RAINBOW

Rainbow's last studio album of the 70s, the generally successful and hard-rocking 'Down to Earth', is an eighth-track LP displaying a more "approachable" and stripped-down sound, compared to the charmingly epic musical world of the Dio era. This August 1979 album also sees the sole appearance of vocalis Graham Bonnet and marks the last work of the band to include Cozy Powell as the main behind the drums. Further shifting the lineup, Blackmore had invited ex-Deep Purple bandmate Roger Clover to take are of all production duties, ultimately playing all the bass parts on the album, with the lineup further completed by the addition of keyboard player Don Airey, currently of Deep Purple. The commercial edge of this then-new Rainbow album takes its toll and unfortunately comes at the expense of the unbridled and epic creativity that had defined the music of the previous iterations of the Blackmore-led group.

What we have here is a guitar- and keyboard-heavy rock with strong melodies and catchy choruses, and despite the overall radio-friendly dimensions of the LP, 'Down to Earth' remains a really solid collection of songs, on which Blackmore shines through as an ingenious riff-craftsman, giving us several of his most recognizable and sharp-edged licks. At the same time, Graham Bonnet's performance is satisfactory, and he impresses as a fine vocalist, nailing all of the hooks this record has to deliver. What this work really misses is the progressive edge that had prevailed on 'Rising' and the debut album, for example; Nevertheless, the music is decent enough and most of the songs do a pretty good job of "delivering the goods" - opener 'All Night Long' is an energetic rocker that sets the tone for the record, 'Eyes of the World' is interesting and somewhat daring, while other songs like 'Makin' Love', 'Love's No Friend' and 'Danger Zone' impress with the gritty Blackmore riffs. Ubiquitous radio hit 'Since You Been Gone' if the fifth track off the album, while 'No Time to Lose' and 'Lost in Hollywood' are pure rubbish, but this, of course, is not a flawless album. Just a fine hard-rocking collection of songs with excellent guitar playing, ballsy vocals, and an enjoyable production style, which renders 'Down to Earth' as lively and organic, as much as it can be.

Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow definitely consolidated themselves as a hard rock powerhouse with second album 'Rising', released in 1976 and featuring an updated lineup with newcoming drummer Cozy Powell, bassist Jimmy Bain and keyboard player Tony Carey, arguably forming (alongside Blackmore and Dio) the most solid and successful lineup of the British band. 'Rising' eventually takes up where the debut album had left off, but this Rainbow effort seems to be more focused on the rock aspects of the band's music, developing even further Blackmore's neo-classical guitar experiments and capturing a significantly more epic, towering and impeccable sound, which could have only rendered this album more elusive in its heaviness. Dropping off early attempts at writing boogie rock numbers, this LP is a more consistent, more focused work that is definitely progressive at its core in terms of approaching the traditional rock sound of the 70s and stretching it out to an early form of heavy metal.

Just six tracks appear on the two sides of the original release, and one immediately understands that this album is all about that sonic onslaught, fast-paced riffing, a groovy and rock-solid rhythm section, the occasional appearances of fascinating keyboard sections or solos, all topped by the monstrous vocal performance of Ronnie James Dio, an immaculate singer who had set a solid standard for all rock vocalists to come. Blackmore's guitar is quite upfront on 'Rising', as he offers several virtuosic solos along the way, together with numerous iconic, chunky riffs, unlike his more melodic, soulful and medieval-esque approach on the debut album. It becomes quite difficult to pick a favorite track off this album, a virtually perfect collection, since the menacing march-like opener 'Tarot Woman' delivers that signature classic Rainbow sound in spades, while 'Run With the Wolf' is a groovier number offering the excellent and beautiful musical phrasing of Dio. Then come the hard-rocking 'Starstruck' and 'Do You Close Your Eyes', and what is there to say about the two epic 8-minute pieces on side two, 'Stargazer' and 'A Light in the Black', capturing Rainbow at their most adventurous, introspective and grandiose - a fantastic album that has undoubtedly withstood the test of time.

