When I started to broaden my musical tastes in the early 1980s beyond the Beatles, I started with The Doors and Pink Floyd. Once I absorbed them I moved on to lots more stuff, including [but not restricted to] Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple. I’ve already written at length about Tony Iommi, and a blog on Jimmy Page will come at another time. Today I devote this space to Ritchie Blackmore.
The original Deep Purple [Ritchie Blackmore, Jon Lord, Ian Paice, Rod Evans, and Nick Simper] formed in 1968. They recorded a trio of albums that were more on the progressive side of things with the emphasis on Jon Lord’s keyboards. Jon Lord had a keen interest in fusing pop and classical music. Ritchie wasn’t too interested in that direction. Ritchie wanted to make music with a harder edge. After seeing Led Zeppelin, he saw the direction he wanted to take Deep Purple. In Ritchie’s mind, the singer [Rod Evans] and the bassist [Nick Simper] weren’t the people to get Deep Purple where he wanted them to go. After seeing an Episode Six show and liking what they saw and heard, Ritchie and Jon enticed their singer [Ian Gillan] and bassist [Roger Glover] to abandon Episode Six and go with them. As a bonus, Gillan and Glover were already a songwriting team. But strangely enough, the first project for the new lineup of Deep Purple [the “Mk II” lineup] was a Concerto for Group and Orchestra. The project got Deep Purple noticed, but the resulting album didn’t sell well. Ritchie didn’t like the Concerto. He said:
“I wasn't happy with that. I wanted to play more rock. And I said to Jon "um, look, let's give this heavy heavy riffy rock a chance and see how it goes, and if it doesn't work then I'll play with orchestras the rest of my life…” It wasn't until Led Zeppelin came along that we really had a direction. We thought 'well, that's the type of music that we want to play, the really heavy rock, the riffy kind of rock.’"
It was Ritchie’s way of saying “we did it your way, it didn’t work, let’s try it my way.” The result of the “new direction” was Deep Purple In Rock. The entire album, from the beginning of Speed King, through the epic Child In Time, the searing power chords of Flight of the Rat, to the raucous finale Hard Lovin’ Man, you knew Deep Purple meant business. They could contend with the heavy guys like Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath. After the initial trio of albums with the Mk I lineup and the Concerto for Group and Orchestra, Ritchie made seven more albums with Deep Purple. Some of those albums were great [Deep Purple In Rock, Machine Head, Made in Japan, Burn], some that were good but not great [Fireball, Who Do We Think We Are], and one that was just plain awful [Stormbringer].
After Stormbringer, Ritchie bolted Deep Purple to form his own group, Rainbow. In Rainbow, Ritchie teamed up with vocalist Ronnie James Dio [from Elf] and a revolving cast of musicians to record some of his finest work – Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow, Rising, On Stage, and Long Live Rock ‘n’ Roll. These albums saw more of Ritchie’s classical influence brought to hard rock paired with Dio’s knack for lyrical fantasy themes. It was great music, but it didn’t sell well. Ritchie wanted a more commercial direction [$$$], but Dio would have none of that. Dio split, Ritchie first brought in Graham Bonnet, then Joe Lynn turner as vocalists. IMHO, the music wasn’t as good, but it had its moments. After four albums with these guys, Ritchie reformed Deep Purple with the rest of the MK II lineup and made a very good album, Perfect Strangers. Then boredom set in for Ritchie again. After three more albums with Deep Purple and one more with Rainbow, Ritchie tired of making hard rock music and dedicated himself to quieter Renaissance music. He’s been doing that with his wife Candice Night ever since.
What was it about Ritchie Blackmore that appealed to my ears? Consider the following:
The riff – Though he is not as prolific a riff writer as Tony Iommi, Ritchie Blackmore has produced his share of memorable riffs. The most famous of these riffs is Smoke on the Water. It is one of the most famous, most indestructible riffs in all of rock music. It’s a very simple riff – but then so is the intro to Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. Pluck it with your fingers, don’t strum with a pick. More memorable riffs include Lazy, Woman From Tokyo, Burn, Man on the Silver Mountain, Black Night [which he admits he pinched from Ricky Nelson’s Sunshine]. Those are just the famous riffs. Another cool riff of Ritchie’s is Flight of the Rat [Deep Purple In Rock]. On that album I wasn’t sure how Deep Purple would follow the monumental Child In Time, but Flight of the Rat did the trick. It’s a very intense piece of work.
