BENT OUT OF SHAPE

I remember reading in a "Hit Parader" magazine from 1983 or 1984 that by that time there were rumours of a reunion of Blackmore and Glover with Gillan, Lord and Paice for a new Deep Purple period. The interview in that magazine was done with Blackmore, who said : "yes, there are some plans, and this is the only line-up of that band in which I have interest to work with". But he also said that there were some problems for the reunion because Gillan was with Black Sabbath and Paice was working with another musician as session musician. Finally, that reunion happened in 1984, and this was the last Rainbow`s album from the `80s.

I really didn`t buy this album. In 1992 my brother (a guitarist) and me were playing with a semi-professional (we only played gigs on weekends) covers band, and the singer of that band had this album, which he exchanged with my brother with Gentle Giant`s "Three Friends" album (which we didn`t like). The idea to have another Rainbow`s album was more interesting for us instead to have a Gentle Giant`s album which we didn`t play anymore. So, when we listened to this 1983 Rainbow`s album, we were disppointed a lot, so this album, like "Three Friends", remained in the "not listened anymore" records section!

This is a "conventional" Arena Pop Rock album from the eighties. The singer, Joe Lynn Turner, is very good, but the songs are not interesting, and Blackmore`s playing is also very "conventional", like Glover`s. Maybe this could be called a "contract filler" album due to the plans to reform Deep Purple. This album was promoted with a last tour in 1983-84, with a concert with an orchestra. There is nothing Progressive in this album, in my opinion.

For Rainbow`s greatest fans and collectors only, IMO.