Five years over the rainbow...

It was tough gettin' down to do this note (or eventually not...). For five years ago - it was one of the toughest days of my life. Losing Ronnie James Dio from the circle of living felt like the end of the world. It really did. One of the Heroes, most formative to my classic rock personality and surely most genuine, humble and lovable human being among my idols that I've ever met, HAS just left the building...

Then again, I thought, hell, it hurts but it's about being immortal. We should celebrate it, that actually he is so. I mean, not a day goes without hearing his voice. And it's not a pose, not any kind of pretending. This short bud with an universe of the voice has done so much outstanding music and exciting songs in period of his 45 years, that it's just impossible to get by from day to day without, actually, having him around, hearing his singing every couple of hours, on and on... Year after year, despite the passing time, this man's legacy just never fades away. We bring it and carry it on with ourselves just like we do have clothes on or anything that we feel is impossible not to have with us. This is rare, precious and absolutely grand.

After millionth time of playing some favourite nuggets of his like "Hoochie Coochie Lady", "Homeward", "Catch The Rainbow", "Kill The King", "Die Young", "Sign Of The Southern Cross", "Don't Talk To Strangers", "King Of Rock 'n' roll", "Too Late", "Bring Down The Rain", "As Long As It's Not About Love", "Ear In The Wall" or "Bible Black" - it still strikes me - how unique his voice was. He was able to cover with his singing anything from musical or pedastrian L. A. bar rock via classic hard rock and NWOBHM to the most vile, angry, doomy fevery scratching angry metal. Hitting the age of sixty seven, his voice lowered by octaves but never lost this striking Dio colour and phrasing, the vile elf warning you of all the illuminations of life was always there. Asked how does he maintain this kind of amazing vocal condition despite the aging, he replied in October 2000: "You just have to know what you can do. I train, excercise, but don't push my voice beyond what I can actually sing. That's all". Simple, innit? Two hours before that, when on stage with Romanian Philharmonics, Steve Morse has thrown the riff from "Iron Man" into his rif-raff intro to "Smoke On The Water". Dio having heard that, started to sing the lyrics of the track and thus made a bit of unwritten rock history, as it was probably the only time when actually Deep Purple performed Black Sabbath track with Sabbs former member live on stage... Ronnie, being given "Mob Rules" CD cover to sign said: "We should have done that tonight, didn't we?" Smiled wildely and blinked an eye. You just could not escape his personality... He made most of people his own brothers army, both from stage and behind the curtains offstage... I think it was the singer of Halestorm, who asked Ronnie after playing support slot to his last ever live date with Heaven And Hell, how does he maintain the will to meet and greet fans every night after gig, always treating them as his friends... Ron said: "For you they will be just hundreds of people you will never remember, year after year, tour after tour... But for each of them the moment of meeting you once in their life might be something they will treasure for all life. So make it count."

That is what I miss most about Him, besides the usual list of The Voice, The Music, The Grit, The Charisma that made Ronnie James Dio someone uber-extraordinary. But what I recalled above makes his loss a scar that doesn't want to pale and soften... thus I celebrate his person, bringing it on every device that can play music. Ronnie was, Ronnie is and Ronnie will always be. Bring down the rain, wash tears appearing again... Missed, loved, on and on forever. Thanks Ronnie, for all you did in the music and all you've stood for and were as a human. Precious and timeless gift to us all.

Happy Birthday To The Maestro!

This day can't go unnoticed! Mr. Jon Lord - doubtlessly the greatest Influence of yours truly, is 68 today. A number of years that indicates a year when Deep Purple was formed, mind you. An extraordinarie of rock and a man called by some a "Jimi Hendrix of Hammond organ". Talented soloist and composer. Truly genuine, warm and friendly personality, a man of overwhelming charm and flashing wittiness. And to me the Last Of The Gentlemen among the greats of rock, most of the fellow musicans could learn from him of how to behave in talk and towards the casual or specific interlocutor. An amazng persona in almost every aspect.

With over a half of the century of being active musically, his input was spread over a wide range of musical genres that he excelled at. While his enormous input of keyboard work defined the Deep Purple's milestone position in rock history, The Jubilee was equally succesful in playing blues or composing classical pieces, often arranged for orchestra. His session works also reached the area of composing film music. Many facets of the unique talent, so much of musical joy and prospects to be proud of.

The God of Rock in my book, Lord Of The Keys. Happy Birthday Jon, life wouldn't be the same if your genius was not around.

Old as hell but still sweet as wine: Deep Purple's 41th Birthday today!

I failed to write some more up-built essay on the person of the just-so Ritchie Blackmore on time and as for now the idea must get shelved due to the hecticness of other sides of life. It's, however, impossible not to at least mention the fact that Deep Purple is having it's 41st Birthday today.

Having played a gig in Taastrup, Denmark on the April 20th, 1968 the line-up of Jon Lord, Ritchie Blackmore, Ian Paice, Nick Simper and Rod Evans did their first gig under the name believed to be the best of the series of other band name suggestions (like, for instance, Concrete God).

