Great Metal Albums of 1981: Rainbow- Difficult to Cure

Before I go into the meat of the post here, I think it's best that I do a "then and now" brief. Nowadays, many young metalheads like my younger son don't classify Rainbow as heavy metal and may even point to this very album as proof. There is plenty of evidence within the material on "Difficult To Cure" to back up that argument. However, before anyone gets the branding iron out, I think it's only fair to mention the state of rock music back in the early 1980s. First of all, most anything that had a heavy guitar in the sound was considered heavy metal by radio stations and music magazines. That's why Rush's "Moving Pictures" album was considered heavy metal back then. More important is the fact that heavy metal was still in its youth. While great metal artists like Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Ozzy Osbourne and so many others were stamping their mark on heavy metal, there was no definite definition of what heavy metal was and certainly no sub genres in the music. While Rainbow makes very good use of keyboards in their music, very evident on this album, they were certainly considered a heavy metal band back then, especially with a guitarist like Ritchie Blackmore and original vocalist Ronnie James Dio in the line up. With all that said, I'll rest my case on the fact that I listed them as one of the great metal influences. If you want to trawl the archives, Rainbow was part eight in the series. God, with speeches like that, maybe I should go into politics.

Now to the album, I didn't know until now that they had recorded an early version of their most successful hit, "I Surrender," with Graham Bonnet before he left the band because he didn't like the direction it was taking. Joe Lynn Turner was brought in to sing over the already recorded musical tracks and the result is obvious, "Difficult to Cure" is a very good album. As I have said several times before, I get a little nervous when the opening track to an album is the big single. However, the opening chords on "I Surrender" is attention grabbing and starts things off perfectly. But unlike one hit wonders who use their hit to open their album, the rest of "Difficult to Cure" can stand on its own. "Spotlight Kid" is definitely a good rocking song as is "Can't Happen Here." I knew there was something familiar about those two songs when I heard them and so I checked the "Anthology" album and found those two songs were on it. I shouldn't have been surprised. "Magic"starts very progressively but Don Airey plays his keyboards masterfully on the song and Blackmore does his usual magic with the guitar, which superbly makes the song. "Freedom Fighter" is also a noteworthy rock song and the album finishes beautifully with the instrumental title track which was also Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. I've heard the live version of the song and it's totally mind blowing but I won't take anything away from the version on this album. "Difficult to Cure" is a fine outing from Rainbow

Track Listing:

1. I Surrender

2. Spotlight Kid

3. No Release

4. Magic

5. Vielleicht Das Nachste Mal (Maybe Next Time)

 6. Can't Happen Here

7. Freedom Fighter

8. Mid Tunnel Vision

9. Difficult to Cure

Ritchie Blackmore- guitars

Roger Glover- bass

Joe Lynn Turner- vocals

Don Airey- keyboards

Bobby Rondinelli- drums

With "Difficult to Cure," Rainbow proved that keyboards can work in heavy metal. They had an influence all their own on heavy metal in its early days and continue to influence many progressive metal bands today.

Next post: Def Leppard- High and Dry

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Great Metal Albums of 1978: Deep Purple- When We Rock We Rock, When We Roll We Roll

Before this album came into my life, my only experience with Deep Purple was the famous "Smoke on the Water." This album changed all that, it showed me that Deep Purple were more than just one hit wonders. In fact this album showed me what a great band they were and now in my old age, (I'm 51 on Thursday) I can fully appreciate their role as one of the founding fathers of metal. For those who have been following a long time now, you may have noticed that the past few posts have been album put out by some of the great metal influences, The Sweet and Rainbow. It could be argued here, that The Who could be included among them as well. Therefore, I thought I would continue on this vien with one of the founding fathers.

There is little more one can say about this album, as it was the first of many greatest hits albums for Deep Purple. The album contains songs from the first three DP line ups, so there is a good variety here on it, including a live performance of "Highway Star" at the very end, which is the song they opened with when I saw them in 1985. I do give an account of the concert in Rock And Roll Children.
While the whole album for me totally kicks ass, the tracks I really like, if you put a gun to my head and make me say them, are the two I've already mentioned, plus "Burn" and "Woman From Tokyo" which is the one I put on my alternative compilation CD. I really can't say anymore.

Track Listing:

1. Space Truckin'

2. Kentucky Woman

3. Hard Road (Wring That Neck)

4. Burn

5. Woman From Tokyo

6. Hush

7. Smoke on the Water

8. Highway Star

Deep Purple

Ritchie Blackmore- guitars

Ian Gillian- vocals

Roger Glover- bass

Jon Lord- keyboards

Ian Paice- drums

David Coverdale- vocals

Nick Simper- bass

Rod Evans- vocals

Glen Hughes- bass

During the Deep Purple concert in "Rock And Roll Children," the band has left the stage for the second time leaving the main characters wondering if they will return. The Mitch character answers their question when he says, "They'll be back, they haven't played "Smoke on the Water" yet." Yes, that is the song Deep Purple is most famous for and I have heard many versions of it. But it's the version on this album I like the best.

Next post: Black Sabbath- Never Say Die

To buy Rock And Roll Children, go to www.strategicpublishinggroup.com/title/RockAndRollChildren.html

Also available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Froogle and on sale at Foyles Book Shop in London.

 

Great Rock Albums of 1978: Rainbow- Long Live Rock And Roll

First of all, I have been kicking myself for leaving out Rainbow albums in the past chapter of "Great Rock Albums of the 70s." I should have at least included the "Rising" album in one of the posts. Not taking anything away from Graham Bonnet or Joe Lynn Turner, I will be visiting their contributions to Rainbow, but I remain convinced that the Ronnie James Dio era was Rainbow's best, this album is one of the contributors to my belief.
At Bloodstock 2010, there were many tributes to Ronnie James Dio by many acts over the three days. While it could be said that some of the bands should have checked with eachother, it seems fitting that many of them played the title track, "Long Live Rock and Roll" as a tribute to Ronnie. I might be biased here, but it was Twisted Sister's version of the song I liked the best.
Needless to say, the title track isn't the only song that does this album justice. Other tracks like "Gates of Babylon,"Kill the King" and the mellow but eeriely appealing "Rainbow Eyes" also combine to make this album what it is, a great album. "Long Live Rock and Roll" is a great hard rocking album and one where metal bands can point to for inspiration.

Track Listing:

1. Long Live Rock and Roll

2. Lady of the Lake

3. L.A. Connection

4. Gates of Babylon

5. Kill the King

6. The Shed (Subtle)

7. Sensitive to Light

8. Rainbow Eyes

Rainbow

Ritchie Blackmore- guitars

Ronnie James Dio- vocals

  Cozy Powell- drums, percussion

David Stone- keyboards

Bob Daisley- bass

"Long Live Rock And Roll" would be the last album to feature Ronnie James Dio, who would go on to take over the singing duties for Black Sabbath. Rainbow would continue on and both would achieve greatness. I believe that Ronnie James Dio and Cozy Powell, who passed away a few years earlier, are jamming together in the after life and continuing to rock on.

Next post: The Who- Who Are You

To buy Rock and Roll Children, go to www.strategicpublishinggroup.com/title/RockAndRollChildren.html

Also available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Froogle and on sale in Foyles Book Shop in London.