When you’re gathering guests for a Rainbow tribute album, whom better to invite than some of the people who made Rainbow such a great band in the first place?
That’s what Cleopatra Records has done. Due on June 19th, Ride The Rainbow – The Ultimate Tribute To Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow is an absolutely star-studded journey through the many faces of the Ritchie Blackmore-led legend, with stunning performances from no fewer than six Rainbow alumni — Bob Daisley, Graham Bonnet, Don Airey, Joe Lynn Turner, Doogie Whiteand Ronnie Romero. Plus Ritchie‘s wife and Blackmore’s Night bandmate, vocalist Candice Night, and Ritchie‘s successor in Deep Purple, Steve Morse.
As the subtitle says, it truly is “the ultimate tribute to Ritchie Blackmore‘s Rainbow.
And to get the ball rolling, here’s the fantasy league lineup of Bonnet, Aireyand Daisley reuniting for the first time since the dawn of the ’80s, to perform the title track of Rainbow‘s third album that Daisley first appeared on, Long Live Rock ‘N’ Roll, in 1978. The late Ronnie James Dio was the frontman on that record, but, of course, Bonnet and Airey know it well… they joined the band for its next album, Down To Earth, but Long Live Rock ‘N’ Roll remained a concert favorite throughout their own time with the band.
The rhythm section here, too, is legendary. Daisley is here, of course. But there’s more. Back when Ritchie was first starting out with Deep Purple, Vanilla Fudge were one of the nascent band’s biggest influences. Keyboard player Jon Lord caught the American group’s first London performance in 1967, and was convinced, “We were going to be an English Vanilla Fudge.” Drummer Carmine Appice, here taking a break from his current duties with Cactus, was a founder member of the Fudge.
“I always liked Long Live Rock ‘N’ Roll,” says Appice. “It had a Cactus boogie, easy for me to play…it kicked ass then and now.”
Former Guns N’ Roses guitarist Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal, on the other hand, was but a youth when Rainbow launched in 1975. But, he recalls, “I heard the Rainbow Rising album as a kid and became a lifelong Rainbow fan. It’s a great honor to play on this song and to pay tribute to this historic band.”
The full liner notes for Ride The Rainbow – The Ultimate Tribute To Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow were written by Jason Myers of classic metal revivalists Icarus Witch.
Ride The Rainbow – The Ultimate Tribute To Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow track list:
1. Long Live Rock ‘N’ Roll – Bob Daisley, Graham Bonnet, Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal, Carmine Appice, Don Airey
2. Man On The Silver Mountain – Sebastian Bach, Doug Aldrich, Bob Daisley, Carmine Appice, Mick Box, Jonathan Cain
3. Stargazer – Derek Sherinian, Marty Friedman, Vinny Appice, Jürgen Engler, Joe Bouchard, Ronnie Romero
4. Lady Of The Lake – Angel
5. Rainbow Eyes – Mike Tramp
6. Since You Been Gone – Marty Friedman, Vinny Appice, Graham Bonnet, Jürgen Engler
7. Kill The King – Rick Wakeman, Bob Daisley, Vinnie Moore, Marc Lopes, Chris Adler
8. The Temple Of The King – Steve Morse, Phil Soussan, Ronnie Romero, Simon Wright, Jonathan Cain, Kevin James Morse
9. Jealous Lover – George Lynch, Vinny Appice, Andrew Freeman, David Ellefson, Jonathan Cain
10. I Surrender – Eric Gales, Tim “Ripper” Owens, Phil Soussan, Don Airey, Chris Adler
11. Catch The Rainbow – Doogie White, Derek Sherinian, Chris Poland, Vinny Appice, Bob Daisley
12. Street Of Dreams – Paul Shortino, Joel Hoekstra, Joe Bouchard, Fred Aching, Jonathan Cain
13. Stone Cold – Vivian Campbell, Joe Lynn Turner
14. I Surrender – Marcus Nand, Candice Night
Rainbow, led by Ritchie Blackmore, became synonymous with some of the most well regarded and popular charting rock songs of the 1970s and 1980s. From Stargazer and Man On A Silver Mountain to All Night Long, Long Live Rock ‘N’ Roll and Since You Been Gone, each year in the decade of Rainbow was marked by some of the best songs and performances captured both on record and in concert.
Passing through the band were some of the best the genre had to offer. Vocalists Ronnie James Dio and Graham Bonnet, bass player and producer Roger Glover and drummer Cozy Powell, each brought their individual talent to the table to record some of rock’s best-loved hard rock on those albums and singles.