Ian Gillan says Black Sabbath were more “important” than Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple
Deep Purple frontman Ian Gillan has explained why he believes Black Sabbath were more culturally “important” compared with his band and Led Zeppelin.
Together, the three acts were collectively known as the ‘unholy trinity’, and were at the forefront of turning heavy rock into the hugely popular genre it stands as today. Without these three British pioneers, the landscape of rock music would look incredibly different, and they all deserve credit for shifting the sonic goalposts.
Although Deep Purple are the only one of the three bands that remain active in 2024, Gillan admits their legacy doesn’t compete with Black Sabbath, who he also lists ahead of Led Zeppelin despite the latter’s tremendous success.
During a new interview with The Sun, Gillan explained how the press created the ‘unholy trinity’, noting, “Just like ‘sex, drugs and rock and roll’, the ‘unholy trinity’ was created entirely by our good friends the music journalists. We knew them, drank with them and they put into words what everyone was doing — something distinctive and identifiable.”
The rock icon then said why Sabbath were the most crucial out of the triumvirate of British musical titans, adding, “To a certain extent, Sabbath were the most important because without them there would have been no Seattle (grunge scene) or heavy metal. What Tony was delivering in those early days was just awesome. It was so powerful.”
However, that’s not taking anything away from Led Zeppelin or Deep Purple. In the eyes of Gillan, all three of the groups “did something that had never been done before.” He added: “They were putting into action all the things that had been building up over the previous ten years.”
In another recent interview, Gillan, who joined Deep Purple in 1969, delved into the band’s previous financial troubles, eventually causing him to quit the band in 1973 before later rejoining.
He told The Times: “It took a lot of lawsuits to see a penny, and eventually the [band’s] accountant went to jail, but it was common in those days. When Roger [Glover, the bassist] and I joined in 1969, we shared one set of clothes between us so we couldn’t go out at the same time. Roger didn’t even own a pair of shoes. It’s not unknown for me to steal a handful of dog biscuits to get through the day.”
Gillan also revealed that even now he “tend to have just enough for next week,” which is remarkable considering how many records he has sold.
While Gillan may not have the same financial freedoms compared to surviving members of Black Sabbath or Led Zeppelin, Deep Purples’s new album, =1, released on July 19th, is a worthy cause for celebration. They also have huge dates scheduled across Europe and North America over the next few months, including a performance at London’s O2 Arena in November.
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