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DTE 82
Original releasedate: 1 October 1984
Original releasedate: 1 October 1984
This is a rough'n'ready translation of the magazine which was original in the Dutch language.
Besides this is only a summary as only the most interesting parts are translated.
Besides this is only a summary as only the most interesting parts are translated.
| From the Headoffice |
|
Hello Rainbowpeople Here is the final "Over the Rainbow" fanzine. The last big blow! This is a double issue by the way. The Rainbowshop was sold out in no time. On the last issue we got some negative (we never meant to hurt you babe) but unbelievable many positive response. The Belgian Deep Purple Fanclub even was pretty annoyed which resulted in ¾ page of overwhelming criticism. I think you have to give your opinion, positive or negative doesn't matter. Ritchie Blackmore also walks around with a button with the text "Everybody has the right on my opinion" and we think exactly the same. Still we wish Marc "never heard of Copyright" Brans, who's dream has come true, all the best anyway. 
Early August Chuck Burgi send us a long letter. He wrote about the recordings of Roger Glover's solo album he played drums on and that Ritchie and Roger started the Deep Purple project very positive. The Purple album will be recorded with the mobile truck of "Le Studio" (Rainbow recorded "Straight between the eyes" in Le Studio) in Vermont.In the mean time the album will be mixed this month in Hamburg and we were told the tour should kick off on 25 November in Australia. Plans are now that they won't play Europe not before April next year. Chuck also plays on Joe Lynn Turner's solo album, which will be released through Capitol Records. To finish Chuck let us know that Rainbow will return again, probably in 1985!!! A big thank you to Chuck for his much appreciated effort. Click here to read Chuck's whole letter. There was for a moment another change to possibly talk with a member of Rainbow's latest line-up. David Rosenthal has unexpected joined the group Little Steven & the Disciples of Soul. That group did some concerts during August and September in Europe. The band to be seen on the aired on German TV Loreley Open Air Festival on 25 August. The response of the public was quite poor, so the band decided to cancel the last part of the tour including a show in Holland. So we lost a possible change on an interview with David, who was reported was not too happy about the Purple reunion, he could have told us what happened in the last months with Rainbow. 
Except the already announced live album there is also a video of Rainbow's latest concert in Budokan planned to be released. In Japan this one is already out. It's a unedited version of the full, almost two hours show. In Japan also a video is released of a concert by Alcatrazz filmed during their Japan Tour last January. Just like the Rainbow video we can recommend this one as well. Yngwie Malmsteen, who in the mean time left the band and is replaced by Steve Vai, is in fine form. From Japan there also are rumours that Cozy Powell soon will join Alcatrazz .Dio will be playing on 20 October in the Amsterdam Edenhall their third concert within a year in Holland! on the monet the band is still touring the States. Overthere "Stargazer" is no longer on the set list, but Ronnie (who sprinkles around the many rainbows in the lyrics on his second album) still hasn't forgotten his Rainbow days. He not only still play "Man on the silver mountain" but now also "Long live rock'n'roll". Just in time we another new Rainbow bootleg "Live Gothenburg 30.9.83" came out. The album, a little bit better sound quality than "Stargazer", is a very limited pressing. Only 200 copies got pressed and every album has a serial number. The ten songs on this album are amateurish put together, but let us hear Rainbow in fine form. The songs are: Pump and circumstance (including a part of the tape with Chariots of Fire in it they play in the pause between support and headliner) Over the rainbow/Fool for the night/Drinking with the devil/Difficult to cure/Blues/Stargazer/Stranded/Death alley driver/Maybe next time/Hey Joe/Smoke on the water. During this last song Ritchie (just like the other times this song was done live during the 1983 tour) did a practical joke with the audience. The song starts very bluesy, then the rockin' part follows and Joe invites the crowd to sing along. At the moment everyone in the audience starts to sing the band leaves the stage. while the audience keeps singing and the outro-tape starts and the show is over, leaving the crowd hanging back stupefied. Well, this is the end of five years Rainbow Fanclan. To end I have to thank the following people: Ritchie Blackmore and all ex-Rainbowmembers & road crew, Chuck Burgi (I owe you one), Bruce Payne, the Dutch Fanclub Federation, Polydor Hilversum, Rene Askes, Remco Kastrop, Robert Meijer, Tonny Steenhagen, Henk van Schijndel, Gerrit Tijhof, Rene Veldhoen, Bart Hekkelman, Simon Robinson, Vicky Pelmore, Riitta Koponen, Holly Grant, Yoshie Hochida, Marcy Funabashi, Bobby Liopoulos, Cliff Gaskell and last but not least all of our members (without you there never should have been a Rainbow Fanclan). Thank you all very much!!!!! Photocredits: Frans van Arkel, Rene Askes, George Bodnar, Anton Corbijn, Fin Costello, Rick Davis, Robert Ellis, Ken Grant, Bart Hekkelman, Michael Johansson, Mark Nolde, Simon Robinson, Pete Still, Tonny Steenhagen, David Tan and some unknown photographers. 
We believed we caught the RainbowRode the wind to the sun And sailed away on ships of wonder THE HISTORY OF R A I N B O W The Rainbow story start somewhere around Christmas 1974. Deep Purple then is touring the States. At Christmas they band has some days-off and Ritchie Blackmore decides to record the song "Black sheep of the family" as a solo-single. This is because Deep Purple refuse to cover this written by Steve Hammond song. 
