Long Live Rock & Roll

Rainbow - Long Live Rock & Roll

Long Live Rock & Roll
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Music CD Cover

Artist: Rainbow
Edition: Music CD
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Format: Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered
CD Release Date: 1999-04-27
Music Label: Polydor / Umgd
Soundtracks:
  1. Long Live Rock 'N' Roll
  2. Lady Of The Lake
  3. L.A. Connection
  4. Gates Of Babylon
  5. Kill The King
  6. The Shed (Subtle)
  7. Sensitive To Light
  8. Rainbow Eyes

Free Music Notes for Long Live Rock & Roll

Free Music Review: Long Live, indeed...
Hit: 5 Stars

This, my friends, is without a doubt, my favorite Rainbow album and one of my top-ten records EVER! It was the first Rainbow album I got, and I picked it randomly after reading for sooooo many years about this great band where Dio and Blackmore teamed before Ronnie joined Sabbath. Being a MAJOR Dio-era Sabbath fan, I was intrigued, and finally I caved in. Of course, I had to order the damn thing because record stores in my country wouldn't carry anything but mainstream acts at the time. So without ever hearing a single note of the band's music, I ordered "Long Live Rock n' Roll". A few weeks later, after finally getting my hands on it and listening to it, I was speechless: IT IS SO AWESOME! Recorded in France at different times during 1977, the album features in addition to Ritchie Blackmore on guitars and Ronnie James Dio on vocals, the inimitable talents of Cozy Powell on drums. The lineup was completed by keyboardist Dave Stone and bassist Bob Daisley (who only played on a few songs) and while neither one has earned too much praise or many accolades for their contributions, the fact remains that without them the album wouldn't have been completed at all.

The title track is simply great, you can definitely tell that Blackmore is the one playing, but it doesn't sound like Deep Purple at all, which was a big surprise for me, as I am also a big Purple fan. Dio is simply monstrous, and at the risk of having my life threatened by some diehards, I believe he sings even better than he would eventually do on "Heaven and Hell". It's heavy, yet catchy and melodic; "Lady of the lake" conjures up images of Knights, dungeons, dragons and magic that would become a Dio trademark and a primordial element of Euro-metal for decades to come (to this day, actually...) and rocks big time with some terrific slide guitar from Ritchie; "LA Connection" is another gem, slower than the previous tunes, but very intense and heavy; "Gates of Babylon" needs no further comment: simply put, a masterpiece, from the keyboard intro through its powerful lyrics to its awe inspiring guitar work.

"Kill the King" is fast and furious, yet catchy and melodic, a true classic and one of my favorite songs ever. Unlikely as it might seem, I think that the studio version is even MORE potent than the live versions of the song that are available, a rare occurence when talking about this band, which was absolutely killer onstage. At this point I'm compelled to state the obvious: hearing this album and this song in particular you understand perfectly where Iron Maiden got their inspiration. Don't believe me? Well, just so you know, Steve Harris is a MAJOR Rainbow fan (he has said so on more than one occasion); "The Shed" builds up nice and slow and then it slams you in the face, driven by the power of the great, late Cozy Powell. "Sensitive to Light" is probably the only song that sounds a little out of place, sounding a little reminiscent to "If you don't like rock n' roll" from their debut album, but ultimately it's a great track too.

And last but certainly not least, "Rainbow Eyes" is all subtlety, all fragility, all intensity and passion in one, without a doubt, the best Rainbow ballad (sorry Joe Lynn Turner freaks), built upon a beautiful guitar melody which is emphasized by a string and flute ensemble that is simply gorgeous.

Too bad that this record would prove to be the last release from the Dio-era, as Blackmore would (once again!!!) change his mind about the musical direction he wanted for the band shortly after the completion of the supporting tour. While I might agree with most Rainbow diehards and scholars that "Rising" is probably their best album (it was in fact the last one I got from the Dio-era), this is the one that ultimately had the biggest impact on me and the one which will always hold the fondest musical memories for me. If you're new to Rainbow (Dio-era or otherwise), I suggest that you start your collection with either this or the debut album before digging into "Rising", which is far more complex and quite a bit harder to absorb at first. This should allow you to enter a comfort zone and gradually dig in deeper. This record is a masterpiece and no fan of 70's hard rock should do without it. Forgive me for the play on words, but it's too bad that this incarnation of the band didn't, in fact, "live long..."

Long Live Rock & Roll Poster

Japanese only SHM/SACD paper sleeve pressing. Please note you will need a dedicated SACD player to listen to the disc. Universal. 2010.

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