Rising - Rainbow (1976)

A thread I love to talk about: the trans-Atlantic fraternity of mad lads who served as the supporting cast of dozens of 70s and 80s hard rock bands.

Another–though it hasn’t gotten mentioned here much–is the amazing career and work of Ronnie James Dio, a fabulous singer and a musical visionary in his own nerdy way that makes me love him.

Ritchie Blackmore had been an architect of rock already in Deep Purple. When he left to start a new band, he recruited Dio as a singer. The two seem to share a flair for the theatrical and grandiose, and they were a great fit for each other. Dio’s lyrics are well-served by the heavy prog vision Blackmore was building.

Featuring keyboardist Tony Carey (o_O) and drummer Cozy Powell, this is probably the strongest Rainbow record.

Tracks I Liked

Run With The Wolf - a prototypical Dio song, with plenty of room for the menace of Dio’s voice to shine through

Starstruck - a riff-heavy boogie that gallops along at a great pace

A Light In The Black - a Judas-Priest-owing scorcher that would have been a generational hit if it had been reined in maybe 3 minutes sooner