Speed kills – while my favorite player David Gilmour is much slower and deliberate in his playing and his soloing, Ritchie Blackmore really is a “speed king.” It’s one thing to be fast, but Ritchie is also very precise. A sloppy player Ritchie is not. Of Ritchie Blackmore writer Chris Welch once said "He had this combination of finesse, imagination and taste. That's the important thing about Ritchie Blackmore." He's the original shredder who didn't lose any ability with age.
Solos – Ritchie admits to having a horrible technical memory and has committed one solo to memory – Highway Star. But having an inability to remember solos does not equate to being a bad soloist. In Ritchie’s case, I have never heard him play a bad solo. If his solos sound like he’s “winging it,” it’s because he is. Although he is winging it, it always sounds like he knows exactly how to end a solo. His profound sense of melody gives him that ability to think ahead and know what will work and what will not work. He seems to get it right every time. Many guitarists don’t know how to finish a solo. They’ll play faster until they get to the end. Not so Ritchie – he knows how to end a solo. A good example is Street of Dreams. Forget that it’s a pop song – listen to the solo. Conversely, there is one example where he doesn’t take a solo at all – Perfect Strangers. He doesn't solo here because he doesn't need to. He had the melodic sense to know the song was good enough without one.
The Improvisations – Certain compositions in the Deep Purple repertoire were good vehicles for improvisation and extended soling. Look no further than Deep Purple In Concert 1970/72, and the listener is treated to three such showcases for both Ritchie Blackmore and keyboardist Jon Lord to stretch out: Wring That Neck, Mandrake Root and Space Truckin’. During the Mark II phase of the band (1969-73), the band was very loud, very aggressive, and quite unpredictable.
The Blues – As loud and brash and in your face that Ritchie Blackmore could get, sometimes he could just lay back and play the blues. He only hinted at it during Purple’s MK II period with Lazy [Machine Head, 1972]. Ritchie once said he tried to emulate Eric Clapton’s Steppin’ Out from the Bluesbreakers period [see also Live Cream Volume II]. There is quite a similarity between the two. After Ian Gillan and Roger Glover left the band in June 1973, Ritchie wanted to go more in a blues direction. He slowed things way down with a long slow blues from Burn [1974] called Mistreated. Ritchie liked the song so much he took it with him to form Rainbow in 1975.
Classical – Ritchie brought a classical influence to hard rock guitar [see Highway Star]. He injected rock guitar with the classical scales and chord progressions that inspired future legions of rock guitarists. He also brought medieval, baroque influences to his music. These influences particularly color Ritchie's terrific melodic sense. Since Ritchie tired of playing rock in the mid-1990s, he’s gone all the way over to playing Renaissance music. I hope someday he will come back, but I don't see it happening. The guy is going to be 67 next month, so he probably prefers things to be a lot quieter now.
The Slide – Ritchie uses a metallic slide. Most other players prefer to use glass because it produces a warmer sound. Ritchie liked his slide sound a bit more harsh. He doesn’t use it very much, and you have to dig deep into his catalog to find it, but it’s there to be found on No No No [Fireball – a good headphone song BTW], Mary Long [Who Do We Think We Are], Sail Away [Burn], Difficult to Cure [Finyl Vinyl], the aforementioned Catch the Rainbow [Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow], and his epic solo on Stargazer [Rising].
These are things I like about Ritchie Blackmore. However, he has been described as moody, sullen, incredibly stubborn, and difficult to work with. He does nothing to dissuade people otherwise. Ozzy Osbourne claims to be the “Prince of F**king Darkness,” but he has nothing on Ritchie Blackmore. Lemmy Kilmister once told a story about Ritchie that, if true, depicts a purely evil guy. The story goes like this – one time while on tour Ritchie got extremely annoyed with a tour manager. To show his displeasure with this guy he slipped him a mickey in his drink. While the guy was unconscious Ritchie and company took this poor bastard, stripped him naked, loaded him in a car, put the car on a ferry to Iceland, and left the car without any keys. That’s just pure, vindictive malice. I believe the story to be true. Ritchie is one of those guys that if he is bored or just not inspired, you know it right away. About half of Who Do We Think We Are, most of The House of Blue Light, and all of Stormbringer contain evidence of Ritchie “mailing it in.” He’s demolished as many guitars as Pete Townshend and Jimi Hendrix. I saw him destroy a TV camera during the California Jam in 1974. During that same show he also set his amps on fire.
