[% META title = 'Ritchie Blackmore, Interviews' %]

BLIND DATE WITH RITCHIE BLACKMORE
MELODY MAKER OCTOBER 1971

John Lennon. "Gimme Some Truth"
RB- It's John Lennon. I've just realised. Is it his new LP? I really like it. I have heard three tracks off it but not this one. I am going to buy it. All the tracks are pretty good, especially that one about Paul McCartney. If it didn't so much bad feeling about it, it would be a great record. This track I did'nt enjoy that much. It sounded like a semi-pro group to start with. It was very average. The musicainship is not great, but that's not where John Lennon is at.

Lindisfarne. "Meet Me On The Corner"
RB- It's sounds like Dylan during the intro. Is it Marmelade? Actually I quite like it. It's very harmless. It sounds like they are having fun. I doubt if it would make it as a single. It's a song I would probably play draughts to. That's not putting it down because I often play draughts to records I like. This is quite good but I don't know who it is.

Mike Harrison. "Wait Until The Morning"
RB- It's not Jethro Tull is it? It's very similar. There are good chord progressions there, like the Beatles used to do. It reminds me of something else and I know that voice. Mike Harrison, yes. He used to be in Spooky Tooth and had a girlfriend in Hamburg when I was there. He would be very big if he was better organised. We wanted to get him for Deep Purple when we started, but he didn't want to know. He is a great singer.

Diana Ross. "Surrender"
RB- It's Diana Ross. It started well. I thought it was going to be a blues thing. She has really got it made as an actress and a comedian. She is probably the most talented girl in the world, although I don't go much for her records. I haven't bought anything of hers because I don't like Tamla. It seems rather soulless to me. They have some good musicians, but they don't step out of line. The backings are always great. The Four Tops latest is great, incidently.

Buffy Sainte Marie. "She Used To Wanna Be A Ballerina"
RB- Is it Buffy Sainte-Marie? It must be someone like her. It sounds like she is enjoying herself and there is probably a big market for this kind of thing, but it's not my type of stuff.

Phillip Goodhand-Tait. "Everybody"
RB- It sounds like Joe Cocker or Rod Stewart trying to do a Ray Charles. It's a very good voice. It's the old Buddy Holly song. A great arrangement. Is the singer well known? He's really good and very much full of feeling. It's the best record you've played so far. Very, very good. I'll take that home with me.

Jesse James. "Don't Nobody Want To Get Married"
RB- Is is anything to do with James Brown? Is it the same people as on the last record? It sounds like it. I would say that this group is Perigine Lumberjack and the Toadstools. Wrong?
Take it off. There is really too much of this stuff around. It's a waste of time.

Jimi Hendrix. "Purple Haze"
RB- Oh yes. The voice seems well back here. There is nothing much you can say. He was the gov'nor and that's it. It's a fantastic record. The riffs are so good. Did you know he hits a false harmonic right in the middle if this by pulling a string. It's very hard to do, but he was brilliant, wasn't he?

Slade. "Coz I Luv You"
RB- Is this the MM staff band? I think I recognise it now the guitarist is speeding up. The song isn't bad. I like the violin. It's very course, but the guitar needs speeding up a lot. It can't be East of Eden, and it's certainly not Family. Slade, yes? They are a good group because the don't care about the notes and there is a public wanting that. Another group might be too inhibited to do what they do.