RITCHIE BLACKMORE'S RAINBOW 1975 POLYDOR EX-/VG++ OOP BLACKMORE/DIO HARD ROCK LP

$

22

THREE YEARS AGO I LOST ONE OF MY BEST FRIENDS TO CANCER, HE WAS A COOL MUSICIAN A DRUMMER BY TRADE, ORIGINALLY FROM SEATTLE, BUT RELOCATED TO L.A. IN 1985, HE AMASSED A VERY LARGE MUSIC COLLECTION, AND HAD KILLER TASTE FOR ROCK & ROLL, SADLY I AM SELLING OFF A LOT OF HIS COLLECTION ON BEHALF OF HIS WIDOW TO HELP PAY OFF DEBTS INCLUDING BILLS, TAXES AND STORAGE UNIT FEES. I AM NOT TAKING ANYTHING FOR THIS SERVICE, DOING IT FOR MY FRIEND (MISS YOU DAVE!). THIS ITEM IS FROM HIS COLLECTION.

THE PHOTO'S MAY BE A LITTLE BLURRY, HAVE A LITTLE GLARE, SOME REFLECTIONS OR IN SOME CASES YOU MAY SEE SPECKS OF DUST. BUT THE PHOTO'S ARE OF THE ACTUAL ITEM YOU ARE BIDDING ON. I DO COMBINE SHIPPING. BUT I DO NOT ACCEPT “BEST OFFERS”, THE MONIES GO TO MY FRIENDS WIDOW.

THESE ARE VISUALLY & PLAY GRADED. LET ME REITERATE I DO NOT TAKE “BEST OFFERS”. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO ASK QUESTIONS!!

ARTISTS: RAINBOW

TITLE: “RITCHIE BLACKMORE'S RAINBOW ”

TRACK LISTING (SEE PHOTOS & BELOW):

A1

Man On The Silver Mountain

4:38

A2

Self Portrait

3:16

A3

Black Sheep Of The Family

3:20

A4

Catch The Rainbow

6:40

B1

Snake Charmer

4:30

B2

The Temple Of The King

4:46

B3

If You Don't Like Rock N' Roll

2:36

B4

Sixteenth Century Greensleeves

3:35

B5

Still I'm Sad

3:53

Companies, etc.

• Distributed By – Polydor Incorporated

• Manufactured By – Polydor Incorporated

• Copyright (c) – Deep Purple (Overseas) Ltd.

• Phonographic Copyright (p) – Deep Purple (Overseas) Ltd.

• Manufactured By – Deep Purple (Overseas) Ltd.

• Lacquer Cut At – Kendun Recorders

• Mastered At – Kendun Recorders

• Pressed By – PRC Recording Company, Richmond, IN

• Recorded At – Musicland Studios

• Published By – Owl Music Ltd.

• Published By – Armchair Music

Credits

• Backing Vocals – Shoshana*

• Bass – Craig Gruber

• Cover [Prepared By] – Agi (4)

• Drums – Gary Driscoll

• Guitar – Ritchie Blackmore

• Illustration – David Willardson

• Photography, Cover, Coordinator – Fin Costello

• Piano, Mellotron, Clavinet, Organ – Mickey Lee Soule

• Producer, Mixed By – Martin Birch

• Vocals – Ronnie James Dio

Notes

2391 190 printed on either side of disc just below cat #.
"The Wasp" is hand-etched in the dead wax on Side 1, a reference to Martin (The Wasp) Birch
Printed In U.S.A.
©1975 Reprinted by permission
All rights reserved

Barcode and Other Identifiers

• Other: 2391 190

• Matrix / Runout (Variant 1 - Side A): PD-1-6049 - BS PRC-2-1-1 KENDUN-B The Wasp