There have been eight different incarnations of Deep Purple. In my view, the incarnation of the band that is the best included Ritchie Blackmore, Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Jon Lord, and Ian Paice [the so-called "Mark II" line-up]. Yes, that means when it comes to Deep Purple, I am a purist. Ritchie left the band twice. He was followed [notice I did not say "replaced"] by Tommy Bolin [1975] and Steve Morse [1994]. I saw the band with Ritchie in 1985, and I saw the band with Steve Morse in 1998. The 1985 show was a great show. The 1998 was a good show. This is not a knock on Steve Morse as he is a fine guitar player. Steve is a very versatile player who can play in many styles, and can probably play rings around most guitarists past and present. But the intangible magic that was present in 1985 wasn't there in 1998. Ritchie and Jon established the classic Deep Purple sound in the early 1970s, and it was a unique sound. That sound remained intact with the change in vocalists from Ian Gillan to David Coverdale in 1973. It remained intact with the changing of bass players [also in 1973] from Roger Glover to Glenn Hughes. But when Ritchie left, the dynamic changed. The albums that came after Ritchie say "Deep Purple" but they don't sound like Deep Purple. In concert they sound like a cover band that plays Deep Purple songs. On their own merits any Deep Purple albums without Ritchie have good music, they just aren't "Deep Purple."
There are many places to find the greatness that is Ritchie Blackmore. Being the Deep Purple fanatic that I am, I have most of the albums. I first discovered Rainbow on a British import collection, The Best of Rainbow. It features all the guys who sang for Rainbow until the time of its release [Ronnie James Dio, Graham Bonnet, and Joe Lynn Turner]. I’m partial to the Dio years. Below are his essential recordings [IMHO]. These are the albums that you can pick any song and you can't go wrong. I chose my favorites, those that stand out above the rest. Even on those Deep Purple or Rainbow albums where the entire album isn't up to scratch, there are nuggets to be found if you want to look for them. Those nuggets are listed here as well.
Essential Stuff
Deep Purple In Rock [1970]
- Speed King, Child in Time, Flight of the Rat
Fireball [1971]
- No No No, Strange Kind of Woman, Demon's Eye, No One Came
Machine Head [1972]
- Highway Star, Pictures of Home, Smoke On The Water, Lazy
Made in Japan [1972]
- Highway Star [best version ever!], Smoke on the Water, Space Truckin'
Burn [1974]
- Burn, You Fool No One, Sail Away, Mistreated
Rising [1976]
- Stargazer, A Light in the Black, Tarot Woman
Long Live Rock 'n' Roll [1978]
- Gates of Babylon, Kill the King, The Shed [Subtle], Lady of the Lake
Good Stuff
Who Do We Think We Are [1973]
- Woman From Tokyo, Mary Long, Rat Bat Blue
Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow [1975]
- Man on the Silver Mountain, Catch the Rainbow, Still I'm Sad
Deep Purple In Concert 1970/1972 [1980]
-Wring That Neck, Mandrake Root
Down to Earth [1979]
-Weiss Heim [instrumental, originally a B-side to All Night Long]
Bent Out of Shape [1983]
- Street of Dreams, Desperate Heart, Fire Dance, Snowman
Perfect Strangers [1984]
- Perfect Strangers, Knocking at Your Back Door, Not Responsible, A Gypsy's Kiss, Nobody's Home, Under the Gun
Finyl Vinyl [1986]
-Difficult to Cure [Beethoven’s Ninth] (Live)
The House of Blue Light [1987]
- Bad Attitude, The Unwritten Law, The Spanish Archer
The Battle Rages On [1993]
- The Battle Rages On, Anya, Time to Kill, Twist of the Tale
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