Catch the Rainbow: The Anthology

Performer: Rainbow
Artist: Munich Philharmonic
Engineer: Flemming Rasmussen; Nick Blagona
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Rainbow: Ronnie James Dio, Graham Bonnet, Joe Lynn Turner (vocals); Ritchie Blackmore (guitar); Mickey Lee Soule (piano, Clavinet, organ, Mellotron); Tony Carey, David Stone, Don Airey, David Rosenthal (keyboards); Jimmy Bain, Bob Daisley, Roger GloverCraig Gruber (bass); Gary Driscoll, Cozy Powell, Bob Rondinelli, Chuck Burgi (drums). Additional personnel: Munich Philharmonic Orchestra, Bavarian String Ensemble, Japanese Symphony Orchestra. Producers: Martin Birch, Roger Glover. Compilation producer: Bill Levenson. Recorded between 1975 & 1984. Includes liner notes by Jerry Bllom and Mark Welch. Personnel: Graham Bonnet, Joe Lynn Turner, Ronnie James Dio (vocals); Ritchie Blackmore (guitar); Ferenc Kiss (violin); Ottmer Machan (viola); Rudi Risavy (flute); Max Hecker (recorder); Micky Lee Soule (piano, Clavinet, organ, Mellotron); David Rosenthal, Don Airey, David Stone, Tony Carey (keyboards); Cozy Powell, Bob Rondinelli, Chuck Burgi, Gary Driscoll (drums). Recording information: Budokan Hall, Tokyo, Japan (02/20/1975-03/??/1984); Japan (02/20/1975-03/??/1984); La Chateau, Paris, France (02/20/1975-03/??/1984); Le Studio, Morin Heights, Canada (02/20/1975-03/??/1984); Maison Rouge Mobile Studio (02/20/1975-03/??/1984); Musicland Studios, Munich, Germany (02/20/1975-03/??/1984); Sweet Silence Studio, Copenhagen, Denmark (02/20/1975-03/??/1984). Photographers: Anthony Loew; Jim Houghton; Fin Costello. Unknown Contributor Role: Munich Philharmonic Orchestra. Arranger: Ritchie Blackmore. Released in 2003, the exceptional two-CD Rainbow collection Catch the Rainbow: The Anthology provides a deeper understanding of how the band influenced the direction of hard rock and heavy metal. Between 1975 and 1984, former Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore guided his new band (which had dizzying revolving-door lineup changes) through visions of mystical heavy metal and polished, radio-friendly hard rock. Blackmore's employment of vocalists Ronnie James Dio, Graham Bonnet, and Joe Lynn Turner created three distinct periods, all of which Catch the Rainbow: The Anthology expands upon further than 2000's perfunctory 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Rainbow and 1997's stellar The Very Best of Rainbow. Indispensable songs such as "Man on the Silver Mountain," "Catch the Rainbow," "Stargazer," "Long Live Rock 'n' Roll," "Since You Been Gone," "Stone Cold," and "Street of Dreams" are included, of course. Other tracks that will enlighten Rainbow neophytes are "Sixteenth Century Greensleeves," "A Light in the Black," "Gates of Babylon," "Rainbow Eyes," "Eyes of the World," "Spotlight Kid," and "Jealous Lover." All the previously mentioned songs are excellent, but the two that fully showcase Blackmore's technical prowess are live epics -- the 13-minute, blues-oriented Deep Purple holdover "Mistreated" and the 11-minute "Difficult to Cure," based on Beethoven's Ninth Symphony and featuring the Japanese Symphony Orchestra. Although die-hard fans might suggest substitutions, it's hard to quibble too much about the song selection on a comprehensive two-CD, 28-track compilation like Catch the Rainbow: The Anthology. ~ Bret Adams

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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