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Blackmore’s Night on SpazioRock
Ritchie Blackmore and Candice Night recently spoke to Italy’s SpazioRock. Well, Ritchie mostly kept quiet leaving his missus and the interviewer to do the talking.
And this statement definitely proves wrong all those who – fifteen years later – still think that Ritchie Blackmore was somehow “pushed” by beautiful Candice into leaving Rainbow in order to found a band with her. In case anyone hasn’t realized yet, with “Sixteenth Century Greensleves” – released in 1975 when Rainbow made their debut – Ritchie was already stating his own ideals musically. Along these years your band has undergone many line-up changes, and I’ve wanted to ask you this for a long time: why did you choose not to make any official statement about the reasons of such changes?
Ritchie: Its not of importance or interest to people. I’ve done it too many times. Only the end result, the music, is what is of importance.
Now you are in Germany for the traditional tour through castles and medieval towns, and we will be there from Italy like we do every year. Playing in castles is fantastic, much better than theatres: why is it so hard to arrange a castle tour in Italy, even though our castles are among the most beautiful and fascinating in the world?
Ritchie: One word: promoters.
Candice: Unfortunately that’s true. Trying to organize a tour in Italy is incredibly difficult. Add to that the fact you want to play in beautiful castles instead of rock clubs and its almost impossible.
Read more on SpazioRock.
Thanks to BraveWords for the info.
Unauthorized copying, while sometimes necessary, is never as good as the real thing
Why on earth will nobody ask Ritchie why he cant make it a double-concert. One hour Blackmores Night and one hour (or five) with Rainbow/Purple. Then we all will be there.
October 2nd, 2011 at 08:12There is an interview with Crash Magazine with Ritchie from 1987 posted on The Rainbow Fanclan Legacy site where he expresses his desire to form a Renaissance group a couple of years before he even met Candace. And if memory serves he was discussing these feeling back in the 70’s too. I say let the man do what he wants. He left us with over a 30 legacy when he went into this project in 1997. While I do like the BN stuff, I could not take a steady diet of it but I still feel he has earned the right to do what pleases him. We all know his reputation for getting board with his music and I’d say that now 14 years on with BN then he is not getting tired of this project anytime soon. Here is that interview quote. Crash: So you see yourself for the next, say five years, with Purple?
Ritchie: “I don’t think so. My ultimate desire is to play in a Renaissance music group from the 15th and 16th century…
I would like to organize a large gathering for musicians who are interested in the Renaissance era, where there’s making music, where you look at medieval story telling and even dressed in the style of this era is. I plan something and eventually it will also be realized…”
October 2nd, 2011 at 10:14this is not true, Blckmore in last years here in italy has played in a lot of castle…so..perhaps this is a problem of the next tour, but not of the past…
October 2nd, 2011 at 17:42anyway..there is not problem because i am not involved in his stupid music..
what a lie…poor man..get out..boring man.
he was after all at in 69 with April Part 1
October 3rd, 2011 at 01:04@3
Take a pill AndreA. Steve Morse is still playing Ritchie’s riffs, so boring isn’t it…
October 3rd, 2011 at 07:02#2 – right!!!!!!!!!
October 3rd, 2011 at 08:06#3 (but not only) – Ritchie deserves to do what he loves and be happy with it. With his contribution to all Purple music we may only thank him. He does not belong to any of us to dictate him what he should play. If ypou dont like BN – do not listen. If you feel must to offend someone you can easily find different sh.. in today’s pop.
Many of fans hung dogs on Ritchie with Stormbringer album. Remember then – he committed that he had lost interest in making it. Would you like to have more DP albums with empty music?
Leave Ritchie with his happiness, that will be fair to him!
BN already recorded half of the next studio album
October 3rd, 2011 at 11:24I’m involved little bit as promoter.
October 3rd, 2011 at 11:48It’s not so easy to organize a tour in castels, too many problems about permissions and too much money to spend, so no money to gain.
