Rainbow/North America Tour 1979

In the history of RAINBOW (including activities with Doogie White), Graham Bonnet’s time with the band was particularly short-lived. It was just one year from the start of their live performances in 1979 to their appearance on Donnington’s “Monsters of Rock” on August 16, 1980. However, this era, which has been called “the strongest RAINBOW”, has gained strong support from fans, comparable to the Ronnie James Dio era. Why is the Graham era, which consisted of just one album and one tour, so popular? The main reasons for this are that many of the members have name value, a number of memorable live performances, and the existence of excellent collector’s items. In the Graham era, the American tour occupied all of the 1979 live shows. In this tour, which took place for about three months (as can be heard in the 3-disc set “DOWN TO FRONTIER”), excellent soundboard sound sources are known. However, in this era, the value of audience recording is also high. This work satisfies the mania’s desire to “listen to more” with maximum volume and stable quality. From September at the beginning of the tour to December at the end, we will listen to excellent audience recordings from the American tour for 4 performances, totaling more than 230 minutes! Disc 1 includes the live performance at “Cobo Hall” in Detroit, Michigan on September 21st, which is the fourth performance of the ’79 tour. Although the range is a little narrow, you can listen to Richie’s guitar and the band’s performance with powerful sound. In particular, Graham’s vocals are well-contained with clear outlines, and it can be said that Graham’s fans can’t miss this sound source. Since it was the opening act for BLUE OYSTER CULT, which was reaching its peak of popularity in the United States at the time, the size of the venue and the number of spectators could be felt from the sound. However, it seems that there are many fans who came for Richie, and cheers such as “Richie!” and “Rainbow!” are also noticeable (the audience who suddenly calls “Smoke On The Water!” at the opening makes me laugh). Graham’s staging is still a little stiff, but his singing voice is as expected, and he sings dynamically and powerfully on “Eyes Of The World” and “Love’s No Friend.” As soon as they heard it, the audience turned to look at us.” (It was a performance just as he recalls). The live highlight “Lost In Hollywood” can be seen cut from the middle of the song to the beginning of “Beethoven’s 9th”, but the overall 17-minute performance from Don Airey’s keyboard intro to the drum solo is still a masterpiece. In particular, Cozy’s drum solo can be enjoyed even during live performances. In the guitar crash that continues from “Long Live Rock ‘n’ Roll”, even the screaming guitar noise is captured with a vivid and powerful sound. Unfortunately, the recording ends before the ending, but the recording is of sufficient quality as an audience source at the time, and will entertain you with a valuable document of the very early stages of the tour for 48 minutes. Disc 2 contains the 10th performance of the tour, September 29th, “The Spectrum” performance in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Since the venue is large, the audience noise is large and the sound feels a little noisy at times, but the moderate echo and wide sound spread enhance the sense of presence even more than on Disc 1. Graham is starting to get used to the stage as a hard rock band, and on this day he is showing off his best voice with the best power. The entire show from “Eyes Of The World” includes many ad-libs and unique singing turns, so his fans will have 54 minutes that they can’t miss a moment from the beginning. The pattern that flows from a solo based on Ritchie’s “Brandenburg Concerto” to “Over The Rainbow” performed by the band and then “All Night Long” was arranged only in the first half of the American tour. After November, “Since You Been Gone” will be added and change, so the audience recording that allows you to check the flow at that time as it is is valuable. In the interaction between Graham and the audience in the middle of “All Night Long,” Graham overwhelms the audience with his amazing power and extended voice. You can enjoy it to the fullest). On this day, I got the impression that not only Graham but all the band members were playing very well, and not only Richie but also Cozy, Don, and Roger’s play gave off a momentum that seemed to push the band forward as one. This sound source can be said to be one of the best sources on the ’79 tour, where you can enjoy high-level performances. Included in Disc 3 is the California Long Beach Arena performance on November 11th. RAINBOW, who finished their opening act for BLUE OYSTER CULT on October 26th, was originally scheduled to tour Germany starting November 5th, but they decided to continue their tour in the United States, starting from November 6th to 13th. Until today, we have completed 6 performances in California. This sound source will be the 5th performance after the tour resumed. This sound source uses the upper master of the sound source that appeared as “#9” long ago. “#9” originally