RAINBOW: Rising

Released: 1976

With his departure from Deep Purple finalised, Ritchie Blackmore discarded the group who had recorded Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow even before it had been released, keeping only Ronnie James Dio and building around him a monster touring band: bass player Jimmy Bain, keyboardist Tony Carey and legendary sticksman Cozy Powell who up until this point had been languishing in semi-obscurity as a former drummer with Jeff Beck. Together, moulded into shape by the endless touring regimen even superstars faced during the 1970s, the now simply-tagged Rainbow would create a true neo-classical hard rock masterpiece: Rising.

Blackmore knew there was a lot riding on this album, and he threw everything he could at it including the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra. Most of all however, were six ripper songs leading off with an explosion of keyboard pomp courtesy of Carey that solidifies into "Tarot Woman", a solid catchy riff from Blackmore and the rich voice of Dio. "Run With the Wolf" is powered by a thunderous performance from Powell: for a band that had been little more than an ego project on its first outing, Blackmore really allows his supporting cast to shine here. "Starstuck" is just a plain rock-out track about an obsessed groupie and the bluntly succinct "Do You Close Your Eyes?" is possibly the shortest track in Rainbow's entire catalogue.

Possibly more than anything he'd done before, the second hald of Rising was the full flowering of Blackmore's neoclassical pretensions. There is no better example of this than the album's showcase, the ploddingly majestic "Stargazer", which not only features a complete orchestra but has Blackmore's Stratocaster sounding like a Stradivarius for his epic solo. After this, stops are pulled ever further with the extended wankfest that is "A Light in the Black", a track that could easy be the precursor to all DragonForce songs. Originally intended as an instrumental until Dio added his inimitable touches about open doors that need keys and other vaguely allegorical metaphors, in the middle is a spectacular duel between Blackmore and Carey that Sam Totman and his cronies probably have on constant repeat on their tour bus.

For fans of Baroque neo-classical hard rock, there is possibly no finer example than Rising.

1. Tarot Woman
2. Run With the Wolf
3. Starstruck
4. Do You Close Your Eyes?
5. Stargazer
6. A Light in the Black

Rating: 95%