RAINBOW - Live In Germany 1976 Reissue Due This Month
August 12, 2011, 13 years ago
Get ready for a double dose of RAINBOW when Eagle Rock Entertainment reissues Live In Germany 1976 in a special two-CD package.
The eight-song concert is the definitive early onstage statement of a great band whose personnel shape-shifted through the years. This particular lineup is looked upon as the primo Rainbow assemblage. Lead guitarist Ritchie Blackmore had left DEEP PURPLE in 1975 to concentrate on a more personalized version of his vision, and did just that with legendary vocalist Ronnie James Dio (1942-2010), drummer Cozy Powell, bassist Jimmy Bain and keyboardist Tony Carey. (This lineup only recorded one album together: Rising, a landmark in British Rock.)
Performing flawlessly on elongated jam-happy versions of 'Kill The King', 'Mistreated', 'Sixteenth Century Greensleeves', 'Catch The Rainbow' (disc #1), 'Man On The Silver Mountain', 'Stargazer', 'Still I’m Sad' and 'Do You Close Your Eyes' (disc #2), Blackmore fulfilled his every expectation. Filled with startling guitar solos and massive Dio lung power, Live In Germany 1976 is a band in full control of their capabilities.
Live In Germany 1976 has all the elements, showcasing a band truly immeasurable in their talent and musical abilities. One can only wonder what kind of magic could have been produced had this lineup stayed together.