RAINBOW – Long Live Rock ‘N’ Roll (Re-issue)

Polydor/Universal

Another double CD re-issue of the band’s classic 1978 album, with the bonus CD adding rough mixes of songs on the original album, some live versions and a couple of rehearsal takes.Interesting sleeve notes that include interviews (archive ones and more current ones) with the band members involved, apart from Ritchie Blackmore

Rainbow were never one of the more stable bands line-up wise and as this album was being recorded out went keyboards player Tony Carey (although he was re-hired then fired again) and bassist Jimmy Bain (who would later surface again in Dio). In their place came Bob Daisley and David Stone on keyboards, although Tony Carey plays the keyboards on the rough mixes songs.

The album itself has some real hard rocking classics like the title track and ‘Kill The King’, one of the heaviest songs Rainbow recorded. There are some epic moments such as ‘Gates Of Babylon’, a real Blackmore/Dio tour de force and one of my personal favourate Rainbow songs, the ballad ‘Rainbow Eyes’ which proved that Dio was able to sing softly and still blow the listener away. Interestingly the rough mix has the flute more to the front of the mix and is as good as the album version.

On disc tow the fans will enjoy the rough mixes and the rehearsal tracks, especially ‘Long Live Rock ‘N’ Roll’ that features a lot of Hammond and a jammed intro. There are five live songs lifted from the Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert series, although two versions of ‘L.A. Connection’ is a bit too much, not one of the best songs on the album.

I enjoy all eras of Rainbow and this album, along with ‘Rising’, are ‘must haves’ from the Dio era and if you don’t have this album on CD this double CD re-issue is well worth getting.

****1/2

Jason Ritchie

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Power Plays w/c 9 December 2024

In this sequence we play ‘The Best of 2024′ GRTR! reviewer selections

Featured Albums w/c 9 December 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2024 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2024 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2024 (Singer Songwriter)