Medieval dreamscapes and remote castles guarded by dragons - leaving Deep Purple had allowed eccentric guitarist Ritchie Blackmore to explore his visions of high lore and to examine the possibilities of melodic rock with strong progressive leanings, constructing a band of unknowns at the time, in what would become the first iteration (of many to come) of the band Rainbow. The debut album of this new musical outlet had been recorded over in Munich during the spring months of 1975, and later released in September of that year. The music on 'Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow' features prominent melodic licks and powerful, monolithic riffs, occasionally criticized by some who would've expected a greater touch of Purple in the guitar work, but unlike the majority of his work with his former band, Blackmore seems to have been much more invested in the sound and development of the songs rather than gripping guitar pyrotechnics. The result is an album that is quite hard-rocking and melodic, replete with images of fantasy world and the stunning vocal work of Ronnie James Dio, formerly of the band Elf.

The debut Rainbow album, of course, has several emblematic pieces of classic rock, including the sharp-edged 'Man on the Silver Mountain', a song that is quite omnipresent in the world of the band, with a fantastic main riff from Blackmore and tremendous singing from Dio, the prog-ballad 'Catch the Rainbow', one of the band's finest moments, together with the fabulous piece 'The Temple of the King', a song bolstering beautiful vocals from Dio once again, and the frequent live number 'Sixteenth Century Greensleeves'. Apart from these all-time classics, this debut album also features the lesser known but really catchy 'Self Portrait', a well-constructed rock number, the fast-paced 'Snake Charmer', giving us some excellent Blackmore soloing, and the closing instrumental cover of a song by The Yardbirds. One shall also find the mediocre boogie rock numbers 'Black Sheep of the Family' and 'If You Don't Like Rock 'n' Roll', two Rainbow songs we might prefer not to talk about... Yet this album has remained definitive for its era and has given us a number of classic tracks so there are no reasons not to love it, a great work of hard rock and perhaps early heavy metal.

The new Rainbow line-up, from which a new album was expected, but only a few concerts were given. Also interesting, why not? Ritchie Blackmore is already 71 years old, and you can feel it in his careful solos in Highway Star and Spotlight Kid - less improvisation, slower speed. The same in the proven concert number Mistreated, which is initially slow, and then throughout the concert. Understandable. Otherwise, the age of the legendary guitarist does not affect anything. Probably, the new team of young musicians does not allow to relax.

I really like the vocal work of Ronnie Romero. In Highway Star he sang very similar to Ian Gillan, in Mistreated - almost like David Coverdale, and in the songs of the Dio era, in places it seemed that the great Man on the Silver Mountain was resurrected for this concert. Up to some of his specific, slightly growling intonations. A magical feeling, I can imagine what the audience felt at the concert. There is something to say about the contribution of the other musicians. They accompany perfectly, do not take the foreground and create a wonderful background for Ritchie Blackmore's passages. Drummer David Keith played beautifully on Difficult to Cure, but that is not why we love this instrumental. Although the jazz touch that is present in this version and the medley of famous classical pieces definitely do it good. Original! The performance of the famous Stargazer, which has not been played for a long time, is also pleasing. Very passionate and powerful. Of course, you can criticize Ronnie Romero for singing as if he is in a tribute band, but I liked it.

It was a good idea to include some Deep Purple songs in the setlist of the concert. Perfect Strangers is a little lacking the majestic keys of Jon Lord, but keyboardist Jens Johansson knows his stuff: after all, he played with the power metal band Stratovarius, Yngwie Malmsteen and Dio. The unexpected reincarnation of Child in Time also does not disappoint, although I never really liked this song. It sounded quite fresh, and Richie Blackmore's expressive solo simply takes your breath away.

Overall, a great concert. It's a pity that there were few such performances. And perhaps it's good that a studio album was not recorded. It would hardly have surpassed Stranger in us All, not to mention Rising.

