Sometimes difficult to cure
In this video, dated December 1979, Ritchie Blackmore makes some noises for a few minutes, eventually settling upon Beethoven’s Ode to Joy. Supported by Messrs. Glover, Airey, and Powell.
![[hand]](/hs-pics/portraits/hands/morse4.jpg)
![[face]](/hs-pics/portraits/faces/glover.jpg)
In this video, dated December 1979, Ritchie Blackmore makes some noises for a few minutes, eventually settling upon Beethoven’s Ode to Joy. Supported by Messrs. Glover, Airey, and Powell.
Unauthorized copying, while sometimes necessary, is never as good as the real thing
This footage was from the Capitol Theatre, Passiac, New Jersey December 1st 1979. I know because I was there. The entire show can be seen on you tube. Not the best quality in the world but better than nothing. I can’t believe it was almost 46 years ago. I’m not trying to quote Bryan Adams but those were the best days of my life.
March 3rd, 2025 at 01:45Well, if Ritchie does it, it must be art and we must all listen in awe.
“Noise only to a lesser man, it’s music to a Blackmore fan!”
(☝️😎 English is only my second language, some appreciation for my cunning linguistic rhyming skills please!)
This is the prototype of what became Difficult to Cure, but they hadn’t introduced the shuffle backing yet and Ritchie doesn’t play the melody with a slide but rather via volume fade-ins (like in the middle part of Fools).
But we really have much more important matters to deliberate:
I know, I know, the questions burns inside all of you, what kind of bass is Roger playing there? It’s not the Gibson Thunderbird IV with which he started the DTE Tour, that had by then gone into the eternal hunting grounds as Roger had bumped its fragile head stock against a mic stand (the mic stand won, the headstock snapped off). So what is it then?
An Ovation Magnum I, body and neck made of mahogany (like the Thunderbird), but the neck reinforced by carbon rods (same material as helicopter blades which the Ovation Group also produced), we’re gonna show that dastardly mic stand next time! 😂 An en vogue bass at the time, Kelly Groucutt, here obviously discovering/exploring the temptations of disco octave bass with ELO, played one too:
https://youtu.be/Up4WjdabA2c
(Hopefully, this vid will also have some therapeutic healing effect on Madame Karin, but no disco dancing yet, doctor’s orders!)
Roger also played it on the I Surrender vid in 1981:
https://youtu.be/z5lPjVHitCs
March 3rd, 2025 at 02:09This has been around on youtube for years. It’s quite good!. Here’s some colorised videos from the same concert.
First it’s: Ritchie’s Blues & Long Live Rock & Roll:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsMgWniveW0
Next is: Man On The Silver Mountain
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nY2FfR4uHSM
Then the whole concert from the DVD:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-5Uko7_CTU
March 3rd, 2025 at 05:20Good to see and thanks for posting. A new lineup and then some. See what new blood brings to an ensemble, better not go there though. Ode to Joy by you know who and later arranged for rock music by Blackmore, Glover and Airey. Wonderful. Cheers.
March 3rd, 2025 at 05:21This is/was Mr. Ritchie Blackmore … Genius, Legend, unforgetable unique … God on Guitar (like Marc Zyk)
LLRnR
March 3rd, 2025 at 09:48kraatzy
My first gig was on this tour: 4 January 1980 at Bingley Hall in Stafford (a cattle shed actually). However, it was posponed until Feb 23/24 because I think Blackmore broke his finger shortly after this video.
March 3rd, 2025 at 11:35Isn’t this the Capitol Theatre show long available on YT? More than 1hr footage in low quality can be easily found.
March 3rd, 2025 at 12:19Yes, Capitol Theatre 12.01.79.
March 3rd, 2025 at 12:44https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyTuQOJIjFw&t=176s
This is from the 12/1/1979 – Capitol Theatre , New Jersey show first revealed 10 years ago. Nice video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyTuQOJIjFw
March 3rd, 2025 at 13:41