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Black Knight
Dubbed the 'man in black', guitarist, Ritchie Blackmore found fame with Seventies rock giants, Deep Purple, then walked away from them to create Rainbow, only to abandon them and form another band in 1997 - Blackmore's Night. Read how he handed his resignation in the middle of Deep Purple's 25th anniversary tour. This book shows how during his career, he became involved with Lord Sutch, Joe Meek, Gene Vincent, Jerry Lee Lewis, Freddie Starr and Tom Jones. It talks about his love/hate relationship with Deep Purple's lead singer, Ian Gillian, his moodiness, antics on and off stage, his reputation as a 'hire and fire' merchant, his three marriages, police chases, imprisonment and passion for football.
- GenresMusicBiographyNonfiction
420 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
June 28, 2011
Although an at times intriguing insight to the world of a very complex man who is obviously an immensely talented musician and songwriter, I cannot help feeling that this book is lacking some professionalism. The author more often than not comes across as someone who lets his admiration for Blackmore cloud his objectivity on the matter, a fan so full of admiration with his hero that he has taken it upon him to try to document the life of this enigmatic character, without really knowing how to pace the information nor how to choose what to write and what not to write. Also, strangely enough, I found the book somewhat riddled with typos and spelling errors, something you don't expect to find in a professional publication.
The lack of serious sources - the greater part of Blackmore's fellow band members, like Jon Lord, Ian Paice, Ronnie James Dio, Ian Gillan and Candice Night, have not given interviews for the book (except in a few short quotes in rare cases) - fills this book with what I perceive as "clutter", where the author goes into immense detail on things like (almost) every single tour Blackmore has been a part of. And while information like this can be interesting to some extent, it tended to leave me tired and thinking that this is stuff interesting only to a handful of extremely devoted fans.
This attention to detail is more apparent in the first half of the book, where Blackmore's tenure as a session musician is dealt with, and it strikes me as a bit odd why the author would go on to such length about an albeit important period of Blackmore's career, while he would skimp on the parts of his (Blackmore's) career that really brought him to the limelight (which are the periods I presume the readers would be more interested in reading about). An example of this would be the way he leaves as much space for talking about the important Deep Purple album 'Fireball', as he would about one single gig that Blackmore did with the Outlaws in 1962.
That being said, I did enjoy parts of the book, and I would be lying if I didn't say that some of the stories about Blackmore's pranks didn't amuse me, and that this is (at least for me) part of the appeal of reading this book - to get an insight into the complex personality and life of someone I (and a lot others) consider to be a living legend. Given the lack of any official biography - and I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for one - this is a readable although somewhat lacking account that I would recommend only die-hard fans of Blackmore to read. And even to them I will warn that some patience might be needed to get through certain parts of the book.
The lack of serious sources - the greater part of Blackmore's fellow band members, like Jon Lord, Ian Paice, Ronnie James Dio, Ian Gillan and Candice Night, have not given interviews for the book (except in a few short quotes in rare cases) - fills this book with what I perceive as "clutter", where the author goes into immense detail on things like (almost) every single tour Blackmore has been a part of. And while information like this can be interesting to some extent, it tended to leave me tired and thinking that this is stuff interesting only to a handful of extremely devoted fans.
This attention to detail is more apparent in the first half of the book, where Blackmore's tenure as a session musician is dealt with, and it strikes me as a bit odd why the author would go on to such length about an albeit important period of Blackmore's career, while he would skimp on the parts of his (Blackmore's) career that really brought him to the limelight (which are the periods I presume the readers would be more interested in reading about). An example of this would be the way he leaves as much space for talking about the important Deep Purple album 'Fireball', as he would about one single gig that Blackmore did with the Outlaws in 1962.
That being said, I did enjoy parts of the book, and I would be lying if I didn't say that some of the stories about Blackmore's pranks didn't amuse me, and that this is (at least for me) part of the appeal of reading this book - to get an insight into the complex personality and life of someone I (and a lot others) consider to be a living legend. Given the lack of any official biography - and I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for one - this is a readable although somewhat lacking account that I would recommend only die-hard fans of Blackmore to read. And even to them I will warn that some patience might be needed to get through certain parts of the book.
July 31, 2018
As a huge Blackmore fan, I was eager to read this biography.
I loved the beginning parts, especially because Blackmore's pre-Purple years, are kind of obscure, and he did so much work it is difficult to keep pace. Bloom did a good investigation over those years.
The Purple early years sometimes overlap which Bloom's other book about Deep Purple. But then again the Purple-Rainbow years are more widely known. I also got the feeling that the second Purple reunion was really rushed, one moment they were recording Perfect Strangers and the other Slaves and Masters. Then again the chronology is perfectly established.
