40th Anniversary Celebration Of RAINBOW “Rising”

When considering the impact on the music world of such an iconic album as “Rising”, created by the equally iconic Ritchie Blackmore’s RAINBOW, it is easy to see how well it has stood the test of time. The album has long been considered a classic among hard rock fans since its release on 17^th May 1976, 40 years ago. “Rising”, which was produced and mixed by Martin Birch, reached number 11 in the UK album chart and also achieved gold status in 1979.

Of course the stunning imagery on the album cover, created by Ken Kelly, is a fan favourite and so instantly recognisable, in more recent times evoking memories for fans back in the 70’s, of seeing the band on stage under that magnificent rainbow all those years ago. More importantly, the members of the band captured the essence of rock ‘n’ roll with those six tracks on “Rising”. The powerful combination of Ronnie James Dio and Ritchie Blackmore created songs that will go down in rock history as some of the best of all time.

It is only fitting to celebrate this landmark of an album which was a milestone of its time, by speaking to a selection of highly regarded musicians about it. We wanted to capture their thoughts and feelings about “Rising” to discover what kind of impact it had and maybe even still has on them. Throughout the week we will be sharing these thoughts for RAINBOW fans to enjoy.

Track list of “Rising”:

1. Tarot Woman
2. Run with the Wolf
3. Starstruck
4. Do You Close Your Eyes
5. Stargazer
6. A Light in the Black

Line-up:

Ronnie James Dio – Vocals
Ritchie Blackmore – Guitar
Tony Carey – Keyboards, Orchestron in ‘Stargazer’
Jimmy Bain – Bass
Cozy Powell – Drums

Rainbow Rising 40th Anniversary