• Matrix / Runout (Variant 1 - Side B): PD-1-6049 - AS PRC-2-11-11 KENDUN-B

• Matrix / Runout (Variant 2 - Side A): PD-6049 - AS PRC-2 KENDUN-B The Wasp

• Matrix / Runout (Variant 2 - Side B): PD-6049 - BS PRC-2-1-11 KENDUN-B
  

LABEL: POLYDOR RECORDS

CAT. #: PD 6049

YEAR: 1975

RECORD CONDITION: THE RECORD IS IN VG+/EX- CONDITION. NO VISIBLE WEAR,SCRATCHES, LINES ETC. NICE SHINEY LUSTER TO THE VINYL. THE LABELS ARE IN EXCELLENT CONDITION. NO BACKGROUND AUDIO BETWEEN THE TRACKS. THE SONGS SOUND & PLAY SUPER CLEAN. OK, SIDE 1 IS SUPER CLEAN, NO BACKGROUND AUDIO ON THE TRACKS, SIDE TWO HAS A COUPLE OF LIGHT WHAT I CALL “LINES”, COULD BE PAPER SCUFFS, THE SONGS PLAY CLEAN, BUT THERE IS SOME LIGHT BACKGROUND SOUND, MAINLY ON THE LEAD IN GROOVE AND BETWEEN THE TRACKS, ONE OR TWO SMALL “CLICK/POPS”, SONGS SOUND GOOD THO.

JACKET CONDITION: THE JACKET IS IN EX/EX- CONDITION. STRAIGHT EDGES, NO TEARS, WRINKLES, NO WRITING OR MARKS, OR SEAM SPLITS, ETC.ETC...ORIGINAL GATEFOLD JACKET. THERE IS A VERY VERY TINY CORNER DING, UPPER RIGHT FRONT, AND SOME VERY LIGHT RING WEAR ON THE BACK TOP CENTER (SEE PHOTOS).

MORE INFO: I TRY AND MATCH WHAT I AM SELLING WITH DISCOGS LISTINGS. THIS RECORD IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT.

MORE ON THE ARTIST & RELEASE:

Rainbow (also known as Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow or Blackmore's Rainbow) are a British rock band led by guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, active from 1975 until 1984, 1993 until 1997, and 2015 until present. They were originally established with Ronnie James Dio's American rock band Elf, but after their first album, Blackmore fired the backing members and continued with Dio until 1979.

The band's early work primarily featured mystical lyrics with a neoclassical metal style, then went in a more pop-rock oriented direction following Dio's departure from the group.Three British musicians joined in 1979—singer Graham Bonnet, keyboardist Don Airey and then-former Deep Purple bassist Roger Glover—and this line-up gave the band their commercial breakthrough with the single "Since You Been Gone".

Over the years Rainbow went through many personnel changes, with each studio album recorded with a different lineup, and leaving Blackmore as the band's only constant member. The singers Joe Lynn Turner and Doogie White followed Bonnet, and numerous backing musicians have come and gone. In addition to Blackmore, Rainbow's current lineup includes Ronnie Romero on vocals, Jens Johansson on keyboards, Bob Nouveau on bass and David Keith on drums.

Rainbow were ranked No. 90 on VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock. The band have sold over 28 million records worldwide.

History

Formation (1975)

By 1973, Blackmore had steered Deep Purple through a significant personnel change, with Ian Gillan and Roger Glover being replaced by David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes. However, the new members were keen to add musical styles and Blackmore found his request to record the Steve Hammond-penned "Black Sheep of the Family" with "Sixteenth Century Greensleeves" turned down by the band. He decided to record the song with Dio instead, using Dio's band Elf as musicians. He enjoyed the results, and a full album, billed as Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow, was recorded between February and March 1975 at Musicland Studios in Munich, Germany. The band name was inspired by the Rainbow Bar and Grill in West Hollywood, California.

Rainbow's music was partly inspired by classical music since Blackmore started playing cello to help him construct interesting chord progressions,and Dio wrote lyrics about medieval themes. Dio possessed a powerful and versatile vocal range that encompassed hard rock and lighter ballads. Blackmore reported, "I felt shivers down my spine."Although Dio never played a musical instrument on any Rainbow album, he is credited with writing and arranging the music with Blackmore, in addition to writing all the lyrics. Blackmore and Dio also found a common ground in their sense of humour.[ Rainbow, said the singer, "was my opportunity to show my wares. I thank Ritchie for that all the time. Ritchie Blackmore is the one who gave me my opportunity to show what I was worth."

Following the positive experience of recording with Dio, Blackmore decided to leave Deep Purple, playing his last show with them in Paris in April. The album met a positive critical reception and was a top 20 UK and top 30 US hit. Blackmore's departure from Purple was announced on 21 June.

