Back when I was getting into bands I tended to buy the greatest hits packages, reasoning that this was the best way to hear a band's repertoire. And so it was with Rainbow. Having heard the debut and “Rising” I went out and bought this first ever Rainbow compilation. And is it a revelation!
The best of Rainbow --- Rainbow --- 1981
Not only do you get half of “Rising” on this double album, you also have all the hits --- “Since you been gone”, “All night long”, “I surrender” etc --- as well as one of Rainbow's most heartbreaking ballads, “Catch the rainbow”. Factor in “Long live rock'n'roll”, “Kill the king” and the amazing “Gates of Babylon”, to say nothing of “Eyes of the world”, and you have a compilation that really is hard to beat. Some of the tracks on it I could do without --- “Man on the silver mountain”, “Jealous lover” etc, but overall it's one of the best collections I've ever bought.
Showcasing the best from the Dio era, as well as Joe Lynn Turner and Graham Bonnet, it's a true representation of what Rainbow were all about at the height of their popularity and their creative apex. A true time capsule. Excellent stuff.
TRACKLISTING
1. All night long
2. Man on the silver mountain
3. Jealous lover
4. Lost in Hollywood
5. Long live rock'n'roll
6. Stargazer
7. Kill the king
8. A light in the black
9. Since you been gone
10. Sixteenth century Greensleeves
11. Catch the rainbow
12. Eyes of the world
13. I surrender
14. Gates of Babylon
15. Can't happen here
16. Starstruck