Even by the standards of the 70s, the story of Rainbow’s classic second album - and its messy aftermath - is a tangle of creative genius, colourful characters and personal tensions.
Rising captured the band at their peak. Driven by guitarist Ritchie Blackmore’s single-minded vision, it pioneered an epic sound whose influence can still be heard today. In the space of 18 months, Blackmore had assembled one of the greatest rock bands ever - and then dismantled it.
The guitarist had left Deep Purple following 1974’s Stormbringer album, tired of the band’s relentless recording and touring schedules, growing funk-rock influences and, ultimately, their refusal to record a cover of Black Sheep Of The Family by cult trio Quatermass. Blackmore realized he was losing his grip on the band he formed, and quit to put together Rainbow with members of US rockers Elf, a former Deep Purple support band fronted by singer Ronnie James Dio.
Having recorded Rainbow’s self-titled 1975 debut album with the members of Elf, Blackmore had no intention of retaining a group he felt had the charisma of a bar band. Dio was in, but the rest were replaced. Scottish bass player Jimmy Bain joined from Harlot. Drummer Cozy Powell - already a legend, who had been playing drums since the age of 12, had a stint with Jeff Beck (one of Blackmore’s favourite guitarists), and two hit singles as a solo artist. Keyboard player Tony Carey completed the line-up. The band decamped to Munich with Deep Purple producer Martin Birch.
The resultant album, Rising, is the sound of a band on fire. Recorded in the days before digital edits, the album has the intensity of a band getting it right in just a couple of takes, driven by Blackmore’s intense desire to prove a point to his former Purple bandmates. And then there’s the voice. “Ronnie was not only a talented singer, he was an amazing songwriter”, said Tony Carey.
The album kicks off with the keyboard crescendo of Tarot Woman. “I especially like the Minimoog solo Tony does on Tarot Woman,’’ said Blackmore. “It was the first solo he did for the song. He said he could do much better, and went back and played for about an hour, but it never compared to the first solo.”
The album’s centrepiece is Stargazer, a nine- minute epic that combines Blackmore’s love of classical music with Dio’s vivid, fantastical lyrics. The track is built around a cello-inspired main riff, but the highlight is Blackmore’s uninhibited lead playing and searing slide work (a recent addition to his repertoire). The sweeping, Eastern scales add to the grandiosity.
Blackmore brought in the Munich Symphony Orchestra, led by conductor Rainer Pietsch. But not everything went to plan.
“The orchestra was too flowery, and there was too much detracting from the simple melody,” Blackmore says in retrospect. ’’We kept taking out parts, and I felt sorry for Rainer because he was so proud of this grandiose piece he had written. We got down to the bare bones, and mixed in some Mellotron to even out the orchestra not sounding cohesive or in tune.”
Rising was released on May 17,1976. Although it has a running time of just 33 minutes and 28 seconds, Blackmore obviously felt it was complete, as he held back songs (notably Kill The King and Long Live Rock'N'Roll). Rising has become a hard rock totem and was a major influence on the new wave of metal approaching. Blackmore, though, wasn’t that impressed: “Although I thought the overall sound of the record was very punchy, it lacked warmth and bass. It was very ‘toppy’.”
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