Rainbow "Rising" 1976*****

"Rising" is officially Rainbow's second album, although the first one was presented as a Blackmore solo effort and featured a different band, with the exception of Blackmore and original singer Ronnie James Dio. It is evident from the elevated musicianship and live recordings that later surfaced, that this was a new, improved Rainbow. Drummer Cozy Powell had already proved his ability with Jeff Beck's group, bassist Jimmy Bain would go on to have a career in Metal and talented 19 year-old keyboardist Tony Carey was there to recreate Deep Purple's guitar/organ duels, an ersatz Jon Lord of sorts, only this time subordinate rather than equal to the guitarist. Although Rainbow was created (and always functioned) as a vehicle for Blackmore's guitar pyrotechnics, this is Dio's album, more than anyone else's. With "Rising", Dio was about to become a major player in hard rock and a very unlikely one for the boy who was a fan of fellow Italian-American tenor Mario Lanza, played trumpet and released his first single in 1958, only to languish in complete obscurity for the next 17 years. Most people would have quit the music business, but he kept on. Blackmore employed him and the rest of Elf as support players for his solo project - but now he emerged as co-leader, writing all the lyrics and getting equal credit for the music. His semi-operatic vocal style (never better than here) was groundbreaking and provided a blueprint for Heavy Metal singers everywhere, as did his fantasy inspired lyrics. "Tarot Woman" opened the record with 1,5 minute of synthesizer noodling, before the band dynamically kicked in with some crunching hard rock. It's immediately obvious that everyone, and especially the singer, is on top of his game. "Run with the Wolf" and "Do You Close Your Eyes" are standard 70's hard rock fare and "Starstruck" a song about a female stalker/groupie. It's a catchy Deep Purple-ish song, in the vein of "Black Night" or "Demon's Eye". I really like it, but it's out-of-sync with the epic character of the rest of the album. The second (vinyl) side is comprised by two long quasi-prog numbers that rank with Rainbow's best and have set the template for all future heavy metal. First off, those operatic vocals. Then, Blackmore's guitar playing. With Deep Purple he had already established himself among the top players in the world, but here he upped the ante. Completely abandoning the blues stylings of contemporary guitar heroes like Clapton and Page, he took his cues from classical music, albeit electrified and played at maximum speed and volume. That raised the bar incredibly high for other guitarists in hard rock, although a few did dare to try (a young Swede named Yngwie comes to mind). Of the two songs, "Stargazer" is the winner, with its frenzied guitar work and Munich Philharmonic Orchestra doubling with the keyboards to create an impressively epic sound. Even more importantly, it features Dio's arguably best ever performance, which makes it a candidate for all-time best vocal performance in Metal, period. Now, Dio has been often mocked for two things. The first one was his height: At 1.63 m, he was probably the shortest man in rock. In the macho world of Heavy Metal, this became cause for unfair mockery. The second was his lyrics, forever grounded in the world of heroes, wizards and dragons. This led to a great deal of criticism by music journalists, who found his lyrics immature and ridiculous. Curiously, those same journalists never objected to other singers' usual "Baby I love you, I miss you so, why did you leave me" drivel. "Stargazer" at least makes for some vivid fantasy storytelling: It's the story of worker/slaves toiling for years, building a pharaonic structure for a powerful wizard. At its completion, the wizard was supposed to gain the ability to fly and take them with him to the stars. Instead, he plunges to his death. All their dreams of interstellar travel are shattered but after the storm a rainbow rises and with it comes a realisation: That they are free, they have found their will again and miss their homes. "A Light In The Black" is the story of their homecoming, but the focus shifts from the vocals back to the instruments. Blackmore delivers a masterful performance and engages in exciting guitar/organ interplay with Carey, recalling Purple's heyday. Powell's playing is powerful and precise throughout the whole album. Overall, we're talking about a landmark of an album. Although not consistently great, I wouldn't dream of subtracting a star from such an influential work. "Stargazer" alone would have been enough to guarantee Rainbow a reigning position in hard rock's Valhalla.

***** for Stargazer, A Light In The Black

**** for Tarot Woman, Starstruck 

*** for Run With The Wolf  

** for Do You Close Your Eyes