RAINBOW - The good and the bad?

[Rikk]

Been a DEEP PURPLE fan for almost 20 years, but only in the last few years did I finally take the plunge into the world of RAINBOW, and I'm glad I did.

At this point, I'm of the opinion that the definitive RAINBOW is obviously the Dio stuff. And of those, though RISING is considered the magnum opus, I actually like LONG LIVE ROCK 'N' ROLL. LADY OF THE LAKE is my favorite.

Moving on, I have a harder time with the later stuff. I enjoy DOWN TO EARTH, though it's a little cheesier. I have to say, though, I really can't stand Joe Lynn Turner's voice...same thing that happened when I heard SLAVES AND MASTERS. He has as much identity and appeal to me as Sammy Hagar. A very similar thing happened to RAINBOW when he joined that happened to VAN HALEN in 1986. There are good tracks, and it's great to hear Blackmore's obligatory solo (I love Blackmore beyond belief), but the vocals and some of the AOR-filler make it hard to sift through these later albums. I now own 'em all, and I put 'em on...but I keep coming back to the first three.

Thoughts?

http://www2.sk-static.com/images/media/img/col3/20100521-095856-990988.png

[tojoro]

I guess you have to admire Ritchie for having the courage to leave something as big as DP to follow his vision, yet looking back, I'm not even sure if Ritchie knew what he was looking or striving for, as he neutered Rainbow in order to make Top 40 and then buried it a few years later.
There are some good tracks from the Bonnet and Turner eras, but I agree with you, Rikk...there is much cheese there.
The Dio era of Rainbow is just so damn good. It's odd that Ritchie would do a 180 with DTE, but then, he runs the show and was looking for chart success, and in the end, that cost him dearly.
Lady of the Lake is one of my favorite tracks, but tops for me has to be the twin assault of Stargazer/ A Light In The Black.
So tasty...:killer:
~T.

[Terry]

"Rainbow" was really a vehicle for Blackmore and whoever he wanted in the band at any given time...I mean, I'm unsure that there's much point in comparing what was going on with the band during the years with Dio with, say, the Joe Lynn Turner years. Outside of Blackmore, none of the lineups were similar, so it's not like Van Halen where 3/4's of the lineup was still there and only the singers had changed.
I'd certainly agree that Blackmore made a specific choice to go in a commercial direction aimed toward the American rock radio market with the Down To Earth album and the subsequent releases. Blackmore said as much in interviews. It was a calculated move. Personally, I enjoy all eras of Rainbow. I can't really say I feel the stuff with Ronnie Dio at the helm was better or worse than what came after, because the objectives and styles weren't really the same, but unlike Van Halen post-Roth I don't have particularly negative feelings about Down To Earth or the Joe Lynn Turner albums. For me, Joe Lynn Turner's voice isn't off-putting. Not very distinctive, but it doesn't irritate me the way Hagar's does. Possibly just a case of inflections, but Hagar (and this became noticeable when he joined Van Halen) just sounded like he was always screeching when he sang; as if the bland lyrics he wrote would somehow be more meaningful if he overemoted them. Now, Joe Lynn Turner was no great shakes as lyricist, either. However, he was a competent, professional singer who was secure enough to know that you don't need to oversell a song (even a commercially-tinged one) vocally in order to sing it well. Also, Turner didn't feel the need to ape Ronnie Dio or Graham Bonnett or Ian Gillan. He had his own style and was secure enough in who he was to sing like Joe Lynn Turner.
I suppose in terms of creative ambition and a guitar-oriented focus, the case can be made that creatively the earlier RJD Rainbow was more satisfying in terms of what Blackmore was doing, although much of that era can also be a case of the songs being a vehicle for Blackmore's guitar work. The later years saw a reversal of that, where Blackmore's parts were geared toward serving the songs. I'd also agree that in the later years there were cases where some Rainbow tunes weren't all that exceptional other than a shit-hot Blackmore guitar solo. By the time Bent Out Of Shape rolled around, it was almost as if the instrumental musicians in Rainbow were there to support what for all intents and purposes sounded like a Joe Lynn Turner solo album. That's all good and well. That kind of material serves a purpose. It wasn't necessarily what Blackmore fans were WANTING, though. I mean, you take a track like Street Of Dreams: it might as well be any guitarist playing the tune, since it's fairly devoid of any Blackmoreish stylistics. Fine for a pop song performed by a solo artist who is known for being a vocalist, but to have Ritchie being reduced to that was a bit of a shame, really. There WAS a similarity between that and what transpired in Van Halen. I mean, you look at the sound and fury of CVH. Even before Roth left, keyboards and synths were creeping in. You have this incredible guitar player like Eddie Van Halen, and he's heading in a commercial direction, and doing so on an instrument most people don't really want to hear him play; I personally don't care for what he's done on keyboards. I don't think he's particularly creative on them (regardless of how successful Jump was), and his greatest strength was his ability to come up with catchy riffs, strong hooks, great choruses and brillant solos on guitar. Why trade that in for synths unless he's as good on them as he was on guitar? Some goes for Blackmore, so why should he temper his instincts and abilities toward servicing top 40 material?
I guess it comes down to the business part of the music business. Necessary I suppose, but one can tell when musicians are coming up with stuff primarily because they think it will sell. This stuff always rings a bit hollow.

[binnie]

I don't think that Rainbow's importance in the evolution of heavy music has ever properly been sung. Iron Maiden certainly owed a lot to 'em, and where ever I hear power metal these days I can't help but think of the Dio-era: the fantasy lyrics, operatic scale and grandiose all dates back to Blackmore.

