Rainbow

My 3 star rating is based on the over all product,including the sound quality of the cd, inserts, art work, and effort towards putting out a complete package.

The sound quality is great! No one should be disappointed here. As we know, this is was high quality album upon release, and the 6 songs were great even on the standard recording. However, the remastered cd really enhances the clarity of the music. Great work!

What disappoints me is the lack of effort put forth towards the inserts, art work, lyrics, and stories behind the making of the cd. There is little of that. They give the lyrics to one song, Stargazer. The art work we get is a center-fold of the 5 members of the band. Great, just what every Dude wants. Oh yeah, there's a small action shot of each member on the back. That wouldn't be bad if it was in addition to pages of other pics, art work, stories, etc. You think they'd know that this music is geared to guys and that we like cool concert and studio pics, stories about the music, and little known facts or events surrounding the making of this album. I am comparing this to many of the re-masters I've bought. Take Iron Maiden for example. Their remasters have pages full of stories, pics, and lyrics. The inserts are so thick, it's hard to slide them back into the case! They, as well as so many other bands, give you much more than an enhanced recording, they gave a complete package.

This remastered cd is not worth buying unless you just need that enhanced sound. Most of us who buy remasters already have the old version cd and we buy the second disc to get the improved sound quality and all the extras. This cd has no extras and buying a second copy wasn't worth it to me. It is very generic compared to what you receive from so many other bands.

I was really disappointed in their lack of effort to give us,their loyal fans, more for our money.

Scott

Of the entire Rainbow oeuvre this album is the creme de la creme. After Rainbow's debut, virtuoso guitarist Ritchie Blackmore retained only vocalist Ronnie James Dio. He then added mercenary drummer Cozy Powell, songwriter/bassist Jimmy Bain, and keyboard wizard Tony Carey. This lineup would create a solid groundbreaking album that still stands as one of the greatest hard rock albums ever. Each member really shines and there is not one rotten apple in the bunch. Granted there are only six songs but it still feels like I've been on a musical journey by the time the last song finishes. It is rare when so many great musical talents come together and make an album (and so only Dio remained for the next studio album). If you like 70s guitar rock with superb vocals and a splash of excellent keyboards then you will grow to love Rising!

This may be the greatest heavy metal album of the 1970s, and simultaneously one of the greatest progressive rock albums of all time. The songwriting, vocals, and all around musicianship are on the level of the very best of Floyd or Yes, as well as Led Zeppelin or Deep Purple.

This is one of the greatest guitar albums of the decade, and the same could be said for the drumming, too. Ritchie Blackmore contributes the finest compositions of his distinguished career as a hard rock/heavy metal composer. His guitar playing on this album influenced everyone from Kirk Hammett to Randy Rhoads to Yngwie Malmsteen. The man is a master. Cozy Powell gave one of the supreme metal drumming performances here--his work ranks with the best of Bonham, Binks, Ward, McBrain, Dave Holland, Phil Taylor, and the other luminaries of classic metal. This was the last album Cozy recorded with Ludwig drums before switching to his beloved Yamaha Drums the next year. He played Yamaha exclusively for the rest of his distinguished career until his death in 1998.

What can one say about Ronnie James Dio? He is more than just a great vocalist (Halford is his only true rival in metal, followed by Dickinson); he is also one of the finest melodists in metal, and his melodic sense has been evident in all his work until at least the mid-1980s. He does the finest songwriting of his career here with Blackmore (he also did exceptional writing later with Tony Iommi, but his chemistry with Ritchie is unsurpassed). His vocals are powerful and genre-defining.

Listen to "Stargazer" to hear the greatest hard rock/heavy metal epic of all time, easily surpassing even "Stairway to Heaven." Listen to "A Light in the Dark" to hear where speed metal came from. Finally, don't forget the truly extraordinary work by keyboardist Tony Carey. This is how hard rock keyboards should be. Carey is an amazing arranger and his playing is elegant and virtuosic. This album alone makes him worthy of mention with other greats like Wakeman. Every rock keyboardist should study his amazing work here.

Finally, Jimmy Bain simply rocks as a bassist. His lines are powerful and melodic.

Do yourself a favor and buy this album. I'm glad to see it get so many rave reviews here. It deserves it like few other albums do. Rainbow will always be a cult band of sorts, but for true metal lovers they hold a special place as one of the greatest bands of their time.

Shortly after Ronnie James Dio's 300th birthday (troll years) him and Ritchie Blackmore decided to pick up some new musicians and record a follow up record to the legendary Rainbow record. The result was the brilliant Rainbow Rising.

While I am a fan of much of Dio's work (and honestly, I really like the first Rainbow record alot...Temple Of The King? Man On The SIlver Mountain...I mean C'mon Now!) This is the best album he ever stamped his name on. At least the album that most strongly represents who he is and what he's about as a vocalist. I don't want anyone to think I'm knocking his Sabbath albums or his Dio albums, cuz I'm not. I just think that what happened here, was that Ritchie Blackmore decided he wanted the music to be a backdrop for Ronnie James this time around, and he wanted much more focus on the vocals, without distorting his own signature sound and therefore he changed the rest of the bands line-up entirely to get just the right atmosphere, and it works out very well. The album is only about 35 minutes, but it is one of those albums where everything is just right, and there didn't need to be any more stuff on here just result in filler.

The album is prog and hard rock with lots of spacey and mystical type emotions in the background. Six Ronnie James titles, and they are all so very Ronnie James. TAROT WOMAN, RUN WITH THE WOLF. We get not only to be STARSTRUCK, but we also get to be STARGAZER[s], the latter an eight plus minute mega song. There are only six songs in total, but that is all there needs to be, the album is a triumph, and I'm suprised more of these Dio freaks have no idea.

Truly, if you dig yourself some Dio, then you should not be without this offering. Play it loud in the autumn nights, and wail at the moon!

there is a very good reason so many people have given this CD such rave reviews. It has got to be Rainbow's masterpiece. Ritchie Blackmore and company have put the pedal to the metal here and the results are fantastic! This is a must-have disc for any metal collection. Ritchie is firing on all cylinders and Ronnie James Dio, one of rock's finest vocalists, sings his heart out, especially on Stargazer, a super track. And it is always a pleasure to hear the drumming of the great and gone-too-soon drummer, Cozy Powell. Rainbow went on to record some good tunes after this album but for me and many others this is their masterpiece. Crank up your hi-fi on Stargazer and let the drums of Cozy Powell lead you into some serious headbangin'!
www.electriceyes.us

excelente , solo puedo decir que este debiera ser un doble cd para tener más horas de excelente musica de un grupo no tan reconocido pero que ha influenciado a miles de bandas , 100 % recomendable

This is my vote for one of the best greatest hits, best ofs, very best ofs (what EVER you want to call it) collections out there. Maybe some of the song choices here will raise questions (such as "jealous lover"- a short Clapton-like rocker) but the thing is, we're talking about a disc that has almost 80 minutes of music here, and I'm not let down at ALL by the choices. What a flawless collection!

"street of dreams" was the reason I wanted this CD in the first place. Little did I know at the time that Rainbow was capable of so much more. I had no idea they were almost a heavy metal band in the 70's, or more specifically, a SPEED rock band. Those early songs are fast and provide lots of satisfaction for people craving good old-fashioned rock music. The first half of this collection is dominated with songs like that.

