Brian May vs Ritchie Blackmore

i also like blackmore's "attitude"....he seems more real (to me) he says what he feels...and is rarely contradictory of his own comments
i suppose, once you hate ian gillan then you always hate him?

his comments about the RnR hall of fame were typical of him and at least he's consistent. those he respects/loves always get genuine heartfelt comments...jon lord, jim sullivan, scotty moore, dio, cozy

here's some of the great man's quotes: - the last couple re: fenders say as much about him as the guitar itself

"Learning to play with a big amplifier is like trying to control an elephant."

"But seriously, the older I get, the more I want to hear melodies."

"I was never sure what I wanted to be."

"I had classical lessons for a year. That helped, because I learned how to use my little finger."

"I've always played every amp I've ever had full up, because rock and roll is supposed to be played loud. Also, that's how you get your sustain."

"There's a lot going on today that disturbs me-so much derivative music. Where are the progressive bands like Cream, Procul Harum, Jethro Tull or the Experience? We have to live with it."

"I play best if we're having a jam session. The stuff we do on stage is always basically the same, so I like to jam now and then to keep in shape."

"I'm not good enough, technically, to be a classic musician. I lack discipline."


"I'm very moved by Renaissance music, but I still love to play hard rock - though only if it's sophisticated and has some thought behind it."

"It was difficult, because it's much easier to flow across the strings on a Gibson. Fenders have more tension, so you have to fight them a little bit."

"Playing a Fender is an art itself. They're always going out of tune."

I have to say My favorite guitarist & the one who made me take the guitar seriously was brian may but i'd have to say ritchie is technically better than brian. Also ritchie's not a god just one of the best guitarists ever.

[QUOTE] [b]georgs1963 wrote:[/b]
Of course May is better than Blackmore. First of all listen to Good Company, that is his masterpiece not Brighton Rock. May succeeded in many genres , his solos are very well known not just one. May also is the best pop/rock player there is , Queen was able to arrange pop songs like a rock song, very tight and fast that made their pop songs different from others. Wasnt it Stevie Ray Vaughn who once said not sure about the wording " i can copy the style of any guitar player but Brian May, thats how good he is " Heck even i can play Smoke on the Water, nuff said about this nonsense. [/QUOTE]
there's so much wrong with this post ^^^
1. you're citing "good company" as the definition of Brian being better than RB? jeez...listen to ritchie's playing on weiss heim, makin' love, anyone's daughter, lazy, space trucking, when a blind man cries, holy man, soldier of fortune, ariel,
2. purple beat queen to the making "pop songs sound like a rock song"...or haven't you heard "love don't mean a thing" "hold on" "you can't do it right" "what's going on here" "you fool no one" "lay down stay down"
3. "smoke" is a poor analogy - it's the first intro every schoolkid learns. it's a very simple track - because it was designed that way. apart form the basic guitar riff, the song is really about the keyboards/drums - bu then YOU did know that didn't you?

It's not the playing on Good Company - it's the arrangement. Dixieland jazz band arranged for guitar ... trombone, trumpet and clarinet.

I've been listening to rock guitar for decades, and nothing comes close to matching its brilliance in the arrangement department.

"it's the first intro every schoolkid learns"

This is a particular bone of contention for me, especially as I get older.

Every schoolkid learns it *wrong*. I used to get really shitty about it at my music college. The young kids would have their guitars, and after mangling the intro to "Sweet Child O Mine" for the 80th time in a row, one of them would get a clever expression on his face and start playing "Smoke on the Water" with as much irony as their little minds could muster.

And never - never once - have I ever seen them play it properly. It's just fucking upsetting (as someone who cares about music) to see generations of shitheads playing a simple riff, joking about how simple it is and how advanced they are in comparison - and they're playing it wrong.

i didn't say they play it right....in fact when you see the "thing" that schoolkids learn
it's similar to sabbs' paranoid, hawkwind's silver machine and quo's whatever you want
for the extremes of incorrect playing that the "simplistic workaround" creates

"i didn't say they play it right..."

I know, but it just brought up a lot of bad memories. Haha.

it would. i remember some kid at grammar school (yes i know, leave it) "showing off" that he could play
cream - sunshine of your love (intro) and it was hysterical but traumatic to witness