A decade after Rainbow disbanded, the band returns as Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow with a new line-up. All the musicians are unknown, but they play professionally. And from the very first fast and fiery song Wolf to the Moon, it becomes clear that something special awaits us. And so it is. The recognizable signs of Rainbow are all in place: Ritchie Blackmore's inventive guitar, Doogie White's bright expressive vocals, a powerful drum rhythm. You don't hear the keyboards very often, but this can be lived through, considering that Jon Lord and Don Airey are not here. The overall musical background is very powerful, although the songs are still closer to the Rainbow period of the early 80s. The chaotic and eclectic Stand and Fight, the soulful romantic Ariel, the dark and solemn Black Masquerade are memorable. As before, there is no mention of the classics, this time it is a magnificent arrangement of Edgar Grieg's Hall of the Mounting King, even with lyrics. For me, this is the apotheosis of the entire album, when Ritchie Blackmore's solo sounds faster and faster, accelerating to an incredible speed. At the end of the album, Ritchie's clearly favorite song Still I Sad, which was often played at old Rainbow concerts, sounds nostalgically.

I read that this album did not take high places in the charts because the mid-90s were the heyday of grunge and alternative rock. But rock experts will confirm: music that left a mark on the history of rock does not often make it into the charts 😁 It doesn't matter. Ritchie Blackmore at that time had long since ceased to need to prove anything to anyone. He once again recorded a wonderful album, focusing not on musical fashion, but on his own idea of ​​what music should be. This is Ritchie Blackmore. His obstinate nature soon showed itself again when all his fans learned about Rainbow's latest disbandment and its leader's intention to move away from hard rock to folk rock and neo-renaissance territory in the group Blackmore's Night. But that's a completely different story.

The same line-up as Bent out of Shape, the last album before Ritchie Blackmore broke up the band, and one of the last concerts before the triumphant reunion of Deep Purple. The song Spotlight Kid demonstrates excellent drive, then Miss Mistreated keeps the rhythm, the baton is picked up by I Surrender, one of the undisputed hits of the last period of Rainbow's work. Joe Lynn Turner's vocals are almost as flawless here as in the studio version. The same can be said about his singing throughout the concert, where his vocals become lyrically tender, then driving and harsh. Still, Joe Lynn Turner managed to organically fit into the band and please the picky Blackmore (it was no coincidence that it was the man in black who lobbied for his appearance in Deep Purple a few years later). Catch the Rainbow is again sung perfectly, a wonderful song from the Dio era, very close to the original, but it is not an imitation. At the same time, the guitar part sounds different than in the classic version. An excellent medley with excerpts from the classics precedes the good song Street of Dreams. Once again the musicians will remember the classics during the performance of Difficult to Cure, which, supported by the symphony orchestra, again sounds large-scale and majestic. A very good introduction, a little reminiscent of the famous Stargazer, which we will not hear here, unfortunately, then a little improvisation and here it is, the monumental Beethoven's Ninth, where Blackmore's guitar competes with the orchestra, sometimes coming to the fore, sometimes hiding behind the main melody, then bursting into the main melody again. This is simply musical ecstasy and the apotheosis of the entire concert, when all the musicians in turn show everything they are capable of. The symphony orchestra does not lag behind. I like this version even more than the studio version from the Difficult to Cure album. But still not as much as at the concert Come Hell or High Water, which took place 10 years later and captured Ritchie Blackmore's last performance with Deep Purple. Then there are two wonderful solos on guitar and drums and a wonderful instrumental blues, which is called Blues. These improvisations give Joe Lynn Turner a chance to rest a little, who begins to exploit the microphone with renewed vigor with the song Stranded, whose first chords are consonant with the Deep Purple song Enya. Along the way, he does not forget to rock the audience with his lines and at the same time briefly recalls the old school song, Hey Joe, which was popular in the 60s and got a second wind in the performance of Jimi Hendrix. Very good.

Unfortunately, the overall drive in the first part of the concert is somewhat slowed down by long pauses between songs, when the vocalist communicates with the audience. Of course, interaction with the audience is important, but everything is good in moderation. It is also disappointing that they mainly perform songs from the Joe Lynn Turner era, and such indisputable Deep Purple masterpieces as Women from Tokyo and Lazy are played in fragments. It is good that they played Smoke on the Water in full at the end of the concert.

Conclusion: this concert recording is a good document of the final era of Rainbow's short but bright history (not taking into account the band's short reincarnation in 1995). The selection of songs convincingly demonstrates that Ritchie Blackmore is not very interested in the period of Rainbow's creativity before Joe Lynn Turner's arrival. Therefore, you should not form your impression of Rainbow based on this concert. At the same time, it is a wonderful illustration of the musical evolution of one of the trendsetters of the genre from complex, sophisticated music to simpler musical forms, while maintaining his style and image.

