Customer Reviews

Rainbow Rising: The Story of Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Rainbow Rising for a Rainbow fan is not too bad... It offers some insight into the goings on in the band in their heyday, but... and it's a big but... the author doesn't get the real down & dirty info we all desire. He needed to dig deeper into his facts, and he didn't. The book went by too quick. I have to mention that the last 'third' of the book is stats... like gig dates, album info, and musician info. The author even got at least one of those stats wrong... I was at the last U.S. show on their 1981 tour, and he states that that show "probably didn't happen". Oh well.... As a fan, it is worth having the book in my library, only because noone else is writing anything about the band... but, don't expect much!

If you are longtime Blackmore fan, then there are no surprises uncovered in this book for you. If you are an aspiring Blackmore fan, websites and USENET newsgroups provide the same information in this book for free.

This book lacks charm, enthusiasm, excitement, insight, and shock. The clinical writing approach scurries the reader through Ritchie's youth, Deep Purple, then into Rainbow's personnel revolving door by weaving historical events with a thread of dull quotes. I found this book akin to reading an article in the local paper about a popular person, who recently passed away. If you enjoy reading the absoluteness of that person's life milestones, then this book may be for you. This book provides an interesting twist to obit-style article format by providing a VH-1-esque "Where Are They Now?" chapter. (Too bad that can't be done for the daily obits!)

This bound pound of paper contains eight chapters of band member roundabout. However, the author seemingly, knowingly attempts to placate the reader with nearly 90 pages of appendices including discography, band equipment, tour info, tour dates, set lists, bootleg lists, website links and fan club info.

BOTTOMLINE:
If you want a page turner, this book is not it.

If you are looking for a Blackmore or Rainbow tell-all with shocking new uncovered details, this book is not it.

If you looking for continuance, quality and class of Chris Charlesworth's masterpiece, this book is not it.

If you are looking for a manual to your Rainbow CD and bootleg collection, this book is it.

I was hesitant to buy this at first, mainly because of the negative things that others have had to say about this book. I love Rainbow, however...I have since I was a wee lad and I still like them.....so I went ahead and ordered it anyway, and I'm glad that I did.

I do agree that the appendices takes up far too much of the book. You know, I could really care what type of instruments the band members play and I don't care about how many concerts they played. This book is jam packed full of information about the group and it's numerous band members, though. It also contains black and white photos of all the band members and each and every line-up. The book is full of quotes from many people...my favorite is from bassist Roger Glover, when he gives his opinion about singer Graham Bonnet...."God gave you a great voice, but took away everything else!"

Chapter 1 gives a brief recap of Blackmore's days with Deep Purple, while chapters 2 through 6 talk about each Rainbow album and tells how and why band members were chosen and why they quit or got fired...and in some instances, rehired. Almost every song Rainbow recorded is discussed, though in not as much detail as I would like. We also get to see Ritchie Blackmore's humorous side and all the pranks him and Cozy Powell would pull on other band members. Only three to four pages talk about Blackmore after he left Rainbow and Deep Purple and went acoustic. There is also a section in the back that tells what each band member did after they left Rainbow.

Overall, a darn good book. It may not be the best book ever written about a rock group, but it's also the only book ever written about this wonderful group...at least it's the only one I've heard of!

I thought that Rainbow Rising: The Story of Rainbow was very well written. The author is a Blackmore fan from the UK, where Blackmore's status is probably greater than here in the US. He has always been undervalued and I don't know why. His fantastic song writing abilities, melodies, and lead work are rare to find in one player. I liked the book. It's not perfect, but how many Rainbow books are out there besides this one? The pictures are also good. In conclusion, if you are a Blackmore, Purple, Rainbow, Dio, Turner, White, Powell, Glover fan, then buy the book. However, if you want to know about Blackmore's personality, his fasination with the occult, etc, then this is not the book for you. What you get is music, concerts, songs, that sort of thing. Don't expect to find out what Ritchie's thoughts are on the current state of affairs. The author doesn't have that kind of access to Ritchie. Most quotes are taken from magazines, fanzines or second hand. That said, I still liked the book.

I happen to disagree with that other review of this book. I found it to be very informative about the band Rainbow. Stories about how the band was formed, how songs came to be composed, why people came and left and other stories (like many "pranks" Blackmore would play on other band members, most notably Tony Carey). Most of the websites I went to that he mention often tell inaccurate information. If you like Rainbow BUY THE BOOK !!

While I will concede that this book is a tad on the short side (and the appendices are nice but, ultimately, unnecessary), the author (whom I have e-mailed in the past) does a very good job of fleshing out the Blackmore and Rainbow (and, to a lesser extent, Deep Purple and Blackmore's Night) story with some very good photos, too. I especially enjoyed the anectodes from Ronnie, Graham, Joe Lynn, and Doogie; lots of good tidbits. Get this asap if you are a Blakcmore/ Rainbow/ Deep Purple (and even Blackmore's Night!) fanatic like me!Most embarrasing online moment: Blackmore's compadre Jon Lord scolds me (5/9/99) via Deep Purple newsgroup---
LordYewden wrote:
> Vince wrote

> >there IS a difference with IG: there's the one who used to be able to
> >sing...then there's this other guy nowadays called IGwho can't
(except in >the
> studio alittle bit).

[Jon Lord:]
> Then there's the one I stand behind on stage every night who sings
like an
> absolute dream. Mind you what do I know - I've only been playing organ
for him
> to sing to for the past 30 years.
> Regards
> Jon