Frustrated working with the Deep Purple Mark III line-up, guitarist Ritchie Blackmore began recording with members of the band of Elf, who opened for them. This led to him leaving Purple and forming a new band, but the original line-up never toured Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow with only singer Ronnie James Dio staying on. Recorded on October 20, 1977 for the German TV music series, Rockpalast, the band was already in their own Mark III line-up with Blackmore, Dio, Cozy Powell (drums), Bob Daisley (bass), and David Stone (keyboards).
Buy Rainbow: Live In Munich 1977 DVD+2CD setPreviously issued separately in 2006, Mercury Studios has now released Rainbow: Live In Munich 1977 as a Special Edition 2CD+DVD combo package. The band had been playing the same songs for quite a while as the previous line-up, which included Jimmy Bain (bass) and Tony Carey (keyboards), were captured playing them in 1976 while touring Germany, on Live in Europe (1992), and Japan, On Stage (1977). With Blackmore on lead guitar leading another hard-rock quintet comprised of the same instruments, it’s hard not to hear similarities to Deep Purple. With Dio’s frequent detours into fantasy, Rainbow sounds like a proto prog metal. They are definitely one of the heaviest of the era.
They open with future album track, “Kill the King,” which could be a story of royal intrigue or that of a chess game. “Mistreated” is a Deep Purple song, written by Blackmore and singer David Coverdale, although Dio playfully claims he can’t remember where it came from. Blackmore gets an extended solo during its 12-minute runtime. “Sixteenth Century Greensleeves” opens with an extended solo before the rest of the band joins in.
“Catch the Rainbow” is one of many musical epics during this concert that finds the band taking the listener on a journey, running over 18 minutes. “Long Live Rock ‘n’ Roll” is the title track from their next album. Feels evangelical as Stone’s playing brings to mind a church organ and Dio preaches to the converted, engaging them in a call and response. and
Rainbow plays their breakout song “Man on the Silver Mountain,” concludes with Blackmore regaling the crowd with playful yet powerful guitar antics. Although unlisted on the packaging, the band then performs “Blues” and “Starstruck,” giving off Zeppelin vibes. Dio sings different lyrics as the band continues to jam. One segment sounds like part of Roger Glover’s “Love Is All,” which Dio co-wrote and sang. He later repeats the words “night people,” which is the title of a song on Dio’s fourth solo album, Dream Evil (1987). They finish with a reprise of “Silver Mountain.”
Stone shows his skills by soloing at the start of “Still I’m Sad,” a Yardbirds cover stretched out to 28 minutes. The band comes in hard then gives way to some classical music riffs, bringing to mind ELP. They take turns in the spotlight, including a lengthy drum solo by Powell to close out the song. They close with “Do You Close Your Eyes.”
The video quality clearly shows its age. The image has a soft focus, lacks depth, and artifacts appear throughout. Doesn’t help as it appears the stage was only lit for the concert and not for the intended TV broadcast. The audio is available in Dolby Digital Stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1, and DTS Surround. The band delivers a loud, heavy sound, which can be a bit muddled at times. Dio’s powerful vocals rise above the cacophony. Subtitles are available to help understand the lyrics.
The DVD is packed with extras. There are videos for “Long Live Rock ‘n’ Roll” (4 min), “Gates of Babylon” (7 min), and “LA Connection” (5 min), all from Long Live Rock ‘n’ Roll. There are interviews with bassist Bob Daisley (21 min) and tour manager Colin Hart (10 min). “Rainbow Over Texas ’76” (12 min) is promotional piece. There’s a photo gallery and a Slide Show with Audio Commentary (40 min). The main concert appears across two CDs.
After the ’78 world tour for Long Live Rock ‘n’ Roll, Blackmore decided he wanted to steer the band in a more commercial direction. Dio had no interest and left. In 1979, Rainbow would have their first hit single with a cover of Russ Ballard’s “Since You’ve Been Gone,” and Dio would replace Ozzy Osbourne in Black Sabbath. Rainbow: Live In Munich 1977 is a heavy-hitting, hard rock performance fans should enjoy. It also serves as a great introduction to this version of the band.