There are some castels available but no so much to make it in a easy way…so it’s easier (and less expansive!) to organize the tour in some theatre.
In Italy we have very good theatres and I think they are ok for BMN and it kind of music.
If Ritchie if available we can do something…;-)
BN seems to be the folk rock version of Rainbow. For the making of BN music, Ritchie usually writes attractive vocal melodies instead of heavy guitar riffs.
October 3rd, 2011 at 20:59In there, inexperienced Candice only wrote the lyrics, except “Now and Then” “3 Black Crows” and “Ivory Tower”.
However, at last she released her first solo album “Reflections” in 2011, where she wrote own melodies.
I suppose the reviewer doesn’t classify as “people” -as far as he is concerned. Being he is the one who asked, I find it hard to miss such a fact that seemed to fly right over his head.
October 3rd, 2011 at 22:08@2
“While I do like the BN stuff, I could not take a steady diet of it but I still feel he has earned the right to do what pleases him.”
Didn’t he say on film that anoying people is what pleases him, as he lives to do so? If so, you couldn’t be more right, mission accomplished many years ago.:)
October 3rd, 2011 at 22:15perhaps has Ritchie found some medioeval castels in USA? dont’t steal toys to a little child…..sigh..
October 4th, 2011 at 14:59There are many people which won’t share Blackmore’s decision to play this kind of music but He is free to do what He want…In my opinion the problem is that he repeat himself all over again…the first 3, almost 4 albums were good but now there’s lack of inspiration and his albums sound too similar…
October 5th, 2011 at 12:22Hi Andrea ! The USA didn’t exist in Medieval times, hence we have no castles. It was basically just native Indians/
October 7th, 2011 at 15:31OOHH are you sure Gary?! they did not exist ?
October 8th, 2011 at 07:58🙂
@Drdp: true. During an interview to promote “House Of The Blue Light”, the journalist asked RB something like “What do you think you’ll do 10 years from now?” and TMIB replied he would be playing renaissance music. 10 years later exactly the first Blackmore Night album was released. Trustable man. 🙂
October 8th, 2011 at 15:34I’m fairly certain that I read that in a book, Andrea, but it was a long time ago 🙂
October 9th, 2011 at 18:40ahaha Gary!
October 10th, 2011 at 15:02but in USA nowdays he could find them in Hollywood…or in some Disneyland…
good places for his fantasy…
I’ve seen them twice in the US. Neither show was in a Castle……
October 11th, 2011 at 03:19Because BN’s sound fits small theater, he dislike typically rock concert tour,.
October 12th, 2011 at 22:41So his preference doesn’t fit with the promoter’s opinion in USA or other countries.
a real ♪ ♫ minstrel ♪ ♫ if he wants to play in a castle should illuminate the room with the torches of fire, not with colored lights, that should be banned the use of electricity and if he needs to go piss off in the country under the sun ☼ and not pulling from the WC. Otherwise, where is the consistency?
October 14th, 2011 at 14:45There are tons of old Theaters throughout the US that fit the perfect criteria and exude the ambiance connected to BN theme. I believe it is more of the same ole same ole regarding picking and choosing the most rewarding venues. As with Purple, the US is left by the wayside due to low ticket sales and lack of interest. Again, lack of promotion holds a major key here…..
Cheers
October 14th, 2011 at 14:57to be serious, Italy is in danger of economic collapse, soon to privatize the museums, castles, ancient Roman and Greek ruins, paintings, works of art … it is logical that if they leave places like ancient castles you have to pay a lot, but it is more likely that serious people aware of the delicacy of the place do not want to give places for concerts where so many people risk causing damage in sensitive places like … then depends on the place, in some places like in Arena di Verona,in amphitheatres in Sicily, in Castle of Vigevano (where BN has playied in the past) and in some others places it is possible to organize musical events…of course these are large big places not little castles for hermits…
October 14th, 2011 at 15:06How long to coming in Toronto Canada open the show.I waiting so long
October 17th, 2011 at 02:21RB can do whatever he wants. I don’t think he owe’s anybody an explanation. However, fan’s can do the same. In other words, as much as I liked him for DP and Rainbow, I just don’t like BN, not because it’s not Rock, but because it’s simply kitschy. I’m pretty sure that 90% of the fan’s of BN would not listen to them if RB wouldn’t play there.
