Rainbow ~ The Very Best Of Rainbow CD 1997 Polydor Records •• NEW

Rainbow The Very Best Of Rainbow AUDIO CD BRAND NEW & FACTORY SEALED Polydor Records 31453 7687-2 UPC | 731453768727 1997 TRACK LISTING 01. MAN ON THE SILVER MOUNTAIN 02. CATCH THE RAINBOW Taken from the album RITCHIE BLACKMORE'S RAINBOW , released in 1975 Ritchie Blackmore - guitar RonnieJames Dio - vocals Mickey Lee Soule - piano, mellotron, clavinet & organ Craig Gruber - bass Gary Driscoll - drums Produced by Ritchie Blackmore, Martin Birch, Ronnie James Dio Arranged by Ritchie Blackmore Mixed Production by Martin (The Wasp) Birch Recorded between the 20th of February and the 14th of March 1975 at Musicland Studios, Munich, Germany 03. STARSTRUCK 04. STARGAZER Taken from the album RAINBOW RISING , released in 1976 Ritchie Blackmore - guitar Ronnie James Dio - vocals Tony Carey - keyboards Jimmy Bain - bass Cozy Powell - drums Munich Philharmonic Orchestra Conducted and Scored by Rainer Pietsch Koncert Meister - Fritz Sonneleitner Produced by Martin Birch Recorded at Musicland Studios, Munich Germany, February 1976 05. KILL THE KING 06. LONG LIVE ROCK 'N' ROLL 07. GATES OF BABYLON Taken from the album LONG LIVE ROCK 'N’ ROLL , released in 1978 Ritchie Blackmore - guitar, bass Ronnie James Dio - vocals David Stone - keyboards Bob Daisley - bass Cozy Powell - drums GATES OF BABYLON Scored and Conducted by Rainer Pietsch Strings on GATES OF BABYLON: Bavarian String Ensemble Concert Master: Ferenc Kiss Produced by Martin Birch Recorded at Le Chateau, Paris, France, 1977 08. SINCE YOU BEEN GONE (Russ Ballard) 09. ALL NIGHT LONG Taken from the album DOWN TO EARTH , released in 1979 Ritchie Blackmore - guitar Graham Bonnet - vocals Don Airey - keyboards Roger Glover - bass Cozy Powell - drums Produced by Roger Glover Engineered by Gary Edwards Recorded at Le Chateau, Paris, France, with the Maison Rouge Mobile Studio, January/February 1979 10. I SURRENDER (Russ Ballard) 11. CAN'T HAPPEN HERE 12. JEALOUS LOVER Taken from the album DIFFICULT TO CURE , released in 1981, Ritchie Blackmore - guitar Joe Lynn Turner - vocals Don Airey - keyboards Roger Glover - bass Bob Rondinelli - drums Produced by Roger Glover Engineered by Flemming Rasmussen Recorded and Mixed at Sweet Silence Studios, Copenhagen, Denmark, August 1980, 13. STONE COLD 14. POWER Taken from the album STRAIGHT BETWEEN THE EYES , released in 1982 Ritchie Blackmore - guitar Joe Lynn lurner - vocals David Rosenthal - keyboards Roger Glover - bass Bob Rondinelli - drums Produced by Roger Glover Engineered by Nick Blagona Recorded at Le Studio, Morin Heights, Canada, 1981 15. CANT LET YOU GO 16. STREET OF DREAMS Taken from the album BENT OUT OF SHAPE , released in 1983 Ritchie Blackmore - guitar Joe Lynn Turner - vocals David Rosenthal - keyboards Roger Glover - bass Chuck Burgi - drums Produced by Roger Glover Recorded and Mixed at Sweet Silence Studios, Copenhagen, Denmark, 1983 For nearly a decade Rainbow was one of the most popular hard rock bands in the world, having evolved from the multi-million selling seventies giants Deep Purple. The brainchild of guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, Rainbow recorded nine acclaimed albums for Polydor Records. Initially starting out as a no-compromise album-orientated hand, the group s popularity grew enormously in the early eighties with the international success of the hits I Surrender, Stone Cold and Street of Dreams. Having left Deep Purple in the Spring of 75, Ritchie Blackmore wasted no time in setting up his new band. In fact the seeds had already been sown, for the first Rainbow album had been recorded whilst Ritchie was still a member of Deep Purple. He had been dissatisfied with the album Stormbringer and had contributed less to it than any previous recording. Indeed it was the first time since '69 that a Blackmore-penned composition had not been included on a Deep Purple album. Part of Ritchies dissatisfaction was due to the group refusing to record a favorite song of his, Black vSheep Of The Family, originally recorded by the group Quatermass in 1970. So whilst Deep Purple had some .spare time prior to a European tour, Blackmore went into the studio with members of the American band Elf - Ronnie James Dio (vocals), Mickey Lee Soule (keyboards), Craig Gruber (bass) and Gary Driscoll (drums) to record Black Sheep Of The Family, as well as Sixteenth Century Greensleeves, for a possible single release. Blackmore was so happy with the results, and brimming with ideas the band ended up spending two months at Musicland Studios in Germany recording the debut Rainbow album, Ritchie Blackmores Rainbow. The catalyst for this was undoubtedly Elf’s singer Ronnie James Dio. Blackmore and Dio instantly struck up a strong working relationship, aided by their shared interests in both Medieval music and hard rock. With the exception of the two cover versions recorded for the album, Quatermass’ Black Sheep Of The Family and The Yardbirds’ Still I’m Sad, Blackmore and Dio shared all the writing credits. In August 75 Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow was released. The album was a successful representation of Blackmores vision of creating a Medieval ambience within a hard rock framework. This was particularly highlighted in tracks like Man On The Silver Mountain and Catch The Rainbow. But even before the album had been released, Ritchie decided to change the band. In fairness, the members of Elf had only really been brought in on a session basis. With Dio the only Elf member remaining, Blackmore set about forming a more permanent band, recruiting two relative unknowns, bassist Jimmy Bain