This concert has better music quality and a more complete list of songs from different albums of the band. But the most important thing is that Graham Bonnet sings much better than in Down to Earth tour in Denver and Long Island. Including in classics Rainbow, Stargazer and Catch the Rainbow, very decent vocals. Especially in Catch the Rainbow, at times it seems that it is Dio singing (or Graham imitates him well). It seems that after a year Graham Bonnet has finally found his place in the group and managed to fit in with the rest of the musicians. Although, apparently, this was not enough to stay in the group. The quality of the recording is also much better than at the concerts of 1979. At the same time, it is a pity that Ritchie Blackmore does not add variety to the set list of the concert: again there are many songs from the album Down To Earth, again not the best song from this album Lost in Hollywood is turned into a long improvisation with the same inserts from classical music, especially from Beethoven's Ninth. This has happened before and will happen again later. Although it sounds great, no questions asked. + 1 * for the wonderful improvisations of Ritchie Blackmore, Cozy Powell and Don Airey. Unfortunately, the next Rainbow line-ups will never have such strong musicians, and accordingly their new albums will be weaker.

The next Rainbow line-up with Graham Bonnett at the microphone for a short time, and I was interested to hear how they sounded in concert. I rate this performance as not very good, both in terms of the selection of songs and their performance. Firstly, they mainly played material from the latest album at that time, Down To Earth, but even in these songs, Graham Bonnett's vocals leave much to be desired. You can clearly hear how he does not always have time to draw out the ends of phrases in some songs. Maybe he did not have time to play with the group? After the usual powerful expressive vocals of Ronnie James Dio, he sounds rather weak. Ritchie Blackmore is impeccable as always, I especially liked his improvisations in the song Lost in Hollywood, which turned into a real jam session. Roger Glover was wished Happy Birthday during this Improvisation. Don Airey and Cozy Powell did their job well, Roger Glover fits in perfectly with the music, but Graham Bonnet spoils everything. Perhaps the poor quality recording of the concert also played a role in my perception, but after listening to it, it became clear to me why Rainbow's next album was recorded with a new vocalist. Three stars only for the skill of the other musicians, although in reality two is enough.

RAINBOW a rainbow that came out of nowhere, the consecration of a group that will make the musical headlines for a long time! A hidden chronicle of 'Rising' of course!

1 Tarot Woman the intro, yes this disturbing intro, where is the hard? no it's not Juvet but still you remember, space synth, a cinematic tape before its time... and the impression of having something other than noise... what who said prog metal, not me... it would be known; good the riff arrives, your hobbies, your hobbies, the drums, let's go phew, I started to see the proguy fire his cutie... Idon't know; the hard rock title, one of the first albums which will make the DEEP PURPLE forget a little by deploying the Blackmore missile on a rainbow ... multicolored and multi-musical; a thundering solo 2 Run With The Wolf with a nervous, rhythmic but calm title, one of those where the guitar seems to drift on a harmonica sound; good voice, Ronnie at the top of his game, here I see the incredible 'love is all' again, Cozy who puts the bass on so as not to forget himself, a rainbow there, not just a comet 3 Starstruck continues on a boogie rock, a conventional rock, finally a hard rock at the time of its publication; its held by the riff and the vocals, such was the motto; the spleen solo break, with tortured notes, takes you higher and leaves you speechless in front of so much ease; good hard well calibrated that's all 4 Do You Close Your Eyes to the AC/DC intro long before, a nasty riff, a Bon vocal and the guitar of Angus uh from Ritchie doing the job, with some bluesy notes from behind 5 Stargazer and the B side, let's get up to change the LP, the K7 it's up to you, knowing that with the K7 it was blowing a little too much, yes Dolby Pro didn't exist yet... well we would forget this symphonic, orchestral flight, yes I insist on orchestral because this title is a snub to music in general; a long title, a crescendical rise which will ogle on the 'Kashmir' would it have had a pump? short bombastic, ready to put in a trance; the melodic title which does not look like much but which could take you to the firmament and leave you there, the title with final orchestration, stunning for vulgurus hardus, short avant-garde in its time. 6 A Light In The Black and the 2nd, still 8 minutes it raises questions especially considering the intro... without intro... we are already inside; Cozy beats on everything that moves, Ronnie yells everything he can and Tony, not one-armed in himself, shows that he must also be reckoned with in the group; OK Ritchie shifts into 3rd gear and launches a solo, look, imagine, his head yes you see it moving, that's it you're in a trance, OK he calms down and harangues the protruding man who has started nodding his head , yes there is hard prog in there, not only 'prog related' term that always makes me laugh; good 6 minutes and Ronnie comes back, what but I didn't hear Ritchie or Tony damn it then... unless I myself went into a trance! End of course! A possibility to get up and put the teppaz back on the start...

