The one and only British rock band Rainbow fellas! I am so influenced by this band that when somebody says Rainbow the first thing I think of the band than on a real Rainbow! This is definitely one of my favorite albums that I‘ve got influenced by as a young musician and I would love to share it with you and for those who know the album to remind them about how good and special this first album of Rainbow is. So let’ start!
Rainbow were formed by the former Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore in 1975. This band originally consisted of former Elf members, Lead Singer Ronnie James Dio (later on he joins Black Sabbath), on keyboards Mickey Lee Soule, the drummer Gary Driscoll and the bassist Craig Gruber. Of course over the years Rainbow had a lot lineup changes, but in this particular album this is the golden 5. It is interesting that this first line-up never performed live.
Another interesting fact is that Blackmore originally planned to make a solo album, but the recording started very well with the guys so instead in 1975 he formed his own band, Rainbow. The Album “Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow” contains 2 cover songs (“Black Sheep of the Family” by Quatermass and “Still I'm Sad” by The Yardbirds) and 7 original songs (my favorites are "Temple of the King”, "Catch the Rainbow" and "Man on the Silver Mountain").
What I truly love about this album is that the album is a combination of rock ballads (like “Temple of the King” where Ronnie Dio sings in the lower register), powerful hard rock tracks (like “Man on the Silver Mountain”) and even rock n roll (If You Don't Like Rock 'N' Rol). Another thing which contributed to the “magic” to the album is the use of the acoustic guitar, it really flows great with the perfect voice of Ronnie Dio. Overall the riffs are simplistic but powerful and all together they build a strong and homogeneous mixture which is a true pleasure for the ears! Rainbow with this album proves that is not always just about using complex riffs.
Now let’s talk about the lyrics in the songs. Big Bravo to Mister Ronnie Dio, who wrote every single lyrics in the whole album. He writes very fantasy-based lyrics that really compliment the whole album and make it a complete package.
What is your favorite album from the “Rainbow”?