However, the second half of the album is more like "street of dreams". It's early 80's rock with a much lighter tone and not NEARLY as rockin' and heavy as the first half of this album. What matters here is if these songs are actually good. Are they? Yes, I think so. You probably remember "I surrender". It was a big hit back in the day. You also probably remember "since you've been gone" which is another highlight.

I love every song here, and totally agree with the selection of songs. Get ready to rock out for the first half of the disc, and just enjoy melodic commercially-appealing songs for the second half.

This compilation album is a decent representation of Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow. As a greatest hits collection, it has all the standard tunes. I will start out with the best. "Man on the Silver Mountain" of course opens this disc and rightfully so because it is probably Rainbow's most known song. It is also a good solid tune to entice the listener to more of the world of Ritchie Blackmore. He is one of the countless performers who has influenced many people to pick up the guitar. "Man on the Silver Mountain" portrays just about everything that Rainbow is about. Myths, magic, wizards, and medieval themes. And, lest we forget, Ronnie James Dio provides the vocals on the first 7 tracks on this cd. Next up is "Catch the Rainbow" which is a decent soft song. Personally, I prefer a live recording of this tune over the studio version. Unfortunatley, those 2 songs are the only ones off the first album that made it to this comp. Where is "16th Century Greensleeves, Self Portrait, and Temple of the King". We next move onto songs from the seminal album "Rainbow Rising". "Starstruck" is a great track with a good hook and great guitar work. Next is "Stargazer". This is a truly monumental song complete with some of the greatest singing that Ronnie James has ever done. The guitar solo by Ritchie is awesome and truly one of his best. "Stargazer is one of the best heavy metal epics ever concieved. But, where is "Tarot Woman, Do You Close Your Eyes", and another legendary track called "A Light in the Black"? We then move onto songs from the album "Long Live Rock and Roll". The records title track is featured on this disc as well as "Babylon" and "Kill the King". Those are the last tunes that have Dio on the mic. Now, we move into the 1980's version of Rainbow which was wracked with numerous line-up changes which in my opinion, kills most bands or really hurts the quality of the group. Grahm Bonnett took over the microphone for one album and thank god for that. 2 songs from the album "Down to Earth" are offered. Gone are the renniasance themed songs. Instead, Rainbow moves into the 80's with sex soaked lyrics and modern topics that were barely touched in the band's previous incarnations. The music also makes a 360 degree turn into a more poppy style and radio friendly sound. Grahm Bonnett's vocals are flat and he has no range. You could compare it to when Bruce Dickison left Iron Maiden and Blaze Bayley stepped in. We then move onto the Joe Lynn Turner era of Ritchie's band. Turner is definitly a better singer than Bonnett was but, again the band strayed to far from it's roots as far as Rainbow goes. Also, Roger Glover of Deep Purple fame took over bass duties. This in turn made Rainbow, in my opinion sound a little like Deep Purple. Some of these songs are o.k. but again are too poppy for my tastes. These later songs also contain too much piano and keyboards. I'm more into bands that make the guitar, bass, and drums carry the tune. If keyboards are used sparingly I don't mind them too much. A little salt and pepper is good sometimes. When keyboards are served up as the main course, I get a bad taste in my mouth. As I mentioned earlier in my review, this is a good taste of all of Rainbow's material and is a good intoduction to thier work. You get all the aspects of Blackmore's post Deep Purple band. If you only own all the Dio era stuff like I do, with the exception of this greatest hits comp, you will see that the Dio era was the best version of Rainbow. But, don't take my word for it. Some of you may like the stuff after Ronnie James left. If you do, then god help you.

Anybody who has been into HR/HM for more than five minutes has heard about the progenitors of the genre such as Black Sabbath, Deep Purple and Uriah Heep. And once you know of them you start hearing of Dio, Judas Priest and Rainbow, as bands in the second wave, so to speak. So because of his salient role in the building of the hard rock beast over the years there is more than just corporate cash in reasons for a release such as this look back at the career of Mr Blackmores solo vehicle as it allows subsequent generations of heavy rockers to explore the finest that Rainbow marque has given us over the years.

As far as the overall package is concerned this getns marks even before the disc hits your stereo. A neat band family tree, band history blurb and discography helps put the listener in the right grame of mind. Also the notations as to what album each track came from and the songs being in chronological order is a big plus.

You also get to see how the very 70's rock concerns of early albums (D'n'D imagery etc) gave way to the more everyman lyrical interests of the later tracks. Both parts of the bands career are worthy additions to your collection and the vocalists here are all top drawer.

Now with all these type of projects there will always be those that quibble over the inclusion of this track or that song, but whoever compiled this has done a decent enough job. In fact the casual fan may choose to just buy this and be done with it. After all it has stuff like Man on the Silver Mountain, Starstruck, Kill the King, Long Live Rock 'n' Roll, Gates of Babylon and the big radio hits of Since You've Been Gone and All Night Long. Really, what more do you want?

My advice is that this is a very good buy. I'm not a huge fan of 70's rock/metal but have certainly never regretted picking this up. Blackmore and assorted vox masters are in full flight, blazing away from a place in time when a stack of marshalls and talent were the main consideration. And this disc deserves yours.

Ex-Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore recorded the 1st self title Rainbow album in 1975 while he was still (unhappily) at that time in Deep Purple. His backing band on this album was the American band Elf which happened to be fronted by a then unknown Ronnie James Dio.

Dio and Blackmore hit it off great and in 1976 Blackmore had quit Deep Purple and released their 2nd album (Rainbow Rising)followed by more Dio helmed album in 1978 (Long Live Rock 'n' Roll) before Dio would quit to join Black Sabbath.

1979 saw Rainbow with a new singer in the form of Graham Bonnet and a new album called Down to Earth that was a total 180 for the most part from the sound that Ritchie had cultivated with Dio. The new Rainbow sound was much more commercial and more in line with late 70's rock like Bad Company and Foreigner(!) but with Ritchie's trademark guitar bringing the sound forth.

In 1981 through 1983, Rainbow would have another singer in the form of Joe Lynn Turner before Ritchie disbanded the group and he re-formed Deep Purple in 1984.

From 1979 to 1983, the band would experience more commercial/mainstream success in the form of the top 40 singles like I Surrender and Stone Cold.

There are many hard rock fans that only swear by the 1st 3 albums with Dio at the helm. and there are the other group of people that swear by the more commercial stuff, especially from 1981 to 1983. You won't be likely to find people who like both equally.

So, this split makes this 16 track compilation that covers 1976 to 1983 kind of jarring to listen to, even though it's all great music.

The 1st 7 tracks have Dio at the helm and the remaining 9 tracks are the much more commercial/mainstream stuff.

I'll have to admit that I prefer the Dio stuff as I'm a huge fan of him as a vocalist/songwriter, especially his stuff with Rainbow and Sabbath. The 79 to 83 stuff is good music, but there's not much there to differentiate it from other similar type rock that was being churned out in droves at that point.

There's a later 2 disc anthology that came out a few years back that devotes an entire 1st disc to just the Dio stuff and the 2nd disc to the 79 to 83 stuff. Some people might be more inclined to pick that one up instead, but I recommend that collection for only the super hardcore fans.