First world tour and initial success (1975–1978

Blackmore was unhappy about carrying the Elf line-up along for live performances, and so he fired everybody except Dio shortly after the album was recorded, due to Driscoll's style of drumming and the funky bass playing of Gruber] Blackmore would continue to dictate personnel for the remainder of the band's lifetime, with drummer and former bandmate Ricky Munro remarking "he was very difficult to get on with because you never knew when he would turn around and say 'You're sacked'."Blackmore recruited bassist Jimmy Bain, American keyboard player Tony Carey and drummer Cozy Powell, who had previously worked with Jeff Beck and had some solo success. Powell also greatly appealed to Blackmore in their mutual fondness for practical jokes.

This line-up also commenced the first world tour for the band, with the first date in Montreal on 10 November 1975. The centrepiece of the band's live performance was a computer-controlled rainbow including 3,000 lightbulbs, which stretched 40 feet across the stage. A second album, Rising, was recorded in February at Musicland. By the time of the European dates in the summer of 1976, Rainbow's reputation as a blistering live act had been established. The band added Deep Purple's "Mistreated" to their setlist, and song lengths were stretched to include improvisation. Carey recalls rehearsing the material was fairly straightforward, saying "We didn't work anything out, except the structure, the ending ... very free-form, really progressive rock." The album art was designed by American fantasy artist Ken Kelly, who had drawn Tarzan and Conan the Barbarian.

In August 1976, following a gig at Newcastle City Hall, Blackmore decided to fire Carey, believing his playing style to be too complicated for the band. Unable to find a suitable replacement quickly, Carey was quickly reinstated,but as the world tour progressed onto Japan, he found himself regularly being the recipient of Blackmore's pranks and humour. Blackmore subsequently decided that Bain was substandard and fired him in January 1977. The same fate befell Carey shortly after. Blackmore, however, had difficulty finding replacements he liked. On keyboards, after auditioning several high-profile artists, including Vanilla Fudge's Mark Stein, Procol Harum's Matthew Fisher and ex-Curved Air and Roxy Music man Eddie Jobson, Blackmore finally selected Canadian David Stone, from the little-known band Symphonic Slam. For a bass player, Blackmore originally chose Mark Clarke, formerly of Jon Hiseman's Colosseum, Uriah Heep and Tempest, but once in the studio for the next album, Long Live Rock 'n' Roll, Blackmore disliked Clarke's fingerstyle method of playing so much that he fired him on the spot and played bass himself on all but four songs: the album's title track, "Gates of Babylon", "Kill the King", and "Sensitive to Light". Former Widowmaker bassist Bob Daisley was hired to record these tracks, completing the band's next line-up.

After the release and extensive world tour in 1977–78, Blackmore decided that he wanted to take the band in a new commercial direction away from the "sword and sorcery" theme.Dio did not agree with this change and left Rainbow.

In a 1979 interview with Sounds (magazine)[29], Blackmore said:

"If they were good enough, they'd still be in the band. I'm not putting down the other members who were in the band, but no-one has ever left Rainbow. It's a fact. Not a confrontation just, well you didn't quite make it, you'll have to do other things.
"Ronnie is a very good singer- I still like him- but he was becoming very lackadaisical. I'm sure if he were here now he would argue the point, but the fact is, Ronnie was not contributing what he should have done, and he knows that. For the last two years I would put down the riff, the progressions, give him the basic melody and he would write the lyrics. I found that in the past year he wasn't really doing that. He was bitching about the fact that it was Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow. And I'm going, look, I've tried after three years to make it just Rainbow, not my Rainbow.
"When people leave the band we don't give too many reasons because we don't want to hinder their career. But if someone's not pulling their weight then I will not put up with someone who's second rate. I'm not going to jump onstage and say 'it's alright ladies and gentlemen, I know they're not very good but they are my friends' like most bands do.
"A couple of people in the band were taking quite a few drugs and consequently were falling asleep while they were playing because they'd been partying all night. I gave them the sack. It's incredible how those people react. They say 'how dare he do that to me?' But what have they got to offer other than looking the part?"

Commercial success (1978–1984)

Blackmore asked Ian Gillan, also formerly of Deep Purple, to replace Dio, but Gillan turned him down. After a series of auditions, Graham Bonnet, former singer/guitarist of The Marbles, was recruited. Powell stayed, but Daisley was fired, and David Stone quit the band to be replaced by keyboardist Don Airey. At first the band auditioned bass players, but at Cozy Powell's suggestion Blackmore hired another former Deep Purple member, Roger Glover, as a producer, bassist and lyricist.The first album from the new line-up, Down to Earth, featured the band's first major singles chart successes, "All Night Long" and the Russ Ballard-penned "Since You Been Gone". In 1980, the band headlined the inaugural Monsters of Rock festival at Castle Donington in England. However, this was Powell's last Rainbow gig: he had already given his notice to quit, disliking Blackmore's increasingly pop rock direction. Then Bonnet resigned to pursue a solo project.

