RAINBOW — Long Live Rock 'n' Roll (review)

RAINBOW — Long Live Rock 'n' Roll album cover

Album · 1978 · Heavy Metal

5/5 · 2021-06-17
siLLy puPPy

In many ways, i’m the electron that orbits the atom in the opposite way of all the others! Many classic albums i really don’t see the hubbub about and likewise other styles of music that make others bonkers rock my world! Well such is the case with RAINBOW’s final album with Ronnie James Dio. While many herald the band’s second album “Rising” as the cream of the crop of Ritchie Blackmore’s rotating cast of musical characters, i actually find the pinnacle of the band’s musical prowess to be in the form of the band’s third album LONG LIVE ROCK ’N’ ROLL which emerged two years later after the stunningly well received live album “On Stage” sandwiched in between.

Of the eight studio albums that Blackmore released under the RAINBOW moniker, not a single one had the same lineup and LONG LIVE ROCK ’N’ ROLL was certainly no exception. This one was a bit unique in that it found bassist Bob Daisley and keyboardist Tony Carey beginning the album and then leaving the band half way through thus only contributing a few tracks each. Unable to find satisfactory bassist, Blackmore himself recorded the bass parts although Mark Clarke of Colosseum, Uriah Heep and Tempest was chosen but Blackmore hated his playing style and fired him on the spot.

Continuing the style of the previous albums of early heavy metal with bluesy guitar riffing infused with classical elements, RAINBOW pretty much followed in the footsteps of “Rising” although the subject matter was less uniform and only certain tracks were based in the realms of fantasy. The rest were much more straight forward heavy rockers with lead vocalist Ronnie James Dio’s rock god status stealing the show once again. Why this third installment of the RAINBOW universe appeals to me more than the others is that every track is at the top of its game as the band was a perfectly oiled machine at this point and although new members came and went, Blackmore cracked the whip and made his boys perform exactly as he wanted.

The album opens with three perfectly fueled anthem rockers including the title track, “Lady Of The Lake” and “L.A. Connection” which all hit the high notes of catchy melodic connections, intense rhythmic drive and impeccable musicians playing perfectly in tandem but the album really takes off on the fourth track “Gates Of Babylon” which is one of my all time favorite songs from any musical genre. The track would’ve fit in perfectly on “Rising” with its exotic musical scales, epic nature, symphonic touches and sizzlingly hot guitar solos not to mention a hard charging bass and drum backing. Same goes for the track “Kill The King” which challenges the tyranny of the world and rouses the masses to pull out the pitchforks! The track first appeared on the live album “On Stage” but came to satisfying fruition on LONG LIVE ROCK ’N’ ROLL.

“The Shed (Subtle)” and “Sensitive To Light” continue the bluesy hard rock heft in perfect fashion and the album finishes off with the band’s first slow cooker, the “ballad” so to speak. “Rainbow Eyes” reminisces of a Jimi Hendrix song at first but slowly builds into a monster ballad that finds Blackmore keeping it cool playing clean arpeggios while Dio provides his most subdued performance in all the RAINBOW years. The track is highly symphonic with lots of contrapuntal keys and four guest musicians that provide violins, viola, cello and flute making it sound a bit like a Renaissance song brought to the modern world. In some ways it’s RAINBOW’s closest thing to a “Stairway To Heaven” but never drifts into heavy rock.

While still considered a classic early heavy metal album, most fans will point to LONG LIVE ROCK ’N’ ROLL as a step down in quality but for my tastes, i actually find it a step up since “Rising” didn’t sustain what it excelled at for its entirety. While the first three albums are considered classic by today’s standards, the band didn’t really experience commercial success on the level they had hoped therefore Blackmore decided to steer the band in a more accessible direction and ditch the fantasy themes altogether which ultimately convinced Dio that it was time to move on and as we all know he would soon join Black Sabbath and replace Ozzy Osbourne and give that band a resuscitating surge in popularity. Sure, “Rising” wins for better cover art and overall visual presentation but when it comes to the compositions themselves, i much prefer this one to the other Dio led albums. Yeah i’m spinning on a different trajectory than most of you other electrons out there but hey, i still produce electricity!