Ritchie Blackmore - Connoisseur Rock Profile Collection Volume Two (1991)

Volume 2 of Connoisseur Collection's 2 part series on Ritchie Blackmore's overall career. Where Volume 1 focused largely on Blackmore's '60s sessions and his Purple work from 1968 to 1974, Volume 2 is more of a grab bag which has a lot of variety. Originally intended mostly to cover the period from 1975 (Rainbow's formation) onwards, it actually covers from 1965 to 1984 with several memorable pit-stops in between. This great CD is bolstered by great liner notes and great pictures, including some magazine covers quite rare to find anywhere else. Anyone remotely interested in the heights to which Blackmore can reach will be rewarded here.

1. Getaway--credited to the Ritchie Blackmore Orchestra, this 1965 instrumental single finds the Man In Black playing some aggressive licks over a driving beat. Definitely borderline heavy metal for its time.
2. Little Brown Jug--the b-side of #1 above is of course Ritchie's campy but heavy take on the Glenn Miller classic. Many of his trademark embellishments--masterful bends, ostinato, and trills--are already integrated in his guitar style at the age of 20.
3. Honey Hush--a single cut with Lord Sutch in the '60s, this tune was later done by Foghat.
4. The Train Kept A'Rolling--later covered by Aerosmith, another great '60s Lord Sutch track.
5. Gemini Suite: Guitar Movement--cut in 1970 with an orchestra during Deep Purple's Gemini Suite (Jon Lord's "followup" to the legendary Concerto for Group and Orchestra) finds an orchestra struggling to keep up with Ritchie Blackmore, now emerging as a pioneer of the neo-classical school of shredding. Touching, subtle ending.
6. Bullfrog--from the 1970 Green Bullfrog sessions with a number of other famous players of the day. Here, Big Jim Sullivan and Albert Lee (one of the finest country-rock virtuosos ever) lay down vicious solos--and then Ritchie proceeds to blow them both away with highly aggressive wah-wah tempered soloing.
7. Good Golly Miss Molly--a fun live cut with Lord Sutch from one night in 1971, some of Ritchie's fastest soloing ever caught on tape.
8. Great Balls of Fire--more live Sutch.
9. Hurry to the City--cut in 1973 with an obscure German band known as Randy Pie & Family. The tune sounds like the Sweet meets Foghat, and Blackmore's guest guitar solo sounds a lot like something off of Deep Purple's Burn album, cut later that fall with David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes.
10. Still I'm Sad--from Rainbow's 1975 debut album. Blackmore's melodic take on the Yardbirds classic.
11. Man on the Silver Mountain (live)--the Ronnie James Dio/Ritchie Blackmore onstage spotlight is played here very up-tempo. When Blackmore takes an unaccompanied solo, he reaches for the stratosphere on his Stratocaster--he is truly one with the instrument, a true artist who mixes beauty with violence.
12. Lady of the Lake--from Long Live Rock and Roll. Read my review of that album to see how highly I hold it in regard.
13. Sixteenth Century Greensleeves--another live Rainbow track finds a great mellow intro contrasted with pure metal power chords and a ripping solo with lots of personality.
14. I Call, No Answer--this curio from Jack Green's solo album sounds like a Tom Petty song(!) until Ritchie comes in and plays a tasteful, in the pocket solo. It is unfortunate that he did not lend his talents to more guest shots in the late '70s and early '80s--too many solos of the era sound like Steve Lukather clones (not that I don't like Steve's playing).
15. Son of Alerik--the disc closes out with this rare Deep Purple b-side from the 1984 reunion sessions. Blackmore's playing goes through several moods and timbres here.