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The band Ritchie Blackmore said was the best of all time in the 70s
Co-founder of Deep Purple, Ritchie Blackmore became one of the most influential guitar heroes of the 70s, not only being successful with that group but also with his own band Rainbow.
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During that decade he already was one of the most influential guitarists in the world and already was known for being a sincere person that always told his real opinion on other artists. At that time he even revealed which was the best band of all time in his opinion.
The band Ritchie Blackmore said was the best of all time in the 70s
In 1976, Blackmore had already formed Rainbow and they had released their two first albums “Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow” (1975) and “Rising” “(1976). While touring with the group which had Ronnie James Dio as the vocalist, Blackmore gave an interview to Melbourne Radio (Transcribed by Rock and Roll Garage) and revealed that in his opinion The Beatles were the best band in history.
“The Beatles were excellent. Probably the best band ever lived, without a doubt, along with Hendrix and Jethro Tull. I admire Paul McCartney and Ian Anderson. Especially Ian Anderson, his songs are just beyond me,” Ritchie Blackmore said.
Blackmore said that Paul McCartney was the greatest composer the world had in 100 years
He always admired Paul McCartney and told Metal Hammer magazine in 1987 that he was the greatest composer the world had in 100 years. He used the Beatle as an example to say how bad the British press was at the time. “I was reading the Melody Maker the other day and there was this stuff about Paul McCartney.”
“They were just crucifying him; the best composer we’ve had in the past hundred years. They were saying that he had too much money and he was overweight with this horrible wife. I can imagine them saying the same thing about Beethoven in his day,” Ritchie Blackmore said.
Curiously, Deep Purple covered on their first album “Shades of Deep Purple” (1968), The Beatles hit “Help”, but transforming the song into a longer and psychedelic track.
He once performed with George Harrison
He didn’t had the chance to play with Paul McCartney but George Harrison once joined Deep Purple on stage. The incredible performance happened in 1984, when the classic line-up of Deep Purple reunited and was performing in Australia.
Harrison lived near the drummer Ian Paice and keyboardist Jon Lord in England and they had developed a friendship over the years. Since they were performing in Australia and the Beatle was in town, he went to see them and ended up on stage performing the Little Richard classic “Lucille”.
Harrison recllaed that story in a conversation with Warner Brothers Music back in 1987. (Transcribed by Rock and Roll Garage) “They’re my neighbors, two of them, Jon (Lord) and Ian (Paice). They live near me. I’ve known them now for probably 8, 9 years. Yet they were so famous in the 70s, I got to know them in the period after they broken up before they reformed.”
“So I never knew their music. I mean, I heard this one thing about ‘Smoke On The Water’ or something like that. I’ve actually never seen them and I heard that they are in the Guinness Book Of Records for being the loudest group in the world.”
He continued:
“So I thought, well, I was in Australia at the time. They happened to be doing a concert in Sydney. So I thought I’d go an check them out. Get my earplugs and go and see them. I really enjoyed the show. I sat on the stage for part of the show behind the loudspeakers. Then I walked down and sat right on the center of the hall. It was not too loud. It was really funny. I liked it.”
“I thought Ian, who is my neighbor, Ian Paice, he is such a good drummer and Jon Lord, rocking his organ (laughs). Ian Gillan, I thought he is just a scream, he is really funny. I enjoyed. They said ‘Hey! Here’s a guitar, come on!’ So I just went on and sang, I don’t know what it was. I was playing the wrong key. But it didn’t seem to matter,” George Harrison said.
Formed by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, The Beatles are the most successful band of all time. They only lasted 10 years, from 1960 until 1970 but have sold an estimated amount of more than 600 million records worldwide, something that no other band had ever came close.
