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Rating: Toto...I've the feeling that we aren't in Kansas anymore...We must be over the Rainbow!.
With this quote from the film THE WIZARD OF OZ, the concerts of Ritchie Blackmore's magical Rainbow began during the period with R.J. Dio as the singer, with the band thus always dedicated to a typical mystical-medieval sound. The scenography was very sparse; everything was focused on the musicians and their performances, performances immortalized in this great Live Album: ON STAGE.
The record starts with the furious assault of KILL THE KING, a speed song characterized by a devastating double bass drum pattern by Cozy Powell and the continuous duels between keyboard and guitar. Dio immediately shows that he is in great shape, as does Ritchie, who flaunts a very engaging and theatrical solo. The historic riff of Man On The Silver Mountain opens a medley where MAN ON THE SILVER MOUNTAIN will find space followed by a blues diversion by Blackmore and a hint of STARSTRUCK. Man On The Silver Mountain maintains its original structure (although the tempo is quite accelerated) driven by Blackmore's riff and Dio's singing. At the song's close, Ritchie improvises a very captivating and dreamy blues, followed by the rest of the band. After the blues ends, Dio starts with a brief hint at STARSTRUCK, which is reconnected to MAN ON THE SILVER MOUNTAIN, excellently closing the medley.
The third track features CATCH THE RAINBOW, the central focus of the entire album. The version here is very long and extended (15 minutes) and, in my opinion, better than the studio version. Introduced by a soft intro from Blackmore, the song retains all its evocative and dreamlike aura that it had in the studio (thanks again to an excellent performance by Ronnie on vocals) but is characterized by two wonderful guitar solos, played with mastery and taste by Ritchie. With all these changes in atmosphere and crescendos, the song turns out to be very engaging.
Presented by Ronnie as a piece written by Blackmore during his time with Deep Purple, the band plays an excellent live version of MISTRATED. Dio's singing is very different from Coverdale's, much more powerful and clear, and less tormented. Here too, we find an excellent central break where Blackmore enjoys caressing his guitar, demonstrating great taste and class. Powell's performance behind the drums is also excellent (he respects Paice's original drumming very well). XVI CENTURY GREENSLEEVES is a very engaging song that focuses entirely on the physicality of its riff (again, featuring a wonderful intro). Dio's singing is masterful, warm, and powerful. It closes with a cover of the Yardbirds' STILL I'M SAD, presented here in a splendid sung version characterized by a great keyboard solo by Carey and very decisive drumming.
Also noteworthy in this album is the great production by Martin Birch, truly impeccable.
A true masterpiece.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
02 Man On The Silver Mountain (04:15)
I'm a wheel, I'm a wheel
I can roll, I can feel
And you can't stop me turning
Cause I'm the sun, I'm the sun
I can move, I can run
But you'll never stop me burning
Come down with fire
Lift my spirit higher
Someone's screaming my name
Come and make me holy again
I'm the man on the silver mountain
I'm the man on the silver mountain
I'm the day, I'm the day
I can show you the way
And look, I'm right beside you
I'm the night, I'm the night
I'm the dark and the light
With eyes that see inside you
Come down with fire
Lift my spirit higher
Someone's screaming my name
Come and make me holy again
I'm the man on the silver mountain
I'm the man on the silver mountain
Come down with fire
And lift my spirit higher
Someone's screaming my name
Come and make me holy again
I'm the man on the silver mountain
I'm the man on the silver mountain
Well, I can help you, you know I can
I'm the man on the silver mountain
I'm the man on the silver mountain
Just look at me and listen
I'm the man, the man, give you my hand
I'm the man on the silver mountain
Come down with fire
And lift your spirit higher
I'm the man on the mountain
The man on the silver mountain
I'm the night, the light
The black and the white
The man on the silver mountain
04 Starstruck (02:57)
If I'm high on the hill
She'd still been looking down at me
What does she see that brings her closer every day to my heart
If I'm away from home
And think I'm all alone
She's there, somewhere
I look around and see
And looking back at me
She's there, beware!
Creeping like a hungry cat
I've seen her before
I know it can mean that
The lady starstruck, she's nothing but bad luck
The lady starstruck, running after me
The lady starstruck, she's nothing but bad luck, yeah
I could fly to the moon
But she soon find me and wait me there
I never knew for a while as smile made me really care
She wants a souvenir
To everyone it's clear
She's hooked, one look
She want a photograph
But everybody laughs but not me 'cause I see
She's creeping like a hungry cat
I've seen her before
I know I can mean that
The lady starstruck, she's nothing but bad luck
The lady starstruck, running after me
The lady starstruck, she's nothing but bad luck, oh oh o-o-oh
Oh my
The lady starstruck, she's nothing but bad luck
The lady starstruck, running after me, yeah
The lady starstruck, she's nothing but bad luck, yeah
It used to be a game
Now I can't repeat my name at all
She seems to believe that
I never can refuse a call
She wants a souvenir
To everyone it's clear
She's hooked; one look
She want a photograph
And everybody laughs, hah!
