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Electrocute the lot of ’em, especially the critics
A historical interview with Ritchie Blackmore and Cozy Powell from the same issue of Sounds dated July 24, 1976.
Blackmore swings the axe
Peter Crescenti dodges the blows
RITCHIE BLACKMORE harbours no love for rock ‘n’ roll journalists. As far as he’s concerned, most of them fall into two unflattering categories, those that are either “embittered people because they’re not up there” on the stage, and those that are “bored and being paid to do a job.”
The tension that’s developed between musician and writer has led to some very distorted portraits of Mr. Blackmore, and over the years, the moody man in black has done little, if anything, to correct or cosmeticise the image that’s been drawn of him in various rock journals.
I myself have put some faith in that bad boy persona. The first time I went out on the road with Purple a few years ago, there were two other writers present, and both were frantic to interview Ritchie. Believing, at the time, that meeting Blackmore alone in a hotel room was something akin to journalistic masochism, I respectfully avoided the competition for Ritchie’s time, and concentrated instead in developing a rapport with the other musicians of Purple.
The end result, after three days on the road, was that I hardly spoke a word to Ritchie, except for a polite hello, and vice versa. What’s more, I only saw the man about four times in those three days, and twice it was when he was playing to an audience. As you might guess then, I was quite surprised recently when Ritchie actually remembered meeting me, when we again confronted each other for the sake of SOUNDS.
“I wouldn’t like to be a critic,” Ritchie still insists, “in a way that it must be very boring. I’d hate to have to go and see bands, especially loud bands.”
Continue reading in My Things – Music history for those who are able to read.
Unauthorized copying, while sometimes necessary, is never as good as the real thing
Yo, good article imo, in that it was well-balanced, & little if any editing. Not much to add or discover from what most already know, except it’s good to hear RB mention Jack Bruce, & the undercurrent of drug abuse that may have affected his decision to leave DP…But we won’t go there lol !
Also, the recommended listening guide was a ripper imo, I couldn’t believe how much Steely Dan was listed…Most excellent to see RUSH 2112 at the top of the list, awesome !!!!!! Sheer Heart Attack also gets a mention, though would have been out-dated by A Night at the Opera by this time, so strange to see it there…Johnny Winter Captured Live is bliss listening too…And I guess seeing Weather Report in there indicates why Steely Dan have so many albums in there, as they must have been the flavour of the moment…
No Little Feat mentioned is disturbing imo…I thought everyone in the UK loved them at this time ???…
I guess the ingress of punk shortly afterwards killed all that off lol !
Peace !
August 12th, 2023 at 02:01@ 1 Steely Dan is a major favorite of mine. Have just about all their albums..
August 14th, 2023 at 18:32Sounds like Ritchie was puzzled by Jack Bruce’s direction. Not sure if that was West / Bruce / Laing, Jack’s jazz & prog leanings, or his short-lived band with Mick Taylor.
August 15th, 2023 at 15:40@3…The magnificent, glorious & inspired “West Bruce & Laing” were regretfully over & done-with in “official” capacity by 1974, with Leslie West & Corky Laing reconfiguring Mountain once again with Felix, & delivering the exalted “Avalanche”, & Jack Bruce already delivering his next solo album “Out of the storm”, both in 1974…
Anyhow, the article is dated 1976, so perhaps the Mick Taylor “thing” is quite possible as to what RB was alluring to…Especially since JB’s next release was 1977’s “How’s Tricks”…
Peace !
August 16th, 2023 at 07:47