Guitarist also revealed that the late Ronnie James Dio and Cozy Powell loved the iconic 1970s pop group
Ritchie Blackmore He is one of the most important guitarists in the history of rock. Seminal in the development of heavy metal, the musician from Deep Purple, Rainbow It is Blackmore’s Night helped consolidate the neoclassical influence on heavy music, influencing several later generations.
It doesn’t mean, however, that he only listens to rock. In addition to having his folk project Blackmore’s Night for decades, the guitarist is a big fan of Abbaone of the most popular groups in so-called disco music, between the second half of the 1970s and early 1980s.
In a Q&A session on Instagram (via Igor Miranda website), the influential musician was asked what his favorite song by the Swedish quartet would be. He responded, still revealing the appreciation of Rainbow’s late former colleagues:
See this photo on InstagramA post shared by Ritchie Blackmore (@therealritchieblackmore)
“There are many, I love them. They are amazing. There is a funny story. We were in a castle in France trying to make Rainbow’s Long Live Rock ‘N’ Roll album. There was a time when we were bored around the fireplace – Cozy [Powell, baterista]me and Ronnie [James Dio, vocalista]. Cozy said, ‘ok, I have to confess.’ And we looked at him, because we were drinking, as always, and we said, ‘What do you have to confess?’ He said, ‘Are you ready?’ I replied: ‘yes’. He said: ‘I like Abba’. And I’m like, ‘Oh my God, I love Abba.’ And then Ronnie said, ‘yeah, me too’.”
The reaction from the legendary trio of musicians was… shame. Amazingly. After all, “rockers can’t like Abba”, right?
“So we were embarrassed saying, ‘Oh, we love Abba’, because you’re not supposed to say that. And with that, Cozy takes all of Abba’s songs and puts them on. For hours we listened around the fireplace in this castle. We should be writing our own songs, but it was so much better to listen to Abba.”
The best band, according to Ritchie Blackmore
Even so many decades later, Ritchie Blackmore maintains his admiration for Abba. It got to the point where the guitarist defined them as “the best band”.
“I think they were the best band. I always listened to it when I was younger. It was so melodic and it worked, fantastic. They are probably my favorite band of all time. And I know it’s not cool to say that in certain areas. But they were wonderful.”
Composed by Agnetha Fältskog, Bjorn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson It is Anni-Frid LyngstadAbba was active between 1972 and 1982 — apart from a brief recent reunion to release an album, Voyageand a hologram show, Abba Voyage. It is estimated that they sold between 150 million and 380 million records throughout their career.
Source: Rollingstone
Earl Johnson is a music writer at Gossipify, known for his in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the industry. A graduate of USC with a degree in Music, he brings years of experience and passion to his writing. He covers the latest releases and trends, always on the lookout for the next big thing in music.