For the next album, Bonnet and Powell were replaced by Americans Joe Lynn Turner and Bobby Rondinelli, respectively. The title track from Difficult to Cure was a version of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. The album spawned their most successful UK single, "I Surrender" (another Ballard song), which reached No.3. After the supporting tour, Don Airey quit over musical differences and was replaced by David Rosenthal.

The band attained significant airplay on Album-oriented rock radio stations in the US with the track "Jealous Lover", reaching No. 13 on Billboard Magazine's Rock Tracks chart. Originally issued as the B-side to "Can't Happen Here", "Jealous Lover" subsequently became the title track to an EP issued in the US that featured similar cover art to Difficult to Cure.

Rainbow's next full-length studio album was Straight Between the Eyes. The album was more cohesive than Difficult to Cure, and had more success in the United States. The band, however, was alienating some of its earlier fans with its more AOR sound.The single "Stone Cold" was a ballad that had some chart success (No. 1 on Billboard Magazine's Rock Tracks chart) and its video received heavy airplay on MTV. The successful supporting tour skipped the UK completely and focused on the American market. A date in San Antonio, Texas, on this tour was filmed, and the resulting "Live Between the Eyes" also received repeated showings on MTV.

Bent Out of Shape saw drummer Rondinelli fired in favour of former Balance drummer Chuck Burgi. The album featured the single "Street of Dreams". Blackmore claims on his website that the song's video was banned by MTV for its supposedly controversial hypnotic video clip,but Dr. Thomas Radecki of the National Coalition on Television Violence criticised MTV for airing the video, contradicting Blackmore's claim.The resulting tour saw Rainbow return to the UK, and also to Japan in March 1984 where the band performed "Difficult to Cure" with a full orchestra. The concert was also filmed.

Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow (sometimes stylised Ritchie Blackmore's R-A-I-N-B-O-W) is the first studio album by American/British rock band Rainbow, released in 1975.

Recording

During studio sessions in Tampa Bay, Florida on 12 December 1974, Blackmore originally planned to record the solo single "Black Sheep of the Family"- a cover of a track by the band Quatermass from 1970 - and the newly composed "Sixteenth Century Greensleeves", which was to be the B-side. Other musicians involved included singer/lyricist Ronnie James Dio and drummer Gary Driscoll of blues rock band Elf, and cellist Hugh McDowell of ELO. Satisfied with the two tracks, Blackmore decided to extend the sessions to a full album.

The other members of Elf, keyboardist Micky Lee Soule and bassist Craig Gruber, were used for the recording of the album in Musicland Studios in Munich, West Germany during February and March, 1975. Though it was originally planned to be a solo album, the record was billed as Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow, and later progressed as a new band project. Blackmore and Dio did promotional work for the album. Shortly after the album was released, all Elf members (except Dio) were sacked and Blackmore recruited new musicians for subsequent Rainbow albums. This first line-up never performed live, and the live photos used in the album art are of Blackmore while with Deep Purple and of Elf playing live.

The last track of the album, "Still I'm Sad", is an instrumental cover of a song by The Yardbirds from their 1965 album Having a Rave Up with The Yardbirds. A version featuring vocals subsequently appeared on Rainbow's live album On Stage.

The original vinyl release had a gate fold sleeve, although later budget reissues on Polydor reduced to a single sleeve. The album's songs have been performed by subsequent Rainbow line-ups.

The album was widely praised for its fantasy/heroic-like lyrical content and the innovative rock style.

I DO COMBINE SHIPPING! THE $4 FLAT RATE ALSO INCLUDES THE MAILER WHICH COST AROUND $1 EACH. THANKS! NOTE: INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING INCREASED IN JAN. OF 2020.

ALL 12” RECORDS WILL BE MAILED OUT IN CARDBOARD MAILERS DESIGNED FOR SHIPPING WITH ADDITIONAL CARDBOARD SUPPORT. I DO COMBINE SHIPPING WITH OTHER LIKE SIZED ITEMS. ADDITIONAL LPs $1 EA. IN THE U.S. VIA MEDIA MAIL OR OTHER USPS SERVICES. INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING IS BASED ON WEIGHT AND COUNTRY. FOR THE U.S. THE $4 COST OF THE MEDIA MAIL INCLUDES MY COST OF THE MAILER, PACKING MATERIALS & TIME. THANKS! BOB

INTERNATIONAL BIDDERS TAKE NOTE !!!

