Rainbow
Long Live Rock 'n' Roll

THE REVIEW

After the consecration of "Rising" (1976), considered by many to be one of the quintessential hard rock albums, and the official live recordings with "On Stage" (1977), Ritchie Blackmore and RJ Dio's Rainbow returned to the studio to create their third work, which according to RJ Dio was meant to follow in the footsteps of the previous album. However, Blackmore wanted to bring back a touch of blues presence found in "Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow" (1975), the debut work of this hard rock band. The title of this album is "Long Live Rock n Roll", released in 1978. While listening, the differences between Blackmore and Dio become quite clear: in fact, the tracklist alternates between hard rock/blues tracks and heavier ones.

The start of the album is more than good, in fact, excellent. Cozy Powell begins with a well-defined snare roll that launches a real anthem to rock music: "Long Live Rock n Roll" (sacred words!!). It's a track where Blackmore's predominant Deep Purple style is perfectly audible. The piece is a hard rock pounding from start to finish and does justice to what rock is. The singing of RJ Dio is absolutely gritty, and Cozy Powell is powerful behind the drums.

The second track is "Lady of the Lake", slightly heavier than the previous one, even if not very convincing. The chorus is very good, supported by a keyboard pad that is quite decisive for the atmosphere. Ritchie's solo is very sound-based, while the second half of the solo picks up the melody of the chorus.

The third track is very interesting; it starts with a riff heavily influenced by blues and a fairly determined rhythm where RJ Dio resumes singing in his own manner. Only towards the end is it possible to hear a piano solo that accompanies the chorus.

The riff of the fourth track is very beautiful, one of the best on this album: "Gates of Babylon". The keyboard introduces us to a dark and oriental atmosphere that leads us to the entrance of the real riff, played on a harmonic minor scale. The chorus is truly beautiful, almost taking us back to the atmospheres of Stargazer. A small demonstration of what Rainbow will be in future albums, even if they won’t have the same success.

Here's a track that could have been perfectly inserted into the tracklist of Rising: "Kill the King", already performed live since 1977. It is one of the strongest points of the album, the heaviest, the most energetic: everyone plays in a solid and heavy manner. Excellent Blackmore, Dio, and Powell in this track. A fearsome, epic, heroic guitar solo (where you can hear the use of the double pedal by the drummer). The reprise of the verse (raised by a tone compared to the solo, which was already a tone above the beginning of the piece) is truly chilling: RJ Dio sings it in an impressive manner, as if he were angry, releasing all his power into the microphone, and the finale is equally exceptional: absolutely pure heavy metal. Certainly the best track on the album after "Rainbow Eyes", which I will describe next.

"The Shed (Subtle)" is also very solid, where RJ Dio does an excellent job of creating and recording the backing vocals. This too is a prelude to future Rainbow (in other words, Blackmore's will).

Next up is a very lively, active rock n roll track titled "Sensitive to Light" that might remind us of "If You Don't Like Rock n Roll" recorded 3 years earlier. Very pleasant to listen to but nothing exceptional.

But now let's move to the track which, in my opinion, is the best on this album: the sweet "Rainbow Eyes". Blackmore plays with a clean effect and the whole is supported by a mini orchestra of wind instruments, among which a flute emerges; there are neither drums nor bass. The credit for the good outcome of this piece goes especially to RJ Dio who, on this occasion, sings in a truly touching way: we will never hear RJ Dio so expressive and sweet again. But Blackmore also truly deserves much for his sublime and refined composition/interpretation of the track. Undoubtedly, it is one of the most beautiful songs in Rainbow's entire discography. A perfect conclusion, which, if we consider the fact that RJ Dio will leave the group, makes us regret his absence in subsequent albums. In short, we can say that our dear RJ Dio leaves the group with class, great style, and originality.

An album that is not to be discarded even if it's not up to a perfection called "Rising". The trick is to savor the high points (even if, to be honest, there aren't very many) and enjoy them, because focusing only on the negative points deprives us of the pleasure of listening to the music. My rating is 3.5 stars out of 5. The flaws of this album are: the sound is not as solid as the previous album (which would have raised the quality) and the differences in ideas between Blackmore and RJ Dio ...for the rest, the album is very easy to listen to and not difficult to enjoy.