This single disc compilation from 1997 is perfect for the most passive or inquisitive fan wanting to see what Rainbow was all about. The liner notes feature a great brief biography of the group as well as individual credits for each track and a great rock family tree that covers all of the members in both Deep Purple and Rainbow, past and present.
All of the tracks have also been remastered to crystal clear clarity.

While I can't give this a full 5 star rating due to how jarring it is going from track 7 (Dio) to 8 (post Dio), I guess that the band really can't be faulted.

but overall, this is a great deal for people wanting to get a quick Rainbow fix without buying all of the individual albums or paying double for the more pricey 2 disc anthology.

An interesting moment in rock/metal history, when links back to Deep Purple and forward to the masters, Black Sabbath, converged with the presence of both Ritchie Blackmore and Ronnie James Dio in Rainbow. A lot of talent, for certain, though this first effort isn't their finest. While they do some interesting things on "Catch the Rainbow" and the raucous "If You Don't Life Rock 'n' Roll," the album is a little more tame than would be expected, given its pedigree. Not bad, but the band doesn't seem to have challenged itself to write truly great songs.

As the author of the Jefferson Airplane book "Take Me To A Circus Tent" and a former radio disc-jockey, I am often asked to write and or discuss various music supplies and recordings from the 60's and 70's.

Sometimes after a rock and roll fan endures, a horrifying storm there can still be a Rainbow when the last drop falls from the sky.

Ritchie Blackmore's departure from Deep Purple after the 1974 "Stormbringer" record was devastating to millions (To this day I wish it were a dream) but when he resurfaced with the debut Rainbow album "Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow" he afforded us thirty-seven minutes of a mystical journey that was brilliant from the first note to the last crackle on the LP.

You heard the story of him joining forces with ex-Elf member Ronnie Dio, but what is often left out of the equation was Blackmore's ability to foresee Dio handling the challenging role of singing in a formulated (Mythical) project and not simply straight ahead rock and roll.

The opening track many to this day consider Ritchie's premier post Purple tune "Man On The Silver Mountain." The riff became one of the most recognizable in the last thirty plus years. The energy level is exhausting (I mean for the listener, never mind the band). "Self Portrait" is an oxymoron. It is haunting in its shear beauty. "Draw me away to the night from the day" is a lyric of superlative intellect. "Black Sheep Of The Family "is a fun tune and Dio delivers a different way of expressing a rockers success with the ladies- "You get a little black book and it grows and it grows." Up next, "Catch The Rainbow" is magnificent. The words seem to freeze us in our tracks as we lean on every word. "Snake Charmer" brings back the rock and roll and the band clicks on all cylinders. "The Temple Of The King" is mesmerizing. To fully digest the vocals "One day in the year of the fox" several plays are required. To the critics that enjoyed panning Blackmore since 1968 you can tell them "If You Don't Like Rock & Roll It's Too Late Now." The sound of Blackmore's Stratocaster as the story unfolds during "Sixteenth Century Greensleeves" is a blowtorch. It comes out of the speakers with such fury it decapitates all in its path. To end the journey one of the finest rock and roll covers and as an instrumental! Rainbow takes the Yardbirds gem "Still I'm Sad" and Blackmore cuts loose for some of the best four minutes the ears will ever encompass.

The numerous haters of Blackmore have little to no knowledge of his musical history. His solos and riffs aren't about how many notes per second he can achieve but the tasteful craftsmanship the guitar can bring to a song. If they would listen, learn, and read on they would actually appreciate his superlative ability to often blend classical with rock and how deep the colors become.


Enjoy the music and be well,
Craig Fenton
Author of the Jefferson Airplane book "Take Me To A Circus Tent"

Guitarist Ritchie Blackmore had his work cut out for him trying to put together a project that would do justice to the work he had done in Deep Purple. Miraculously he managed it with Rainbow, recruiting singer Ronnie James Dio from Elf, a band that had been opening for Purple for several years. With Dio as a songwriting partner and using the other members of Elf (except for the guitarist) as session musicians he recorded Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow. Released in 1975, this powerful debut is at least as good as anything Deep Purple ever recorded and a springboard for even greater things to come.

First the performances. Maestro Ritchie Blackmore whips out his patented guitar histrionics while displaying a level of subtlety and finesse only hinted at in his previous work. Ronnie James Dio proves immediately that he is one of the two or three finest rock vocalists ever, letting loose in a captivating and powerful way. Dio's former Elf bandmates deliver here as well. Drummer Gary Driscoll and bassist Craig Gruber make for a funky and grooving rhythm section, and pianist Micky Lee Soule comports himself well, although he seems a bit restricted by the guitar-oriented sound Blackmore was trying to acheive with Rainbow. The album is reasonably well recorded, but not spectacularly so. This is suprising considering that it's the legendary Martin Birch in the producer's chair. One assumes that deadlines and budgetary restrictions compromised his efforts somewhat.

The songwriting team of Blackmore and Dio is immediately a winner, producing some of the finest rock music in the history of the genre. Dio's melodic sense and sword-and-sorcery lyricism works very well with Blackmore's trademark classically-inspired heavy riffage. Some of the songs here are amongst either man's best, with highlights including "Man On The Silver Mountain" (a staple of Dio concerts to this day), "Catch The Rainbow" (a gorgeous ballad), "16th Century Greensleeves" (melodic yet brutal), and the introspective "Self-Portrait". Most of the other tunes are also very good, and there's a very cool instrumental cover of the Yarbirds classic "Still I'm Sad". It should be pointed out that Rainbow was still trying to feel out their direction, and there are are obvious leftover elements of both Elf and Deep Purple that make this Rainbow's most interesting and varied release.

So with all these good things to say, why only four stars? Two reasons. Firstly there's a couple of stinkers here. "If You Don't Like Rock'n'Roll" can only be described as generic filler, and the cover of "Black Sheep Of The Family" isn't any better (it wasn't a great song to begin with). Secondly the band isn't very well suited to the material; the obvious jazz and blues influences of the previous members of Elf don't always work in this context. Fortunately these men would soon be replaced by the world-class lineup that appeared on the follow-up release "Rising".

Don't let these reservations throw you. I reserve five-star ratings for albums that are perfect or very close to it, and if I give something four stars that means I like it a lot.

The bottom line: Dio, Blackmore, and "Man On The Silver Mountain". This is an album no rock fan should be without.

Rainbow's debut is a great thrill if you're a big fan of Deep Purple's classic lineup (Machine Head in particular). Blackmore continues his melodically soothing guitar sound on this album. "catch the rainbow" is probably the best song here because it will remind you of a sunset in Louisiana and hearing crickets. "man on the silver mountain" is another highlight, and was even a big hit for a brief period in the mid 70's. If you like "smoke on the water" you will like this song too, no doubt.

"temple of the king" is probably the song to stand out the most because it's a really good adventurous-fantasy type song. It reminds me of that early 80's movie called The Neverending Story. No, not the theme song, I mean the movie itself. Remember that movie? It was about a boy who goes on a magical journey using his imagination. This movie and that song are so similar to each other it's not even funny.

Despite that, this album is mostly about having fun and rocking out with lots of guitars and a really good classic rock sound. Perhaps the best sound a rock record can have found right here. This is mostly a guitar-driven album, with the guitar being the main feature. Worth a purchase? Absolutely.