and keyboardist Tony Carey, and former Jeff Beck drummer Cozy Powell, to complete the Rainbow lineup. In February 76, the band began work at Musicland Studios on the follow up album Rainbow Rising. Released in May 76, Rainbow Rising was a much heavier album than its predecessor, with out and out rockers like Starstruck and A Light In The Black. The album continued the Sword and Sorcery imagery, most notably on Tarot Woman and the all time classic Rainbow track Stargazer. Stargazer clearly demonstrates Blackmore’s depth and breadth of musical vision, with the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra lending the composition a richly deserved grandness. With two well received studio albums behind them, Rainbow decided that their next album would showcase their live shows. Many of the 76 shows were recorded, and the following year saw the release of the double live album On Stage. Not only did it showcase beefed up versions of songs from the first two albums, but it also featured Rainbows version of the Deep Purple classic Mistreated. You couldn't find a better example of Blackmore’s live guitar work; On Stage’s Mistreated features one of the most melodic and gentle solos he has possibly ever performed. In May 77, with new bassist Mark Clarke, the band returned to the studio to begin work on their next album. In August 77 both Clarke and keyboardist Tony Carey were replaced by, respectively, Bob Daisley and David Stone. After nearly six months, in December 77, the recording of the album Long Live Rock ‘n’ Roll was finally completed. Long Live Rock ‘n Roll, highlighted by the title track and Kill The King, a track that had been featured in their live set for over a year, was released in April 78. Despite changes within the band, the album had much in common with Rainbow’s previous studio album Rainbow Rising. As with Rainbow Rising’s Stargazer, a string accompaniment was used for Gates Of Babylon, as well as the album’s closing track Rainbow Eyes. When the band returned to the studio in January 79, it was without Ronnie Dio, who had recently left to pursue his own band. Blackmore having lost his main partner, invited Roger Glover to help with the songwriting and production chores. Glover also took over on bass, while former Colosseum II keyboardist Don Airey and vocalist Graham Bonnet joined, completing the line up. Only Cozy Powell remained from the previous band. Due to the changes within the band and Glover’s production, the resulting album, the aptly named Down To Earth, featured a more commercial sound. Rainbow reached a new audience with two top ten UK hits Since You Been Gone and All Night Long. After eighteen months together, culminating in a huge show at the first Monsters Of Rock Festival at Castle Donnington, Ritchie wanted a new singer; after five years in the band, Cozy Powell also left. Two young Americans, Joe Lynn Turner and Bobby Rondinelli were recruited for the 1981 album Difficult To Cure. The album provided the band with their biggest hit single to date I Surrender, and also featured Spotlight Kid, a song that would become the opening number in the band's live set for years to come. Can’t Happen Here was the follow up hit single, and was backed with the great non-album cut Jealous Lover. By the time of 1982's Straight Between The Eyes, Don Airey had been replaced by David Rosenthal. Despite Blackmore taking the band in a more mainstream direction, the band still produced a few hard rock classics, most notably Death Alley Driver and Power. The album also produced Stone Cold (another hit single), and Tearin’ Out My Heart, which showcased the band’s melodic side. This direction was to develop further on the band’s final album, Bent Out Of Shape, released in the Summer of‘83. Once more the line up changed, with drummer Chuck Burgi replacing Bobby Rondinelli. Can’t Let You Go, Desperate Heart and Street Of Dreams showed once again that Blackmore’s strength lies not only in his guitar virtuosity but also in his ability to produce strong melodies. In April of‘84 Blackmore and Glover reformed Deep Purple, but not before fulfilling their obligation to tour Japan. In March ‘84 Rainbow bowed out in grand style with two shows at the famous Budokan Hall in Tokyo. For this occasion the band performed a special version of Difficult To Cure, their interpretation of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. Difficult To Cure had been in their live set for about five years, but for these shows they performed it with a full Symphony Orchestra bathed in rainbow coloured spotlights. Not only was it a fitting final spectacle, but it also inspired some of the most incredible playing ever from Blackmore. Difficult To Cure was released on the posthumous compilation Finyl Vinyl in 1986, by which time Blackmore and Glover were fully ensconced in Deep Purple. In 1993 the Man In Black decided it was once again time to reform Rainbow. Whether or not Blackmore’s nineties Rainbow will scale the heights of his previous incarnations is something we’ll watch for. For now, we can all sit back, listen to this compilation and, once again, ‘Catch The Rainbow’ ~ Jerry Bloom and Mark Welch. January' ‘97 SHIPPING TO USA ONLY Buyer Pays Shipping $3.99 1st CD $3.99... each additional $1.50 CDs will only be combined with other CDs or DVDs To qualify for the combined discount, all items must be purchased together, paid for with 1 payment, and shipped all together in 1 shipment.  Please use the add to cart feature, once you have ordered all your desired items,  proceed to checkout to complete your order with the combined total.

Returns Accepted for this item if it's within 30 Days