April 2021 issue of Burrn! magazine features Bladckmore’s Night as a cover story, with an interview inside. Akemi Ono graciously offered reverse translation of the interview for the rest of us who don’t speak Japanese.

Blackmore’s Night will release their 11th album Nature’s Light, on March 11 worldwide. Ritchie and Candice agreed to talk to us about the new album as well as the influence of the coronavirus and their future activities:

Burrn: How are you and your family doing? How is your area affected?

Ritchie: Covid started in China, but no one seems to know how it started. It is a strange situation.

B: How was your tour affected?

R: The last show we did was in Nuremberg, July 2019 (Long Island, November 2019 according to Burrn’s records). That was the last show of the last tour. It was a very good show. Usually the last show is not good, but this tour was different.

Candice: We were supposed to do more shows in the US, but they were canceled due to Covid. But it was a good timing to go back into the studio. We had many recordings, including Christmas songs. It has been a strange time for Ritchie, since he was always touring since the age of 16. He probably never had the experience of resting at home for a full year. He does not enjoy traveling so much anymore, but he must miss the energy of the audience, and playing in front of them.

R: I certainly don’t miss spending time in a hotel without enough sleep. You should bring a mask so that you don’t get infected by Covid. Do you wear a mask?

B: Of course!

R: Good.

B: I saw your internet video, Vacuum and Dust with new lyrics to Joan Baez’ Diamonds and Rust. You said you were inspired by David Coverdale?

C: Yes, we exchange emails a lot. We were discussing the pandemic, and he said all he wants to do is vacuuming and dusting since he cannot leave the house. We both thought this was like a title of a song. I asked if I could use it, and David said he was OK.

B: Have you always been touch with David?

C: David contacted us after Jon Lord passed away. I think we all realized that our lives will end some day, and we should restore what we can. David told us he is thankful to Ritchie for welcoming him to Deep Purple which also opened the door to Whitesnake.

R: It was actually Ian Paice who introduced David. Ian brought a cassette with David’s recording and asked what we thought. That was the start. Ian discovered David.

B: You released a Christmas Carols EP last year. Can you tell us about the songs?

R: I always thought Silent Night was boring, but I heard Candice singing it in the shower. Her singing was the best I heard for the song, so we decided to include it. Her voice matches the song perfectly. Regarding O Little Town of Bethlehem, the American people sing it with a jazz-like tune, but we used the original tune from the 1400’s, 1500’s, so I think it sounds different. Of all Blackmore’s Night albums, I like the Christmas Carols album the best. I am very attracted to Christmas carols, most of which were written in the 1500’s to 1600’s. I hate modernized Christmas songs like Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree or Santa’s Comin’ Down the Chimney.

C: Our daughter, Autumn sings in Silent Night. She can sing 3 octaves and can also play the guitar and cello.

B: Please tell us about the new album.

C: We were supposed to release it in 2019, but it was delayed due to Covid. We started recording in 2018. 2018 was a difficult year as Ritchie lost his brother, and I lost my father. We also lost our cat which we had for 16 years. It was difficult to be creative, but we found out that it was cathartic to reminisce positively about the people who left us and be use the energy to be creative.

R: Is there a word for cathartic in Japanese?

B: Yes, we use the word “catharsis”. You included Wish You Were Here” from your debut album Shadow of the Moon.

R: Our debut album sold well only in Germany, but it is one of my favorite albums. I think people will like the song Wish You Were Here if they listened to it properly, and it could lead to a hit. I have confidence in that song. I think it is effective in many situations, like when you lost someone or cannot meet someone….

B: How is it different from the original?

R: The vocals are different. Candice’s singing is more mature. We also added guitar parts.

B: Please comment on the other songs:

C: Once Upon a December was inspired by Owain Phyfe, whom we met at Arizona Renaissance Festival. He is a minstrel whom we invited to play at our wedding as well as tour with us. He sounds like Ian Anderson. He played a humorous Italian song Fuggi, Fuggi, Fuggi. We took the melody line from this song.

R: Feather in the Wind was composed using a mandola. There is a riff I used to play frequently, and Autumn would sing to it. I gave this riff to Candice, and she sprinkled fairy dust on it.

R: Darker Shades of Black (instrumental) is like my version of Procol Harum’s A Whiter Shade of Pale. A typical downward chord progression which Bach might play.

C: The Twisted Oak is about finding your inner peace while walking amongst the trees. You can cleanse yourself from dust and everyday pressure by listening to and understanding the message with your heart and spirit.

R: Nature’s Light is one of my favorite songs, especially the riff of the orchestra’s brass section.

R: Der Lettzte Masketier is The Three Musketeers in German. I was in a three-piece band called The Three Musketeers in Germany in 1964. The other two members passed away, so I am paying my respects. They were very good friends. I could say I liked this band the most among the bands I have played in. It was not a huge success, there was not that much pressure, we just enjoyed the music and playing.

C: Both our children Autumn and Rory sing in Going to the Fair.