I'm sure I am not the only one trying to convert all of my old albums to CD. It is great to hear a clean crisp recording of this classic Rainbow line up. I have to get used to hearing certain songs without the scratches and popping, but I will enjoy it. Another great album changed over, this one has always been a favorite with Dio and Blackmore together, the ballads and the heavy riffs blend perfectly.

I've received my fair share of criticism allegedly being a person who only wants to listen to hard rock. Although that's not true, I certainly listen to my share of hard rock and heavy metal including Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, Judas Priest, and my favorite band, Black Sabbath. Rainbow is also a hard rock band and also one of my favorites. When I heard this album, Long Live Rock & Roll, I couldn't have agreed more! It's rock and roll at its best, and the tracks Lady of the Lake, Gates of Babylon, The Shed (Subtle) along with the title track are some of the best hard rock songs I've heard.

What a surprise when I heard the bewitching Rainbow Eyes! This song is musical magic. It's been more than twenty years since I first heard this song, and I still believe it's the finest piece of music I've ever heard. You don't get any anvil-chorus drums or screaming guitars on this song. What you do get is a kind of time warp in which a modern-day rock band somehow finds itself in medieval England playing as troubadours for a noble knight who has lost his lady love. At least that's what it says to me. It can say something else to you, I suppose, but the flute, guitar, violin, and Dio's vocals can really make you fall in love with this song. Check it out. If you're anything like me, you won't find anything better!

The Blackmore/Dio/Powell axis ended on a high note with this 1978 album featuring a great band drawing for the cover. It continues in the hard rock/early metal vein of the previous one with a few surprises as well. In addition to Ritchie Blackmore (guitar), Ronnie James Dio (vocals), and Cozy Powell (drums), two new members came in for the recording with Bob Daisley on bass and David Stone on keyboards. In charge of the production was the great Martin Birch just like the last two albums. The challenge in Rainbow is try to pay attention to what the keyboard is doing on each song as it tends to get pushed back in favor of the guitar!

The first song "Long Live Rock And Roll" displays their bluesy hard rock with excellent vocals by Dio, and a killer solo by Blackmore. One of the few songs from this album to be played regularly in concert. Note the fine keyboard playing that accompanies throughout the song. Too bad it's kind of buried in the mix.
The second cut is "Lady Of The Lake". A mean riff by Blackmore is repeated for the verses but the chorus ends up being the real highlight of the song. Unlike the previous track, the keyboard work here is very prominent with that choir-aah sound that I really like! Also notice that for the second and final verses, Blackmore adds a slide guitar overdub that really enhances the song.
For the next song, the album goes back to more bluesy hard rock in "LA Connection" where the guitar seems to be filtered through a phasing effect. But my favorite part comes at the end where Stone steps in to add some cool piano runs.
However the best is yet to come with the epic eastern-tinged fourth number "Gates Of Babylon". This got to be one of Rainbow's best songs ever! A stunning keyboard intro opens this masterpiece. Then the main part of the song appears with a haunting eastern riff, stellar vocals by Dio, the choir-aah keyboard for the chorus, and one of the best solos Blackmore ever did! This is definitely among his top five!
The rebellious "Kill The King" comes next and it's an excellent early speed metal number that drummer Powell co-wrote with Dio and Blackmore. Check out Liege Lord's great cover on their album "Master Control".
Blackmore's bluesy soloing introduces the next number called "The Shed (Subtle)" that also includes a songwriting credit to Powell. A catchy riff is repeated throughout that sounds slightly reminiscent of the Deep Purple song "Stormbringer". No keyboard here? Of course there is. Listen carefully towards the end for that thick Hammond organ sound.
The fast-paced "Sensitive To Light" is the shortest song on the album at only three minutes. Sounds kind of poppy but I like it a lot, especially the melodic instrumental bridge that pops up in the middle.
But there's still one more highlight to come with the ballad "Rainbow Eyes". Easily one of the best ballads the group ever wrote! Dio has a nice gentle voice here while Blackmore plays some seemingly Hendrix inspired rhythm guitar. But don't overlook it's marvelous string arrangement that includes a flute player as well! I really like the ending too, when that melody keeps repeating until the fade out. A great way of finishing this awesome album!

Fans of hard rock should definitely consider adding this hard rock masterpiece to their respective collections as soon as possible! You won't be disappointed!
Thanks for taking the time to read!
Later...

Many people come to the end of the Deep Purple and Black Sabbath catalogs and ask themselves a profound and frightening question, "is this all there is of awesome '70s hard rock?" While Dio's later work in the 80's is okay and certainly good hard rock continues to be made, there was just something special about gut wrenching Blackmore riffs and devil references that actually made you a little scared (not the cartoon devil of Ozzy- this devil had horns!).

And so we arrive at this small window in time where a guitarist needed a voice and a voice needed 130 decibels of power chords and two supporting guys named Ian that rock harder than any 'rage rocker' of today.

The themes are simple. Rock and roll should live forever, rock and roll is king, the devil is mean and mysterious and medieval ladies were hot and well mysterious. Throw in a raunchy song about LA and moody sappy ballad for the chicks (sorry ladies) and we have ourselves one great album.

A note of thanks to a good friend of mine from Mendoza Argentina who turned me on to this hidden gem. It rocked 30 years ago (holy cow) and it rocks today.

"Long Live Rock 'n' Roll" from 1978 was the third studio album from Blackmore & company and the first following the live "On Stage" release.

Over the years critics have taken the greatest pleasure in their often biased descriptions of "Heavy Metal" music. Unfortunately either from the critics lack of knowledge or a mind too closed for thought the consumer is often left to sought out the good from the obnoxious.

There are certain bands that produce metal sounding music if you like the term, but it is imperative that the word "Intelligent" is placed before the word heavy. The Black Sabbath records with Ozzy, the first 5 Blue Oyster Cult, the one and only Armageddon with Keith Relf, the Deep Purple records during Blackmore's tenure, and the Rainbow with Dio at the vocal helm. There are more obviously but this was simply to make a point.

While the first two studio Rainbow went more for the mystical sound, "Long Live Rock `n' Roll has enough metal around the edges to produce carnage if anything enters its path. The opening track (The title) is not only perfect for its placement as the first notes the listener experiences but is relentless in the pure energy and brilliance. Many a Blackmore fan wouldn't let the turntable go to the second cut before they were inundated with the sonic explosions from the first song a myriad of times. "Lady Of The Lake" mixes nicely the pure rock and roll with the Dio mystical vocal. He made it a calling card and reminds us he is the man. "L.A. Connection" is straight ahead in your face and perfectly crafted for the five minute range. "Gates Of Babylon" should have a footnote in Blackmore's musical history. It isn't only the brilliance of the composition but many rock fans that never gave him a fair shake (Not so bright on their part) were impressed with this specific tune for his approach to the six string. "Kill The King" and the opening number are equally impressive for the sheer aggression of the music but also lyrics that are intelligent and a perfect compliment to Blackmore, Powell, Daisley, and Stone. "The Shed (Subtle)" lets Richie do his thing but notice how the songs don't expand to overkill. The longest track clocks in at seven and one-half minutes (Last one). "Sensitive To Light" is a terrific rock and roll number with Dio giving a perfect vocal. Speaking of perfect. The final track "Rainbow Eyes" allows Dio to shine and was a fitting end for his studio time with the band. If only the Blackmore/Dio combination continued there would have been many more special Rainbows.

