Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention show at the casino, a fan fired a flare gun into the ceiling. The blaze gutted the whole complex and destroyed the Mothers' gear, though nobody was seriously hurt. The band watched the smoke roll across Lake Geneva, and that image became the seed of a song.

With their venue gone, the group tried the nearby Pavilion theatre, but neighbours and police shut the sessions down after the band had laid down only one backing track. That track, built on a riff Ritchie Blackmore had worked out in jams with drummer Ian Paice, was essentially a soundcheck with no words. Montreux Jazz Festival boss Claude Nobs, who had helped people escape the fire, helped find another space, and the band moved into the empty Grand Hôtel.

Roger Glover came up with the title after waking from a dream, and he and Ian Gillan later wrote the lyrics as a straightforward diary of the week's events, including a nod to 'Funky Claude' Nobs. The Grand Hôtel's corridors and stairwells became a makeshift studio, with mattresses used as baffles, and the vocals were finished there. The song was treated almost as album filler; Machine Head itself was dedicated to Nobs.

Machine Head came out in 1972, but the band and label initially chose other tracks as singles. 'Smoke on the Water' was only issued as a 45 in May 1973, more than a year later, and it climbed to No. 4 in the US that July. Its success pushed the album back into the American top ten and turned the riff into one of the most recognised pieces of music in rock.

The solo

Ritchie Blackmore played both the riff and the solo on a large-headstock, maple-fingerboard CBS-era Fender Stratocaster. According to Guitar Player, his tone came from Marshall and Vox amps boosted by a Hornby-Skewes treble booster, which added bite and mild grit. The famous riff is not strummed: Blackmore plucks the parallel-fourth double-stops with his fingers, while Jon Lord doubles it on a Hammond organ run through a distorted Marshall. For the solo, Blackmore moved to the Strat's neck pickup and isolated his amp in a separate space, giving a rounder, vocal sound than the riff. The lead is a compact, blues-based statement built on bends and quick pentatonic runs rather than a long showcase, and it was captured with the Rolling Stones' mobile unit during the Montreux sessions.

Legacy

The riff is often the first thing new guitarists learn, and it has topped more than one poll of the greatest riffs. Rolling Stone placed the song at No. 426 in its 2004 list of the 500 greatest songs, Total Guitar ranked the riff fourth all-time, and Q put it at No. 12 among the greatest guitar tracks. The recording entered the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2017. Mass-guitar events have repeatedly used it for world-record attempts, and Montreux itself honours the song with the riff's notes set into the new casino's balustrade.

Top 10 facts about Smoke on the Water

The Montreux Casino burned down on 4 December 1971 after a concertgoer fired a flare gun into the ceiling during a Frank Zappa and the Mothers show.
Wikipedia
Only one backing track was completed at the Pavilion theatre before noise complaints brought police and ended the session; that track became 'Smoke on the Water'.
Wikipedia
Blackmore has joked that the riff is an inversion of the main theme of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony and that he owes Beethoven a lot of money.
Wikipedia
'Funky Claude' in the lyrics is Claude Nobs, director of the Montreux Jazz Festival, who helped get people out of the burning casino.
Songfacts
In the Grand Hôtel the band used red light bulbs and mattresses as sound baffles to turn corridors into a working studio.
Songfacts
The single was released in May 1973, over a year after Machine Head, and peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Wikipedia
For the solo, Blackmore switched to his Stratocaster's neck pickup and recorded with his amplifier isolated in a separate space.
Guitar Player
Both Blackmore and Jon Lord used Hornby-Skewes treble boosters, which helped the distorted organ blend so closely with the guitar.
Guitar Player
In 2009, 6,346 guitarists in Wrocław, Poland, played the riff together, joined by Deep Purple guitarist Steve Morse.
Wikipedia
Deep Purple released the song's first official music video on 3 March 2024, featuring a mix by Frank Zappa's son Dweezil Zappa.
Wikipedia

Live versions

Made in Japan (Osaka) (1972) Extended guitar-organ trade-offs; this version became a B-side of the US single and greatly boosted the song's profile.
Black Sabbath with Ian Gillan (Born Again tour) (1983) Sabbath used it as an encore during Gillan's only tour with the band.
Rainbow concerts (1981) Blackmore's Rainbow played it on 1981-83 tours and again when the band reconvened in 2016.

Notable covers

Rock Aid Armenia (1990) Charity all-star remake with Gilmour, Iommi, Brian May, Bruce Dickinson and others; reached UK No. 39.
Pat Boone (1997) Big-band style version from his metal covers album, with Ritchie Blackmore guesting on guitar.
Gillan Ian Gillan's own band played a feedback-heavy take driven by guitarist Bernie Tormé.

In our lists

See Them Live — #17
The Road Trip 50 — #16
The 25 Greatest Hard Rock Guitar Solos — #8
Solos in Hit Singles — #16
Played on a Stratocaster — #22

Sources

Who played the guitar solo on Smoke on the Water?

Ritchie Blackmore played the solo on Deep Purple's Smoke on the Water (1972).

What guitar was used on the Smoke on the Water solo?

A fender stratocaster through a Marshall amp, according to widely reported accounts.

Where does Smoke on the Water rank among the greatest guitar solos?

#69 in the GreatestSolos consensus of 79 published lists; it appears on 9 of them.

Who wrote Smoke on the Water?

All five members of Deep Purple Mark II share the credit: Blackmore, Gillan, Glover, Lord and Paice.

What is Smoke on the Water about?

It describes the December 1971 fire that destroyed the Montreux Casino during a Frank Zappa concert and the band's scramble to record Machine Head afterwards.

What guitar did Ritchie Blackmore use on Smoke on the Water?

A CBS-era Fender Stratocaster with a maple fingerboard, played through Marshall and Vox amps with a Hornby-Skewes treble booster.

What album is Smoke on the Water on?

It appears on Deep Purple's 1972 album Machine Head; a famous live version is on Made in Japan.

Who is Funky Claude?

Claude Nobs, founder of the Montreux Jazz Festival, who helped rescue people from the fire.