Friday
Oct282016
Cheap Purple? Or Can You Sorta' Catch The Rainbow?
Friday, October 28, 2016 at 12:01AM Today's post is from our friend HIM.
Let’s get it out of the way: Blackmore wears a wig. Has since the early days (well, at some point extensions become a thing unto themselves!). To his mind, not having hair is unbecoming of a rock god. This isn’t something like his former (and nagging) singer, Joe Lynn Turner, who has had alopecia since he was a wee one and had no hair since then as a result.
Why care about hair? I don’t really, given that I have less and less. But it speaks to the calculated brilliance that was (or is) Blackmore. The man reeks of condescension. He mocks his former band. He dismisses his former band members. He has launched numerous acts merely by being the act from which they departed. He is exacting. Meticulous. He is also a magician. He gets a pass for passing off a Brazilian toss-off song as the biggest riff in rock (Astrud Gilberto, we hardly knew ye’ . . . well, we did as you popularized “The Girl From Ipanema” and didn’t play the guitar on that song), while Page is stuck explaining all those youngins’ who followed him from hotel to hotel, a Blues songbook tucked precariously in his arse pocket. Biggest sign he is a rock god. He gave rock up to chase his wife and a lute around while dressed like Inigo Montoya in The Princess Bride.
So the fact that he was ‘getting a band back together (again)’ rightfully raised more noise than the latest Dokken reunion. Would he bring it? Who would he bring it with if he could? Turner? Nope. Bonnet? Wrong again. Doogie, not Howser? Not even close. And Gillan was about as likely as Dio, and the latter would likely not have answered the call if he could have done so.
So we got Blackmore’s Night-ish Purple Rainbow Traveling Show. A few of his now usual minstrels. And a new young buck by the name of Arnel Pineda. I kid, his name is Ronnie Romero, of the Spanish metal band Lords of the Black. Never heard of him/them? Yeah, me too. But he has got some pipes. And he did spend time singing Dio songs while doing them accented-justice. So what came of this mere handful of shows? Well, this did:
It made me miss Lord. It might have made Blackmore miss Paice. It certainly isn’t Gillan. Then again, Gillan isn’t Gillan anymore. But was it Blackmore? It was certainly more Blackmore. And, at 71, who’s to throw stones at a man who has spent his recent years in quiet repose while gently noodling alongside his buxom lass? Not me.
Thing is, this song has a special place in my heart. It was the improbable return of a band, not a guitarist. And though you get a whiff of that man at around the 4:15 mark, you don’t really get a sense of the guitar god who was lucky enough to find himself in the company of people who weren’t, but eventually became, Perfect Strangers. It is as if Blackmore is hesitating at the Gates of Babylon, unsure of his reasons for being there. I am mixing metaphors and singers, but you get my point. And here is a counter-point . . . in all of its brief, glorious, originality:
Bottom-line: what do you think? Was the wait worth it? Is the payoff satisfying? Can you go back, not again, but close enough? For, rest assured, at some point, we aren’t even going to be able to get close enough to those bands who once inspired us. So claim your positions and mark my words: we are lucky to quibble about this topic right now.
Reader Comments (13)
You probably have no idea how close you came to correctly assessing the man in black...
Since the early 80's, thanks to my pal "Cookie", who was Richie's trusted guitar tech, I had been blessed to have close access to not only the last few versions of Rainbow, but also Deep Purple when they re-formed. I spent countless hours sitting in the lounge on Rainbow's bus listening to one of my guitar heroes play Paganini concertos all by himself, on the cello... A true artist! There was never a doubt that one day Richie would forsake rock alltogether & frolic among the forest nymphs whilst strumming 16th Century lute music... it was just a matter of when.
When Richie decides to actually come back to the 20th/21st Centuries & pick up a Stratocaster to rock, I'm always going to be there to listen... It's just SO worth it.
He is a great guy. Nice to see him having some success.
Mr. Perfection, indeed, Bob. But Blackmore's perfectionism isn't only embodied in how demanding he was of his bandmembers, but also how he apparently chastised and berated them, disregarding their status as some of the greatest performers in Rock history and tossing them out like another piece of broken equipment.
True, he did help make them but his perfectionism either drove them out or drove him to throw them out. Most of them did continue to have very successful solo careers or success fronting other bands.
So it is odd to see him with players thought to be unimpressive in this new version of Rainbow. I think a big limitation on his comeback, which should have been the Rock equation of the second coming, is the fact that Gillian wants to have nothing to do with him, having rejected the idea of having him perform with Deep Purple on stage at The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. Another, is the fact that Coverdale's voice is even more shot than Gillans. And though Joe Lynn Turner's voice is still relatively intact, maybe it's not up to withstand the scrutiny of Blackmore's perfectionism, though one would have hoped it certainly would have worked for Deep Purple Mark Ad Infinitum or a new version of Rainbow a la Gn'R.
But, in my mind, Mr. Perfectionism earns his name because of his flawless supernatural guitar playing ability. Though I regrettably missed my chances to see Blackmore live over the years, I do have an extensive collection of Deep Purple and Rainbow Live Performances on DVD and videotape.
I have spent an exhorbitant amount of time studying his solos during said performances and there is not a single note misplayed or left out in those hours scrutinizing his playing, actually looking for even just one isolated error and not being able to find anything. My ex lead guitarist and I would chuckle like Beavis & Butthead at the thought of Mr. Perfection self-flagellating with a leather Ernie Ball guitar strap if he so much as missed a single note.