Enjoy the music and be well,
Craig Fenton
Author of the Jefferson Airplane book "Take Me To A Circus Tent"

When anyone looks back at the time Ronnie James Dio sang with Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow, the album Rising is the one mentioned as the masterpiece. I have to admit that the 6 track album or CD is definitely on my top 100 list, but the group's follow-up effort, Long Live Rock `n' Roll is a very good to great album in its own way. The opening title track announces what is in store and the following songs with Blackmore's riffing, Cozy Powell's imaginative drum beats and of course Dio's vocals just drive home the 8 songs contained within this release home. The Gates of Babylon happens to be my favorite track with the moody and atmospheric keyboard opening to the memorable guitar riffs throughout. Hell, even Yngwie Malmsteen covered this song a few years back. Kill the King was the opening song for oh so many Rainbow shows, even though the opening guitar riff sounds very much like an early Rush riff. Great song though and always announced the band with power and might. The album closer, Rainbow Eyes is just a Dio vocal with orchestral backup, kind of the direction of Blackmore's Night has gone 3 decades later. The song does take some getting used and I have to admit that I usually skip it after the onslaught of the other guitar/drum heavy tracks. Check out a few snippets of the songs online and I am sure that you will want to here each one in their entirety! I recommend this album highly and this will add to the ever increasing back catalogue of Ronnie James Dio's career.

I grew up in the Woodstock era and was actually stationed in nearby West Point after my Viet Nam tour. So this collection or documentary "The Road to Woodstock" directed by Bob Smeaton also holds a piece of me history.

I must say I almost did not watch this film as the front have was a packed with sound bites of people doing just what I did in the first paragraph of this review; they spent too much time telling how great they were and then some antidote about Jimi.

Hang in there you will be carried away. This is as close to live as you are going to get. Jimi is one of those performers that when let lose can perform rings around his formal recordings. Some times I think it is an acquired taste. I have to confess besides his adaptation of "Starspangled Banner" I was taken back more by "Hey Joe" written by Billy Roberts. Of course everyone has their favorites.

No mater how you look/listen to it this production deserves a place in your collection.

Electric Ladyland

By 1969 the whole hippie thing was starting to fade but this was the last gathering of all of them at WOODSTOCK This is hendrix at woodstock. This to me is a histroical concert ecspecially during Jimis electrifying star spangled banner which really defined what america was going thru at that time this album rocks it has voodo chilid with jimi playing it with his teeth(AMAZING) this album litterlay proves that jimi hendrix is the greatest guitarist of all time. This is hendrix at his best in concert rock on
R.I.P. JIMI HENDRIX

A nice collection of Hendrix highlights from Woodstock.....not too many of these sort of Woodstock Highlights for individual artists exist to my knowledge...this one is a real keeper.

Now that a double dvd of Jimi's Woodstock gig has been released, remixed by Eddie Kramer (including a 5.1 surround mix), there's not much need for this CD, especially since the dvd set is cheaper. Just beware that the older single dvd release bears the same title as the new one; "Live At Woodstock".

As I am listening to Jimi Hendrix from any of his cd's I am always amazed in some way. His guitar skills are awesome and really nobody will ever be like him again. Over 50 percent of this cd is a guitar solo which really is all chopped up and spread throughout all the songs. "Star Spangled Banner" track is a perfect example of his guitar skills. "Jam Back at the House" is also very cool because of how he changes every minute and goes into a complete different solo. Also, the songs are much longer. The regular album songs that are only 3-5 minutes on his other cd range from 5-13 minutes on this 2-disc set. "Voodoo Child" is over 13 minutes long and its played faster then the album version. Overall all the songs are great and this would be a awesome set to add to your Hendrix collection.

I don't know why the editorial review and also the little booklet say that this is not his best performance, his guitar wasn't tuned for this, or they weren't good because none of them knew what they were playing. I thought it was a awesome performance. As Jimi puts it he was just jamming. I thought that was a cool line. It was like he didn't care if the audience left or what they thought, because he was just jamming.

TRACK LIST/RATING
DISC 1
1.Introduction-(2:21)-10/10
2.Message to Love-(7:21)-10/10
3.Hear My Train a Comin'-(9:49)-10/10
4.Spanish Castle Magic-(7:05)-10/10
5.Red House-(5:24)-10/10
6.Lover Man-(5:11)-10/10
7.Foxey Lady-(5:06)-10/10
8.Jam Back at the House-(7:44)-10/10
DISC 2
1.Izabella-(6:42)-10/10
2.Fire-(3:42)-10/10
3.Voodoo Child (Slight Return)-(13:40)-10/10
4.Star Spangled Banner-(3:43)-10/10
5.Purple Haze-(4:23)-10/10
6.Woodstock Improvisation-(3:59)-10/10
7.Villanova Junction-(4:28)-10/10
8.Hey Joe-(5:52)-10/10

With the addition of Graham Bonnet, Rainbow went from the l58O's with Ronnie James Dio to the l98O's. From out of a castle in the English moors to the Sunset Strip.

The only flaw on the album is ''Love's No Friend''. A feeble attempt of a power ballad, but the rest of the album deserves it's place amongst other Blackmore masterpieces like Machine Head, Burn, RB's Rainbow, and Straight Between The Eyes.

''Eyes 0f The World'', ''Making Love'', No Time To Lose'' are tasty little tid bits that can have you subconciously driving your car well above the speed limit, while the finale ''Lost ln Hollywood'' leaves you asking for the license plate of the truck that hit you.

Unfortunately this was the only offering that Graham did with Rainbow, although an unreleased song ''Bad Girl'' showed up on Finyl Vinyl a few years later.

Even though this album is called Down To Earth, it will take you to another stratosphere.

Down to Earth captures the spirit of the previous three Rainbow albums and the commercial approach of the soon-to-be pop band version.

I don't CARE if the lead singer for Rainbow's fourth album isn't as good as Ronnie James Dio, I *love* Down to Earth!

Graham Bonnet doesn't have the pleasant sound or the amazing vocal range of Dio, but everything else that made the first three Rainbow albums so enjoyable is STILL here- quality songwriting, amazing guitar playing, lengthy and epic songs, etc.

You have a couple pop songs (that were both the biggest hits from the album- which was probably a bad idea because they give people the impression the band sold out or something).

I really like the lengthy, epic guitar-dominated tracks ("Eyes of the World" and "Danger Zone"). They remind me of previous frantic and intense guitar workouts such as "Stargazer", "Light in the Black", and "Gates of Babylon").

Then you also have just really good guitar playing on the shorter songs, such as "No Time to Lose", "Makin Love" and "Love's No Friend". These songs also contain memorable vocal melodies. My personal favorite song is the speedy closer, "Lost in Hollywood" with its soaring chorus and fast-paced guitar playing.

Overall, wow, this is certainly an underrated album. It's closer to the first three Rainbow albums and therefore rules a LOT.

