Few bands in the history of hard rock/heavy metal shifted stylistic gears as abruptly as
Rainbow did. And unlike some veteran acts that attempt this makeover and only draw the wrath of their already-built audience,
Rainbow enjoyed further chart success after the switch. Case in point, the 2009 double-disc set,
Anthology, in which two contrasting styles -- medieval metal and radio-friendly rock -- are gloriously on display throughout. Immediately after splitting from
Deep Purple in early 1975, guitarist
Ritchie Blackmore enlisted the help of the then-largely unknown singer
Ronnie James Dio, and issued a trio of albums that are basically a 101 course on the aforementioned medieval metal style. In other words, lots of swords-and-sorcery imagery (which would eventually become
Dio's trademark), epic compositions, organ/synth vs. guitar battles, etc. And some of metal's all-time great tracks were composed as a result, tops being "Man on the Silver Mountain" (one of the best tracks that either
Blackmore or
Dio has ever been a part of), as well as "Stargazer" and the
Jimi Hendrix-influenced"Catch the Rainbow" (which lyrically, is almost a carbon copy of
Hendrix's "Little Wing"). After
Dio's exit (to sign on as
Ozzy Osbourne's replacement in
Black Sabbath), singer
Graham Bonnet briefly signed on -- lasting only one album -- and bridging the two aforementioned styles that
Rainbow is synonymous with, with another metallic off-shoot approach...party metal! For the sonic proof, check out "Since You've Been Gone," while one of this set's biggest errors is including a live version of another
Bonnet-era classic, "All Night Long," with his subsequent replacement,
Joe Lynn Turner, on vocals (tsk, tsk, tsk). And it was upon
Turner's arrival as lead vocalist that
Rainbow embarked on their last stylistic speciality -- radio-friendly melodic rock, obviously constructed with the aim of doing battle with such then-chart toppers as
Journey and
Foreigner, as evidenced by such tracks as "Stone Cold," "I Surrender," and "Street of Dreams." All in all, most of the expected
Rainbow classics are included on
Anthology. However, with the omission of such standouts as "Starstruck" and "Long Live Rock N' Roll," as well as the botch job of including a lame latter-day live version of "All Night Long" rather than the definitive original studio version,
Anthology is prevented from being a true all-you-need-in-your-collection type release. ~ Greg Prato