The lack of a singer and lyrics for the backside song is nullified when he ask Ronald Padavona, better known as Ronnie James Dio. Ronnie is the singer of the group Elf, who on that moment is the support-act of Deep Purple. Ronnie writes the lyrics for "Sixteenth Century Greensleeves".The sessions take place in Tampa, Florida and the musicians who join in are Hugh Mc Dowell (cellist of ELO, who was teaching Ritchie in those days the cello), Matthew Fisher (ex-Procol Harum, he was with Ritchie in Lord Sutch & the Savages) and some Elf members. Ritchie likes the result that good, that he decide to do a whole album. He ask Dio to become the singer. Ronnie accept the offer, it's his big change. January 1975 Ronnie leaves with Elf for the Ian Gillan's Kingsway Recorders Studio in London to record their third (and also last) album "Trying to burn the sun". There are strong rumours that also Ritchie is present and even plays on this, by Roger Glover and Martin Birch produced, album. More specific on the tracks "Liberty road", "Wonderworld" and "Streetwalker". If Ritchie indeed plays on these songs has always been a mystery. 
After the recording of this album Elf (without percussionist Mark Nauseef and guitarist Steve Edwards) goes to the Musicland Studios in Munchen to record together with Ritchie Blackmore his (at that time called) solo-album. That took place between 20 February and 14 March.After this Ritchie join with Deep Purple because there's a European tour to be done. Very soon Blackmore realize himself that he don't care anymore about Purple at all. He decide this is his last tour and tell the manager, who keeps the news anxiously quiet, his determination. On 7 April the tour ends in the Olympia in Paris. At the end of the show Ritchie smash his, by then already legendary, Fender Stratocaster into pieces, it's the end of his Deep Purple era. Ritchie Blackmore give his new group the name Rainbow, after his favorite bar in Los Angeles. The first album is released in August and let us hear a mix of Purple's heavy rock and Elf's boogie sound with a touch of Ritchie's fondness for the classical masters. Despite everything the expectation where higher, people expected a super heavy rock album and that was this not. Still the album sold well. 
In the mean time the line-up was having the first changes. In June first bassist Craig Gruber and drummer Gary Driscoll were dumped.Keyboardsplayer Mickey Lee Soule followed a little while later. On stage the trio shouldn't be good enough according to Ritchie. So Blackmore started his search for new musicians, who would do both on stage and in the studio. Via Harlot drummer Micky Munro, Ritchie played with him in the group Mandrake Root, he found a bassist, Harlot's Jimmy Bain. Ritchie visited a concert of Harlot in the Marquee and asked Jimmy after the concert to be his new bassplayer. After this there were auditions to find a new drummer. Many showed up but nobody pleased. There even came a bloke dressed the same as Ritchie, same style of hair, but the many auditions were not that good for Blackmore's temper. He send away his 'double' without even giving him the chance to do the audition. Finally Colin Powell, better known as Cozy Powell did an audition and was taken on. Blackmore saw Cozy when he did his last concert with the Jeff Beck Group in the Roundhouse in 1972 and never had forgotten about this powerful drummer. Cozy initially had also asked his keyboardplayer Don Airey, who was also in his band Hammer, to join him and check if there was a place for him too in Rainbow. Don preferred the offer by Jon Hiatt though that he just got before it, and went to play in Coliseum II together with Gary Moore. After some unsuccessful auditions to find a keyboardplayer, it was Jimmy Bain who recommend Tony Carey. After some sessions Carey (ex Blessings) got the job. 
Finally the band, it was October in the mean time, was complete. After various rehearsals, some new songs ("Stargazer", "A light in the black" and "Do you close your eyes") were written, Rainbow was ready to enter the stage. The first tour was a small one of about ten shows on the East Coast of the States.The first performance was on 11 November in the Montreal Forum, followed by shows in New York, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and some other cities. It was all very impressing. Ritchie let made an electronic rainbow, he got the idea from Deep Purple's concert on the California Jam festival (they had a big wooden, painted rainbow behind the stage). The rainbow Ritchie used could change colours, the roadies needed every day about seven hours to set it up. Unfortunately it caused a lot of disturbance to the soundgear. At the end of the shows Ritchie smashed on most occassions a guitar into pieces. The crowd loved it. The group didn't used an introtape then, the set-list was: Do you close your eyes, Self portrait, Sixteenth century greensleeves, Catch the rainbow, Man on the silver mountain, Stargazer, A light in the black, Still I'm sad. In February 1976 the second album "Rising" was recorded, again in the Munich Musicland Studios. With the recording of "Stargazer" they were accompanied by the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra. The material was already written during the rehearsals, so they could record this album in only about ten days, after that the album was mixed in the States. After the rehearsals for the new tour, they went in May again on the road. First there was an extended US Tour till August. The set was only changed a little bit, "Self Portrait" was replaced by the old Purple success "Mistreated". During the rehearsals they wrote a new opener "Kill the king". And "Do you close your eyes" was now the encore song. New was also the introtape: the "Over the rainbow-theme" from the film "The Wizard of Oz". And they finished the show by playing at the end the whole song on a outro tape. The shows attracted a lot of fans and the press wrote positive reviews. Beside the heavy rockmusic there was a superb show. The rainbow, the roadies had been struggling for months to solve the interference to the sound equipment, was the undisputed climax. But also the drumsolo of Cozy Powell, including many explosives, was pulling a lot of attention. After the States it was England's turn, it all started in Bristol on 31 August and, just like all the other shows in England that followed, was very successful for a sold out place. The tour got a continuation in Europe. The last show was in the Congresgebouw in The Hague. It was a fantastic performance, Blackmore in top form, the impressive voice of Ronnie James Dio, a power-animal, Cozy Powell, behind the drumkit, a swingin' bassplayer, Jimmy Bain and keyboardsman Tony Carey who let us hear surprising sounds (although he was mixed away in the background). It was obvious the public were watching right from the start a new rock sensation. The set was the same as in the States, with tracks from both the first and the second, which was already released in July, album. The electronic rainbow and the backdrops of both the albumcovers (during the first part of the show we saw the castle, while during the keyboardssolo that introduced "Stargazer" it was changed to the rising fist). At the end of this show Ritchie smashed in a enthusiastic mood two guitars into pieces for a delirious crowd. 