October 25th, 2011 at 14:26Unfortunately, in the U.K, BN heavily depends on the hard rock based conventional fans who overlaps with DP fans. But in the U.S.A., BN doesn’t almost depend on the hard rock based fans, instead catches the pop music fan who didn’t ever listen to DP.
December 6th, 2011 at 23:35For example: Loreena McKennitt, Within Temptation, Leaves’ Eyes, Nox Arcana, Epica, We Are the Fallen, Enya, Maire Brennan.
I have attended many renaissance faires in the US (California) over the years and you could not find a better venue for BN. Set up a stage surrounded by Hay bales and there you go! I checked out the faires because of a Rainbow era interview in which ritchie said he attended every year in the 70’s.
December 7th, 2011 at 17:58Well, you misunderstand the reason that BN didn’t have done bigger concert tour so far.
December 8th, 2011 at 18:49Most purple fans don’t seem to still know that in the U.S.A. BN’s studio albums actually sold more than current DP’s (1996-2010, except Live DVD).
Candice Night said in recent interviews that BN turned down a lot of touring opportunities from hundreds of offers yearly because their vision didn’t fit with the billing or the offer was too far away from New York City.
Also she said, “Problem with touring America, is that with the promoters, they either want to stick you in a rock club or a huge venue. We like intimate shows. 800-1000 people at the most….. But for some reasons theaters are so hard to get….. instead of just trying to make money.”
I just don’t so like DP of until 1993, not because it’s not modern style, but because it’s simply boring (such as Smoke on the Water). I’m really expect that most of the pop-based fan’s of BN would not listen to their next studio album if CN wouldn’t sing there.
December 15th, 2011 at 23:26Scott W. @27
I too attend many renaissance festivals. Great venues for TMIB except for one thing….small coin, mostly achieved by tips from the crowd. Unless I’m mistaken, he surpassed that level somewhere around 1968. Great place for starving musicians and performers though. Funny though, every time I attend, I always say…..”Where is the man in tights?”
Cheers
December 16th, 2011 at 03:06Not so sure tracy. Admission to these Faires is quite high ($20+ adults, $15 children) or so. If the organizers of these events paid BN a performance fee it could happen. The attendance figures are into the tens of thousands, possibly 100K per day! If they thought they could attract even MORE people, the organizers would be rubbing their hands together in anticipation of big $! Everything is SO expensive at these festivals that i have not went in awhile. $8.00 to $10 for a 12 oz. cup of british ale, $12.00 or so for a turkey leg etc. I remember paying like $6.00 to shoot 3 arrows at a haybale and the arrows didn’t even have feathers on them so they flew end- over- end! HAAA!
December 16th, 2011 at 23:05Germany favor Blackmore dislikes North America tour essentially except New York outskirts (Boston & Philadelphia or perhaps Cleveland & Chicago)
December 20th, 2011 at 19:34Therefore, I suppose BN will never target Toronto or L.A..
@31…
Yeah, you are correct about the cost factor. Here in middle Tennessee the figures are a little less, but still in the same ball park. I’m sure the many performers take a small percentage fee as do waitresses at restaurants, but their main pay comes from tips. Yeah, they probably could pay BN and there may be a larger crowd, but the BN charge would most likely offset the profit thereby not worth the while of the Festival to organize. They have a system that seems to be fairly simple that they probably don’t need the complications of a Ritchie Blackmore and his Wife to disrupt.
Cheers
December 21st, 2011 at 03:52