Not Pennsylvania, presumably
Another caroling track from Blackmore’s Night Xmas EP — O Little Town Of Bethlehem. If you’re into that sort of thing.
![[hand]](/hs-pics/portraits/hands/glover3.jpg)
![[face]](/hs-pics/portraits/faces/gillan2.jpg)
Another caroling track from Blackmore’s Night Xmas EP — O Little Town Of Bethlehem. If you’re into that sort of thing.
Unauthorized copying, while sometimes necessary, is never as good as the real thing
Honestly, this is…. oh I give up!. I found that Sonseed’s Jesus Is My Friend, at least gave me a bit of a giggle. You too?.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-NOZU2iPA8
Smiles to ya!.
December 5th, 2020 at 22:43Time to change your moniker to Paleash Poorfew, huh? ; – )
It’s bitter. Jon’s music grew in the last (tragically short) chapter of his career, Ritchie – a man once so driven – has seemingly lost all ambition and coasts in banality.
December 8th, 2020 at 12:45ritchie is no longer ritchie …. honestly I will not buy!
December 9th, 2020 at 19:34I feel your pain. From Dark Destroyer to Merry Minstrel. It’s really hard to reconcile how the man has lost his passion for making and playing even remotely interesting or challenging music.
December 10th, 2020 at 01:34I did. If it were truly just a one-off Christmas EP, we could all be more forgiving, but – let’s face it – BN have been releasing Christmas CDs all year round during the last two decades!
December 10th, 2020 at 09:01For me, Ritchie does not have to play another note of DP or Rainbow music ever again if he doesn’t want to. But 20 years of arrested development is enough – the only thing that has grown with BN is Candice’s depth of voice (she’s a good singer technically – obviously, she’s copped a few tricks from RJD, like going down in notes where other people would be enticed to go up) – I’ve never heard her sing a bum note, but the delivery is all very samey.
What I would love to hear from Ritchie is, say, in no order of preference:
– a blues album (he used to dig Rory Gallagher and Johnny Winter; fine, pay homage to them!),
– a collaboration with Ian Anderson,
– an instrumental acoustic album with just him playing, yes, it can be Renaissance or Renaissance-inspired music.
– him doing real ethno or world music like gypsy jazz or Celtic music with people who actually have the cultural background or
– the kind of solo albums Jeff Beck does.
Ok, there’s one project I would love more than all the others: a solo album with Steve … The BlackMor(s)e Project!!! I think their styles would complement each other well.
December 11th, 2020 at 16:49Uwe @ 6, all very good ideas. Especially the Gypsy Jazz or Celtic music one. I always wondered how it might turn out if he were to team up for an album with an accomplished Celtic style songstress such as Loreena McKennitt. She incorporates lots of harmonic minor key / middle-eastern style flourishes into her music as well. There would be huge potential to such a pairing. Alas, I don’t imagine Mrs. Blackmore would have been too keen on the idea.
December 12th, 2020 at 02:51DeeperPurps @ 7 – no way, Loreena is too classy for Blackmore & far too talented. As we know from history, Blackmore gets off on working with unknown & ‘inexperienced’ vocalists. Then when things change for whatever reason, he gets rid of them! Not classy at all! Loreena is very good at the songwriting & interpretation of traditional melodies also, too much for Blackers me thinks! Blackmore is content it seems with his little side kick. Not too deep, if you know what I mean. Cheers.
December 12th, 2020 at 21:10Hi MacGregor @ 8. I think you are right. Blackmore’s talent has often been overshadowed by his questionable interpersonal skills. A real shame, because there would be so much potential in collaborations with other fine artists.
December 13th, 2020 at 14:01Hello DeeperPurps @ 9 – yes it is a shame. Blackmore seems to have a problem dealing with other musicians who are the lead vocalist, write the music, melody & the lyrics. I just cannot see him ever sitting back & just playing whatever may fit into someone else songs. Although he did start out in his career doing just that & he has contributed a little ditty here & there with other composers material, tribute albums etc. He has his way & he has forged a successful career out of it. I just cannot see him in a serious musical collaboration with a seasoned writer & performer.
December 15th, 2020 at 01:31Can you imagine a scenario, ‘Ritchie, what are you doing? That is NOT how the arrangement goes. Just play what I told you to play. Oh by the way Mr Blackmore, these are all my songs, just remember that!
So don’t even think about it”, he he! We have to have a laugh about it I suppose.
The David Stone ‘Gates of Babylon’ story says it all in a certain way. If that is what happened. Cheers.
Yes MacGregor @ 10. I believe you are correct in that assessment. Very unfortunate because Blackmore had so much more potential which could have been channelled into very intriguing projects, had he chosen to do so.
December 15th, 2020 at 22:14Hey, hey, I think it’s fair to assume that if you invite someone like Ritchie (or Jeff Beck or Eric Clapton or Eddie Van Halen) to a session, you don’t do so expecting that you need to instruct him what to play. (Nor would you reasonably want to, you would want him to be there as Ritchie Blackmore sprinkling his magic dust.)
Ritchie has no doubt a very musical ear and the ability to “sneak his guitar in” to the benefit of a(ny) song. He’s proven that countless times. Stormbringer, an album which he mostly disliked, is filled with excellent solos of his in songs he didn’t much care for or had little of nothing to do with: Love Don’t Mean A Thing, Holy Man, Hold On, You Can’t Do it Right. He even elevated what he disliked. (For the avoidance of doubt: I like Stormbringer even though it is not a Ritchie-dominated album; Burn has the better trademark riffs, but Stormbringer has the better off-the-wall-surprise-solos of a very introspective Ritchie.)
Ritchie can actually be extremely tasteful, yet still leave his indelible mark, his style is that idiosyncratic und distinctive. Just think of the cracker(s) of solo(s) he played on Jack Green’s I Call, No Answer …
https://youtu.be/rwgbkeevVEo
That he doesn’t collaborate outside his comfort zone more often, is therefore a real loss (for him and us), but I suspect that it has to do with his sometimes frustrating days as a session player for Joe Meek.
December 16th, 2020 at 18:14Uwe @12. Agreed. A shame really, but Blackmore simply could not abide playing in a group in which he had little control. From In Rock, up to Burn, it was basically Blackmore leading the train. Once he realized that the train was pulling in a different direction with Stormbringer, he was left with the fight or flight dilemma. He chose flight with Rainbow and it certainly took wing. However the revolving door of personnel in and out of that group was a steady procession, most probably owing to Blackmore asserting total control of the direction of the group and lack of tolerance for anyone less than totally dedicated or able to perform at the level Blackmore required. That continued into reunion Mark II Purple. By 1993 he saw that he no longer had control of the group or the direction he wanted to go in, hence, he took flight once again to Rainbow. Now he no longer has any drama to contend with – he and his. spouse are like two peas in a pod in their love for the Minstrel muse. No ambition or desire to break out of that it seems. Yes his loss, and ours.
December 20th, 2020 at 03:26Ritchie is a great driving force within a band, he also has an ear for new talent. A great bandleader or solo artist in the sense of, say, David Bowie or Robert Fripp who always got the best out of the musicians surrounding them he is definitely not. DP was the perfect foil for him, but he failed to see that again and again, his own demons and insecurities being perhaps to blame. With BN, he has settled for not being challenged ever again. It’s Rainbow less loud.
December 21st, 2020 at 22:44