Former DEEP PURPLE/RAINBOW Guitarist RITCHIE BLACKMORE: 'I'm Thinking About Playing Rock Again'

I wouldn't say it's beneath him, but if I wanted to listen to Renaissance music...I would put on Renaissance! Not a copy-cat band.
Blackmore's Nightmare is simply annoying and cheesy.

 

Any opinions on Graham Bonnet as an alternative for vocals? Is he still up to speed?

As the "Down to Earth" album spawned the hit "All Night Long" + Grahams vocals overall sound very powerful, he could perhaps perform "Stargzer" and such material?

So: Ritchie Blackmore/Graham Bonnet/Roger Glover/Don Airey would be the "Down to Earth" setup + a drummer would be needed.
IMO Bobby Rondinelli, that played on the Rainbow albums that followed, could most likely handle the task if he is still an active drummer.

Name it "Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow" and he can play any DP/Rainbow material with that setup or?

 

Judging by Blackmore's Night new logo design Ritchie is already heading with his current band towards rock in its most extreme form.

 

Too late. Jon Lord is gone.

 

It's only too late for a Deep Purple reunion (although reuniting Mk I or Mk II was a nonstarter anyway).

 

Love Graham Bonnet, but he and Ritchie did not exactly part on good terms.

Anyway, I am not taking this seriously. . . at all.

 

Did Richie and anyone part on good terms?

 

I actually saw Blackmore's Night at a local club years ago when the project was still fairly new. I didn't know what to expect, but what I did not expect was that despite constant calls for Deep Purple and Rainbow songs, he never lost his cool and most of the audience stayed with the show until the end - as did Blackmore. I seriously expected him to smash things onstage due to all the "SMOKE ON THE WATER!!" calls from the audience, but he would lightly giggle and say "Maybe next time we're back". Of course, the was no next time and he never did go back to rock. But I had to admit he seemed to have moved on from being a very angry, bitter man to somebody more in control of his emotions not to mention his destiny.

Does that all erase all of the poopstain moves and statements he's made over the years? No, not really. But I still think his wife and their project might help him to become a better human being, so I won't say anything bad about it.

 

From 2013 (the first 2 minutes are priceless)...

 

This.

Few have complimentary things to say about Ritchie as a person. Most work with him due to prowess/reputation as a musician. He's probably not on any former member's Christmas card list and I doubt he cares; extremely difficult individual to deal with.

 

I've heard some of his Blackmore's Night stuff, and he can still really play well, when the song calls for it.

That said, their version of Child in Time is an abomination. It sounds like music you'd hear in a Hobbit tavern in the Shire. So I'd welcome some rock from him for a change.

 

Dio and Blackmore were thinking of reuniting Rainbow in the late 90's but then after Cozy Powell's death made it fall apart. That reunion would have been pretty amazing.

I would like to see Ritchie do something with rock. I don't necessarily need him to be going back to one of his old singers.

 

May be one more reason – though not a prime one – to assemble something other than a Reunion group.

Heck, if he couldn't keep easy-going Dio around (that really shoulda been a long-term partnership), small wonder there was a revolving door with his bands.

He should find some unknown young-turk virtuosos he can push around, and make something new. It could encompass classical, Renaissance and hard rock. Purple dabbled there at times. Latter-day Rainbow is pretty uninteresting to me.

And all-star reunions are seldom musically satisfying. To me anyway.

 

Joe Lynn Turner and Bob Daisley seem to be the only ones that don't slag him, and even Turner was resentful when Deep Purple reformed.

The term "missed opportunity" gets used way too much around here, but in this case, it's true. The reunion of those three guys would have been incredible. Cozy's death was tragic on so many levels.

 

Where did you read that? I could have sworn in interviews with Eddie Trunk Dio said he had never spoken to Ritchie since leaving Rainbow. I saw a Rainbow show with Dio in the 70s where some errant beach balls were being knocked around. A few times they went up on stage which really pissed Ritchie off. As a result, he would not encore so Dio came back out at the end of the show to apologize to the audience.

 

I'll find it tomorrow. I don't remember who said it. It could've just been managers talking and didn't go more than that.

 

Thanks for the response. It would have been great to see the three of them back together and making new music.

 

Yes and I saw him in Blackmore's Night many years ago and they were great and his playing was stunning. It was nice for a change to see someone go on a different path and I commend Ritchie for doing so.

 

I seem to remember hearing that Blackmore made overtures to Dio about reforming but Dio held him at arm's length and finally refused for good after Cozy died. Which is funny because IIRC Dio and Powell weren't exactly best buds either. But I suppose all involved could recognize that Blackmore/Dio/Powell were a potent combination but removing one component from the mix was sure to spoil it.

 

Somewhere, having read this, Jeff Scott Soto is desperately seeking proper management.

 

I hope it happens. Gary Moore (my favorite guitarist) died before he could finish his "return to rock" album. I hope Ritchie remains in good health and is able to follow through on his "I'm thinking of playing rock again" leanings. Please don't wait too long to think about it Mr. Blackmore, none of us are getting any younger.

Could be great. Could stink. Could be in between. I'm in for a listen if he comes back though, whether it is with old cohorts or a totally new band. I say this as a longtime Blackmore fan but as someone who can't stand Blackmore's Night btw.

 

I am 49 and a better guitarist and singer then I ever have been before, largely because I have been rehearsing and performing more than at any other point in my life, and because my understanding and ear keeps improving. No reason to think that will continue to my 70s but late 40s certainly are not an issue. And it sounds like you have done a lot of physical labor with your hands which obviously could make a difference.

 

No, it sucks because it really sucks.

Absolutely correct. I was unaware that Ritchie reads this board and my posts might have some sort of influence upon his life decisions.

Uh, yeah, Ritchie has never sung anything. "Sing" as in performing the songs she cowrote, get it? (As in "I want to hear Styx sing Mr Roboto"). He is "performing" songs where she wrote the words, if you prefer that word. As I stated before, I'd take that bet regarding his finances- if he was truly following his muse by making silly music, why, for even a moment, would he think about returning to the rock world? Because it's guaranteed money, that's why.

Call me when you see Jimmy Page or Eric Clapton dressed as a jester, playing a hurdy gurdy, singing silly words about faeries and minstrels. Never said it wasn't real music, just that is was silly for someone of that talent level to do that style of music.

Sure, and he is now considering returning to rock in some capacity, and I still stand by my thoughts that it is spurred on by money. I'm glad that some people think BN is good music, at least he hasn't totally wasted 18 years. Unfortunately, the mass majority do not agree with your assessment of "good music" and have entirely ignored his creative output for two decades for damn good reasons. It's awful.

Ah, yes, because the modern band solely relies upon income from their recordings. Especially bands 3 decades past their prime. Or "bands" that play minstrel music....I can't say whether either has been more successful unless we see actual numbers- anything other than that is guessing. But the income from playing gigs would surely have to put DP in the drivers seat and in this day & age, I'd wager that total income from touring and album sales still puts DP way ahead of BN.

Ritchie has made comments in interviews that I've read that the issue is, and has always been, control of the band(s). With DP, he was a cowriter with 5 guys. With Rainbow, he was a cowriter with 4 guys. With BN, he is cowriter with his wife only. Whether that intones a financial aspect or not is up to the reader. With BN, he alone decides what to do and when to do it, within the confines of his marriage, of course. I understand the appeal in that. This is a rational explanation why bands with Ritchie have imploded over & over, for no apparent reason.

 

Yes, been working with my hands past 30 years
This overcame my guitar playing sadly