RAINBOW – Live In Germany 1976

(Eagle)

Rating: 8.5

A year after the ’77 Munich show was reissued, Eagle returns with a second 2CD set from Rainbow, culled from four different gigs (and as such, silence between each cut). While all but one of the eight songs on each setlist are identical, the band line-up had shifted, this being the definitive roster: Cozy Powell (drums), Jimmy Bain (bass), Tony Carey (keyboards) and the powerhouse tandem of Ronnie James Dio (vocals) and mainstay/guitarist Ritchie Blackmore.

Unlike the ’77 release, there’s little in the way of extras (tour itinerary, a few vintage photos and six short paragraphs of explanation). These were not the days of cookie cutter performances. Just compare the times of the various renditions. Here “Mistreated” balloons to 16:00, almost five minutes longer, whereas a 15:00 “Still I’m Sad” is “missing” ten minutes inserted a year later!

Naturally, most of this comes down to Mr. Blackmore’s soloing. This is not a slam-bam live record, but a lesson in dynamics, from the almost acoustic to the cacophony of a band playing on ten. Beginning with Carey’s keyboard solo, “Stargazer” (17:10) from the brilliant Rising, released just a few months earlier (and absent from the ’77 set) is the premier piece here.

More than double its studio length, it showcases a meandering guitar and the late Dio (God, how it hurts to hear this and remember his greatness). “Still I’m Sad” has an urgency that belies that title and they close with “Do You Close Your Eyes”.

One of the great bands, at a great time. How can you go wrong?