First thing first: My actual rating for this would be 4.5 stars, but since i can't put that... If you read my review of Deep Purple's two pack of "Burn/Stormbringer", then you already have an idea of what I'm going to say. This is a great CD, with awesome songs and great playing, but...is this still Rainbow? I mean... Ritchie Blackmore left DP in 1975 because he didn't like the funkier direction they were heading into, and formed Rainbow with singer Ronnie James Dio. Over the course of 3 records(4 if you count their live CD), THEY invented a new type of heavy rock: big, grandiose, symphonic inspired music, with medieval, renaissance, fantastic imagery in their lyrics, in turn inspiring the euro-metal wave led by Iron Maiden a couple of years later (Maiden founder/bassist Steve Harris is a major Rainbow fan)which still lingers proudly in Europe to this day. But then, in an inexplicable change of heart, Blackmore decided to once again change direction and forsake their trademark brand of music. Rainbow was always a "musical chairs" band, suffering major lineup changes from record to record, but the departure of Dio over this change in direction definitely marked the closing of an era.

Kiss the dragons and dungeons lyrics goodbye , welcome the radio friendly, tender... ballads? Yes, you heard me, ballads!Enter Graham Bonnet. After failing to convince Ian Gillan to join Rainbow, Blackmore then recruited a newcomer, enlisted the help of former DP bandmate Roger Glover as bassist AND producer, and rounded up the lineup with survivor Cozy Powell on drums and Don Airey on keyboards. The change in musical direction is pretty brutal, but still, I find this brand of rock very much enjoyable (as opposed to the AOR direction the band would adopt subsequently with Joe Lynn Turner...don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with AOR, it's just not my type of music...) Yes, the faces are different, but listening to this CD, sometimes I could swear some of these songs were written for the Stormbringer sessions: listen to "Lady Double Dealer" from Stormbringer and then to "No time to Lose", "Love's No friend", "Danger Zone" and tell me if I'm wrong... Only the tandem vocals of David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes are missing here! And then you have the aforementioned ballads, 2 to be exact: "Making Love" & "Since you've been gone", that will remind you of Stormbringer's "Soldier of Fortune", not so much in their sound, but rather in their definite commercial appeal. The first one is the best, in my opinion, but the latter would actually become the band's first hit.

I insist, this record is great for everyone: if you like DP, you will like it. If you like Dio era Rainbow(the best, if you ask me...), you will still like it, musical direction change notwithstanding. And if you simply like good music, you'll love it. The reason why I rate it 4.5 and not 5 stars is simply because I feel that the record sounds a little too much like Mk III Deep Purple, and therefore, a little redundant: I mean, why start a new band if you're gonna sound like your old band, right? But if you don't care about this, you will enjoy this a great deal. This is the last Rainbow record that I truly, really enjoy. Get it!

Down to Earth came out in 1979 and featured the vocals of Graham Bonnet who was and still is a real hunk (I don't know about his brain but he looks all right--haha) and has an amazing voice. One of the many great vocalists in Rainbow's history. Of the eight tracks on this album, five I would consider to be excellent while three I could take or leave. I don't like this album as much as I like 1982's Straight Between the Eyes with Joe Lynn Turner, but it is a very good record from that time just before the glorious 1980s. Plus, it features Ritchie Blackmore, of course, so you know it rocks.

"All Night Long" (3:49): Hard rockin' opener about a groupie who knows just what (rather who) she wants. "I need a girl who can keep her head all night long" indeed. You also gotta like the line "Don't know about your brain but you look all right." Honesty in a rock song, what more could you want?
"Eyes of the World" (6:36): Complex, epic track, almost progressive. Amazing vocal performance and cool keyboards at the bridge. A lot of depth to this one.
"No Time To Lose" (3:41): The drums are actually my favorite part of this song. Too much good time rock n roll sound for my tastes. One of my least favorites.
"Makin' Love" (4:36): I really like the verses to this track. It is a slower-paced number. Bonnet sings with a lot of passion. I also like how the drums kick into the bridges.

"Since You've Been Gone" (3:10): Nice, short, radio-friendly single. Very catchy with addictive guitar riffs. I'm not sure how well it has aged. I guess it might be considered cheesy today, but I still think it kicks.
"Love's No Friend" (4:52): I'm not that crazy about this song. It is slow and plodding and kind of drags.
"Danger Zone" (4:30): I do not like the chorus on this track. The verses are better with the driving guitar notes and the guitar solo is a highlight as well. The background vocals are annoying and it's repetitive at the end.
"Lost in Hollywood" (4:51): Definitely ends the album on a positive note. This track flat out rocks! Bonnet's vocals kick major you-know-what.

Since the 'Long Live' album, Rainbow is practically a different band now. Some members have been replaced (most noticably Dio, who went on to Black Sabbath) and the music and lyrics have changed rather radically. This album is much more mainstream and written to appeal to a much broader audience than the previous dungeons/dragons type themes.
Now, I loved the Dio-era Rainbow, but this one is great as well. Just in a different way. Basically, I'll keep this short. This album is much more of a pop album and was written for hits/mainstream acceptance. Nonetheless, it was done well. The songs are catchy, the new vocalist (Graham Bonnet) is good and Ritchie Blackmore sounds great. An excellent album as far as guitar playing goes and an excellent album is most other aspects as well. Enjoy.

This is a great album, other worldly psychedelic sounds that are fun to hear. I read in an interview with the band that the concept behind this album was that someone was lost in the woods, and found this house, and a lady inside the house gave them different kinds of candy, and each song is supposed to be what they experienced when they ate it, kind of interesting. Definitely visionary, but it's not hard to get into.

For all those who've taken a liking to BMSR, then you may also want to check out Boards Of Canada. In fact, when I first hear BMSR I thought it was new Boards Of Canada. It's remarkably similar...I love it!

I'm new to this band, but I've grown to really like just about everything I've heard from them so far with Dandelion Gum being by far my favorite album. Their songs sound like collections of late seventies/early eighties PBS educational show's theme songs on steroids and dust, set to quasi-hip hop beats with a dash of folk and rock splashed in the right places for good measure. I know all those elements combined seem like they would be ridiculous together but it actually works and sounds incredible. Tracks like "When the Sun Grows on Your Tongue", "Jump Into My Mouth and Breathe the Stardust", & "Forever Heavy" have been rolling around in my head for days now, the rest of the album has stuck really well, but those are the tracks that stood out for me. I've listened to nothing but BMSR and The Octopus Project for the past week or so, but Dandelion Gum has been the one getting the most play. I honestly can't think of anything signifigantly wrong with this record and would highly recommend it to people with open minded musical tastes.

This is the best album. I've been off instrumental bands for like a year. I've hear a lot of bands that sucked and have told people so. This band sounds like the Doors keyboardist going all the way with Allen Ginsberg. Older material may be less interesting but this album pulls it all together. Pick it up!

This album is just awesome. Totally mind blowing. Interesting, strange, melodic, filled with oddball instrumentation somehow worked out so as to be catchy and weird at the same time. I've been really digging this record for a few weeks now and highly recommend checking them out.

The songs are great but this is NOT REMASTERED. It's the same drowned-out audio as the "original." Don't buy this because it says "Remastered" because it isn't.

