Search - Rainbow :: Rainbow Rising

When Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow rocked best!

Stephen Byrne | 01/16/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Greetings poetry lovers,It is amazing that this album is not readily available, when far less albums from the era are easily found. This album is a true Rock classic. It takes the power of Deep Purple and blends it with the endless stream of metal mythology from Ronnie James Dio. One warning, if you don't like Ronnie James Dio (and there are those who really don't) then you won't like this. If you do like Dio, this is one of the best line-ups he ever worked with. The late Cozy Powell (Jeff Beck, WhiteSnake, Michael Schenker Group, etc.) provides great percussion on this album. Jimmy Bain does a fine job on bass as does keyboard player Mickey Lee Soule. Many guitar/keyboard sections are reminiscent of the great moments between Ritchie Blackmore and Jon Lord on Deep Purple's Fireball and Who Do We Think We Are. Not only is this album far more progressive than the first Rainbow release, the sound engineering is superior, as well. In fact, the recording quality of this album was as good as it got back then and was only surpassed with the next wave of metal artists such as Ozzy's solo project and Def Leppard (great bottom, clean highs). I had the pleasure of watching his band evolve, having seen three versions of Rainbow live, including the Rainbow Rising tour. It was by far the best of the tours, almost epic in proportion. They had a great stage backdrop of the first album cover (the Fender Stratocaster made to look like a castle) and - as they went into Stargazer - it was replaced by an even larger backdrop of the Rainbow Rising album cover. Along with Ritchie Blackmore's intense theatrical stage presence, the stage set, fog, lights and all made quite an impression. Later versions of Rainbow tended more towards commercial rock - and indeed they had commercial success with that approach (Since You've Been Gone, I Surrender, etc.). I understand that it was Ritchie's decision to move towards commercialism that led to the demise of this version of Rainbow. However, I always think of this line-up when I think of Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow.So, if you like Deep Purple and Dio, you can't go wrong with this album (if you can find it)!Another review from your friendly neighborhood Dr. Marcus Narley, M.D."

Has the STARGAZER annotated below

Burak Alkan | ISTANBUL Turkey | 08/27/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"STARGAZER(BLACKMORE/DIO)



''high noon,oh i'd sell my soul for water''

-sun is high up above and thirst kills the narrator(a slave of the wizard)

''nine years worth of breaking my back''

-for nine years he's been working,carrying huge blocks of stone

''there's no sun in the shadow of the wizard''

-well,there's some amount of brightness in a shadow,but the wizard's is,due to his evil feature,tar dark

''see how he glides,why he's lighter than air''

-the wizard can fly,but not at great heights

''oh i see his face''

-wizard's face might have been obscure for he

might be using a veil,but as he's going to fly to his star,he might have unveiled his face maybe to reward the slaves

''where is your star?''

''is it far,is it far,is it far?''

''when do we leave?''

''i believe,yes,i believe''

-is the star that the wizard's going to take them to,far?asks the narrator.he adds when they will leave and expresses his convincement in the wizard

in the heat and rain

-the setting is a desert.and in the desert,heat and rain are natural occurences.

''with whips and chains''

-the guards use the whips on the slaves and the slaves are bound to each other by chains

''to see him fly''

''so many die''

-many die in the course of the building process

''we built a tower of stone''

''with our flesh and bone''

-the tower is built after bone-crunching work

''just to see him fly''

''but don't know why''

''now where do we go''

-wizard can already fly but not at great heights,now the tower is ready he'll be flying to his star.so many slaves are unaware why the wizard is leaving to a star(our narrator is an exclusion).to which star are we going to go?

''hot wind,moving fast across the desert''

''we feel that our time has arrived''

-a hot wind blows(indication of a great thing happening).and now we feel that the time's come

''the world spins,while we put his dream together.''

''a tower of stone to take him straight to the sky''

-world spins(naturally),so we do the finishing touches to the tower.the tower will take him out to the sky

. ''oh i see his face''

-wizard has unveiled his face

''where is your star?''

''is it far,is it far,is it far?''

''when do we leave?''

-is the star that the wizard's going to take them to far?and now the tower is ready,when will you take us to our new habitat?

''hey,i believe,i believe''

-i am convinced in you,oh holy wizard!

''in the heat and the rain''

''with the whips and chains''

''just to see him fly''

''too many die''

''we built a tower of stone''

''with our flesh and bone''

''to see him fly''

''but we don't know why''

''ooh,now where do we go?''

-ANNOTATED ABOVE

''all eyes see the figure of the wizard''

-it is about evening,and the wizard's silhouette appears

''as he climbs to the top of the world''

-for a while the wizard keeps on ascending in the air(from tower)

''no sound,as he falls instead of rising''

-everyone is quiet now,for the wizard plummets onto the ground(end of the narrator's dreams

to go to another star)

''time standing still,then there's blood on the sand''

-time stops(seemingly)and the sand is washed with the wizard's blood(he is human)

''where was your star?''

''was it far,was it far''

''when did we leave?''

''we believed,we believed,we believed''

-was the star the wizard would take them to far,asks the narrator.we believed you but we did not leave.

''in heat and rain''

''with the whips and chains''

''to see him fly''

''so many died''

''we built a tower of stone''

''with our flesh and bone''

''to see him fly''

-ANNOTATED ABOVE

''but why''

''in all the rain''

''with all the chains''

''did so many die''

''just to see him fly''

-there is no outcome of the slaves' effort so narrator questions the happening

''look at my flesh and bone''

-look at my degraded body(after 9 years of slavery)

''now,look,look,look,look,look at the tower of stone''

-look at the tower it is there but it is functionless

''i see your rainbow rising''

-a rainbow rises as a result of wizard's death

''look there,on the horizon oh no,who's rising''

-wizard's soul is rising

''and i'm coming home,i'm coming home,i'm coming home''

-tower is built,the tyrant wizard is dead,the narrator shall be heading his home

''time is standing still''

-seemingly,time has stopped

''you,give back my will''

-he wants his future back(future in another star)

''ooh ooh ooh ooh''

''going home,i'm going home''

''my eyes are bleeding''

-i am continuously crying(inside)

''and my heart is lead ahead''

''bu it's not home''

''but it's not home''

''ooh''

-my heart wants to go to another star,not home

''take me back''

''you,give me back my will''

''ooh ooh ooh ooh''

-narrator wants wizard to take him and give the future he said that he'd

''going home''

''i'm going home''

-i don't want to,but i'm on my wy home

''my eyes are bleeding''

''and my heart is led ahead''

''but it's not home''

''but it's not home''

-ANNOTATED ABOVE

''take me back,take me back''

''back to my home ooh,ooh,oo''

-ANNOTATED ABOVE



"