The "Rising" album was in the mean time on many places called the new "Deep Purple in rock" album. This was what they expected to be Blackmore's debutalbum, raw and loud heavy rock from start to finish. Especially the semi-classical "Stargazer" was right away a classic rocksong, it was obvious Blackmore had scored a bull's eye.After a short pause of two weeks the band continued in Australia. They did ten shows, one of those was an extra put in concert in the afternoon. In Sydney Ritchie got the audience furious, he told in an interview before the concert he was going to set fire to his guitar that night. When the set was done, the band didn't returned for an encore. "There was a lack of petrol in Sydney" Blackmore stated later. In some shows they did "Tarot woman" as an extra song. During a day off Ritchie jammed with Ross Wilson's Mondo Rockband in the Countdown Club (he also jammed with the Sweet during the US Tour in August). In December it was Japan, they kicked off on 2 December in the Tokyo Gymnasium, it was a massive success. The audience got crazy right from the start, it was that wild that the band had to leave the stage after the first song, "Kill the king", so the fans could cool down a bit. At this first Japanese concert the bootleggers seized the opportunity right away, not for the last time we would find out later. The rest of the tour is as successful as the first show. The tour ends with three, again one extra put in concert in the afternoon, in the Budokan. After this the band flew back to Los Angeles, except for Ritchie who went to England to celebrate his Christmas overthere. On the tour some shows were recorded with the meaning to release a live album, this was the first item on the agenda in January 1977. In January 1977 Jimmy Bain gets fired. Manager Bruce Payne tells him that by phone. Ritchie felt Jimmy was too tempestuous on stage. Some nights he almost was (under the influence of drugs) sleepin' while the other night he couldn't stand still and was all over the stage, also makin' his way on parts of the stage he wasn't allowed to come. Not long after that also Tony Carey is fired. Musically they were satisfied about him, but he had some problems on the personal field with Ritchie, in fact he was scared to death for him. After many auditions nobody suitable was found, the problems were talked over and Carey was hired for another half year. This system became a little bit clear later. Every musician got a contract for a certain period (half a year or a full year). If they were satisfied, then they could stay. This meant the person could ask for a pay rise but if they asked too much they were fired anyway. Ritchie later stated: "If I really wanna keep someone in the band, I would offer him all the money he ask for." 
After Bain's involuntary departure Craig Gruber got back for a few weeks. He only was a stand-in at the rehearsals for the new album. Not much later Mark Clarke (ex-Uriah Heep en ex-Coliseum) was recruited as the new bassplayer. It was in Le Chateu, an old castle 35 km south of Paris, for the recordings of the new album. It didn't went smoothly, there were personal problems between the members and Ritchie was more interested in seances than in music. In July the, in the begin of the year selected songs for a, live album "On stage" is released. the album don't show the right reflection of the live concerts that were much better. The recordings are done in Japan and Germany, and some songs ("Mistreated" and "Catch the rainbow") are put together from different concerts. Still the album includes enough good music for just over an hour, a bit short though for a double album. To promote the album they decide to do another tour, even though the new studio album isn't finished.Before they tour started Ritchie decided to have another clean-up in the Rainbow line-up. In Le Chateau it became clear that things didn't work out good enough. So Mark Clarke is the first who can leave. He was not exactly what Ritchie was lookin' for. He was a very good, technical bassist but he didn't fit in the music of Rainbow. Again there were also problems with Carey. He wasn't happy at all in the sinister studio and could leave (this time) for good. 
