It is surprising that the strongest incarnation of Rainbow only recorded one studio album together, Rising. The rumor mill might suggest that is was 1 1/2 (Long Live Rock N Roll - Rumors suggest that the original band might have put together a few tracks, before they made a line up change), but who really knows. That being said, Eagle Rock Entertainment has just released a live collection of this classic line-up, on their only tour together, called Live in Germany 1976.
The 2 disc set includes a best of from the band's first 2 albums, as well as a Deep Purple classic Mistreated. The audio was taken from their tour of Germany back in the day. This includes a solid set, which sounds amazing. Dio and Blackmore as well as the rest of the band sound great. Be ready to take a ride, because many of the tracks are extended with lots of jamming. I really dug how the band took these songs, in so many directions, with the jams that came about within many of the tracks. Not sure if these were planned or not, but it just showed how well the band was clicking at the time. It would have been very interesting if this line up would have stayed together, because there is no telling what they would have put out.
Bottom Line: A classic live release, from a very underrated band. Rainbow before they got commercial. A great introduction if to one of the bands that helped sculpt the music we know today.
Standout Tracks: Stargazer, Catch the Rainbow, Mistreated and Kill the King.
-Ragman wants the visual portion to this one. It rocks!