LONG LIVE ROCK & ROLL

The whole record is convincing however there weaker moments, for instance "Sensitive To Light" and the slightly better "L.A. connection". The title track has little to do with progressive, but it's definitely an awesome heavy number, just like the wonderful "Kill the King", capable to make various Deep Purple songs grow pale in comparison, here Blackmore's guitar playing is..simply...stunning, virtuoso, but not bombastic. Another interesting track is "The Gates Of Babylon" in which the band carry on along the musical path begun with "Stargazer", however they do not succeed in repeating the grandness of this last one, taken from "Rising". Keyboards are relegated in the shadows, almost absent. what's present, instead, is the classic medieval references in Dio's lyrics, who by the way on this album graces us with a great perfomance. A special mention should be made about "Rainbow Eyes", the proggiest number, an evocative, moving acoustic ballad, featuring an entire strings section, as in "The Gates Of Babylon", and some flute parts. Not a masterpiece, for sure, but a very good heavy album. It has already been pointed out how some of the songsreveals the AOR that later on Rainbow started playing, in the Joe Lynn Turner days, however the worst material on "Long Live Rock & Roll" is always better than pratically most everything out of "Straight Between The Eyes", for instance.

4 stars.

Share this RAINBOW review

Social review comments () BETA

---

---

Review related links

• Send comments to Malve87
• Report this review (#284734)
• Buy RAINBOW music online with PA partners
• Show all RAINBOW MP3/Stream
• Go to RAINBOW page for videos, full discography with ratings, reviews and much more
• Go to Long Live Rock & Roll page for more details, where to buy and ratings/reviews
• Search the Forum for RAINBOW related discussions