RAINBOW – Call this legendary band Hard Rock or Heavy Metal, it’s all the same to me. I have grown more fonder of Rainbow as each year passes, each and every lineup of this band too. Yes, call me a Rainbow fan… guilty as Metal charged. I was in the midst of my high school daze when Rainbow became a core band of mine. What intrigues me about Rainbow, is how widespread the fans were for them all those years ago. Looking back on my buddies and acquaintances from the 1980’s, Rainbow was liked by Motorhead fans as well as Van Halen die hards. I even had many Thrash Metal buddies who swore by Rainbow, back in the ’80’s.
Rainbow just seemed to be that band everyone liked. Really, I can’t recall anyone back in the ’80’s walking up to me and saying… hey, turn off that Rainbow song or Rainbow isn’t cool. If my Metal memory serves me right, not liking Rainbow back in the ’80’s would be like disliking Van Halen as well. Everyone I came across seemed to like Van Halen, even the turtlenecks that had alligators stitched onto their polo shirts did too. Hey, this is the way I saw it then, on a social level. Granted, there is ultimately going to be those who dislike both Rainbow and Van Halen… so Metal be it.
As I have always interpreted it, Rainbow just seems to leap over the genres with their Melodic Hard Rock and Heavy Metal albums. Rainbow with Joe Lynn Turner on lead vocals received some hefty FM radio airplay while I was growing up in expensive Connecticut. This seemed to be the Rainbow lineup that connected with the mainstream crowd, more so than the Ronnie James Dio or Graham Bonnet fronted Rainbow… in my Metal opinion. I look upon the DIO fronted Rainbow as ultra legendary however. Graham Bonnet appeared on only one Rainbow album, Down To Earth from 1979. Unreal great album Down To Earth is… for me.
Doogie White fronted Rainbow as well, on the 1995 release – Stranger In Us All. This is well after the glory years of Rainbow, of course. Still, Doogie White is a bona fide cool vocalist in my Metal book. Back in 1995, it was a fantastic feeling to hear Rainbow being resurrected once again. Ritchie Blackmore. What can I say about this important and historical guitarist? An amazing musical talent is Ritchie Blackmore. Amazing.
When I stumbled upon this Rainbow – Jealous Lover EP today, (I found it in my stash of lifetime vinyl that I absolutely can’t part with), I just wanted to blab and brag about how much this band has meant to me over the years. I held this Rainbow vinyl in my hands today, just looking at it really took me back in time. This was one of those moments, where I was reminded of just how much I appreciate a band… and a vintage slab of Heavy Metal vinyl. Yes, I will be playing a fair amount of Rainbow this coming week and well after that. Metal be thy name.
Here is the front cover of my Rainbow – Jealous Lover EP:
Here is the back cover of my Rainbow – Jealous Lover EP:
* Rainbow – Jealous Lover EP was released as a 12″ on Polydor Records, in 1981. I remember buying it at Strawberries Records & Tapes in a very, very, expensive town in very, very, expensive Connecticut.
* Rainbow – Jealous Lover is also referred to as a single, I prefer EP for there are 4 songs. (Hey, it’s a personal choice of labeling this record as an EP, so Metal be it).
Track Listing For Rainbow – Jealous Lover EP:
Side A:
Jealous Lover
Weiss Helm
Side B:
Can’t Happen Here
I Surrender
* I Surrender and Can’t Happen Here are also found on the 1981 studio album from Rainbow – Difficult To Cure. Jealous Lover and Weiss Helm were not included on Difficult To Cure.
Rainbow, as they appeared on Jealous Lover EP and Difficult To Cure:
Ritchie Blackmore – guitar
Joe Lynn Turner – vocals
Roger Glover – bass
Bobby Rondinelli – drums
Don Airey – keyboards
Here is what the Difficult To Cure album cover looks like:
LONG LIVE THE MUSIC OF RAINBOW… FROM EVERY LINEUP OF THIS INCREDIBLE BAND TOO!
Stone.
Ah, the weekend is here. Time to clean up the house, tidy the garage, finish some yard work and maybe wash and vacuum the car. Watch some College and/or NFL Football this weekend too. What are some music listening suggestions I may have for the weekend? Thank you for asking. Heavy Metal and/or all the other Metal Music genres that exist is first and foremost. Oh, may I also suggest some Punk Rock as well? Thank you for allowing me to do so. What was that? Did someone just ask me to name specifically which bands and/or albums to delve into this weekend? Gee, I feel rather honored to be suggesting to the entire world , a tidy list of great heavy bands and/or albums to choose from… uh, here it is:
Rainbow was and still is one of the Hard Rock/Heavy Metal bands that I look upon with Metal reverence. The song writing, lyrics, musicianship, melodies, well, I could go on forever about why I have liked this band so much. Guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, in my Metal opinion, is a guitar legend, both with Deep Purple and Rainbow. Ritchie Blackmore collaborated with lead vocalist Joe Lynn Turner on a few releases, back in the 1980’s. “Bent Out Of Shape” is one of those albums they created, writing nine out of the ten songs together. “Bent Out Of Shape” can be taken as a commercial Hard Rock statement, only It is difficult for me to define this album as such. My standards for commercial Rock or Hard Rock/Heavy Metal definitely differ from other peoples standards. I need to hear consistent sappy ballads and/or radio – bubble gum – friendly songs before my stamp of commercialism is placed on an album. In other words, I feel “Bent Out Of Shape” is one mighty, melodic, Hard Rock album. Honestly, I have no problem with labeling “Bent Out Of Shape” as a Heavy Metal album. This album was released in 1983, the heaviness of Rainbow for back then, easily gave this band the label of Heavy Metal.
First of all, I am a fan of Ronny Munroe, the current lead vocalist for Metal Church. I just happen to gravitate towards the Old School Metal sound, both vocally and musically. Ronny Munroe in my Metal opinion, has the unmistakable Old School Heavy Metal vocals… and in no way do I subscribe to the opinion that this sound is dated. This brand of Old School Heavy Metal has been proven successful for decades now. For me, it is another Metal genre that lives on. With that said, I have obtained a copy of the new Ronny Munroe debut CD… “The Fire Within“, (released 2009), I am impressed by the total package of music here. This is Heavy Metal made the old school way, no frills, bells or whistles get in the way of the straight ahead approach that Ronny Munroe has taken on with “The Fire Within”. Honestly, Ronny Munroe comes with his Metal Church – front man credentials… he delivers a mightily solid twelve tunes alongside some talented friends. Rick Van Zandt of Metal Church, plays lead and rhythm guitars superbly throughout, with Michael Wilton of Queensryche delivering a solo on two tracks I will mention.
Metal Odyssey > Heavy Metal Music Blog 
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