written by Marx on 03/07/2007
Black Knight - Ritchie Blackmore
By Jerry Bloom
Omnibus Press
This book will no doubt appeal to all Ritchie Blackmore, Deep Purple and Rainbow fans alike, but that's not to say they'll be any wiser for reading it. Reason being, any fresh and informative insight into the subject is sadly lacking. To be sure, it's written chronologically, and as such, sheds much light on Blackmore's formative years playing alongside such notable figures as The Outlaws, Screaming Lord Sutch and Jerry Lee Lewis - whilst simultaneously sessioneering for the highly influential Joe Meek - but other than that, Black Knight fails to venture beyond the confines of what we already know.
As soon as the tempestuous subject of Deep Purple arises, Jerry Bloom merely skims the surface, which is frustrating to say the least, for it is Deep Purple he is (or should that read, ought to be) writing about! Deep Purple, a band upon whom, a veritable tomb is yet to be written. They were after all, one of the most influential rock bands of the seventies, with a rather colourful, if not irritating, assortment of personnel having passed through its ranks with sparkling regularity - of whom David Coverdale alone, warrants a regular kicking for having bequeathed the world with his rather tired and vile cock(rock).
So yeah, how can the author have possibly forgot that he was writing about a band who clocked up more musical marriages than Paris Hilton has had stabs at humanity, which, when considered, ought to make for great and enticing reading.
As it is, Black Knight is a simple regurgitation and resurrection of everything we already know about Ritchie Blackmore: he is a fantastic guitar player who was the musical/centrifugal focus of his former bands, who for whatever reason, remains an awkward enigma with a penchant for black clothes and girls with large breasts.
That's fundamentally it - if there's anything else, this book doesn't let on.
David Marx
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