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Live in Munich 1977 CD and DVD Captures Dio-Era Band in Their Colorful Prime! A SoundPress.net Feature Article by Rich and Laura Lynch Rainbow was formed by Ritchie Blackmore in 1975 after he left Deep Purple at the height of their fame. They were instantly successful and released a string of hit albums, with an ever-changing line-up, between 1975 and 1983 when Blackmore broke up the group to join the reformed Deep Purple.
 Now, a matching set of CD and DVDs from Eagle Rock Entertainment captures this legendary band - Ritchie Blackmore, Ronnie James, Cozy Powell, Bob Daisley and David Stone - live onstage at the height of their passion and power. This concert from their European tour in 1977 features the line-up responsible for the "Long Live Rock 'n' Roll" album which was released later that year. Blackmore had to be smuggled out of Austria after a trouble with the police at a gig two nights earlier and was very late arriving in Munich, all of which seemed to inspire both the band and the audience to create a truly remarkable gig. The band hit the stage just after midnight and lead singer Dio thanked the crowd for their patience and apologized for being late several times. The show had been scheduled to be filmed well in advance and the cameras caught a delighted, fervent audience and a band that was feeling some tension from the recent events and run-in with the law. Blackmore was still wearing the clothes from his previous gig of the day of his bust in Austria but he still played with precision and intensity. At times, the viewer can observe the meticulous structure that Blackmore brought to the band with his bouts of hand signaling and on-stage conducting. Blackmore could be seen maneuvering and performing throughout the night to lead his group on in the music. At one time it appeared Blackmore wanted to break an instrumental segment early, while signaling furiously for the band kick back into the chorus part. Then it become clear why. Ronnie James Dio had just lit up a cigarette and was taking a break. Blackmore had purposely caught his singer off guard and Dio had to struggle to keep up - first picking up on the bass player's mic before returning to center stage. Dio didn't get much more a chance to smoke his butt during the song and by the look of the grin on Blackmore's face you get the feeling he enjoyed depriving Dio of that nic fix. Filmed in 1977 this DVD documents two unique technological advancements of the time. The giant Rainbow that straddled the stage was a marvel of the day but also a logistical nightmare to tour with. Still, it served to provide a pretty cool light show for the fans lucky enough to experience the early Rainbow live in concert. Also, Blackmore could be seen interfacing with a reel to reel machine that controlled some of his guitar effects - something you probably wouldn't see in today's digital environment. For his final act, Blackmore fresh out of jail, engaged in behavior that risked his being returned to the slammer on assault charges. At the end of the concert he took out a lot of aggression on his poor guitar, repeatedly slamming the instrument to the stage until it broke in half. Then, the disembodied guitar, still attached by the strings was raised high over head and smashed - over and over again. On several occasions the splintered and battered unit barely missed the terrified patrons in the front row as Blackmore recklessly ended the show. Minus this moment of needless violence Rainbow rose above their circumstances to deliver a golden performance. DVD Tracklisting: Kill the King, Mistreated, Sixteenth Century Greensleeves, Catch the Rainbow, Long Live Rock 'n' Roll, Man on the Silver Mountain, Still I'm Sad, Do You Close Your Eyes DVD Bonus Features: Original promo videos for: 1) Long Live Rock 'n' Roll 2) Gates Of Babylon 3) L.A. Connection; Interviews; Photo Gallery; Audio Commentary CD Tracklisting: (Disc One) Kill the King, Mistreated, Sixteenth Century Greensleeves, Catch the Rainbow, Long Live Rock 'n' Roll (Disc Two) Man on the Silver Mountain, Still I'm Sad, Do You Close Your Eyes Related Links: For more information on Rainbow and the other organizations mentioned please visit the following links -- EagleRockEnt.com | BlackmoresNight.com | Buy Rainbow DVD | Buy Rainbow CD
(Originally Published on October 17, 2006) |
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