Rainbow - On Stage (1977) + Bonus Track

(U.S / U.K 1975-1984, 1993-1977, 2015-Present)

The story of Rainbow's 'On Stage' actually begins with recordings of the band's third studio album "Long Live Rock 'n' Roll".

The recording of this album was accompanied by many difficulties. It was recorded at a castle in the Paris area, and the band members did not have finished materials to work with.  The writing process for most of the album's songs was performed at the castle itself, however the recordings did not progress satisfactorily, mainly due to the band members not concentrating on writing and enjoying the beautiful place and weather. In addition, the recordings were surrounded by strange faults in the recording equipment and unexplained phenomena until the band members and the recording team decided to perform a séance to find out the reason for it. And if that's not enough, because of Ritchie Blackmore's caprices, the band members were replaced several times during the recordings.

All of the above problems and significant delays in the recordings caused the record company to put pressure on the band to release something and that brought this great gift called "On Stage".

Rainbow 'On-Stage'

This live album has a lot in common with the mother band ("Deep Purple") "Made In Japan" album. This is also a double album that was not recorded on one complete show, but rather songs recorded over several performances. In addition, here too, most of the songs were recorded in Japan and like its older brother here too the show includes a lot of improvisations. And if you still do not understand how much the similarities between the two albums exist, then also in this album songs with "thin" versions in the studio albums have won bombastic versions that are substantially different from the original.

However, 'On-Stage' does not really reflect what happened in the band's performances. It included massive editing and studio intervention that undermined the authenticity of the live performances. What's more, the songs were shortened, solo pieces were compressed and improvisations were cut, all to allow for the release of this album as a double vinyl. But this is not enough, masterpiece songs that were part of the setlist on those shows, were not included in the album at all and the order of the songs was changed to adapt the album to the logistical and technical requirements. For example, works such as "Do You Close Your Eyes" and "Stargazer", which were played in performances at the time, did not find their way to the final edit.

Dio, Powell and Blackmore

Luckily, years later several performances from the same time were released, both on video and audio, so this magic can be recreated in a way closer to the original. An excellent example is the performance "Live In Koln 1976" in which you can also find the songs that were cut as part of the final editing of this album.

The choice of songs for the album was also strange. Four of the six songs on the show are from the band's first album, with the excellent album "Rising", being represented by only one song, "Starstruck", also not one of the greats of that album, which is part of a medley along with the blues section and the song "Man on the Silver Mountain". Among the six songs is also the song "Mistreated" from the MKIII of "Deep Purple", and another new song that will only be included on the band's next album, so what we have left to do is just wonder what went through Blackmore's mind when compiling the song list for this album.

Rainbow L-R: Carey, Dio, Blackmore, Powell & Bain

Despite all that said and perhaps against all odds, this is still an excellent album by a band that is at its peak with its classic lineup that includes Ritchie Blackmore, Ronnie James Dio, Cozy Powell, Tony Carey, and Jimmy Bain.

The album opens with the famous segment from the film "The Wizard of Oz", which has also become the regular opening intro of the band's performances, for generations. Dorothy talks to her dog, Toto, and says:

"Toto, I'm a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore, We Must Be Over the RAINBOW…"

"We Must be Over The Rainbow":

And then ... the legendary Cozy Powell lands a powerful blow on the snare drum, and we all embark on an adventure that not even the writer L. Frank Baum dreamed of when he first wrote his book on the controversial magician. "Kill The King" which is to be included on the band's next album is coming in full force, and we are getting a bombastic opening for this live album. Although the version of the show sounds a little less tight than the studio version, it is still a strong opening that requires a lot of courage of opening a live album with a new and unfamiliar song.

From there we move on to the string of the "Man On The Silver Mountain" which includes a bluesy improvisation with a keyboard guitar duet in the best tradition of "Deep Purple", as well as "Starstruck" from the album "Rising" which is shortened here.

The other side of the first album includes the song "Catch the Rainbow" which received an upgrade here and became an epic work. This is without a doubt the album's powerful performance, which although stretched over more than 15 minutes is not boring even for a moment. The improvisations of the band members are reinforced with vocal improvisations from Ronnie James Dio mostly in the last part of the piece that becomes a fifth instrument of the band.