R: The melody from this song is from Tielman Susato’s composition from the 1500’s.

C: The Second Element is a song by Sarah Brightman. Ritchie’s electric guitar is magnificent in this song!

R: I like the guitar in Darker Shades of Black better. It’s all personal.

B: Which Blackmore’s Night album do you like best?

R: The Christmas Carols one.

C: That’s difficult. I do like Secret Voyage. I would say that and Nature’s Light.

B: Do you have anything planned for 2021?

R: It depends on what the government allows. I think there are fake stories around Covid. I hope the truth comes out and that all bands can play again.

B: Will you do any on-line work again?

C: We are exploring what we can do. I think Ritchie prefers to do something with other band members as well, not just acoustic with myself.

B: Would you have done Blackmore’s Rainbow again if it were not for Covid?

R: I was very satisfied with what I had done so far. I would have gone to Japan, if it were closer. Before I play for Rainbow, I need to have shots on my back because I have back and lower back problems. I cannot carry the heavy Stratocaster without the shots.

B: Will you play Rainbow with Ronnie Romero again after Covid?

R: I would like to keep it as a surprise. Just go day by day. I don’t want to plan ahead too much, although I know people around me want to.

B: Will you release new music as Rainbow?

R: No, that idea is not exciting. It feels like I am going backwards. I want to progress to the future with 1500’s music.

Bridport & Lime Regis News reports that Ian Gillan have donated several items for a charity auction run by the local Rotary Club. There are some recent vinyls and DVDs, and a few books. Nothing ultra rare, in other words (well, there’s this promo copy of Naked Thunder, but that’s about it, we think). Some of the items can be autographed personally to the winner at no additional cost. The silent auction will start on March 12 and run until the end of the month. Items can be viewed and bids placed online. It is not immediately clear if the items can be shipped abroad, though:

At the end of the auction, the winning bidders will, once payment is received, be contacted by email and provided with an address in Lyme Regis from which their lot may be collected. Alternatively, we can, if preferred, arrange free delivery up to 10 miles, beyond which carriage and risk to be at buyers’ expense.

Thanks to BraveWords for the heads up.

The visuals are from a late 1960s Soviet cartoon The Bremen Town Musicians based on the Brothers Grimm classic. Continue Reading »

David Coverdale talks to a couple of Canadian dudes, promoting the latest tricolour Whitesnake compilatons. Also on the agenda: Jon Lord’s left hand, the flying Dutchmen, singing about lunches, Coverdale/Page, wildfires, classical artists, and many other things. Continue Reading »

An interesting interview with Don Airey, dug up from the mu:zines depth and breadth. This was done around Ozzy’s Bark at the Moon time and originally published in February 1984 issue of Electronics & Music Maker.

The interview will be of a particular interest for vintage synthesizer aficionados (you know who you are). Don also talk about his illustrious career up to this point, that started at a tender age of about three, the student years, the TV work, Cozy Powell’s Hammer, Rainbow, Solar System, Milky Way, The Universe…

After Gary left Colloseum II we carried on a bit with my brother Keith, but I fancied something a bit heavier. Then Cozy rang up and invited me to work with Richie, and I was a bit doubtful, but we got on great – for the first year, or at least that first album we did, Down to Earth. That was basically me Cozy and Richie. Then Roger Glover came in, initially as the producer and then subsequently at the bass player and we eventually found Graham Bonnett after about six weeks of recording, and the band was born. It was a truly English sound, very heavy and melodic and beautiful. Donnington festival was the next triumph for that band, and then inexplicably Richie let Graham and Cozy leave and he brought in American musicians which was fine and great, but he tried to go for a sort of Foreigner sound – much more commercial, which I felt was a mistake. We had four hit singles altogether, two from each album, including All Night Long that brought us in new audience altogether, but after that, the stage shows became, well, mistimed I think is the best term, and I handed in my notice and left at the end of tour – which didn’t go down well…

Undeniably, there are real problems with being a keyboard player in a heavy metal band, and not least the guitar. First off, the guitar is very loud, but also the guitar is an amazing instrument, it is very expressive and you just have to listen to it. But what works for me is trading ideas with a guitarist. Almost any keyboard can sound great on its own – especially in the studio, you put a bit of Lexicon on them, down into stereo and wham! It’s wonderful. As soon as the guitar comes in it vanishes. So you have to hone your sound very much so that you have something that can compete with the guitar and also to get right behind it. I try to get a blend with the guitar so that we can support each other. Over the years I’ve obviously worked with a lot of guitarists, and there have been varying levels of success, but between Gary Moore and myself there is a sort of bond. We’ve worked on a lot of things together which sort of came to a level on Variations – what a long time ago that was!

Read more in mu:zines.

Another Jon Lord interview from the mu:zines archives. This one is from 1983, originally published in the May issue of Music UK magazine. Once again, this is a pro music magazine, and much of the discussion revolves around equipment and technique.

