The Best of Rainbow | ||||
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Greatest hits album by | ||||
Released | November 1981 | |||
Recorded | 1975–1981 | |||
Genre | Hard rock, heavy metal | |||
Length | 82:11 | |||
Label | Polydor | |||
Producer | Martin Birch, Roger Glover | |||
Rainbow compilation albums chronology | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
The Best of Rainbow is the first compilation album from British hard rock group Rainbow, released in 1981.
This compilation album is slightly different from the similarly titled album from 1980, which was released only in Japan, [2] and features mostly previously-released studio cuts, taken from the five studio albums Rainbow had released at that point. However, "Jealous Lover", the first song written by Blackmore and Turner, had been available only as a B-side in Europe (to "Can't Happen Here") and on the Jealous Lover EP in the United States.
The original vinyl-release was a 2-LP set, in a gatefold-sleeve which contained photos of the band during its various incarnations, and reached No. 14 in the UK Albums Chart in 1981. [3] As of 2019, this compilation album has never been released in the United States.
The photograph on the cover was taken at Zaanse Schans.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original release | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "All Night Long" | Ritchie Blackmore, Roger Glover | Down to Earth (1979) | 3:53 |
2. | "Man on the Silver Mountain" | Blackmore, Ronnie James Dio | Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow (1975) | 4:39 |
3. | "Lost in Hollywood" | Blackmore, Glover, Cozy Powell | Down to Earth | 4:53 |
4. | "Jealous Lover" | Blackmore, Joe Lynn Turner | B-side of the single "Can't Happen Here" (1981) | 3:10 |
5. | "Long Live Rock 'n' Roll" | Blackmore, Dio | Long Live Rock 'n' Roll (1978) | 4:23 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original release | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
6. | "Stargazer" | Blackmore, Dio | Rising (1976) | 8:26 |
7. | "Kill the King" | Blackmore, Dio, Powell | Long Live Rock 'n' Roll | 4:29 |
8. | "A Light in the Black" | Blackmore, Dio | Rising | 8:12 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original release | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
9. | "Since You Been Gone" | Russ Ballard | Down to Earth | 3:20 |
10. | "Sixteenth Century Greensleeves" | Blackmore, Dio | Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow | 3:31 |
11. | "Catch the Rainbow" | Blackmore, Dio | Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow | 6:36 |
12. | "Eyes of the World" | Blackmore, Glover | Down to Earth | 6:42 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original release | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
13. | "I Surrender" | Ballard | Difficult to Cure (1981) | 4:03 |
14. | "Gates of Babylon" | Blackmore, Dio | Long Live Rock 'n' Roll | 6:49 |
15. | "Can't Happen Here" | Blackmore, Glover | Difficult to Cure | 4:59 |
16. | "Starstruck" | Blackmore, Dio | Rising | 4:06 |
Chart (1981) | Peak position |
---|---|
Japanese Albums (Oricon) [4] | 48 |
UK Albums (OCC) [5] | 14 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United Kingdom (BPI) [6] | Gold | 100,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Rainbow are a British rock band formed in Hertford in 1975 by guitarist Ritchie Blackmore. Established in the aftermath of Blackmore's first departure from Deep Purple, they originally featured four members of the American rock band Elf, including their singer Ronnie James Dio, but after their self-titled debut album, Blackmore fired these members, except Dio, recruiting drummer Cozy Powell, bassist Jimmy Bain, and keyboardist Tony Carey. This line-up recorded the band's second album Rising (1976), while Long Live Rock 'n' Roll (1978) saw Bob Daisley and David Stone replace Bain and Carey, respectively. Long Live Rock 'n' Roll was also the last album with Dio before he left the band to join Black Sabbath in 1979.
Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow is the debut studio album by American/British rock band Rainbow, released in 1975.
On Stage is a double live album originally released by the British hard rock band Rainbow in 1977. It was recorded live over several German and Japanese dates in late 1976 during the Rising world tour. The album was released first in the US on 7 July 1977, before being released a week later on 15 July in the UK.