In Los Angeles there were again auditions. The problem of a bassplayer was soon solved. Ex-Widowmaker bassist Bob Daisley was picked out of the candidates. The finding of a keyboardsplayer was a bit more difficult. Ritchie invited some renowned keyboards devils for the auditions.Finally it was David Stone who got the job, to the detriment of more settled names like Matthew Fisher, Eddie Jobson and Mark Stein (ex-Tommy Bolin Band). Ritchie heard the group, David was in, Symphonic Slam on the radio on the moment he was lookin' for a keyboards player. He ordered to find out where Stone was. That was in a studio in Toronto, Ritchie gave him a call and invited him to do the audition. David got the job because he was the most flexible of all the applicants. Late September the group was ready to go on the stages again. Via Scandinavia and Germany Rainbow got for the second time within a year to Holland. On 4 October they again played the The Hague Congresgebouw with a superb concert. The set was mainly the same as in 1976. Only "Stargazer", they weren't satisfied with the live version, was no longer in the set. As a foretaste of the new album they did instead de titletrack "Long live rock'n'roll". After this spotless concert not everything went according to plan. Two weeks after the The Hague show was the first time it really went wrong. That was in Vienna. There were fights between the security and the fans, Ritchie mixed in the fights and hit one of the bouncers seriously. The Austria police was waiting for him after the show. Roadies tried to smuggle Ritchie out, hidden in a huge flightcase, of the country. It failed and Blackmore got in jail. Manager Bruce Payne got him free on bail. Rainbow was banned from Austria and was not allowed to play live ever again here. The band was delayed several hours for the next show. The Rockpalast concert in Munich. Without a soundcheck they got round midnight on stage and did a superb show for a patient public. The European part of this tour ended in Paris on 27 October. They got in the press again. During "Catch the rainbow" some roadies hang up the total drunk tour-promoter Eric Thomsen, only dressed in a t-shirt and with the rope under his arms, on top under the electric rainbow. 
After Europa it was England's turn. Again it was a total sold-out very successful tour.In the Liverpool Empire Ritchie smashed at the end of the show his guitar to pieces in the royal suite and this was their second banning within the month. Also the Liverpool Empire was from now on prohibited ground for Ritchie and co. After the UK tour Rainbow again got to Le Chateau to finish the new studio album. Blackmore then decide the parts of Clarke and Carey can be wiped. Ritchie himself takes the bassguitar to hand, he's to be heard on six tracks. Bob Daisley can play on the other two ("Long live rock'n'roll" and "Gates of Babylon"). The song "Night people", during the tour several times played, is crossed out. In December they write a new song instead of it, it's "Gates of Babylon". David Stone plays all the keyboards. Ritchie uses a Fender Jazz Bass, he owns himself. After the recordings are finished, there's already a Japanese tour planned. The setlist isn't changed and the concerts are, like always in the land of the rising sun, very successful. Only the show in Sapporo is a black page in the Rainbow history. During the encores the delirious horde fans rush up towards the stage. In the pushing there are a couple of wounded person and even one dead person, the Japanese female student Junko Kawaharada is literally trampled under foot. This incident was a big stain on the successful tour and there are rumours the band has enough of it all and will soon stop it all. Early April 1978 finally "Long live rock'n'roll" gets released. 
It's a disappointing album. The production is flat and the song sound like there was lack of inspiration. Blackmore states he was too busy with seances in the castle with ghosts. He was much more interested in the evoking of devils that should be in the castle then with music. Only "Gates of Babylon" is a good track in his opinion. From May to August it's time again to tour the States. But again not without trouble.There are financial problems because they threaten to lose their recordcontract. Polydor thinks about not continue with the band now their contract is ending. They want to force Rainbow into a more commercial approach because the recordsales worldwide are disappointing. All looks like there will be made big changes in the near future. Firstly the electronic rainbow is dropped. then they decide, under pressure of the record company, to play as support-act to reach a wider audience. They start as support-act for Foghat, later for REO Speedwagon. Rainbow does have a lot of success, not always to the liking of the headliners. The set is strongly cut down to 45 minutes: Kill the king, Mistreated, Long live rock'n'roll, Man on the silver mountain & Still I'm sad. In the encore there's most of the time a reprise of Still I'm sad, as the headliners allow the band to do an encore at all. After this tour Polydor puts Ritchie Blackmore under heavy pressure to put more commercial music on vinyl. Also because of the persistent Bruce Payne he agree in the end and gets this way a new record contract. For writing for the lyrics Roger Glover is recruited, he should be writing together with Ronnie. Not much later they decide that Roger also will produce the next album. In October Daisley and Stone get fired, nothing special because people got common to this ritual. In November then there's shockin' news, the heart of Rainbow, Ronnie James Dio, Cozy Powell & Ritchie Blackmore fall to pieces. Ronnie thinks Rainbow is a group like Deep Purple and keeps nagging about money. Finally he asks for a huge pay rise. He live in discord about it, and he loses interest and enthusiasm for Rainbow. In November he, who was with the band from the beginning, is fired. Late November first bassist Clive Chaman (ex-Jeff Beck Group and ex-Powell's Hammer) got tested a few days and.... send away. Then Jack Green comes in, but he's too light for the band. When Jack Green later in 1980 his solo album "Humanesque" release, is this undeserved promoted with an "ex-Rainbow member" sticker on the cover. But Ritchie Blackmore plays on one track on the album though, it's on the song "I call, no answer" and that's the best track on the album as well. 