Well what can I say, it was very good for the time, it was exciting, it was innovative, it was intoxicating, it was... just RAINBOW and it is indeed a standard value these days which has used to mold the prog metal drawer, to mix it in the progressive cauldron to release these notes often pulled up in concert, to awaken the filthy beast that lies dormant in you, come on, don't hide behind an excuse. A 4.5!

A hidden chronicle! R like RAINBOW and an OMNI, not a rainbow that came out of nowhere, or the consecration of a band that will make the musical headlines for a long time! RAINBOW as a ray of sunshine!

1 Tarot Woman the intro, yes this disturbing intro, where is the hard? no it's not Juvet but still you remember, space synth, a cinematic tape before its time... and the impression of having something other than noise... what who said prog metal, not me... it would be known; good the riff arrives, your hobbies, your hobbies, the drums, let's go phew, I started to see the proguy fire his cutie... Idon't know; the hard rock title, one of the first albums which will make the DEEP PURPLE forget a little by deploying the Blackmore missile on a rainbow ... multicolored and multi-musical; a thundering solo 2 Run With The Wolf with a nervous, rhythmic but calm title, one of those where the guitar seems to drift on a harmonica sound; good voice, Ronnie at the top of his game, here I see the incredible 'love is all' again, Cozy who puts the bass on so as not to forget himself, a rainbow there, not just a comet 3 Starstruck continues on a boogie rock, a conventional rock, finally a hard rock at the time of its publication; its held by the riff and the vocals, such was the motto; the spleen solo break, with tortured notes, takes you higher and leaves you speechless in front of so much ease; good hard well calibrated that's all 4 Do You Close Your Eyes to the AC/DC intro long before, a nasty riff, a Bon vocal and the guitar of Angus uh from Ritchie doing the job, with some bluesy notes from behind 5 Stargazer and the B side, let's get up to change the LP, the K7 it's up to you, knowing that with the K7 it was blowing a little too much, yes Dolby Pro didn't exist yet... well we would forget this symphonic, orchestral flight, yes I insist on orchestral because this title is a snub to music in general; a long title, a crescendical rise which will ogle on the 'Kashmir' would it have had a pump? short bombastic, ready to put in a trance; the melodic title which does not look like much but which could take you to the firmament and leave you there, the title with final orchestration, stunning for vulgurus hardus, short avant-garde in its time. 6 A Light In The Black and the 2nd, still 8 minutes it raises questions especially considering the intro... without intro... we are already inside; Cozy beats on everything that moves, Ronnie yells everything he can and Tony, not one-armed in himself, shows that he must also be reckoned with in the group; OK Ritchie shifts into 3rd gear and launches a solo, look, imagine, his head yes you see it moving, that's it you're in a trance, OK he calms down and harangues the protruding man who has started nodding his head , yes there is hard prog in there, not only 'prog related' term that always makes me laugh; good 6 minutes and Ronnie comes back, what but I didn't hear Ritchie or Tony damn it then... unless I myself went into a trance! End of course! A possibility to get up and put the teppaz back on the start...

Well what can I say, it was very good for the time, it was exciting, it was innovative, it was intoxicating, it was... just RAINBOW and it is indeed a standard value these days which has used to mold the prog metal drawer, to mix it in the progressive cauldron to release these notes often pulled up in concert, to awaken the filthy beast that lies dormant in you, come on, don't hide behind an excuse. (4 for the album)