Rainbow – Rising – 1976
It’s probably best to forget the last outing and just get started with Rising. After all, it’s loads better, more exciting, less reliant on ridiculous lyrics and uses a tighter band.
I would say that this is what I was hoping and expecting from the Deep Purple guitarist and at the same time, it’s nowhere near as interesting as some of that band’s best work. Its pedestrian metal but that doesn’t mean its bad. In fact, it probably feels pedestrian because of all that has come since. There’s no “Fireball”, no Machine Head sound and power, but that’s okay. It can be mentioned in the same breath as those comfortably as it is no letdown.
I’ll be interested to hear what the band does next.
Grade: A-
ASide:Tarot Woman, Starstruck
BlindSide: Stargazer, A Light in the Black