But not me 'cause I see
She's creeping like a hungry cat
I've seen her before
I know it can mean that
The lady starstruck, she's nothing but bad luck
The lady starstruck, running after me
The lady starstruck, she's nothing but bad luck, bad luck
The lady starstruck, she's nothing but bad luck
The lady starstruck running after me
The lady starstruck, she's nothing but bad luck
Bad luck, bad luck, bad luck
And back in the tree looking back at me
Climbing up my stair
I've just got to beware
Lady starstruck, yes, she's bad luck, bad luck
05 Catch The Rainbow (15:34)
When evening falls
She'll run to me
Like whispered dreams
Your eyes can't see
Soft and warm
She'll touch my face
A bed of straw
Against the lace
We believed we'd catch the rainbow
Ride the wind to the sun
Sail away on ships of wonder
But life's not a wheel
With chains made of steel
So bless me
Come the dawn
Come the dawn
Come the dawn
Come the dawn
We believed we'd catch the rainbow
Ride the wind to the sun
And sail away on ships of wonder
But life's not a wheel
With chains made of steel
So bless me, oh bless me, bless me
Come the dawn
Come the dawn
Come the dawn
Come the dawn
06 Mistreated (13:01)
I've been mistreated, I've been abused, yeah
I've been struck downhearted, now, baby, ooh yeah
I've been so confused
'Cause I know, yes I know, I've been mistreated
Ooh all my life, aaah
Since my baby left me, I've been losing my mind
Oooh yeah
I've been lonely, ooh ooh, I say I've been cold
I'm getting old
I've been looking for a woman, all the time to stay, yeah
Someone to have and hold
But I know, yeah I know, I've been mistreated, left for a day
Since my baby left me, I've been losing, losing, yeah
Baby I've been losing my mind, oooh
Losing my mind all the time, yeah
Oooh
I've been so abused, yeah yeah
I said: I've been looking for a woman, all my life
Someone who'd leave me confused, like they do, yeah yeah
But I know, ooh
I've been mistreated, and generally left for a day
Since my woman left me, I've been losing, losing, oh
Baby I've been losing my mind
All the time, yeah yeah, ooh, hey, ooh, hey, ooh
Losing my mind, all the time, yeah
Oh oh oh, losing my mind, I say
But I'm losing my mind, all of the time
I'm going around
Looking for you, nothing to do
Losing my mind
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooooh
Losing my mind
Lets go
Oooo-ooo, oooo-oooo
Oooo-ooo, oooo-oooo
We've been losing our minds, oh oh oh oooh
07 Sixteenth Century Greensleeves (07:35)
It's only been an hour
Since he locked her in the tower
The time has come
He must be undone
By the morning
Many times before
The tyrant's opened up the door
Then someone cries
Still we close our eyes
Not again
Meet me when the sun is in the western skies
The fighting must begin before another someone dies
Cross bows in the fire light
Greensleeves waving
Madman raving
Through the shattered night
Flames are getting higher
Make it leap unto the spire
Draw bright down
Cut it to the ground
We shall dance around the fire
No more night
We have seen the light
Let it shine on bright
Hang him higher
08 Still I'm Sad (11:01)
Version 1 (From ''Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow'')
instrumental
Version 2 (From ''On Stage'')
See the stars come falling down from the sky,
Gently passing, they kiss your tears if you cry.
See the wind come softly blow
Your hair from your face,
And the rain comes falling down
In its crazy ways
Still I'm sad,
Still I'm sad.
For myself my tears just fall in the dust
They will drive every night will find they're lost
See the wind come softly blow
Time into my heart
And the rain comes falling down
While we're apart
Still I'm sad,
Still I'm sad.
See the stars come falling down from the sky,
Gently passing, they kiss your tears if you cry.
See the wind come softly blow
Your hair from your face,
And the rain comes falling down
In its crazy ways
Ooh ooh ooh ooh
I'm so sad,
I'm so sad.
But still I'm sad.
Feeling so sad
Feeling so bad
You're making me sad
Making me bad
Ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh, I'm sad.
Version 3 (From ''Stranger in Us All'')
See the stars come fallin' down from the sky
Gently passing, they kiss your tear drops dry
See the wind come, softly blow
Your hair from your face
And the rain comes falling down
In its crazy way
Still I'm sad
For myself my tears just fall in the dust
As I search in the night and find they're lost
See the wind come gently blow
Time into my heart
And the rain comes falling down
While we're apart
Still I'm sad
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