Still without a bassplayer, they start first lookin' for a keyboardplayer, and again an ex-Powell's Hammer musician is in the picture for the job: Don Airey. He's approved good enough to strengthen the band, but Don's not sure if he want to be in the band and ask a week time to think it over. He's consent to join.Just after Christmas Blackmore is in the company for four days with his old Purple buddy Ian Gillan, he plays with Ian's band Gillan in the encores on 27 December in the Marquee club and finally asks Ian Gillan to become the new singer in Rainbow. Ian refuse the offer but on his turn ask Ritchie to join his band Gillan. Ian get the same reply that he gave to Ritchie. After a few days of pointless talk Ritchie leaves empty-handed back to Le Chateau. The search for a new bassplayer is also without a result. And then Roger Glover offer himself. They do some sessions and it works very well. The search for a new singer is another problem. There are more than 60 auditions (with many celebrities) but all without success. On a certain moment one Robbie is named as the new Rainbow frontman, but he disappears very soon again back to where he came from: the anonymity. the Ritchie phones ex-Trapeze singer Pete Goalby (now in Uriah Heep), Pete does an audition by phone and Ritchie offers him the job. Pete is not sure about an adventure with Rainbow and refuse to take the job. Bruce "$$$" Payne make him change his decision. There are several rehearsals with Goalby, but when it's time to record the album they decide he's not the right person for the band. In the mean time is Graham Bonnet, the former singer of the Marbles, as ordered by Ritchie located. He does an audition in Le Chateau without knowing the band at all. On the audition Bonnet has to sing "Mistreated" and a new song called "Eyes of the world", it's obvious very quickly this is the man they were lookin' for. Bonnet is offered 10.000 Pound to be the new singer of Rainbow. In the time there still wasn't a singer the backingtracks for the new album are already recorded. Bonnet records his part in the States. the album is called "Down to earth" and stands for the fact that Rainbow has said goodbye to the era with songs about witches and demons, and now returns to earth with songs about more everyday subjects like sex, booze and rock'n'roll. The album is released in August 1979 and proves the long wait was not for nothing. The production is a big step ahead and the songs sound afloat but still very powerful. The Russ Ballard cover "Since you been gone" should be the singlehit the recordcompany is waiting for. The new members al sound superb, especially singer Graham Bonnet makes many Rainbow fans forget Ronnie James Dio. Ritchie Blackmore gives the prove with "Down to earth" that he solved the irreplaceable lookin' singerproblem. Rainbow looks to got more than ever before a real band, and not a band with some permanent members filled up with some temporary employees. 
In September and October there's an US tour as support-act for Blue Oyster Cult on the program.The band is quite successful and when the single "Since you been gone" gets up in the charts the announced European Tour in November is cancelled in the last minute. The band continue in the States as headliners. The setlist is drastically changed to the one we were used to from the past years: Eyes of the world, Love's no friend, Since you been gone, All night long, Lost in Hollywood, Long live rock'n'roll, Kill the king (instrumental with the demolishing act). The tour takes till the end of December, is very successful and the press writes good reviews. Early 1980 the band tour in Europe. They start in Gothenburg on 17 January, in the soundcheck they rehearse many times "Catch the rainbow", it's the surprise that's been added to the set. Also in Europe more encores are done; "Man on the silver mountain" and "Will you love me tomorrow", a song of one of Bonnet's solo albums, are added to the other encores . After two good shows they have the day off on 19 January. This is used to record a new b-side for the second single, "All night long", from the "Down to earth" album. The instrumental is recorded in Copenhagen's Sweet Silence Studios. The song is called "Weiss Heim", after Ritchie's house in Long Island. 
After many shows in Germany, there are concerts in Belgium and Holland. Overhere 2 gigs are on the program, on 2 February in the Rotterdam Ahoy Hall and one day later in the Rodahall in Kerkrade. The big Ahoy is sold-out and before the concert Ritchie and Roger do an interview for the tv program Countdown on Veronica TV.It's the prove that Rainbow is gettin' more popular. Despite the show props are a lot less -the electronic rainbow is gone- the band plays a great concert. Blackmore shows after a few minutes he's still not a friend of the security guards. The bouncer, who sitting with his back to the stage just in front of Ritchie to keep his eye on the crowd, gets during the first song a full pint of beer on his head of the Man in Black himself. Blackmore makes clear with gestures that if he's not here to watch the show he better can go away. That's exactly what the big ape right away does. The band plays a great gig. Bonnet is convincing the ones who were not sure about him with his superb reach and Blackmore, Powell & Airey play excellent solos. In the encores we see Ritchie in his good, but tricky mood. When Graham is introducing the band Ritchie gives the other the sign to leave the stage. Bonnet manage to talk him out of the practical joke. At the end of the show Ritchie climbs on the P.A and smashes his guitar into pieces for the wild crowd. One day later in Kerkrade, despite of a superb set, the show ends in minor when there are no encores. More problems are reported when the band are again in Germany to finish the rest of the tour. At one of the shows it's ex-Deep Purple singer David Coverdale who turns up. Blackmore, a bit drunk, kicks Coverdale out of the dressingroom. Later that night Blackmore order some guitars. Sixteen instruments are delivered. Half an hour later they all are smashed up in the hotelroom. In Grenoble Ritchie decides to play in the encores the "Down to earth" track "Makin' love". Bonnet can't remember the words and sing a made up text telling he can't remember the lyrics. 