The Blackmore's Night years are also well written, and I am thankful for it because this is again another era I have no clue about, in fact, it made me so curious I started listening to their records.
I would love to see an autobiography done by Blackmore itself, but I don't think that will happen anytime soon. And this book is sometimes even more enjoyable than the documentary about his life.
I loved the beginning parts, especially because Blackmore's pre-Purple years, are kind of obscure, and he did so much work it is difficult to keep pace. Bloom did a good investigation over those years.
The Purple early years sometimes overlap which Bloom's other book about Deep Purple. But then again the Purple-Rainbow years are more widely known. I also got the feeling that the second Purple reunion was really rushed, one moment they were recording Perfect Strangers and the other Slaves and Masters. Then again the chronology is perfectly established.
The Blackmore's Night years are also well written, and I am thankful for it because this is again another era I have no clue about, in fact, it made me so curious I started listening to their records.
I would love to see an autobiography done by Blackmore itself, but I don't think that will happen anytime soon. And this book is sometimes even more enjoyable than the documentary about his life.
April 12, 2021
Despite some of the reviews I thought this was pretty good and a good wide biography mainly of Blackmore's career (rather than a detailed account of more personal items such as upbringing and early years etc). I felt it lacked a little in 'voice' as many of Blackmore's quotes are 'American' sounding where if you hear him speak he does not speak in this way (e.g. use of 'gonna'). It is also a little out of date now and it would have been great to have an updated volume. Sadly, for me it lacked in technical detail relating to guitars and amps etc, which would have been interesting. I think more interviews with personnel such as Colin Hart (Rainbow / Deep Purple Tour Manager) would have been advantageous but without being 'authorised' its pretty good and informative - very good quality book and a must for fans I think.
January 15, 2018
Autoriseerimata (see tähendab, keskse tegelase heakskiidu ja aktiivse osavõtuta - vähemalt - tihtilugu ka aktiivse vastutöötamisega) koostatud elulugu ühest kõige vastuolulisema kuulsusega klassikalise hard rocki kitarrikuulsusest Richie Blackmore'st. Mees Deep Purple'st, Rainbowst ja Blackmore's Nightist. Olgu selle hilisema perioodiga nagu ta on aga 70ndate alguse klassikalised Deep Purple albumid "In Rock", "Fireball" ja "Machine Head" defineerisid terve ajastu ja žanri. Richie ise aga on, nagu geeniused tihtilugu ikka, suht raske tegelane. Seda vähemalt raamatu põhjal. Autor on ta lähiringi kuuluv tegelane, või vähemalt suht lähedalt tundev, autoriseerimata eluloost aga annavad aimu ta peamiste võitlus- ja elukaaslaste arvamuste täielik puudumine, kui mõned tsitaadid siin-seal välja jätta. Deep Purple bändina on keele üsna hammaste taga hoidnud, kui Ian Gillan välja jätta, aga Gillani kokkupõrked Blackmorega olid laiualt teada ja ka Purple mitme laialimineku peamiseks põhjuseks. Kuid isegi Gillan pole pidanud vajalikuks seda raamatut rohkem kui mõne lausega toetada, ja need lausedki on ehk võetud muudest intervjuudest. Olgu materjaliga nagu ta on, autor on suht põhjalikku tööd teinud ja härra Richie elutee ja tegevus tuuakse huvilise lugeja ette täies ulatuses.
Parim soundtrack sellele raamatule on muidugi Deep Purple ja Rainbow kogu diskograafia, Blackmore's Nighti võib ka välja jätta.
Parim soundtrack sellele raamatule on muidugi Deep Purple ja Rainbow kogu diskograafia, Blackmore's Nighti võib ka välja jätta.
July 15, 2021
Interesting read on one of the most influential guitarists of hard rock in the 70s, 80s and 90s. Although much of the story behind Deep Purple was familiar to me from before, it was interesting to read about it from the Blackmore point of view. However, the writer is a little too close to his subject, this book lists anecdotes from countless tours and feels somewhat repetitive. Also Deep Purple Mark 3 and Mark 2 reunion from 1984 onward is pretty brief compared to the time running up to the founding of Deep Purple and DP Mark 2 which set the tone for the new hard rock sound. The book also lacks of a deeper understanding of the man of mystery himself, since he has not participated in any way in this book, and most band member comments are taken from different music magazine interviews.
A good editor would have gotten rid of repetitiveness and given a more tight structure to the book. Still interesting for hardcore fans, and occasionally little dry for us normal music fans. I recommend having a streaming service at hand while reading, listening to the tracks and albums mentioned in the book - adds huge value to the any music related book.