'Rising' is an out and out rock classic. It's up there with Purple's best records, Zeppelin's best records, Sabbath's best records..........anyone, really. Like you Rikk, I do actually prefer 'Long Live Rock 'n' Roll': by no means as perfect, but the rough edges invite me in more and make me love it.

I have time for the Joe Lynn Turner era, largely because I don't compare it to what had gone before. Blackmore clearly wanted to move away from the epic soundscapes and it's a little silly to criticise albums for what they're not trying to be. I'm sure I reviewed a Joe Lynn Turner record in the album review thread....

[Mr. Vengeance]

I like all the eras. Dio's clearly is the best. Epic tunes. Rocks hard. Bonnet is good, although not really extra noteworthy. The JLT era I like as well, simply for it's pop sensibilities. I mean, I can listen to Street of Dream or Stone Cold pretty much any time. Straight Between the Eyes is a fine album.

One album that no one I know seems to like, but I think is very good is Difficult To Cure. Maybe it's the ridiculous album cover that turns people off. Little known fact- the cover was designed by some design company originally for Sabbath's Never Say Die, but was rejected.

[Matt White]

The Russ Ballard tune "Since You Been Gone" is all I know from the Bonnet era....not a fan of him by any stretch...

As far as JLT is concerned...Stone Cold, Power, Street of Dreams, etc all pretty standard early 80's hard rock...nothing special...


the DIO era??? CLASSIC...

Gates of Babylon, Kill the King, Mistreated (from the Live LP), Stargazer, Star Struck, Tarot Woman, Catch the Rainbow, and of course Man on the Silver Mountain......

GREAT band...before my time...but did dig back into them after hearing Ronnie in SABBATH....Blackmore should have worked with DIO again....too bad

[Rikk]

Blackmore should have worked with DIO again....too bad

Abso-fucking-lutely.

[Hellraiser!!]

Rainbow is one of the the best bands ever...the best band from the Deep Purple Family for sure....

And I agree with everyone, Rainbow Rising is without a doubt the Magnum Opus of this band, but I really like the later stuff too, even the Doogie White album, Stranger in Us All.

Plus, Straight Between the Eyes is a classic....Death Alley Driver, Power, Bring on the Night.....

I'd have never compared Joe Lynn Turner stuff with Van Hagar, even with Joe's cheesy lyrics.....

Sammy Hagar is a piece of shit who never wrote a single descent song in his life!!!

[GreenBayLA]

Not a big fan of the Joe Lynn Turner era (Foreigner vocals) but this b-side from Difficult To Cure rips.




Here is a great cover of Blackmore's riffs on Spotlight Kid from same album.

[Mr Badguy]

There isn't a finer album than "Rising".

It's equal to the best.

[Cato]

when Blackmore got a wig, he lost the core of his music instead....I think?

[VHscraps]

Rising and Long Live Rock'n'Roll are two great albums. Love 'Gates of Babylon' on the latter, in partic.

Cozy Powell is a monster on Rising. Any drummers out there? How does he rate? I think I saw him with a whole load of bands - Whitesnake in early 80s, Schenker, others, probably.

Don't mind the Joe Lynn Turner era - I saw the band with him in front in the 80s a few times. He has a pretty good soul-pop voice. And I love 'I Surrender'! But it is pure pop-soul / soul-pop, or whatever you might call it.

[clarathecarrot]

I didn't see House of Blue Light Tour..? It could have been but I went with this dude who I worked with ( chick dumped me before show, after ticket purchase) I was with that Co from 88 till 93 so I just don't know.. It must have been the 25th annivesary... Blackmoore left in 1993 or so so it must have been around 1991 or 1992 because all the original 5 (Deep Purple) were on stage.

Could have been Slaves and Masters Tour in 91..?

It was in a Kemper arena here in KC and I had 2 tickets first tier up, center of the venue, front row of the 2nd level, no one in our view and perfect sound I learned front row was not cool for sound but cool for seeing, but wtf . It's just the way I like it.
They were absolutely spot on in every way I hadn't seen them since the 1970's. I really can't say enough.. so, I will say -Child in Time- live almost made me that awestruck 15 year old again and Paice on the drums was too good.

Everyone I knew back in the 70's bought Rainbows first album -Rainbow- and the 2nd -Rising- they were a staple as much as Frampton Comes Alive as stated in Wayne's Word Movie. With my gang of leather clad highschool punks...lol.

They have been lost in time like much of things that go this way and that.

I recently purchased the remastered Machine Head with by Deep Purple 2 cd original masters and Glover remixes cd interesting stuff Blackmores playing is so polished but raw he is as said more polished on his Rainbow music and I find that even better at times, he is one of the greats.

His is with or without Purple one of the top 5 ever guitarists in my book.

Bad attitude or just bad press I don't care.

[lesfunk]

[Hardrock69]

I just recently got a killer Deep Purple/Rainbow bootleg DVD. Posted about it here (for those who did not know):

http://www.rotharmy.com/forums/showthread.php?63106-Cool-Deep-Purple-DVD

I did not get to see Rainbow until the early 80s, firstly opening for Pat Travers in OKC (I think 1982 or so), then opening for BOC in Wichita, KS in 1983.

I also find JLT to be a quite homogenous vocalist. Nothing exciting in my opinion. He is a good vocalist, and the record labels like him because he writes good AOR ballads. That was why Yngwie was pressured to hook up with him....the label wanted Yngwie to have a 'hit'. Did not work in his case, lol.

On that DVD though, there is footage of Rainbow in Copenhagen from their show there in 1976 AND 1977. Killer stuff with Ronnie and Cozy Powell. That lineup was the kickass lineup in my mind.

[Mr. Vengeance]

Since we're discussing Rainbow...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3FXxpSesZs&feature=related