Right on, thx for posting -- one of the greats -- his solo on Place In Line, ripping -- Machine Head -- it is timeless

I had Machine Head and Made in Japan on 8 track.

I saw Rainbow open for Blue Oyster Cult (if I remember that right) sometime in the early 80's - and Blackmore did not come onstage.

The band was onstage and you could hear a lead guitar, he was just not onstage. Never recall hearing the what or why of that deal.

[Edited on 4/14/2017 by heineken515]

Well…I guess if you can't play as well as Hendrix, Townshend or Beck, you might as well prove you can bust sh!t up as well as them.

I put Ritchie in the same conversation as those guys, excluding Jimi -- a Fender master -- what he did on those Mach IV albums couldn't be topped, same on Shades Of DP & those earlier ones -- that's the only extent I know of his playing but what playing it is

Ritchie is at least as good as Townshend, pretty close to Beck and Jimi is in his own league to my ears anyways. Happy Birthday Ritchie.

I put Ritchie in the same conversation as those guys, excluding Jimi -- a Fender master -- what he did on those Mach IV albums couldn't be topped, same on Shades Of DP & those earlier ones -- that's the only extent I know of his playing but what playing it is

Do you mean Mark III? Blackmore wasn't in the Mark IV version of the band. That was Tommy Bolin for the Come Taste The Band album.

Townshend's approach is so different from Blackmore's that it is very hard to compare them. Blackmore is more widely recognized than Townshend as a lead guitar player. I love 'em both, and Live at Leeds and Made in Japan are up there with AFE as far as my favorite live albums.

That being said, i have not investigated the new live Rainbow stuff. I had read very mixed reviews and didnt want to be disappointed. JSZ, did you listen to / watch any?

Well…I guess if you can't play as well as Hendrix, Townshend or Beck, you might as well prove you can bust sh!t up as well as them.

WHOA!!!!
Hold on there!!!

I am not into ranking guitar players or who is better blah blah blah ....
Sorry, but this is just my opinion ,but to say Blackmore cant play as well as Hendrix is laughable!!

All above mentioned are very well respected, but Jimi's niche was more of being an innovator of that instrument than being better player than Blackmore. Jimi's playing was and is revolutionary to the the world of the electric guitar . Nobody did what he was doing back then and took it to a different level. I am not a big follower of Hendrix , but I respect what he has done as a player and being very important to the world of electric guitar , but to say he can play better than Ritchie is ignorant.

[Edited on 4/16/2017 by jszfunk]

"Ignorant"? Kiss my ass.

He's no Steve Morse.

"Ignorant"? Kiss my ass.

no thanks I will pass on that one! Have a great day!!!

Blackmore is an icon, definitely in the pantheon, an incredible influence on hard rock / metal guitarists. I don't think he gets enough credit for putting the Euro in Eurometal.

He does owe a debt to Hendrix though. I think songs like "Mandrake Root" and "Catch the Rainbow" have Jimi's stamp all over them.

Blackmore is an icon, definitely in the pantheon, an incredible influence on hard rock / metal guitarists. I don't think he gets enough credit for putting the Euro in Eurometal.

He does owe a debt to Hendrix though. I think songs like "Mandrake Root" and "Catch the Rainbow" have Jimi's stamp all over them.

I'd say he's pretty close to owing an actual monetary debt to Hendrix for "Catch The Rainbow".