The second album features the song "Mistreated" by "Deep Purple" which is spread out on the entire first side of the album. Dio manages to take a song that is so identified with David Coverdale's voice and perform it amazingly. Here, too, the improvisations stretch over a large part of the song (mostly by Blackmore) only this time it's a little less flowing than the previous song.

The fourth and final side of this double album concludes with two songs: "Sixteenth Century Greensleeves" featuring a long improvised overture, and the cover version "Still I'm Sad" which became a song with the original lyrics from "the Yardbirds" as appose to the instrumental album version.

In conclusion, despite the rather puzzling selection of songs, despite the over-intervention during the mixes and production, this is still an excellent album that perpetuates the band's highlights in the classic lineup. The long improvisations and "facelift" of the songs do not detract in any way from the pleasure of listening to the album. On the contrary, all we have left is to miss those days, when bands were improvising, jamming, and giving the songs a different interpretation as part of their performances. There are no artists today who appear like this anymore, no one is as spontaneous, innovative, and brave as they were in those days, and all that is left is to just cut and save this wonder so that future generations will understand how they used to make music, with a big heart and soul. [Thanks to FaceOff Rockshow for this album account]

Album Review

Forty years ago, the classic hard rock powerhouse that is Rainbow released the spectacular "On Stage" live album, which included various cuts from their 1976 European and Japanese tours. With the inhumanly talented and much-missed Ronnie James Dio at the vocal helm and a supremely talented line-up consisting of former Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, legendary drummer Cozy Powell, ex-DIO-bassist Jimmy Bain, and keyboardist Tony Carey, "On Stage" benefits from not only brilliant live renditions of classic tracks, but also superb musicianship. It feels somewhat pointless to point out just how stellar the musicianship is. I mean, have a look at that line-up. It speaks for itself

I mentioned that the songs were culled from the band’s European and Japanese tours, but instead of European, I probably should have said German as they are pulled from different recordings of shows in Munich, Cologne, and Nuremberg that took place in September of 1976. As to Japan, certain cuts from the shows in Osaka and Tokyo in December that same year were used for the "On Stage" opus. The Tokyo gig marked the end of the "Rainbow Rising" tour. In his autobiography entitled "A Hart Life", former Rainbow tour manager Colin Hart seems to indicate that the taping of the Japanese shows were recorded as an insurance of sorts, but to me that sounds slightly cryptic; were they recorded in case the Rainbow line-up suddenly imploded or in case the recordings of the European shows were not up to par? Here is how he puts it:

The Japanese dates went off flawlessly with dear old Martin Birch yet again recording the live show for posterity at Bruce’s (Ed. Note: Bruce Payne, the Rainbow manager) behest, more I think as insurance in case it all went tits up for some reason. Bruce is nothing if not cautious, but maybe he knew something I didn’t? The ‘Rainbow Rising’ tour came to a final halt at the renowned Budokan in Tokyo on December 16th after an arduous six months non-stop touring. We all went our separate ways.

Is that Martin Birch's Tape Desk sitting behind Blackmore?

Boasting a crisp and powerful sound, the band plows through such monumental songs as "Sixteenth Century Greensleeves", "Still I’m Sad", and the bluesy "Mistreated" that was originally composed and recorded by Deep Purple whilst Blackmore was still a member of that outfit. It is a shame that the epic "Stargazer" does not appear on the disc, as that is undoubtedly one of the greatest hard rock tunes of all time, way up there with the very best of them. Still, it is impossible not to be swept away by the mournful and haunting "Catch the Rainbow" or the power and majesty of "Kill the King".

Given the era in which these live renditions were taped, it should come as no surprise that each song is extended and expanded upon. "Catch the Rainbow" and "Mistreated" clock in at an amazing 15 and 13 minutes respectively. Back then that was perfectly natural, but it also serves a very important purpose; it made the shows dangerous, unpredictable, and edgy. The spontaneous and intuitive feel of "On Stage" is a blessing and you can never tell what is waiting right around the corner. Blackmore’s playing covers just about every conceivable mood in that it ranges from the bombastic and wild to the mellow, gentle, and even subtle.

