The five biggest bands of 1970, according to Ritchie Blackmore
Ritchie Blackmore, the former Deep Purple guitarist, may be one of the most outspoken figures of his era, but he possesses a keen understanding of the acts that shaped the musical landscape during his prime. Cutting his teeth in the vibrant ‘swinging sixties’ London scene—an era that birthed a wealth of iconic music and some of the guitar’s most legendary heroes—he witnessed their innovation up close. Of course, Blackmore himself played a significant role in rock’s evolution, leaving an indelible mark on the genre.
While he has still enjoyed rare success, Blackmore emerged at an unfortunate time amid the busy madness of the early 1960s. He might have been even more prominent today if it hadn’t been for London’s premier trio of guitarists—Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Jimmy Page—somewhat blocking his way to the absolute pinnacle. However, that triptych of players led the way in innovating rock guitar playing and making it much more atmospheric and muscular.
Although Blackmore was still a revered player in his pre-Deep Purple days, Clapton, Beck and Page paved the way for people with harder sonic inclinations, such as himself, to increase their scope and also find immense success. As the 1960s wore on, straight-up blues playing morphed into hard rock and psychedelia, and the positivity of the counterculture dissipated into a nihilistic outlook in light of world events, also setting the scene for Blackmore and his peers.
The Yardbirds’ work in making rock music darker during Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page’s shared tenure played a vital role in this shift, as did Jimi Hendrix’s expansive fire. Without them laying the foundations for true heaviness in a changing world, all of the first metal acts, including Page’s next outfit, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, and Blackmore’s Deep Purple, would not have come to fruition.
As the world evolved, these acts embodied the spirit of a new era, a shift that was fully cemented with the disbandment of The Beatles in 1970—the previous decade’s most influential group and once a beacon of hope. In a clear passing of the torch, 1970 became the definitive year of metal. Deep Purple released their landmark album Deep Purple in Rock, featuring the standout track ‘Black Night’ by Ritchie Blackmore. Meanwhile, Black Sabbath debuted their first two groundbreaking albums, and Led Zeppelin released Led Zeppelin III, a stylistic departure that, despite initial criticism, foreshadowed their future success.
Blackmore has no doubt that 1970 was the year of Deep Purple and their metal-pioneering peers, acknowledging that The Yardbirds laid the groundwork for their success. However, in an interview posted on Deep Purple’s official YouTube channel, Blackmore offered additional insights into the other significant bands of that year, and his choices were somewhat surprising: he highlighted Mountain and Vanilla Fudge, two cult acts that, while less mainstream, played a significant role in shaping the musical landscape of the time.
Although Mountain are not the most prominent act from the era, they are famed for their classic rock staple ‘Mississippi Queen’ and the regularly sampled ‘Long Red’, and were a key force in bridging 1960s rock and 1970s metal. As for Vanilla Fudge, they were also crucial in sending rock down a more assertive path, as typified by their cover of The Supremes’ ‘You Keep Me Hangin’ On’, which is driven by drummer Carmine Appice’s heavy bass drum work. Their rhythmic fire had a defining impact on Led Zeppelin.
Blackmore said: “It seemed in our time, which was like 1970, the biggest bands were Led Zeppelin, ourselves – Deep Purple – and Black Sabbath. On the American side, there was Mountain, and Vanilla Fudge was fading out a little bit, unfortunately, fantastic band.”
Regarding Deep Purple’s role in this era of music, Blackmore conceded that they were specifically looking to Hendrix for inspiration and his riff stylings, trying to make them even more bombastic, which they did. ‘Speed King’ from In Rock is a prime example of them attempting to continue his legacy and putting their own heavier spin on it.
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