For the next four decades the Purple ensemble would not only spawn the world wide career, winning them listeners and followers all over the globe, but - to even a bigger achievement - they would've laid the indestructable basis for the shape of heavy melodic rock, which is now considered and labelled by many as a classic rock. It has to be said also that the Purple is a main root for an awesome geneological tree of musicans, bands and projects - reaching possibly a three figure number - "ranging from rock to roll", with it's way via the most of the styles and musical flavours that one could be thinking of, including couple of very exotic ones in comparison to rock music.

Being what it is now, a Deep Purple eighth line-up, once being described by a randomly listener as "a well oiled machine, an institution allowing to gain it's current members a considerable amount of money to be added to their retirement fees they do desire" (two of the members will turn 65 next year) - it is more a tribute band to themselves than a rock band that still desire to develop and strenghthen the musical borders. Nevertheless they almost flawlessly (and to the enthusiasm of wide audiences) manage to keep up their legacy alive, playing long strings of concerts all over the world. Although these days it's hard to find the substantial elements of the stage craft that made them famous and critically acclaimed over the 70's, 80's and 90's - they still wake up a rock and roll spirit among their large fanbase and for just that they deserve an undisputed credit.

When he's 64...

Just a quick mention to make on time with it today: The Beatles' tune "When I'm 64" must be a Tune Of The Day today for Ritchie Blackmore, who's turning exactly this age on the current April 14th.

Best birthday wishes then to the man who has definitely shaped my guitar / rock 'n' roll taste for whole of my time. Some more rumblings on the legendary persona of TMIB tomorrow.

California Jam, The 35th Anniversary

It's today. The big, outdoor festival that spanned the performances of many top bands at the time and went to a significant place in the history of the big rock' n' roll . The most remembered concerts come from Black Sabbath; Emerson, Lake & Palmer and finally Deep Purple.

Sabbs were doing their routine show promoting the highly acclaimed "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" LP. I've seen a bits of the footage and it's still hard for me to accept Tony Iommi's WITHOUT the usual mustache. A completely diferent man, looking without his typicall metal bite. Still they were playing good.

ELP - I also seem to remember seeing their footage once. In terms of a scale of the "pump and circumstance" involved up from some point it got really difficult to stand. As I was almost completely unaware of their catalogue by then - the only thing I remember was Carl Palmer ringing his bell set to emphasize the effect while Keith Emerson was receiving a heavy rotation, his body was stabilized to the furniture - axis-spinning piano. Complete maddness. Up to now I am not able to understand how can one provide any reasonable sounds in position like this.

And Deep Purple - the (in)famous flamers for the great finale. As it was a bit more than a quarter of the year from Mk III scenic debut, so the material was still in the stage of development. The concert itself was very good, but the feeling of excess finally took upon Blackmore. I can clearly understand him, I would tell the word or two myself if some stupid idiot would ride upon me with this camera stack every five minutes... The more you enjoy and concentrate on your music, the better you play, it's always been like this.

It is still a big enjoyment to see the Masters cooking, even after the years and being used to it (yes there were times when it was one of the very few live videos portraiting Deep Purple in action and I do remember these days!). 'Burn' is - as ever - a sensational opener, although it heavily suffers from lack of the front filming angle that could properly show Ritchie's hand during the masterful solo. Coverdale, still seeming a bit uncomfortable in the frontman's position manages to put a massive performance. 'Mistreated' is lovingly passionate, the whole band lets it rip, Blackmore's approach to the solo with the use of volume bar only is simply awesome, one of those most precious musical moments luckily captured on the film. And thre whole reendition with a rousing finale is monumental. Not long after Lord steals the idea of interploating 'Lazy' from Blackmore and puts it as a part of his monsterous introduction to "You Fool No One". It's again one of these moments that is simply unique, justyfying the endless praise to the art of improvisation, which he atops here to the delight of the audience. The review of most spitfiring guitar techniques by Blackers is carried later on and while the dramaturgy of the concert collapses during 'The Mule' and the first part of 'Space Truckin' - things get pretty heavy at the very end. And it's not only because it was the time of the peak for Lord's interest in stage experiments with Moog and synth pad sounds in his keyboard setting.

The bridge conducted by Blackmore to buid the tension between the quiet passage and the fierce part of his improvisation is lovingly enriched by 'Greensleeves' played on the volume bar again and from then on there is no mercy... As it was later described by Jon Lord reviving his sight of the amps exploding on the other side of the stage: "It looked like Ritchie was dancing forwards, he's not; he was BLOWN forwards by the force of the explosion... (...) Frightening". By that moment the hatered camera stack was already demolished by the bashes of his Fender guitar, of which he destroyed a couple on the night. As the remains of the blown equipment were kicked and pushed downstage, the close of the improvisation vehicle was chaotic, yet apcalypitic. The rapid flee of the guitarist to the helicopter right after leaving the stage was obvious in the context of almost guaranteed inprisonment for the stage behaviour and damages done.

Strangely enough it doesn't seem strange to me at all that after 35 years the flying Keith Emmerson is barely remembered for his 'stack-me-to-the-piano' stint, while Blackmore's tour de force is remembered as the one of the biggest stage affairs not only in the Purple career, but in history of the large festival events in general.

Surely it's worth to give these sounds a spin on the anniversary today!