IF YOU OPT TO NOT PAY FOR THE EXTRA INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED MAIL, AND OPT FOR THE REGULAR INTERNATIONAL FIRST CLASS WHICH HAS NO TRACKING AT ALL, I WILL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR PACKAGE, AND I WILL TAKE PICTURES OF MY POST OFFICE RECEIPTS AND MY U.S. CUSTOMS FORMS AND SEND THEM TO YOU AS PROOF OF MY MAILING YOUR ITEM OUT, I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE FAILINGS OF YOUR COUNTRIES POSTAL SERVICE, KNOW THIS BEFORE YOU BID ON ANY OF MY ITEMS!!! IF YOUR ITEM DOES NOT ARRIVE DO NOT BLAME ME!

DUE TO THE RECENT INCREASE IN THE INTERNATIONAL MAILING RATES THAT WENT UP IN JAN. 2020, I WILL NOT DO A FLAT RATE FOR ANY ITEMS, FROM NOW ON YOU WILL HAVE TO CALCULATE THE RATE BASED UPON YOUR COUNTRY. ALSO ADDITIONAL COMBINED ITEMS WILL MEAN A HIGHER SHIPPING CHARGED BASED ON EACH ITEM. SORRY ABOUT THIS, BUT THERE’S NOTHING I CAN DO ABOUT THAT.REGISTERED INTERNATIONAL MAIL WHICH ALLOWS FOR DOOR TO DOOR TRACKING IS AN ADDITIONAL $15.00.

I DO COMBINE SHIPPING……….

CHECK OUT MY OTHER AUCTIONS

International Buyers – Please Note:

Import duties, taxes, and charges are not included in the item price or shipping cost. These charges are the buyer's responsibility.

Please check with your country's customs office to determine what these additional costs will be prior to bidding or buying.

PLEASE PAY FOR ALL ITEMS WITHIN 5 DAYS, OR MESSAGE ME TO EXPLAIN WHY YOU CAN’T,(IF YOU ARE BIDDING OR PLAN TO BID ON OTHER ITEMS) I WILL DO A ONE WEEK WAIT FROM THE DATE OF THE END OF THE FIRST AUCTION WIN, TO COMBINE SHIPPING ON ITEMS, AFTER THAT I NEED PAYMENT IN FULL AND WILL MAIL OUT THE ITEMS , EVEN IF YOU ARE BIDDING ON OTHERS, THUS BEGINS A NEW BILLING/SHIPPING CYCLE. THIS CASH FLOW IS MY SOURCE OF INCOME FOR PAYING RENT/BILLS, ETC. IF YOU HAVE WON AN ITEM AND I DO NOT HEAR FROM YOU ONE WAY OR THE OTHER WITHIN 7 DAYS I WILL OPEN AN “UNPAID ITEM CASE”, IN ORDER TO FREE UP THE ITEM FOR A POSSIBLE RE-LISTING OR A “SECOND CHANCE OFFER”. PLEASE WHEN YOU WIN AN ITEM TRY AND PAY FOR IT IN A TIMELY FASHION OR LET ME KNOW YOU ARE LOOKING AT OTHER ITEMS I HAVE LISTED, I MAIL ITEMS OUT WITHIN TWO WORKING DAYS ONCE PAYMENT IS RECEIVED. DO NOT ASK FOR ITEM TO ME MARKED “GIFT” ON CUSTOMS FORMS, INTERNATIONAL BUYERS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL DUTIES AND CUSTOMS FEE’S! CHECK WITH YOUR POST OFFICE, I WILL NOT PAY THEM.

NEW NOTE TO ALL POTENTIAL BIDDERS PLEASE! DO NOT BID IF YOU HAVE NO INTENTION OF PAYING FOR AN ITEM YOU MIGHT WIN, ALSO IF YOU ARE AN INTERNATIONAL BIDDER, PLEASE! BE AWARE OF THE COST OF INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING. I DO NOT LIKE OPENING UNPAID ITEM CASES BUT I WILL IF YOU NEGLECT TO PAY.