The classic song Brian May calls “perfect”
Only a few things count as truly life-affirming, and I imagine being warmly praised by Queen’s resident polymath Brian May is one of them. While the Londoner is undoubtedly a guitar-playing icon, he is often overlooked in the conversation because his band have never been deemed the coolest cats around, despite their axeman’s propensity to produce absolute fire from his fretboard. Yet, he really does know what he’s talking about when it comes to rock music.
Before he set about making his name in the world of science, protecting the badger population from annihilation and other worldly matters, May was a fan of rock music. Initially influenced by early pioneers such as Buddy Holly, like all guitar heroes of his generation, he was later galvanised by The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, The Who and Jimi Hendrix as a teenager. These acts had a significant hand in him establishing his signature approach and sound. You may laugh at the suggestion, but the Queen man has much in common with the late Hendrix as a guitar player, with some of his most frenetic moments rivalling those of the Seattlean wizard.
Whether it be his dynamism on Queen’s most well-known hit, his expressive work on ‘Killer Queen’ or the insane energy of ‘Brighton Rock’, which I would argue is his ultimate display of sonic might, May has committed more than enough to record that confirms him as an axeman of the finest quality. Do not let his gregarious nature fool you; when he picks up the instrument, he’s a man bewitched, radiating energy, with ample heavy licks coursing through his veins. Just take his shining moment on ‘Brighton Rock’; it was essentially one of the first thrash metal moments, with a touch of out-there psychedelia thrown in for good measure. It’s authentic and absolutely arresting.
May’s unfettered talent and intellectual scope have made him a compelling commentator on the history of rock music and that of the guitar. Like with his music, he has never been afraid to veer off the beaten path and provide unique and full-bodied accounts of people’s work, highlighting those who are like himself in that they are a little overlooked.
Given his lifelong fandom of Hendrix and his dedication to doing something truly different with the guitar, May finds solace in players who made it their mission to push back against tradition. Naturally, this led him to the searing talent of Deep Purple’s Ritchie Blackmore, a master of the fretboard who both energised rock music with his dive bombs and string-tapping and played a big role in cementing the foundations of metal.
When sitting down with My Planet Rocks in 2013 to pick some of his favourite songs, May chose Blackmore’s post-Purple group Rainbow’s 1979 cover of Russ Ballard’s ‘Since You Been Gone’. He praised his peer’s work and questioned why the innovator doesn’t get the full plaudits he deserves. He revealed that he loves the Rainbow hit so much he described it as “perfect.”
May said: “People don’t talk about Ritchie Blackmore enough. I don’t know why, but you know he was such a trailblazer and technically incredible, unpredictable in every possible way, which is great. I mean, that’s what you love, isn’t it? You go to a gig and you want to see something which is not predictable, which is not like just reproducing something, so you never knew what you’re going to see when you went to see Purple when Blackmore was in it, but also Rainbow.”
Turning his attention to the song in question, he added: “This (Rainbow) was his own thing and it was wild and dangerous. This is a good pop record but that doesn’t take away from the fact that it is great rock music in my opinion. I think it’s perfect.”
Listen to Brian May discuss Rainbow below.
