In 1975 guitarist Ritchie Blackmore became fed up with the way things had been going in his band Deep Purple. Rather than making the big heavy rock songs that he loved to write at the time instead their sound had taken more of a funk and soul direction; a sound Blackmore referred to as "shoeshine music". Blackmore talked to the singer of a band that had been opening for them for a while: Elf. This singer was none other than the late great Ronnie James Dio. Dio and Blackmore then with all of the members of Elf except the guitarist formed a new band that would be known as Rainbow.
Later in 1975 Rainbow put out its first album titled Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow. The album featured some key elements of the kind of rock Blackmore had wanted to do in Deep Purple but this time around more focus was on Blackmore's medieval meets blues guitar playing and of course Dio's powerful soaring vocals. There are a variety of genres ranging from hard rock to ballads to rockabilly to medieval folk music. You could tell the band was having a lot of fun coming up with all the different songs they were writing.
The one song almost every hard rock and heavy metal fan knows from Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow is the anthemic Man on the Silver Mountain. The main riff hooks itself into you and just won't let go from the moment the song begins playing. Dio paints some fantastic imagery with his lyrics and absolutely belts the tune out as powerfully as he can. Of course since this is Blackmore's brain child his guitar soloing goes off the chain as well. Everything about Man on the Silver Mountain is memorable to the last note.
Catch the Rainbow is a slower song, but you can hear a great deal of Ritchie Blackmore's Jimi Hendrix influence mixed into it. You wouldn't think the electric guitar could be that beautiful of an instrument, but with Blackmore's careful nuance it's one of the warmest pieces of music you might ever hear. Dio also showcases the more melodic and soft side of his voice as well; proving that he can do more than just shout out heavy rock anthems. The timbre and texture of his voice makes it almost feel like its a soft creamy piece of chocolate in a way.
Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow is one of the truly under rated albums of the 1970's; at least in terms of what is remembered by the mainstream anyway. You don't often hear any of it on the radio, but if you do yourself a favor and pick it up then I guarantee you will find something on there that you will cherish till the day you die. There isn't a single bad track on it. In fact, there isn't a single just ok track. It's one of those albums that at least I personally can listen to on repeat for days and not get tired of. While I don't necessarily expect it will enchant you the same way, it will still be a wonderful experience.
Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow, by Rainbow receives 5 out of 5 stars.
Track List:
1. Man on the Silver Mountain
2. Self Portrait
3. Black Sheep of the Family
4. Catch the Rainbow
5. Snake Charmer
6. The Temple of the King
7. If You Don't Like Rock n' Roll
8. Sixteenth Century Greensleeves
9. Still I'm Sad
Buy the album on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Ritchie-Blackmores-ORIGINAL-RECORDING-REMASTERED/dp/B00000IMTE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1433479309&sr=8-1&keywords=Ritchie+Blackmore%27s+Rainbow
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