had a reputation for its well-balanced recording, so here you can enjoy a particularly cohesive and stable sound in this work. The acoustics have a slightly dead impression, but depending on the location, you can enjoy the guitar with a direct feel like a line sound source. In particular, fans will be very happy to be able to enjoy the parts where Richie’s playing is important, such as the introduction of “Over The Rainbow”, the song “Lost In Hollywood”, and even “Beethoven 9th”, with a high-quality listening response. (In addition, from the second half of the keyboard solo in the “Lost In Hollywood” medley to Cozy’s drum solo, there are omissions due to the master). The guitar crash, which was a little too loud on discs 1 and 2, maintains its power, but the sound image makes you take a step back and overlook the entire venue, allowing you to see the raging state of the stage and the excitement of the audience. . Disc 4, located at the end of this work, is a show in Lynn, Massachusetts on December 6th, at the end of the ’79 tour. There are existing sound sources for this Lin performance, but they had strangely fast pitches and crackling noises, and could not be said to convey the correct image of the live performance. This work overcomes these elements with careful remastering, making it the best definitive edition ever, surpassing previous releases. The visibility, clarity, and sound balance were all at a high level, and the distance between the stage and the taper seemed much closer compared to the previous three performances. Enjoy Graham RAINBOW’s energetic live performance with excellent direct sound. Although there are some cuts and omissions due to the master in “Love’s No Friend”, “Since You Been Gone”, “All Night Long”, etc., the quality of the sound is top class even among the audience recordings of the ’79 tour. If you are an avid fan, this is sure to be a sound source that you can listen to over and over again. “Love’s No Friend” is a listening experience that condenses the goodness of the original sound source mentioned above, and it is a fulfilling take, with not only a thrilling Richie solo but also a wonderful performance by Graham, who has an outstanding voice. After the performance of the same song, “Jingle Bells”, which Richie and Graham improvise, shows excitement that involves the audience, and this is also a part that cannot be missed. This fun atmosphere does not change until the latter half of the live performance, and the encore songs “Man On The Silver Mountain” and “Lazy” also feature various plays, and the lively performance will keep the listener from getting bored. You will enjoy the best live performance until the end with “Long Live Rock ‘n’ Roll”. After this Rin performance, RAINBOW will conclude their American tour with a performance in Albany, New York on December 9th. The value of this sound source is very high as a record of the 1979 tour that reached its final stage. This work is a great sample that allows you to check the live performance on the ’79 American tour from the beginning to the end. For those of you who were disappointed not to be able to obtain this product when it first came out in 2011, as well as those who have recently started looking for a RAINBOW collector’s item, you won’t want to miss this revival release! Disc 1 Live at Cobo Hall, Detroit, Michigan 21st September 1979 1. Intro 2. Eyes Of The World 3. Love’s No Friend 4. Over The Rainbow 5. All Night Long 6. Keyboards Intro. 7. Lost In Hollywood 8. Guitar Solo/Beethoven 9th 9. Keyboards Solo 10. Drums Solo incl. 1812 Overture 11. Long Live Rock ‘N’ Roll 12. Kill The King incl. Guitar Crash Disc 2 Live at The Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 29th September 1979 1. Intro 2. Eyes Of The World 3. Love’s No Friend 4. Over The Rainbow 5. All Night Long 6. Keyboards Intro. 7. Lost In Hollywood 8. Guitar Solo/Beethoven 9th 9. Keyboards Solo 10. Drums Solo Incl. 1812 Overture 11. Long Live Rock ‘N’ Roll 12. Kill The King incl. Guitar Crash 13. Long Live Rock’N’Roll (reprise) Disc 3 Live at Long Beach Arena, Santa Monica, Los Angeles, California 11th November 1979 1. Land Of Hope And Glory/Soundcheck 2. Introduction 3. Eyes Of The World 4. Love’s No Friend 5. Over The Rainbow 6. All Night Long 7. Keyboards Intro. 8. Lost In Hollywood 9. Guitar Solo/Beethoven 9th 10. Keyboards Solo 11. Drum Solo feat. 1812 Overture 12. Lost In Hollywood(Reprise) 13. Guitar Solo/Lazy 14. Man On The SIlver Mountain15. Blues 16. Long Live Rock ‘N’ Roll 17. Kill The King incl. Guitar Crash 18. Long Live Rock ‘N’ Roll(reprise) 19. Over The Rainbow Disc 4 Live at Manning Bowl, Lynn, Massachusetts 6th December 1979 1. Introduction 2. Eyes Of The World 3. Love’s No Friend 4. Since You Been Gone 5. Brandenburg Concerto/Over The Rainbow 6. All Night Long 7. Keyboard Intro.8. Lost In Hollywood 9. Guitar Solo/Beethoven 9th 10. Keyboards Solo 11. Drum Solo feat. 1812 Overture 12. Lost In Hollywood(Reprise ) 13. Man On The Silver Mountain 14. Lazy 15. Blues 16. Long Live Rock ‘N’ Roll Ritchie Blackmore – Guitar Graham Bonnet – Vocals Cozy Powell – Drums Roger Glover – Bass Don Airey – Keyboards