Then it's time for the UK tour, it's all very successful till the end of the tour. Then, on 29 February in Wembley, Ritchie refuse to play an encore. The crowd go mad and destroy part of the place and also the equipment is damaged. Reason for not doing an encore is most likely that Ian Gillan was supposed to do the encore with Rainbow, but Ian didn't showed up after it was leaked out by Roger Glover who told the plan in some interviews before.Not doing the encore was good for a heavy discussion between Ritchie and the other members of the band. One week later Ritchie and Roger did turn up as guests at a Gillan performance in the Rainbow Theatre. Ritchie did get on stage during the encore and played a rock'n'roll medley. In May there's a very successful tour in Japan and Australia. Just after this tour there's the news that Cozy Powell will leave the group. He's not happy with the commercial direction the band's going. Especially "Since you been gone" he hated. When he told this Ritchie during the US tour in 1979 Blackmore told him he could take it or leave it. Cozy didn't take it and hand in his resignation. He told he would leave when the worldtour was done. The news was kept quiet, although Cozy gave away some autographs with "Cozy Powell ex-Rainbow" in the end. To avoid rumours about it Ritchie made the clever move to tell around in interviews that there never would be a Rainbow without Cozy Powell. In the mean time Ritchie was lookin' for a suitable replacement, which was found by the time Cozy played his farewell show. 
Cozy got as farewell present a performance on a big and new hardrock festival with Rainbow as the top of the bill. It was the Monsters of rock festival in Donington Park. One week before the festival Rainbow plays three try outs in Scandinavia. It's here that they play for the first time the classic "Stargazer" again. The second try out goes partly wrong, it's an openair show and during "Lost in Hollywood" there's a cloudburst. This means right away the end of the show when Don Airey does his solo which end with "I'm singing in the rain" on his keyboards. At the soundcheck on Donington "Stargazer" get many times rehearsed because Bonnet still have problems with the words. The Monsters of rock is a wonderful event.After the crowd got earlier on the day Touch, Riot, Saxon, April Wine, Scorpions and Judas Priest, Rainbow gives them an overwhelming show at the end of the day. It's the best show of the day. The concert ends with the exploding of an old amp and loads of fireworks. During this show Rainbow's new drummer is watching his new band on the side of the stage. Ritchie found him in the club Hammerheads in Long Island. He, Bobby Rondinelli, played there with his group Samantha and Ritchie is very enthusiastic about him. After stayed a few more days in England, Ritchie plays the encore "Born to be wild", with the group Girl in the Marquee, Rainbow leaves as a fourpiece to the Sweet Silence Studios in Copenhagen to record the backingtracks of the new album. Graham Bonnet leaves for Los Angeles as there's not much to do for him on this moment in the studio. He'll keep himself busy with a solo album. When Bonnet arrives some weeks later in Copenhagen it's clear that Donington was also his end in Rainbow. Bonnet, who was a good friend of Cozy Powell, is not impressed by Rondinelli. And so he's not very enthusiastic. Ritchie gets fed up with the situation and Bonnet gets the sack. 
Blackmore gets right away a new singer, Joe Lynn Turner in the band. He already had his eye on him when Bonnet was still in the band. Via a friend Ritchie heard about Joe and went to see him playing with his band Fandango in New Jersey. Joe Lynn Turner (an artist name, not his real name) accept the Rainbow offer and sing direct the new material in Copenhagen for the new album. Again two coversongs are recorded with an eye on the charts. Another Russ Ballard song "I surrender" and a song written by a friend of Ritchie, Brian Moran, titled "Magic".The album, recorded in November is released in February 1981 with the title "Difficult to cure". The new album is a bit disappointing. The sound is too poppy and the overall sound is very thin. Also the songmaterial is not that imaginatively. Late February they do the first try outs in the States with the new line-up. The set is Spotlight kid, Love's no friend, I surrender, Can't happen here, No release, Catch the rainbow, Lost in Hollywood, Difficult to cure, Long live rock'n'roll. In the encore sometimes the Jimi Hendrix track "Fire" is done. A very striking point is that Joe Lynn Turner during "Difficult to cure" plays guitar on stage, although you hardly can't hear him. In March and April Rainbow continue touring the States together with Pat Travers as double-headliners. "No release" is dropped where "Man on the silver mountain" is added to the setlist. During a day off the band rent a mobile studio and record in Minneapolis a b-side for the new single "Can't happen here". The song is called "Jealous lover". During this US tour Rainbow start to play all of a sudden in the encores the Purple oldie "Smoke on the water". This track was tried at the rehearsals, but Ritchie didn't wanna do it live. Especially Joe and Booby were disappointed about that. Then one night Ritchie played the riff, the others looked at the Man in Black and the grin on his face said it all. And so the track got a fixed part of the show. After the US Tour there was a short holiday. Ritchie used it to get married for the third time, on 16 May he gets tied to the American Amy Rothman. A few weeks later the European tour is on the program. The tour start on 3 June in Gothenburg, later Rainbow play on the 13th of that month for an almost sold out Ahoy Hall. The group play a good show, but it's not going as smoothly as with the last line-up. Striking points are the drumsolo of Bobby Rondinelli, who makes us forget Cozy Powell, and the moment Joe is with his Fender Anniversary Strat playing on stage during "Difficult to cure". Joe don't get to the level of Graham though. After the long European tour including this time some shows in South-Europe, there's an UK tour in July. 