A good editor would have gotten rid of repetitiveness and given a more tight structure to the book. Still interesting for hardcore fans, and occasionally little dry for us normal music fans. I recommend having a streaming service at hand while reading, listening to the tracks and albums mentioned in the book - adds huge value to the any music related book.
September 5, 2020
The first part of this book was hard going, more like a school history book.
September 28, 2010
A simply written book that does accomplish it's goal of being thorough and informative. Giving the reader a good perspective of one of the world's best guitar players. The author has interviewed the legendary guitar player numerous times and attended concerts of Deep Purple and Rainbow, both ground breaking groups. He also provides details and historical data of Blackmores Night the band he has been playing in for over the last decade.
He was not very good in school and wanted to be known as a great guitar player instead. A statement he has said many times which the later is most remembered like he wanted.
Even when he played for Jerry Lee Lewis he was considered faster and better than any other guitar player such as Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Steve Vai for example. As he perfected his craft his visionary attitude became apparent when he formed the legendary rock group Deep Purple. He also had a great knack of finding musicians to complement his skills and dedication to music. In 1970, crowds were stunned after hearing "Speed King" followed by "Child In Time" then erupted into fanatical applause. No band was making music like that, very fast and loud.
After Deep Purple, Ritchie formed his own band "Rainbow" with top notch musicians. Rainbow's live performances showcased his unforgettable and brilliant lead improvisations that are remembered to this day.
Having made so much money he formed Blackmores Night with his wife Candace with whom he still creates fantastic classical medieval music for over the past decade.
He was no doubt a moody person that could annoy anybody at times but contrary to popular belief many former band mates respect him. He always thought of lead playing as pertaining to each song. Playing in a band with him you either knew how to play very well or it would not be long before one was fired. He demanded 100% as he is such a perfectionist. Although difficult to work with he has a hilarious side of him that manifested itself in some great pranks he arranged to anyone unsuspecting in any band he was in.
He is my favorite musician and has influence dozens of guitar player's such as Joe Satriani, Y. Malmsteen, Steve Vai. I really enjoyed the book.
He was not very good in school and wanted to be known as a great guitar player instead. A statement he has said many times which the later is most remembered like he wanted.
Even when he played for Jerry Lee Lewis he was considered faster and better than any other guitar player such as Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Steve Vai for example. As he perfected his craft his visionary attitude became apparent when he formed the legendary rock group Deep Purple. He also had a great knack of finding musicians to complement his skills and dedication to music. In 1970, crowds were stunned after hearing "Speed King" followed by "Child In Time" then erupted into fanatical applause. No band was making music like that, very fast and loud.
After Deep Purple, Ritchie formed his own band "Rainbow" with top notch musicians. Rainbow's live performances showcased his unforgettable and brilliant lead improvisations that are remembered to this day.
Having made so much money he formed Blackmores Night with his wife Candace with whom he still creates fantastic classical medieval music for over the past decade.
He was no doubt a moody person that could annoy anybody at times but contrary to popular belief many former band mates respect him. He always thought of lead playing as pertaining to each song. Playing in a band with him you either knew how to play very well or it would not be long before one was fired. He demanded 100% as he is such a perfectionist. Although difficult to work with he has a hilarious side of him that manifested itself in some great pranks he arranged to anyone unsuspecting in any band he was in.
He is my favorite musician and has influence dozens of guitar player's such as Joe Satriani, Y. Malmsteen, Steve Vai. I really enjoyed the book.
August 20, 2018
Not quite the definitive Blackmore story (it's an unauthorised biography), Black Knight nevertheless collates an impressive amount of information into a fairly readable book. I had two main issues with it. Firstly, the writing style is a bit sterile. Secondly, I found a couple of hundred grammatical errors. The book could have been much improved by a thorough edit and more use of the active voice. As a longtime Blackmore fan, however, I still enjoyed the read and learned some new Ritchie stories along the way. For hardcore Blackmore fans only.
August 17, 2017
Vallan hyvä elämänkerta vähintäänkin mielenkiintoisesta rockpersoonasta. Kirja kattaa koko Blackmoren uran alkutaipaleesta, Deep Purplen ja Rainbown kautta Blackmore's Nightiin. Toki haluaisin lukea herran omakätisesti rustaaman teoksen omista "toilailuistaan".
November 4, 2013
Tosi hyvä, hirveästi (liikaa?) tietoa. Hidas lukea, kun suuri osa biiseistä piti kuunnella tai katsoa.
September 13, 2016
Poorly written, did not finish
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews