I can’t even begin to describe the impact this 1971 clip of Deep Purple, playing their protest song “No, No, No,” had on me as a teenager. This was the early glory of cable TV — I think it was the USA Network that used to broadcast these “Beat Club” clips in the early to mid ’80s. I taped this on VHS and played it probably a thousand times. It’s one of the greatest rock songs ever, built on an absolutely devastating riff in the key of A. This version, live as can be, is far superior to the one that appears on the Fireball album. And now, thanks to YouTube, I can spread the gospel. The guitar god with the funny hat is Ritchie Blackmore, one of my biggest influences — the Strat sound he gets here is textbook perfection, exactly the kind of clarity I’ve sought every time I plugged into an amp. Note the scalloped fretboard. Ian Gillan’s vocal is the purest rock & roll.
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