Rainbow / FL,USA 1976 Upgrade

RAINBOW in 1976 was in pursuit of the ideal of hard rock and was rushing towards the ultimate form. This is a superb live album that captures the early stages of that. This work contains the “July 15, 1976 Miami performance.” RAINBOW, who debuted with “Silver Mountain Champion”, did not perform live with the album members, but Cozy Powell, Jimmy Bain, and Tony Caray joined. They started the tour with the most memorable “Rainbow Flying Champion” lineup of the triumvirate era. First, let’s look back on that flow and check the position of this work. [1975] September tour lineup confirmed November 10-29: North America #1 (13 performances) [1976] February-March: Europe (cancelled) May 17 “Rainbow Flying Champion” released June 11-August 7: North America #2 (32 performances) ← [This work] August 31-September 14: UK (10 performances) September 20-October 18: Europe (20 performances) November 4-22: Australia (11 performances) December 2-16: First visit to Japan (10 performances) February 1977: Jimmy Bain fired This is the overall picture of the so-called “second period RAINBOW”. There are some vague points in the records at that time, so the number of performances is questionable, but I think you can imagine the general outline. They performed “North America #1” in 1975, but the European tour from February to March 1976 after the production of “Rainbow Flying Champion” was canceled. The Miami performance in this work was the 22nd concert of “North America #2” which started in June. This work, which contains such a show, is one of the best recordings even in the early days. There are also famous records such as “THUNDER ROAR (June 17th)” from the New York performance and “BURBANK MASTER (August 3rd)” from the Burbank performance from “North America #2”, but it is wonderful enough to be called “the three major live albums” that are on par with them. The applause is undoubtedly a vivid audience recording, but the robust musical tones and fine details are outside the common sense of the 1970s audience. It is a tremendous sound that makes you want to call it “like a sound board”. In fact, this recording was once introduced as a gift board “MIAMI WIZARD”, but in this work it has been brushed up with the latest and meticulous remastering. The original sound was a little muffled, but this work has wonderful high notes that extend endlessly. It’s not just the high notes that are raised, but the mid-low tones are also fine-tuned in total, so the silence is full of pitch black depth and the sound is natural. It has achieved a natural dynamism that is on a different level from equalization that raises each part randomly. The wonderful thing about “North America #2” is that it is revived with that sound… Speaking of the triumvirate RAINBOW, the image of the completed formal beauty of West Germany and Japan, which was also made official, is strong, but this work is a middle process on the way there. While there is a solid feel overall, there is a sense of challenge that makes you feel like you are groping for each other’s breathing and arrangement. For example, there is no six-part kime at the ending of “Kill The King”, and there is a transitional period in which various phrases are tried in the long solo of “Mistreated”. “Blues” is not inserted in the solo of “Man On The Silver Mountain”, and it is a free-form play from beginning to end. “Starstuck” does not appear, and the composition that avalanches into the ending part at once is awfully fresh to the ears that are based on the Japanese performance. And speaking of the greatest taste of “North America # 2”, the suite of “Stargazer” & “A Light In The Black” lasts about 25 minutes! “Stagazer” where Ronnie mixes in different ad-libs from the album, Richie also releases a magnificent long solo with a slide, and “A Light In The Black” is a huge masterpiece where the second period RAINBOW explodes together. Of course, it is not just long, but 25 minutes of tight tension and extreme dynamism at the manic-depressive level surges like a big wave. The length of the improvisation does not reach the DEEP PURPLE of the “IN ROCK” era, but its concentration is the ultimate hard rock masterpiece that exceeds even PURPLE. As with “MIAMI WIZARD”, unfortunately this recording ends at the end of Cozy’s drum solo. “Still I’m Sad” and after are not included. And like “MIAMI WIZARD”, this one also includes a bonus track, “Blues” from another show. You can listen to a version with Ronnie’s vocals instead of an instrumental version with a superb sound that rivals the main show. Although the exact date is unknown, this pattern was seen in the latter part of “North America #2”. You can enjoy two minutes of bluesy music played by Richie and Ronnie, the heroes of British rock. “North America #2” was the first full-scale tour. This is a superb gem that vacuum-packs the triumvirate RAINBOW, who have just started running, with the best sound. It is a quality that even those who are not very accustomed to audience recordings can enjoy, and the more you are familiar with the completed Japanese performance, the fresher the live album will be. And for core enthusiasts, I would like you to savor the process of evolution with the trilogy of “June’s “THUNDER ROAR” + July’s work + August’s “BURBANK MASTER”. Live at Jai Alai Fronton, Miami, FL. USA 15th July 1976 TRULY PERFECT SOUND(UPGRADE) Disc 1(49:11) 1. Over The Rainbow 2. Kill The King 3. Mistreated 4. Sixteenth Century Greensleeves 5. Catch The Rainbow 6. Man On The Silver Mountain Disc 2(45:51) 1. MC 2. Keyboard Intro. 3. Stargazer 4. A Light In The Black 5. Still I’m Sad incl. Keyboard Solo 6. Drum Solo feat. 1812 Overture Bonus Track 7. Blues (with Ronnie James Dio) Ritchie Blackmore – Guitar Ronnie James Dio – Vocal Cozy Powell – Drums Jimmy Bain – Bass Tony Carey – Keyboards