This is a good selection of songs. For once the "geniuses" at the record company almost got it right as far as selecting the best songs to put on a Greatest Hits compilation. My complaints about the song selection are relatively minor to my complaints about the rmeastering job and sound quality, but more about that later. I would have substituted the far superior "live" version of Catch the Rainbow for the studio version, I would add Temple of The King, Self Portrait and Dream Chaser and delete Desperate Heart and Power. Also, this is not the best Rainbow version of Mistreated; I prefer the version from Live In Munich. I would also subsitute Maybe Next Time for Weiss Heim, because Maybe Next Time is a true microcosm of most of Blackmore's techniques and styles all rolled into one beautiful instrumental. He plays fast, he plays slow, he plays some notes straight, he bends some notes, he plays slide, he plays with tremendous feeling. Therefore, Maybe Next Time is a much better representation of all that Blackmore has to offer. whereas Weiss Heim only showcases a very narrow range of Blackmore's abilities. Weiss Heim is a good instrumental but Maybe Next Time is a great one and is a better choice for a Greatest Hits compilation. Finally, why were no songs from the very underrated Stranger In Us All album not included? Wolf To The Moon, Black Masqerade, Ariel and Hall of the Mountain King would have made fine additions here... Now to the really disturbing part about this CD: the remastering job was very poorly done. Imagine what a CD would sound like if the during recording the microphones were placed inside a cardboard oatmeal box filled with dry oatmeal. This is what this sounds like: the high end is muffled rather than crisp and all the instruments have been compressed into a lifeless midrange muddle. Thinking this may be an anomaly to my home stereo system, and knowing that some CDs sound better on some stereo sytems than on others, I played the entire CD on my fancy car stereo system also, and it sounded just as bad. What has been done to Difficult to Cure is a crime against humanity. The only time you can hear the guitar is in the introduction to the song. As soon as all the other instruments join in, the guitar is lost in a muddy sea of bass and strings for the rest of the song. This is a real shame because this song features some of Blackmore's best officially released "live" playing. I have the vinyl version of this song on Finyl Vinyl and it is far superior. On vinyl, the guitar cuts through the night like a knife and soars above the other instruments, sounding, powerful, rich, explosive and leading the way. Do yourself a favor and try to find a copy of Finyl Vinyl on vinyl and you will see what I mean. It will be worth it for Difficult To Cure alone. I have all the songs from this Anthology on vinyl and I have most of them on the NONREMASTERED versions of the CDs, and both the vinyl and nonremastered stuff sound far better than this. Even the nonremastered version of the Very Best of Rainbow sounds far better. Hopefully they will get it right with the next generation of Rainbow's Greatest Hits (have someone who hasn't lost his/her upper range of hearing do the remastering!) but for now I have to chop off one star for the song selection being not quite right and one star for the wretched remastering job.

Released in 2003, the exceptional two-CD Rainbow collection Catch the Rainbow: The Anthology provides a deeper understanding of how the band influenced the direction of hard rock and heavy metal. Between 1975 and 1984, former Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore guided his new band (which had dizzying revolving-door lineup changes) through visions of mystical heavy metal and polished, radio-friendly hard rock. Blackmore's employment of vocalists Ronnie James Dio, Graham Bonnet, and Joe Lynn Turner created three distinct periods, all of which Catch the Rainbow: The Anthology expands upon further than 2000's perfunctory 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Rainbow and 1997's stellar The Very Best of Rainbow. Indispensable songs such as "Man on the Silver Mountain," "Catch the Rainbow," "Stargazer," "Long Live Rock 'n' Roll," "Since You Been Gone," "Stone Cold," and "Street of Dreams" are included, of course. Other tracks that will enlighten Rainbow neophytes are "Sixteenth Century Greensleeves," "A Light in the Black," "Gates of Babylon," "Rainbow Eyes," "Eyes of the World," "Spotlight Kid," and "Jealous Lover." All the previously mentioned songs are excellent, but the two that fully showcase Blackmore's technical prowess are live epics -- the 13-minute, blues-oriented Deep Purple holdover "Mistreated" and the 11-minute "Difficult to Cure," based on Beethoven's Ninth Symphony and featuring the Japanese Symphony Orchestra. Although die-hard fans might suggest substitutions, it's hard to quibble too much about the song selection on a comprehensive two-CD, 28-track compilation like Catch the Rainbow: The Anthology.

Between the years 1975-1984, Ritchie Blackmore had 16 different band members in Rainbow. On the double CD, Catch the Rainbow: The Anthology, the nine albums released during this period (he reformed the group in 1993 and disbanded it in 1997) in order and captures the extreme highs and sometimes the frustration fans had with the ever-changing vision from Blackmore.

Disc one is very solid, with the 12 tracks highlighting the outstanding 1975-1978 work of vocalist Ronnie James Dio. The medieval themes of Dio and classically-inspired music of Blackmore made for a fantastic collaboration. There is outstanding storytelling (Man on the Silver Mountain, Sixteenth Century Greensleeves, Kill the King) and compelling longer works (Stargazer, Light in the Black, Mistreated).

But the cornerstone is the title track from the 1978 album, Long Live Rock 'N' Roll. With punk and disco pushing out rock from many FM station playlists, Rainbow's anthem became a rallying cry for frustrated fans who saw their favorite bands either "selling out" or fading away.

And it's because of this no-holds-barred vision of rock that makes the post-Dio years of disc two oftentimes a very frustrating listen over the uneven 16 tracks. The arrangements are often generic - in the mode of Foreigner, Journey, Boston - with lyrics as banal as anything heard from the AOR genre (All Night Long, Spotlight Kid, Death Alley Driver). There are two gems - Since You Been Gone, Street of Dreams - and an incredible live performance by Blackmore on Difficult to Cure.

Rainbow was influential in keeping the hard rock sound alive when it was being written off for dead and Blackmore is one of the greatest technical guitarists ever. This is as good a compilation as any available on the band.

I love this CD. DIO is one of my favorite singers and he did not disappointment me with this CD.

Joe Lynn Turner on lead vocals and Ritchie Blackmore on guitar can't possibly fail to give you quality entertainment and this Cd is no exception. Spotlight Kid is one of my favorites.

ritchie helped to rock and bluesify deep purple...he turned fantasy into fact with rainbow...the dio years...

then bonnett came to own...not bad, just different...

then ritchie turned on the radio one day and said...'hey...i wanna be like all the other garbage their playing now...'

and so begat rainbow, the joe turner years...

this album is not a rainbow album...this is a 'jefferson starship/asia/genesis' hybrid of leftovers trying to be the soup of the day...

'down to earth' was where the rainbow faded...this was where the rainbow died...

I absolutely love this CD. Its full of very memorable and well constructed songs. Ritchie's playing as always is masterful and Joe Lynn Turner is a great singer.

This is my favorite Rainbow album of the Joe Lynn Turner era. It is more pop then the Rainbow with Ronnie James Dio, but is that a bad thing? NO! It ain't a bad thing if the songs are good. And it is still rock music, it ain't just pop. Joe Lynn Turner has a great voice and Ritchie Blackmore is the best guitarist ever. The other bandmembers are great too. SO buy this if you like some good rock music and ignore the one-star review beneath me.

I consider myself a Rainbow fan, but this album was just horrible. Rainbow really peaked with "Long Live Rock and Roll", but with this release, Blackmore abandoned all rock and roll and went for the pop jugular. It was like listening to Survivor. The lyrics were uninspired and the songs were paint-by-number. Especially annoying were the keyboard playing by Don Airey (God I miss Tony Carey). I was wondering why "Spotlight Kid" sounded so familiar, then I realized it was "Kill the King" warmed over. I literally threw this cd out of my car window during the second listening of "Magic". Ughh. The trouble with Rainbow is that Blackmore changed the line-up constantly so that the band never really aged together, like Zepplin or U2. The reviewers who loved this album were brought up on pop tunes, not rock and roll. Sorry, but this album ain't rock and roll.