It's again very successful and completely sold out. And this time no serious incidents for a change. At the concerts in Newcastle on 23 and 24 July they use for the first time female background singers. This idea was born in 1979 when they started to tour with Graham Bonnet, but as there was lack of time for rehearsals
they didn't go for it till now. In Newcastle the background singers, Dee Beale and Lin Robinson, were tried out for the first time and with success. The tour ends with two shows in Hammersmith Odeon, and the two background singers are present here as well.In August Japan and Australia are visited again, and the tour ends with concerts in South America and Hawaii. Then Don Airey leaves the band. He thinks the music is going backwards and think Bobby Rondinelli -just like Bonnet- is not a good replacement for his good friend Cozy Powell. In November Airey goes to England and Rainbow to the States, and without Don handing in his resignation or Rainbow sacking the keyboardplayer, there are auditions in December for a new keyboardplayer. That month also the double compilation album "The best of Rainbow" is released. After many auditions a friend pass Ritchie a tape with a classical piano concerto of a student of the Berkeley School of Music. Ritchie is impressed and ask the student, David Rosenthal, to do an audition in Babylon, Long Island. Rosenthal is offered the job and is in january 1982 the new Rainbow keyboardplayer. The band then go for the recording of the new album to Le Studio in Moran Heights, Canada. Most of the material is already written and the recordings take place in six weeks time, after that the whole thing is mixed digitally in New York. That takes another four weeks of time. The album, "Straight between the eyes" is in April in the recordshops. The album is an improvement to the previous album and the studio sound is better than ever before. This album finally does not have any coversongs, material by Brian Moran and Russ Ballard was rejected because it was too light. The own material is fresh and sound heavier than on the last album. On the cover one of the songs is conspicuous printed "MISS Mistreated". Ritchie's comments: "That's to avoid mistakes with Deep Purple's "Mistreated" (both Blackmore and Coverdale claim for years they wrote themselves most of the song). Still I won't be surprised when one of these days someone (that's Coverdale) will claim that he wrote "MISS Mistreated". In May Rainbow starts an extended US tour. There are this time more stage props. Above the stage the are two big mechanical eyes with spotlights. The set is again heavily changed and now is: Spotlight kid, Miss Mistreated, I surrender, Can't happen here, Tearin' out my heart, All night long, Stonecold, Power, Blues, Difficult to cure, Long live rock'n'roll, Smoke on the water, Kill the king. 
In the middle of May there's the news in the press that Bobby Rondinelli is no longer with the band. A concert on the Rockpopfestival in Dortmund, which will be aired on German TV, is no longer certain. The performance is cancelled in the last minute, just like the festival one day later in Germany because it wasn't sure if this one even was going to take place at all. At first there was a possibility for a performance on a third festival, the Pinkpop Festival in Holland.But the organization of Pinkpop give Rainbow the label 'not commercial enough', then Y & T (are they commercial enough?) is contracted. probably thoughts went back to the Kerkrade 1980 show (also in the south of Holland)? The reason that is given for the absence in Dortmund is that Blackmore wasn't in the mood to play the gig. It's soon clear the promotors try to blame Blackmore because in real it become clear the contracts are not correct. In the mean time the press report that Bobby Rondinelli still is in the band after all. More than a year later it turn out that there were indeed problems with Bobby. In April there were rehearsals with a guy called Chuck Burgi, but he choose to stay in his band Balance instead of joining Rainbow on that moment. Rondinelli get another chance. There's a long tour through the States and sometimes there are some nice surprises in the set. Sometimes other songs are tried out to see how they work out live like "Death alley driver", "Rock fever" and "Jealous lover", even "Yesterday" of the Beatles is done once spontaneously in the encores. At the end of the US Tour the band play in San Antonio, Texas. The superb show is recorded to release as a live video. 
After in October toured Japan, it's in November time for another European Tour including a brilliant concert on 16 November in Ahoy Rotterdam. Before the band have played in Scandinavia and Germany. They now also play the Jimi Hendrix track "Hey Joe" partly in "Long live rock'n'roll". In Essen Ritchie has a practical joke for Joe Lynn Turner, when Joe start singing in the encore his mike has changed for a dummy.The gig in Rotterdam is one of the best of this tour. The big eyes are sensational and the band is in fine form. At the end of the show Ritchie set a amp to fire after he smashed up his guitar while Joe tells the audience they're the best in the world. After the concert in Brussels, that almost ends in a fiasco after Ritchie is hit by an object from the audience during the first song, the tour is ended in Paris on 28 November. 
The band get one month off and then the whole band is fired because the re-uniting of Deep Purple is as good as arranged. Ritchie abandon the Purple idea in the last minute though and the band is hired again. Still Bobby Rondinelli soon is fired by Bruce Payne. The reason is that Bobby is not constant enough during live performances. Besides it didn't went too well between Bobby and Joe Lynn Turner. For the vacant position of drummer first Chuck Burgi is checked, but Chuck is not interested. Then Ritchie finds another drummer, a guy called Chris (second name unknown). He plays in a band from Long Island, that's managed by Ritchie's old assistant Ian Broad.On 25 april the recordings for the new album start in the Sweet Silence Studios. After two weeks it's clear that things do not work out with the new drummer. After mutual deliberation they decide to check another time if Chuck Burgi is interested. And it's three times lucky. Chuck, who once was with Joe Lynn Turner in Fandango, finally is consent to be the 18th Rainbow member. He takes the plane the next day to Copenhagen. The album is recorded and after that digitally mixed in New York. Then there are the rehearsals for the tour and Joe Lynn Turner gets the opportunity to get married on 9 July. On 6 September the "Bent out of shape" album is released in the UK. On the same day they start a tour in the UK. The album has ten good songs, without any weak ones. The sound is a bit like the "Difficult to cure" album, the typical thin Sweet Silence sound. The songs are much better though. The first concert with the new and fresh line-up in Liverpool is an exciting show, the band is not fully used to each other and shows now and then a bit uncomfortable. The set is: Spotlight kid, Miss Mistreated, Fool for the night, I Surrender, Can't happen here, Catch the rainbow, Drinking with the devil, Difficult to cure, Power, Blues, Stargazer, Death alley driver, Stranded, Fire dance, All night long, Long live rock'n'roll, Hey Joe, Kill the king. As the tour is a couple of days on the road they make good progress though. Also the show props are very good again, beside the known big mechanical eyes they uses various backdrops. After the UK there are some concerts in Scandinavia. 
