Rainbow Rising
Studio Album, released in 1976
Songs / Tracks Listing
1. Tarot Woman (6.08)
2. Run with the Wolf (3:47)
3. Starstruck (4:04)
4. Do You Close Your Eyes (2:58)
5. Stargazer (8:27)
6. A Light in the Black (8:11)
Total time: 33.35
Music: written and arranged by Ritchie Blackmore and Ronnie James Dio
Lyrics: Ronnie James Dio
Produced by Martin Birch
Rainbow came out with a real classic back in 1976. The album, Rainbow Rising really knocks you off your feet. The six tracks contained in this masterclass of rock, take you on a journey from beginning to end.
Kicking off with the Deep Purpleish keyboard intro to “Tarot Woman” played by Tony Carey. This soon builds into a stomping rocker of a track which has been classed as one of the best album openers of the 1970’s. We are then invited to “Run With the Wolf” Ronnie James Dio salivating as he belts out the lines. Watch out for a great lead guitar from Richie Blackmore here. Blackmore plays a blinding solo against the backdrop of a solid rhythm section of Jimmy Bain and Cozy Powell. Next up is “Starstruck”, a great riff with a lyric that can be a warning to all. Powell’s drumming here is thunderous and relentless. Then there is the magnificent Do You Close Your Eyes? An often overlooked track, filled with frantic Tony Carey keyboards and charging Blackmore riffs.
Side two contains just the two tracks. The first being the epic Stargazer. This simply has to be the best rock song that has ever been written. Starting with a smash and grab drum intro from Powell, the sticks master, we are thrown into a world of chaos, hatred and despair, as we arrive at this land of evil we are dragged along by a screaming riff delivered by a guitarist at his peak. The keyboards compliment the atmosphere by completing the sound with an almost Arabian ether. As Dio’s classic voice builds and builds the rest of the band follow suit in dramatic effect. Then we come to the album’s closing track the almost epic A Light in the Black, almost epic as it has to follow the truly epic Stargazer. Here we see Tony Carey shine as he complements Blackmore’s out-of-this-world guitar playing.
If there is a fault with “Rising” it’s that at 33 mins 28 secs long, it is too short an album and I want more…..
Peter Devine September 2016
