He was one of the first super virtuosos in rock, and he definitely has the tremendous "guilt" of having given rise to the various unwatchable clones like Malmsteen, but without him, rock would have been a completely different thing. As a riff maker, he has very few rivals, and as a composer as well; Deep Purple and Rainbow, who else can boast of being the deus ex machina of two such bands? And I even find him likable :-)
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