At the last shows "Stargazer" is no longer in the set. In the encore of the last show in Helsinki on 7 October support act Lita Ford play guitar on stage with Rainbow. Late October and early November the band tour in the States. Initially there's a long tour for the US West Coast is planned but it get changed on the last moment. There are only a few shows on both the West and east Coast. At these shows "Street of dreams" is added to the setlist.In January it's conspicuous quiet around the band and the purple machine with rumours start all over again. When the planned European Tour in February is cancelled without a reason the rumours only get stronger. But in March the announced tour in Japan take place, although there are questions marks by the short length of it, only three concerts in all. The last concert in the Budokan is recorded in picture & sound for a release on video and vinyl. There's also the use of an orchestra, this always have been a silent wish of Ritchie but never was feasible financially. All of this make the rumours for a Deep Purple reunion only stronger and stronger. Late April then comes the definitive confirmation that Deep Purple Mark II is re-united. Rainbow belongs to the past............. RAINBOW DISCOGRAPHY  ALBUMS SINGLES 7 INCH 
SINGLES 12 INCH 
OTHER VINYL BOOTLEGS 
THE FINAL POLL SONGS 1. STAR GAZER 2. GATES OF BABYLON 3. CATCH THE RAINBOW 4. CAN'T LET YOU GO 5. SPOTLIGHT KID 6. KILL THE KING 7. EYES OF THE WORLD 8. STILL I'M SAD 9. ALL NIGHT LONG 10. TEARIN' OUT MY HEART ALBUMS 
1. RAINBOW RISING2. RAINBOW ON STAGE 3. BENT OUT OF SHAPE 4. STRAIGHT BETWEEN THE EYES 5. DOWN TO EARTH 6. DIFFICULT TO CURE 7. LONG LIVE ROCK'N'ROLL 8. RITCHIE BLACKMORE'S RAINBOW 9. THE BEST OF RAINBOW COVERS 1. RAINBOW RISING 2. STRAIGHT BETWEEN THE EYES 3· RITCHIE BLACKMORE'S RAINBOW 4. BENT OUT OF SHAPE 5. DOWN TO EARTH 6. LONG LIVE ROCK'N'ROLL 7. RAINBOW ON STAGE 8. DIFFICULT TO CURE 9. STREET OF DREAMS (12 INCH) 10. THE BEST OF RAINBOW 
SINGLES1. CAN'T LET YOU GO 2. SINCE YOU BEEN GONE 3. STONECOLD 4. STREET OF DREAMS 5. ALL NIGHT LONG 6. I SURRENDER 7. LONG LIVE ROCK'N'ROLL 8. CAN'T HAPPEN HERE 9. DEATH ALLEY DRIVER 10. L.A CONNECTION LINE-UPS 1. RAINBOW RISING (BLACKMORE/DIO/POWELL/BAIN/CAREY) 2. DOWN TO EARTH (BLACKMORE/POWELL/GLOVER/BONNET/AIREY) 3. STRAIGHT BETWEEN THE EYES (BLACKMORE/GLOVER/TURNER/RONDINELLI/ROSENTHAL) 4. BENT OUT OF SHAPE (BLACKMORE/GLOVER/TURNER/BURGI/ROSENTHAL) 5. DIFFICULT TO CURE (BLACKMORE/GLOVER/TURNER/AIREY/RONDINELLI) MEMBERS 
1. RITCHIE BLACKMORE2. RONNIE JAMES DIO 3. COZY POWELL 4. DON AIREY 5. ROGER GLOVER 6. GRAHAM BONNET 7. BOBBY RONDINELLI 8. JOE LYNN TURNER 9. DAVID ROSENTHAL 10. CHUCK BURGI 11. JIMMY BAIN 12. BOB DAISLEY 13. TONY CAREY 14. DAVID STONE 15. CRAIG GRUBER 16. GARY DRISCOLL 16. MICKEY LEE SOULE 16. MARC CLARKE CONCERTS 1. AHOY, ROTTERDAM 16/11 1982 2. AHOY, ROTTERDAM 13/06 1981 3. AHOY, ROTTERDAM 02/02 1980 4. CONGRESGEBOUW, THE HAGUE 04/10 1977 5. CONGRESGEBOUW, THE HAGUE 18/10 1976 GROUPS WITH EX-RAINBOW MEMBERS 1. DIO 2. ALCATRAZZ 3. MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP 4. BLACK SABBATH 5. GARY MOORE 6. WHITESNAKE 7. DEEP PURPLE 8. URIAH HEEP 9. OZZY OSBOURNE  © Rainbow Fanclan 1979-1984
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