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Rating: When the great Ritchie Blackmore left Deep Purple, exhausted by the band that was wearing him out, he thought of launching into a solo project. The Elf, a group that had been significantly boosted by the same Purple in previous years, were the right band to be colonized by the historic guitarist; in fact, he immediately took full command and, with the exception of the guitarist for obvious reasons, made it his personal support band.
Among all, the vocalist Ronnie James Dio stood out, a small marvel passionate about fantasy themes, exactly those themes that would be the cornerstones of his many-year career, starting from this debut album: "Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow", precisely to underline the fact that it was supposed to be a solo project.
The album opens with the formidable "Man On The Silver Mountain", a hard rock in which the singer's exceptional vocal skills stand out right away, supported by one of Ritchie's many masterpiece riffs and an excellent solo, becoming an instant classic of the band. "Self Portrait" continues in the same style, while "Black Sheep Of The Family" is the first of 2 covers, in this case by the semi-unknown Quatermass: it is one of the most catchy tracks on the record.
"Catch The Rainbow" is an absolute masterpiece, the second of the work: over 6 minutes for an immense romantic ballad that will also become a classic of the group, in the live "On Stage" its best version of over 15 minutes. "Snake Charmer" is another excellent piece, always very hard rock n' roll along the lines of the first 2 tracks, overall the piece I consider minor despite its more than good craftsmanship; but the greatest masterpiece, the last of the 3 on the record, is the following marvelous "Temple Of The King": a haunting ballad with Ronnie in the unprecedented role of minstrel taking us to dream in the epic journey of a man in search of the king's temple: "One day in the year of the fox, came a time remembered well, when the strong young man of the rising sun, heard the tolling of the great black bell/ One man in the year of the fox, when the bell began to ring, meant the time had cometh, for one to go, to the temple of the king".
The fun Jerry Lee style rock n' roll of "If You Don't Like Rock n' roll" (precisely) introduces us to "Sixteenth Century Greenslaves", the last highlight of the work, which is based on a granitic riff that will be unabashedly plundered by Judas for their classic "Beyond The Realms Of Death": musically another great piece although inferior to the best. To close this fantastic debut, there's the second cover: "Still I'm Sad" by the Yardbirds in now instrumental version.
In conclusion, we can talk about a more than excellent debut, a debut heavily influenced by the classic hard rock of the time, with peaks of rock n' roll and (rare) hard blues; nothing particularly original, but an album that will start the saga of a band fundamental for the development of heavy metal in the years to come, especially power metal especially concerning fantasy themes.
This album is unanimously considered inferior to the subsequent "Rising," considered the great masterpiece of this extraordinary band; surely the latter will be a work that, while not completely detaching from this previous debut, will present itself with a more complex, mature, and definitive sound, also thanks to the 3 renowned replacements that will enter the lineup after the tour. Despite this, among the 9 tracks of the album, there are at least 3 definite absolute masterpieces and another 6 between excellent ideas and great pieces, each seasoned with epic and dreamy themes that enrich everything, as only the great Ronnie knows and will know how to do.
Finally, I can't give less than 5 stars to this album despite the certain inferiority compared to the famous successor, as mentioned earlier. An essential album for all rock lovers.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Man on the Silver Mountain (04:42)
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
02 Self Portrait (03:17)
Paint me your picture and hang it on the wall
Color it darkly
The lines must start to crawl
Down, down, down
Spin me around and around
Draw me away to the night from the day
Leave not a trace to be found
Down, down
Nothing is real but the way that I feel
And I feel like going down, down, down, down
Down, down, down, down, down
Paint me a picture of eyes that never see
With flashes of lightning that burn for only me
Hey hey hey
There's only the devil to pay
I'm ready to go
Pull me down from below
Give me a place I can lay
Hey hey
Nothing is real but the way that I feel
I feel like going down, down, down, down
Down, down, down, down
Hey hey
Nothing is real but the way that I feel
And I feel like going down
Down, down
Nothing is real but the way that I feel
And I feel like going down, down, down, down
Down, down, down, down
Down, down, down, down
Down
04 Catch the Rainbow (06:27)
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
05 Snake Charmer (04:33)
Old hollow eyes got no ties
Walking by the light of the moon
A pair of shiny boots
With strings and flutes
Rising like a crazy balloom
Close your door
He's on the loose
Here he comes
No hope for you
Ooh Snake Charmer
Hey mystery man
What's your plan
I've got to tell the world
To beware you don't care
He'll hipnotise you
And tell you lies
He's hiding at the top of the stairs
Close your door
I see him coming out
There's no hope for you
Ooh Snake Charmer
Snake Charmer
Hey fancy face
Got no place
Living from a hole in the ground
Old sparkle eyes
He never cries
One step ahead of the hounds
Close your door
He's on his way
He's coming out of the shadows now
There's no hope for you
Ooh Snake Charmer
Snake Charmer
Old hollow eyes
Got no ties
Play your strings and flutes
Mystery man what's your plan
Snake Charmer
He'll harm yer
08 Sixteenth Century Greensleeves (03:31)
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
09 Still I'm Sad (03:51)
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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