Interestingly, the vicious "Kill the King" that opens the album following the customary "Wizard of Oz" introduction did not appear on a studio album until 1978’s "Long Live Rock ‘n’ Roll", thus "On Stage" was the first time ever that this particular track was captured on tape, at least officially. The only single that was released to promote the album, namely the "Live" single that was released in September 1977, contained "Kill the King" on the A-side along with "Man on the Silver Mountain". The B-side consisted of "Mistreated".
In an interview with Jeff Cramer, keyboardist David Stone (who replaced Tony Carey in Rainbow) once claimed that he also figured on the "On Stage" album:

[…] The album before that, Rainbow on Stage, was a live album by Rainbow. What they had done, I don’t know if I got credit for it or not. I think in some prints, I don’t. That was when Tony Carey had left the band and the album was two-thirds done […] What they had done was take more recordings with me in the band and used those as well […] In Japan, January of 1978, I got a gold album for being on Rainbow on Stage […] I’m there. Tony’s there. That’s a half-and-half album […] I can’t tell you what tracks I am on. I haven’t listened to the album in 25 years.

Whether this is true or not I cannot say. He is not listed anywhere in the album credits and I have never come across any other rumors or sources that indicate that Mr. Stone was involved in the live album offering. However, it would not surprise me if he did appear on the album despite not being credited anywhere. Things like that have happened before, sometimes to retain the illusion of a certain line-up sticking together or to keep things coherent and cohesive on the surface of things. Who knows what the truth of the matter is?

It is amazing to think that forty years after "On Stage" was recorded, Blackmore decided to resurrect Rainbow and once again wield his magic on stage together with a handful of highly talented musicians for three European dates, more specifically two in Germany (check out the "Memories in Rock – Live in Germany" album) and one in Birmingham (check out the "Live in Birmingham 2016" album). What is even more cool is that yesterday, June 17th, Rainbow played a brilliant show in front of an ecstatic crowd at the O2 Arena in London as part of the Stone Free Festival. After all these years, the legendary guitarist still has it and remains one of the most enigmatic and intriguing characters in rock ‘n’ roll.

What these 2016 and 2017 gigs also prove is that those forty-something year old songs still mean an awful lot to fans of classic rock and that they have lost none of their potency and meaning. Whether you put the "On Stage" album on and immerse yourself in that with your eyes closed or opt for the relatively recent "Memories in Rock – Live in Germany" record from last year, the indefinable spark, energy, and otherworldly magic of a Rainbow live performance cannot be denied. Having said that, I think it is fair to say that to many of us, nothing will ever top the classic Bain/Blackmore/Carey/Dio/Powell line-up and the monumental "Rising" album and tours of 1976.  [Review by By J. Nepper at eternal-terror.com]

This post consists of FLACs ripped from my Oyster vinyl which I have proudly owned since 1977 and includes full album artwork for both vinyl and CD media.  I remember being disappointed when I discovered that the live track listing didn't contain their epic power anthem "Stargazer" and instead contained yet another recording of Deep Purple's "Mistreated".  To remedy this, I have decided to include a live recording of "Stargazer" here, taken from another live release entitled "Rainbow Live In Germany, 1976", and also provide alternative artwork for CD.

So, as promised, I have now provided all three of Rainbow's earliest (and best) releases but if sufficient interest is shown via the Comments, I might be enticed to post their "Long Live Rock 'n' Roll" studio album in the near future.

Track Listing

01 Intro / Kill The King   (5:31)

1.1 Over The Rainbow (Introducing)

1.2 Kill The King

02 Medley (11:15)

2.1 Man On The Silver Mountain

2.2 Blues

2.3 Starstruck

03 Catch The Rainbow  (15:36)

04 Mistreated   (13:07)

05 Sixteenth Century Greensleeves  (7:37)

06 Still I'm Sad  (10:23)

07 Stargazer [Bonus Track - Germany, 1976] (16:51)

Rainbow were:

Vocals – Ronnie James Dio

Guitar – Ritchie Blackmore

Bass – Jimmy Bain

Drums – Cozy Powell

Keyboards – Tony Carey

Producer – Martin Birch

Rainbow On-Stage Link (442Mb)