And that is where, no matter how ridiculous Blackmore comes off in interviews or how many decades he wasted noodling on a mandolin in the Black Forest, I still respect him.
Blackmore is plain and simple, one of The Guitar Gods! As Gary and Ace attest, he is nothing short of brilliant, right up there with Hendrix, Page, Jeff Beck, Keith Richards and Clapton. In some ways, with maybe the exception of Hendrix, he's better than any of them simply because you can listen to a 10 minute solo from him and not hear one false note.
So while others may find his persona laughable, ultimately, Mr. Perfection gets the last laugh as soon as he straps on his Strat and plugs into a stack of Marshalls.
p.s. HIM, though your exposé is extraordinarily entertaining, I do take umbrage with your belittlement of Astrud Gilberto, one of the purest voices in jazz who is noted for her performance on "The Girl from Ipanema", which you also dismiss, though it is considered to be the definitive recording of the Bossa Nova genre. FYI, it's João Gilberto, Astrud's husband, playing guitar, accompanied by Jazz legend Stan Getz on tenor sax and Antonio Carlos Jobim, who wrote the music on piano. He is also considered to be the father of Bossa Nova. The song won the Grammy for Best Song of 1965. Also, in a classic case of being in the right place at the right time, Astrud was just 19 at the time she accompanied her husband to the recording session. It was decided at the last minute to record a version of the song in English and she was selected to sing it because she was the only one on the studio who spoke English proficiently. According to those present, when she first began to sing, the jaws collectively hit the floor because her voice was so pure and flawless.
Yes, Metalboy!, I full well recognize Astrud's talent (even if that style of music isn't my cup of tea). And thank you for filling in the necessary details re: her career, as I was more interested in jabbing at what sounds (as Bob pointed) to my untrained ear like the opening riff to SotW. I can't help but think Blackmore heard that and lifted it. Or is that a guitar sequence that pre-dates even "Maria Quiet"? I haven't found a case of it. But I may be wrong. And really, next to the great lifters that were Zep, Blackmore's creative liberty seems slight.
Thanks also to others who shared their recollections, particularly Ace. That must have been an amazing experience. Any other Blackmore stories to share?
Sidebar: for those who haven't read it yet, Daisely's book contains a hilarious little vignette related to Blackmore and his "hair." I will continue to plug that book. It abounds in little stories like that.
They are in my car because I was planning to donate them (read bk: donate them, not sell them) to a local, indy used record store that I have supported over the years and have donated (and bought) a ton of memorabilia from this store. Last plug from them. http://piarecords.com/, as they are doing online business. I went there yesterday, but kinda like the line in Don McClean's "American Pie", "The store is all closed..." All boarded up with a sign in the window, "Coming Soon, PIZZA".
Anyway, Him, having read the first three aforementioned books, the take away for me is that even within the same situations, people's accounts vary considerably. Personally, I tend to believe a lot, though not all, of Bob Daisley's book, but both Ozzy and Sharon share numerous (and justifiable) reasons as to why he (Bob Daisley) shouldn't be believed (and they share different reasons and perspectives even from each other).
But despite their different perspectives, Bob Daisley is clearly the most stable and grounded of the three; hence why I tend to agree more with him on certain issues. Whereas, Sharon (through her own words) is just as crazy, if not more so, than Ozzy- and she rarely drinks and has never taken drugs. Nancy Reagan be damned! I guess, BK, that the acquisition of money does translate into "stability" and the ability to tell others how to live their lives, at least in this fame-oriented, celebrity-focused Country. The View, anyone? Donald Trump?
It was an interesting summer of reading...that's for sure.
Daisley has an ax to grind, for sure. But he isn't the only one grinding it. I owe Ozzy a debt for a substantial portion of my youth. That he can't write his way out of a sack, or that he is married to a calculating diva who saved his life (and that can be interpreted many ways), doesn't change a thing. Heck, I even applaud his work on 13.
But I don't applaud his continued attempts to downplay the people who got him back to the top after his flop leaving Sabbath. Sharon may be pulling strings, but Ozzy has a voice. He owes people like Daisley and Keerslake an apology, at least. And Lee. And others.
I damn this age we live in. We pull back the curtain, and we don't see the mighty Oz. What we see are artists--indeed, our idols--being all too human. Just like the movie. Daisley might be shooting himself in the foot with his continued attempts to extract a pound of flesh. But, foolishness be damned, he has every right to want Ozzy to admit his mistakes.
I'd put Renoff's in my top 3, easily. I gotta go with The Dirt as my all time favorite. I Am Ozzy is a close second. (That one made me near piss myself laughing quite a few times) I gotta get a hold of Daisley's, as that was the era of Ozzy that I liked most. Between Randy's riffs and Daisleys lyrics, Ozzy stepped in shit. (Ditto Iommi and Geezer in Sabbath). Guy knows how to surround himself with talent. Too bad he doesn't acknowledge it with Dailey and Kerslake.....
1) Van Halen Rising- Greg Renoff
2) The Dirt- Motley Crue
3) To Fat to Fish-Crash and Burn- Artie Lange
4) Walk This Way- Aerosmith
5) Watch you Bleed- Guns 'n Roses