According to Ian Gillan, Black Sabbath was more “important” than Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin.
Ian Gillan, the leader of Deep Purple, has given an explanation for why he thinks Black Sabbath was a more “important” band in terms of culture than both his group and Led Zeppelin.
The three performers, referred to as the “unholy trinity,” were instrumental in transforming heavy rock into the enormously successful genre it is today. The rock music environment would be very different without these three British pioneers, and they should all be credited for changing the sonic parameters.
Gillan acknowledges that Black Sabbath’s history surpasses that of Deep Purple, even if the latter band is still very successful. He also ranks Black Sabbath ahead of Led Zeppelin. Deep Purple is the only one of the three bands that will still be performing in 2024.
Gillan clarified how the media produced the “unholy trinity” in a recent interview with The Sun, saying, “Just like’sex, drugs, and rock and roll,’ the ‘unholy trinity’ was entirely created by our good friends the music journalists.” They put into words what everyone was doing, which was something unique and recognizable, and we knew them and had drinks with them.
Black Sabbath Photo
The rock legend went on to explain why Sabbath was the most significant of the three British musical giants, saying that, “In a way, Sabbath was the most significant because there would have been no heavy metal or Seattle’s grunge scene without them.” Tony was doing something really amazing back in those early days. It had such strength.
Still, that doesn’t diminish Deep Purple or Led Zeppelin in the slightest. Gillan saw all three ensembles as having “done something that had never been done before.” “They were putting into action everything that had been building up over the previous ten years,” the speaker continued.
In a subsequent interview, Gillan—who joined Deep Purple in 1969—delved into the group’s past financial difficulties, which ultimately led to his departure from the group in 1973 and his subsequent return.
“It took a lot of lawsuits to see a penny, and eventually the [band’s] accountant went to jail, but that was common in those days,” he said in an interview with The Times. I joined in 1969, but Roger [Glover, the bassist] and I only had one set of clothes, so we couldn’t go out together at the same time. Roger had not even a shoe in his closet. I have no problem stealing a few dog biscuits to get through the day.
Gillan also disclosed that, remarkably, given how many CDs he has sold, even now he “tends to have just enough for next week.”
Although Gillan might not enjoy the same financial liberties as the remaining members of Black Sabbath or Led Zeppelin, Deep Purples’s recently released album, =1, is certainly reason for celebration. It was published on July 19. In addition, they have a ton more massive gigs planned in North America and Europe over the coming months, including an appearance in November at London’s O2 Arena.