Long Live Rock 'n' Roll is the third studio album by the British heavy metal band Rainbow, released on 14 April 1978 and the last to feature original lead vocalist Ronnie James Dio.
Down to Earth is the fourth studio album by the British hard rock band Rainbow. It is their last album to feature drummer Cozy Powell, their first with bassist Roger Glover and keyboardist Don Airey and their only album with vocalist Graham Bonnet. Released in 1979, it contains Rainbow's first hit single "Since You Been Gone", marking a more commercial direction of the band's sound.
Perfect Strangers is the eleventh studio album by English rock band Deep Purple, released on 29 October 1984. It was the most successful album recorded by the re-formed 'Mark II' line-up.
Difficult to Cure is the fifth studio album by the British hard rock band Rainbow, and it was released in 1981. It was the first album to feature Bobby Rondinelli on drums and Joe Lynn Turner on lead vocals after the departures of Cozy Powell and Graham Bonnet respectively, following the release of Down to Earth. The album marked the continuing commercialization of the band's sound, with Ritchie Blackmore once describing at the time his appreciation of the band Foreigner. It became the band's highest-charting album on the UK Albums Chart, where it peaked at number three.
Straight Between the Eyes is the sixth studio album by English rock band Rainbow, released in 1982 by Polydor Records. A remastered CD reissue, with packaging duplicating the original vinyl release, was released in May 1999. It was released on 14 April 1982 in the US by Mercury Records.
Bent Out of Shape is the seventh studio album released by English hard rock band Rainbow. It was originally released in September 1983 as an LP and cassette. The cassette featured several longer edits compared to the vinyl version. It was recorded at Sweet Silence Studios in Copenhagen.
Finyl Vinyl is a live album by the British hard rock band Rainbow and was released in 1986, after the band had already disbanded in 1984. It includes live recordings spanning 1978 to 1984, along with three studio B-sides.
Deepest Purple: The Very Best of Deep Purple is a compilation album by the English hard rock band Deep Purple, released in 1980 on LP. It features the original hits of Deep Purple before their 1984 reunion. Aided by a TV advertising campaign it would become Purple's third UK No. 1 album. In 1984 this compilation additionally was published on CD.
Stranger in Us All is the eighth studio album by the British hard rock band Rainbow, released on 21 August 1995 by RCA Records. This was the band's first studio album in twelve years, and originally intended to be a solo album by Blackmore, but due to pressures from BMG, it was billed as Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow, which saw him putting together a new line-up featuring himself and four then-unknown musicians: vocalist Doogie White, bassist Greg Smith, keyboardist Paul Morris and drummer John O'Reilly.
The Very Best of Rainbow is a greatest hits compilation album by the British hard rock band Rainbow. It was released in 1997 and features material ranging from 1975's Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow to 1983's Bent Out of Shape.
Live in Munich 1977 is a live album and DVD released by the British hard rock band Rainbow in 2006.
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24 Carat Purple is the first compilation album of the hard rock band Deep Purple released worldwide on their own record company and the third in a long line of compilation albums. It was released in June 1975.
30: Very Best of Deep Purple is a 1998 compilation album by English rock band Deep Purple, celebrating 30th anniversary of the band. There are two CD versions of the album, a single CD and a double CD, and a vinyl version, a double LP printed on purple vinyl, with the track listing being identical to the single CD version.
20th Century Masters – The Millennium Collection: The Best of Rainbow is a compilation album released by Rainbow. Released on 3 October 2000. The tracks were recorded between 1975–1983, before Rainbow disbanded in 1984.
Cozy Powell Forever is a tribute album dedicated to the British rock drummer Cozy Powell, who died a few months before the album release. The album was produced by Japanese drummer Munetaka Higuchi, with the contribution of many prominent Japanese rock and metal musicians and of the western musicians Carmine Appice and Tony Franklin. The songs covered in the album span from the early career of Powell in the Jeff Beck Group, to his membership in Rainbow, Whitesnake and Michael Schenker Group, to his solo production. Higuchi brought the songs of this album on tour in Japan and in 1999 released a live album with recordings of a show held in Tokyo.
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