Recent Joe Lynn Turner Project "SUNSTORM" led me to this 1982 Rainbow album in which Joe Lynn Turner showcases his brilliant soulful vocal.

DEATHALLEY DRIVER drives this commercial release quite deftly. STONE COLD is no doubt signature Rainbow song to date and it's unfortunate it is their biggest and only US top 40 hit so far. TIGHT SQUEEZE is another beautifully crafted tight straight rock song. POWER and ROCK FEVER show their pop rock appeal which should have been quite large hits. EYES OF FIRE just like LED ZEP classic KASHMIR has the mid-east tone and this song alone is the reason why 70s and 80s rock fans must get this.

Verdict: Commercial yet Beautiful release.
Rating: 93 out of 100
Recommended for: Wide range of 70s and 80s rock fans and must-buy for Joe Lynn Turner fans.

A lot of Rainbow fans seem to dislike this record but I think it's awesome! I only have five Rainbow records, but this one is my favorite so far. It's just a feel good, fun, rock n roll album. It doesn't offer those long, complex, epic numbers like "Stargazer," but it is a solid album of excellent tracks including two of my all-time favorites "Stone Cold" and "Bring on the Night (Dream Chaser)." There is only one track I'm not too crazy about ("Rock Fever") but the rest are great. Joe Lynn Turner has an amazing voice and it, of course, features the guitar legend Ritchie Blackmore. The worst part about this album is, actually, the cover. Rainbow is not known for the best album covers (i.e. "Difficult to Cure"), but this one is hideous! Oh well, it's what's inside that counts and here's what's inside:

"Death Alley Driver" (4:36): Fast and furious opener. Killer guitar and keyboard solos. I really like the overall sound of this one and I think the keyboards really stand out. I guess I'm one of the few fans who like keyboards in hard rock and metal.
"Stone Cold" (5:15): From the first guitar riff, this song rules! Soft and delicate in places and catchy rocker in others. Excellent use of keyboards, too.
"Bring on the Night (Dream Chaser)" (4:02): I love this song! This one and "Stone Cold" are my favorites on this album (and also favorite songs all-time). It just flat out kicks! The sweeping sound right before the chorus is cool!
"Tite Squeeze" (3:15): This song is OK. I can listen to it. It is just an average, straight-forward rock song. Nothing sets this song apart like most of the others on this record.
"Tearin' Out My Heart" (4:00): Slow, power track.

"Power" (4:23): This track kicks! Like with "Dream Chaser", my favorite part is right before the chorus. The intensity is built with flying percussion. Double bass would've been even better.
"MISS Mistreated" (4:25): Another of the better tracks. Guitar solo a highlight as well as the bass. I also like the use of keyboards. A medium-tempo song.
"Rock Fever" (3:40): The only track here I don't care for. The chorus is just stale, good-time rock n roll. "Lemme see you rock, lemme see you roll, lemme see you burn." No originality.
"Eyes of Fire" (6:41): The closest to an epic track on this album. It has an interesting sound. I wonder if Bruce Dickinson had this song in mind when he wrote Iron Maiden's masterpiece "Powerslave." They have the same Egyptian tune.

This was the second Rainbow album that I purchased (the first was Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow). The songs "Stone Cold" and "MISS Mistreated" are two songs I never tire of. Just about any guy can relate some of their own experiences to these songs. Power is good, so is Eyes of Fire.

If you don't have this album, BUY IT!

This album is great. Joe Lynn Turner is in very good vocal form. Ritchie Blackmore plays the guitar very well. His solo's are fantastic! Ritchie Blackmore is the best guitarist of the world when it comes up to solo's! The rest of the band is doing a very good job too. So, every musician plays his instrument well, now the songs. The songs are good. Death Ally Driver is a very good rockin' opener of the album. The guitarsolo here is one of the best and the riff...just fantastic! Stone Cold was a very popular hit that time, and it's a very good song. The rest of the songs are all good, nothing special to say about it. My favorite track of this album is: Death Ally Driver. Power, Bring On the Night and Stone Cold come close, but Death Ally Driver defeats them. It's a pitty that rainbow didn't go on longer then 1983. Their last album came out in 1983(Bent Out Of Shape). That was also a very good album. Ritchie Blackmore should have went on with Rainbow instead of joining Deep Purple again. Joe Lynn Turner is a much better singer then Ian Gillan! In my view Rainbow is much better then Deep Purple, so I think Ritchie Blackmore should have went on with rainbow. But that's how things go in life. About this album again, it's a great album. If you like rock, then this is something for you. I hope this review was helpful for you...

This is the follow up to the masterpeice Difficult To Cure. It's a little heavier than Difficult To Cure and has a few songs that sound like Dio era songs.

1.Death Alley Driver- 10/10 A great fast song with a great riff. This sounds like classic Deep Purple with Joe Lynn Turner singing. The drums are very loud and sound excellent. The solo is brilliant as it's very classically influenced and has 2 great harmony part.

2.Stone Cold- 10/10 An excellent soft melodic song. This is the biggest hit on the album and one of Rainbow's 5 biggest hits. Great drum and bass work and excellent lyrics. This song has an excellent chorus too. Blackmore's solo is great and has a lot of feeling. A great song and one of the best on the album.

3.Bring on the Night (Dream Chaser)- 10/10 An excellent fast paced song. This has a commercial feel to it. Turner's vocals sound excellent and the drumming is great. Blackmore's solo is great too.

4.Tite Squeeze- 8/10 A good song but not really anything special. A very bluesy song with cheesy lyrics but the vocals are good. Blackmore's solo is good though.

5.Tearin' Out My Heart- 10/10 Another bluesy song. This starts with an excellent soft section before going into a song that sounds like a more commercial version of the Deep Purple classic Mistreated. Joe Lynn Turner's vocals are excellent and Blackmore's solo is great too.

6.Power- 6/10 A poppy filler with terrible lyrics and a generic riff. Not much to this track execpt a good solo from Ritchie Blackmore.

7.Miss Mistreated- 10/10 A great bluesy song. This song reminds me of early Whitesnake. Turner's vocals are excellent and Blackmore's riff is great too. Ritchie Blackmore's solo is excellent as always. Blackmore matches Turner's scream with a great bend shortly after the solo.

8.Rock Fever- 8/10 A good fast upbeat song that sounds similar to the Dio era songs Sensitive To The Light and If You Don't Like Rock N Roll. Blackmore's solo is excellent and Joe Lynn Turner's vocals are good too.

9.Eyes of Fire- 10/10 An excellent song with some arabic influences. This sounds like a song that would fit on Long Live Rock N Roll or Rising execpt with Turner singing. Excellent lyrics and amazing vocals from Joe Lynn Turner. Blackmore's solo is amazing too. A real masterpeice. This is the best song on the album. Blackmore's second solo is better than his first.

This album is excellent and has one of Rainbow's best songs ever in Eyes Of Fire. I think that any fan of Melodic Rock, Classic Metal or just Hard Rock should get this. The abnd is

Joe Lynn Turner- Vocals
Ritchie Blackmore- Guitar
Bobby Rondinelli- Drums
Roger Glover- Bass
David Rosenthal- Keyboards