Catch the Rainbow: The Anthology [Original recording remastered]

Blackmore's Rainbow, Rainbow

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 18, 2003)
• Original Release Date: March 18, 2003
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: Polydor / Pgd
• ASIN: B00008NGHT
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #37,241 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Ritchie Blackmore's post-Deep Purple outfit was a standout among late-'70s and early-'80s hard rock/metal bands, and this double-disc anthology deals 28 of their best tracks, taken from all 9 of their Polydor albums! Includes 'Man on the Silver Mountain', 'Catch the Rainbow', 'Stargazer', the live, 13-minute Blackmore guitar showcase 'Mistreated', 'Kill the King', and 'Rainbow Eyes', all with vocalist Ronnie James Dio, plus 'Since You Been Gone', 'All Night Long', 'Stone Cold', 'Power', 'Street of Dreams', another live extravaganza, the 11-minute 'Difficult to Cure', and more. Notes, photos, riffs! Polydor. 2003.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More Black Than Purple!, March 24, 2003

By	J. E FELL "boogaloojef" (Carterville, Illinois United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Ritchie Blackmore formed Rainbow after departing from Deep Purple following the recording of their "Stormbringer" album. Blackmore was dissatisfied with the increasingly funky direction the music was taking along with the infighting between David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes. Rainbow consisted of Blackmore along with the backing band Elf fronted by the unknown but powerful singer Ronnie James Dio. The line ups changes often with the music becoming less heavy and progressive and more commercial along the way. Graham Bonnet and Joe Lyn Turner were also vocalists and members have included ex-Deep Purple mate Roger Glover on bass and the great Cozy Powell on drums. The first disk contains material from the Ronnie James Dio edition of the band. Highlights include "Man On The Silver Mountain", "Starstruck", "Long Live Rock And Roll" and a great live version of the Deep Purple cover "Mistreated". Blackmore's guitar playing ranges from the aggressive in "Kill The King" to mournful in "Catch The Rainbow". The music is progressive at times with an adaption of "Sixteenth Century Greensleeves" and "Gates of Babylon". A few good songs from this period were missed such as a cover of the Yardbirds' "Still I'm Sad", "Do You Close Your Eyes" and "LA Connection" which was relseased as a single. The lyrics favored by the band during this time contained many medieval themes favored by both Balckmore and Dio.

The second disk begins with Graham Bonnet added as singer for one album. He is featured on cuts like "All Night Long" and a cover of Russ Ballard's "Since You Been Gone". I was pleased that the non-lp b-side "Weiss Heim" was included from this period as it features some emotional playing from Blackmore. Roger Glover from Deep Purple also joined with Bonnet during this time. He not only handled bass duties but also served as producer and a songwriting partner for Blackmore. The last period of the band featured here was its most commercial. Graham Bonnet was replaced on vocals by Joe Lynn Turner. This period features the band's biggest hit "Stone Cold". Other notable cuts are "I Surrender", "Spotlight Kid", "Can't Happen Here" and the great non-lp track "Jealous Lover" and "Street Of Dreams". The disk concludes with a lively version of the concert favorite "Difficult To Cure" an adaption of Beethoven's Ninth performed live in Tokyo in 1984 with the Japanese Symphony Orchestra. A few of my favorites were missed on this disk like "Bad Girl", "Love's No Friend" and "Lost In Hollywood" with Bonnet on vocals and "No Release" and "Miss Mistreated" with Turner.
However, it is doubtful you will find a more representative compilation of the many facets of Rainbow than "Catch The Rainbow: The Anthology". It will be especially essential to fans of Ritchie Blackmore and progressive hard rock!

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Ultimate Rainbow Compilation!, March 20, 2003

By A Customer

When "The Very Best Of Rainbow" came out in 1997, I thought it was the ultimate Rainbow compilation. If I had been asked to pick 2 to 3 songs from each album, those are the ones I would have picked.

Now someone says, "pick 3 to 4 songs from each album" and again they've hit the nail right on the head. I also like how the Dio years are on disc 1 and the rest on disc 2. It nicely separates the "album oriented" tracks from the more commercial ones.

I can't find anything in the liner notes regarding remastering, but the sound is excellent and seems a notch above "The Very Best Of Rainbow".

For those of you who had the import double-album, "The Best of Rainbow", released around 1981 on JEM records, you can finally replace it. This compilation encompasses almost every track on that collection and includes material released after 1981. I'm not sure, but this may be the first appearance of "Wiess Heim" on CD.

Let's hope Ritchie decides to rock again and reunites with some former Rainbow members (my preference would be Dio)!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Long Live Rock n' Roll, August 25, 2005

By	Joseph Dufrene - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Excellent best of from Ritchie Blackmore and the gang. Blows the single disc best of away. On disc 1 the songs with the great Ronnie James Dio on vocals are masterpieces of progressive metal. Disc 2 which features Graham Bonnet and Joe Lyn Turner doing vocals are more commercial. I personnally prefer disc 1 but, don't mind disc 2 because it's from my teen years and when MTV actually showed music videos. I highly recommend the collection.