Ritchie Blackmore Shares Odd Story Behind Rainbow Setlists
via "Ritchie Blackmore Official" / YouTube
When Ritchie Blackmore talks about his time with Rainbow, the stories usually lean toward precision, control, and a relentless pursuit of sound. But one particular memory flips that image on its head. It involves a song so intricate that even its creator struggled to hold onto it. That alone says a lot about how far the band was willing to push their music.
The track in question, Gates of Babylon, has long been treated as one of Rainbow’s most ambitious studio recordings. Fans often wondered why it never made its way into live performances. It was not a matter of logistics, equipment, or even audience reception. The reason turned out to be far more personal and surprisingly honest.
Blackmore admitted that he simply could not remember how to play it. For a guitarist known for discipline and technical control, that confession carries weight. It also opens a window into how complicated the piece really was, not just for listeners, but even for the people who created it.
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The Breakdown in Rehearsals
During rehearsals, the problem became obvious almost immediately. Blackmore tried to run through the song, but the structure kept slipping away from him. The riff, which had been carefully crafted in the studio, did not behave like a typical rock pattern. It shifted constantly, making it difficult to lock into muscle memory.
Drummer Cozy Powell noticed the inconsistencies right away. He would point out that the parts were being played incorrectly, but Blackmore could not fully grasp what was wrong. The more they rehearsed, the more the confusion grew. Instead of tightening up the performance, the sessions only highlighted how unstable the structure felt outside the studio.
Eventually, Blackmore made a decision that most musicians would hesitate to make. Rather than forcing the song into the live set, he chose to abandon it entirely. It was not about pride or perfection. It was a practical choice. If he could not confidently play it, it did not belong on stage.
Built in the Studio, Not the Stage
Part of the issue traces back to how the song was written and recorded. Blackmore originally developed the riff on a cello, which already set it apart from standard guitar-based compositions. That foundation gave the piece a different feel, one that did not translate easily to live performance.
The recording process added even more layers. The band worked on Long Live Rock ‘n’ Roll in 1977, and “Gates of Babylon” became one of its most elaborate tracks. Producer Martin Birch helped shape a dense arrangement that included orchestration by Rainer Pietsch and performances from the Bavarian String Ensemble. These elements added depth, but they also made the song harder to reconstruct outside the studio.
The result was a piece that thrived in a controlled environment. Every detail could be adjusted, layered, and refined during recording. On stage, that same level of control was nearly impossible. What sounded seamless on record became unpredictable in rehearsal.
Collaboration and the Cost of Complexity
Another key factor was the collaborative nature of the song. Keyboardist David Stone played a major role in shaping its structure after replacing Tony Carey during the sessions. Stone contributed to the intro, middle sections, and chord progressions, helping guide the song into more complex territory.
He even had to chart out parts for Blackmore during recording. That detail says a lot about how layered the composition had become. It was no longer just a guitarist’s riff. It was a carefully assembled piece with moving parts that required coordination and memory from everyone involved.
Despite its challenges, Blackmore never lost his appreciation for the track. He still considers it one of his favorites. That makes the story even more interesting. A song can be admired, respected, and even loved, while still being too complicated to bring to life on stage. In the case of “Gates of Babylon,” its legacy lives where it works best, inside the studio recording that captured it perfectly.
