Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow [Remaster]

Performer: Rainbow
Producer: Blackmore; Martin Birch; Ritchie Blackmore; Ronnie James Dio
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Rainbow includes: Ronnie James Dio (vocals); Ritchie Blackmore (guitar). All tracks have been digitally remastered. Rainbow includes: Ronnie James Dio (vocals); Ritchie Blackmore (guitar). Personnel: Shoshana, Ronnie James Dio (vocals); Ritchie Blackmore (guitar); Micky Lee Soule (piano, Clavinet, organ, Mellotron, keyboards); Craig Gruber (bass guitar); Gary Driscoll (drums). Audio Mixer: Martin Birch. Recording information: Musicland Studios, Munich, Germany (02/20/1975-03/14/1975). After British maestro guitarist Ritchie Blackmore left Deep Purple in 1974, he recruited Purple Records signees Elf as his backing band. And although Rainbow's 1975 debut was only a hint of future greatness, the album more than holds its own. Elf was led by dramatic metal vocalist Ronnie James Dio, who seemed to connect with Blackmore in quite a chemical fashion. "Man on the Silver Mountain" is prime material, as is the six-minute blues-metal classic "Catch the Rainbow." Dio's shining vocals, shown to great effect here, have been emulated by hard rock vocalists throughout the years. "The Temple of the King" is another highlight, showcasing Blackmore's emotional guitar licks. "Sixteenth Century Greensleeves" is the group's ode to medieval times. "Still I'm Sad" is an instrumental jam that closes the album. Blackmore's fretwork, while speedy, comes from the heart. Although Rainbow's incarnations would change through the years, the drive and energy of the original lineup holds a special place in hard rock history. A worthy purchase for the connoisseurs of the genre.

Ritchie Blackmore's combustible guitar riffs in the seminal band Deep Purple were the sparks that fed the conflagration of a whole new genre: heavy metal. Blackmore's musical ambition led him away from the band in 1975, after which he poached members of the band Elf--including vocalist Ronnie James Dio--to record the solo project that would evolve into the band Rainbow. Dio's lyrics were a castles-and-kings affair and Blackmore's classical-derived music suited them well. The pair--with an ever-rotating line-up behind them--recorded several popular albums, until Dio was lured away by Black Sabbath in '79. Blackmore reunited with Deep Purple in 1984, revisiting Rainbow briefly in the mid-'90s before finally pulling the plug on both bands and moving on to the medieval folk act Blackmore's Night.

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