When Jon mentioned that he was still able to take his Hammond out on World tours with him I’d done an instant double-take. The old faithful keyboard is still revered by many experienced players but hasn’t been obtainable for many years now, later Hammonds (and many other organs) never seeming to have been able to quite capture that archetypal Hammond sound. But the Hammond was never really designed for a hard life on the road — so how had Jon kept his going?

“I had one Hammond when Purple started but that kind of exploded on one occasion. I must admit that I also find it quite remarkable that I’ve still got one going after all this time but I suppose that shows how well they were made — it’s a pity you can’t get them anymore.

“What I managed to do when Hammond stopped this model was get hold of four old tone wheel generator systems for them, so I’ve got the spares to keep me going. No synthesiser manages to get quite that sound. The Korg, for example, is a very good organ and it does a very creditable job of trying to get that Hammond sound but it’s not quite the same, there’s something more massive about the Hammond’s sound which no synthesiser has ever managed to duplicate. Certainly, I’d feel naked without it.”

Read more in mu:zines.

Digging deeper into mu:zines archives, there’s this interview with Jon Lord from the time of Before I Forget, published in August 1982 issue of Electronics & Music Maker.

On the album ‘Where Are You’ it seems to have a Debussy type ending.

Jon Well, again, he is a composer that I used to play quite a bit when I was a kid. Of course, you can listen to Chick Corea and hear Debussy and Ravel floating around — all those French impressionist ideas have had a lot of influence in modern jazz.

Brubeck was obviously an influence, because I just used to love the way he played a solo. He just used to knock me out. He suffered from a loss of belief in people and the music seemed to come so easy to him, but people often did not respect his fertile imagination. In my early days I had a band with a line up of piano, bass, drums, vibes, alto sax and clarinet so we were able to do some quite weird things. The alto sax player was Jack Shepherd who later turned to acting. For me he was one of the best alto players and he introduced me to Charlie Mingus and that school.

My interest in the jazz idiom led me to find Jimmy Smith. Well, he found me! I heard ‘A Walk on the Wild Side’ and I really wasn’t too sure what the instrument was. I’d played church organ but I’d never heard that lovely percussive effect of the jazz organ and thought, what the hell is that, it’s wonderful! Not so long after I joined an R&B band who insisted on having an organist instead of a pianist, (this was in the mid Sixties), so I fell into Hammond playing. But I was still playing church organ at the time.

Haven’t you used a Hammond on your new album?

Jon Yes, it’s a split Hammond that’s been heavily modified. I’ve had it since 1968, although it’s about 25-30 years old and it is one of the original C3 models.

One thing they say about organ playing and organ technique is that unlike the piano, you have to make your own expression. It doesn’t matter how hard you hit the keys obviously, so you have to use a swell pedal, but I find that from a Hammond you do get something back. I have developed my own right foot swell technique, but nevertheless I do find I get a bounce back from the Hammond keyboard — almost like a piano although different in its way. And the fingering is different too.

Read the whole thing in mu:zines. Caveat: the interview is pretty long and gets rather technical at times — this is a music production magazine after all.

mu:zines is a website dedicated to digitally reprinting old music production magazines. It has quite a few Purple-related interviews of various vintage.

International Musician and Recording World issue from March 1975 had an interview with Ritchie Blackmore, where he mentions Tommy Bolin as one of the few worthwhile American guitarists, mere months before Bolin replaced him in Purple.

JT: What guitarists do you like?

RB: I like Jeff [Beck]. He’s my favourite guitarist. There are a lot of guitarists around that get overlooked. When you’re a guitarist yourself you tend to get so buried in what you’re doing. Mike Bloomfield is really good. Steve Howe’s always been a very good guitarist. I’m not too struck on Jimmy Page and Eric Clapton, I never saw what was in Clapton at all. He’s a good singer.

JT: How do you view someone like Peter Townshend?

RB: He’s part of “the Establishment”… you can knock the Establishment but there’s not much point. There were days in ’64 when he inspired me, because he was the first one ever to use distortion, it was unheard of in those days, and he did a distortion solo in “Anyway Anyhow Anywhere”. That was really good, I thought The Who were great when they first came out. Townshend is not so much of a guitarist as an all-round guy — writer, all that. There are so many people who are good guitarists who aren’t even names.

JT: Are there any American guitarists that you find worthwhile?

RB: Tommy Bolin, especially. There’s a guy in a group called Stray Dog, and I was slightly listening to him outside the Record Plant door when he was recording, and he sounded great… I don’t know who he is.

The last sentence most likely refers to W. G. Snuffy Walden, who went on to make himself a successful career in film and TV music, winning numerous awards, including an Emmy for The West Wing theme.

Read the complete interview in mu:zines.

Thanks to Yvonne for the heads up.

Don Airey’s recent release Live in Hamburg is now streaming on Youtube in its entirety, courtesy of the record company. Continue Reading »

Dutch fingerstyle guitar virtuoso Thomas Zwijsen does covers of classic rock tracks for his Youtube channel, and his latest is a cover of Smoke on the Water. Smoke has never sounded more acoustic than this. Continue Reading »