Rainbow/Tokyo,Japan 5.9.1980

Rainbow originally debuted as Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow, but was later renamed simply “Rainbow”. This was to promote the fact that the band was formed by Richie, who was already successful and a big name. In that respect, it can be said that it is the same as Paul McCartney & Wings. Richie, who had already achieved fame with Deep Purple, formed a new band, and no one doubted its success. Although they are different bands, their fusion of blues, hard rock, and baroque follows the musical style of Deep Purple, and Rainbow can be said to be the completion of Ritchie’s musical tastes with a magnificent aesthetic beauty. Rainbow was formed in 1975, and after several changes in band members, as of May 1980, the members were Graham Bonnet, Cozy Powell, Ritchie Blackmore, Roger Glover, and Don.・There were 5 people in Ailey. Rainbow has already performed in Japan the year after its formation. His first visit to Japan was in 1976. Richie has already visited Japan twice as a member of Deep Purple, but this will be his first visit as a member of Rainbow. Richie’s passion for this new band is clear, and they are currently performing in Tokyo, Nagoya, Kyoto, Fukuoka, Hiroshima, and other locations. In particular, the final day at Budokan was a huge one with two performances in the daytime and nighttime. Their second visit to Japan in 1978 was a whopping 16 performances, even bigger than their previous tour, which saw them tour all over the country. This includes regional cities such as Kumamoto, Koriyama, Akita, and Niigata, which shows how popular Richie was in Japan at the time. There are probably no bands currently visiting Japan that can tour on this scale. It must be noted that its popularity led to the tragedy of spectators falling over and killing people. His third visit to Japan was in 1980, which is included in this work. This year’s performances in Japan were limited to Tokyo and Osaka, with 3 performances at Budokan and 3 performances at Osaka Festival Hall, making it a somewhat smaller scale compared to their previous visit to Japan. It is also noteworthy that this is the first performance in Japan since the vocalist changed to Graham Bonnet. This work includes the three consecutive performances at Budokan during their 1980 visit to Japan, including the Budokan performance on May 9th. Until now, many pre-released versions of this performance have been released, but this work is the first sound source different from any of them, and it was provided by the person himself who recorded it at the venue at the time. As you can see from the sample, the sound quality is among the best from today’s perspective. It is strange that this tape has not been released until now, and it is amazing that it is completely recorded in high quality from beginning to end, which makes it hard to believe that it is the first appearance. However, recorders have been trading tapes frequently since then, and this Rainbow Budokan performance seems to have been a “big weapon” in trading, and some parts of it may have already been released on CD. However, this is the first time that a master recording by the artist himself has been made into a CD. As you know, it is a tour accompanying “Down to Earth”, and the opening song is “Eyes of the World” from the same album. The influence of the shift in musicality from the pure hard rock route to a slightly more pop and melodious style can also be heard in their concerts. Yassan’s performance is straight forward and free of quirks, and perfectly matches the musical style of this period, including past songs such as “Niji wo Catchou.” The highlight of the concert will be the long solos by each member in the second half of the concert. In particular, a long time is devoted to Don Airey’s keyboard solo, including Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy”, the melody of “Ue o Muite Arukou”, and the 1977 movie “The Unknown”. It seems to be elaborate, even including the sounds of communications with aliens, which were impressively used in “Encounters.” From Rainbow’s 1980 performance in Japan, the Nippon Budokan performance on May 9th is completely recorded in ultra-high quality first appearance sound source provided by the recorder. DISC ONE 01. Land Of Hope And Glory 02. Over The Rainbow 03. Eyes Of The World 04. Love’s No Friend 05. Brandenburg Concerto 06. Since You Been Gone – Over The Rainbow 07. All Night Long 08. Catch The Rainbow DISC TWO 01. Don Airey Keyboard Solo 02. Lost In Hollywood – A Light In The Black 03. Ritchie Blackmore Guitar Solo 04. Don Airey Keyboard Solo – An Die Freude – Green Onions – Popeye The Sailor Man – Sukiyaki – Close Encounters Of The Third Kind – Kimigayo 05. Cozy Powell Drum Solo 06. 1812 Overture 07. Lost In Hollywood Reprise 08. Ritchie Blackmore Guitar Solo 09. Lazy 10. All Night Long 11. Long Live Rock ‘n Roll 12. Kill The King 13. Long Live Rock ‘n Roll Reprise