The Best of Rainbow
The Best of Rainbow is the first compilation album from British hard rock group Rainbow, released in 1981.
| The Best of Rainbow | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Cover design by Hipgnosis | ||||
| Greatest hits album by | ||||
| Released | November 1981 | |||
| Recorded | 1975–1981 | |||
| Genre | Hard rock, heavy metal | |||
| Length | 82:11 | |||
| Label | Polydor | |||
| Producer | Martin Birch, Roger Glover | |||
| Rainbow compilation albums chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    |
This compilation album is slightly different from the similarly titled album from 1980, which was released only in Japan,[2] and features mostly previously-released studio cuts, taken from the five studio albums Rainbow had released at that point. However, "Jealous Lover", the first song written by Blackmore and Turner, had been available only as a B-side in Europe (to "Can't Happen Here") and on the Jealous Lover EP in the United States.
The original vinyl-release was a 2-LP set, in a gatefold-sleeve which contained photos of the band during its various incarnations, and reached No. 14 in the UK Albums Chart in 1981.[3] As of 2019, this compilation album has never been released in the United States.
The photograph on the cover was taken at Zaanse Schans.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original release | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "All Night Long" | Ritchie Blackmore, Roger Glover | Down to Earth (1979) | 3:53 |
| 2. | "Man on the Silver Mountain" | Blackmore, Ronnie James Dio | Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow (1975) | 4:39 |
| 3. | "Lost in Hollywood" | Blackmore, Glover, Cozy Powell | Down to Earth | 4:53 |
| 4. | "Jealous Lover" | Blackmore, Joe Lynn Turner | B-side of the single "Can't Happen Here" (1981) | 3:10 |
| 5. | "Long Live Rock 'n' Roll" | Blackmore, Dio | Long Live Rock 'n' Roll (1978) | 4:23 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original release | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6. | "Stargazer" | Blackmore, Dio | Rising (1976) | 8:26 |
| 7. | "Kill the King" | Blackmore, Dio, Powell | Long Live Rock 'n' Roll | 4:29 |
| 8. | "A Light in the Black" | Blackmore, Dio | Rising | 8:12 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original release | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9. | "Since You Been Gone" | Russ Ballard | Down to Earth | 3:20 |
| 10. | "Sixteenth Century Greensleeves" | Blackmore, Dio | Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow | 3:31 |
| 11. | "Catch the Rainbow" | Blackmore, Dio | Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow | 6:36 |
| 12. | "Eyes of the World" | Blackmore, Glover | Down to Earth | 6:42 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original release | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13. | "I Surrender" | Ballard | Difficult to Cure (1981) | 4:03 |
| 14. | "Gates of Babylon" | Blackmore, Dio | Long Live Rock 'n' Roll | 6:49 |
| 15. | "Can't Happen Here" | Blackmore, Glover | Difficult to Cure | 4:59 |
| 16. | "Starstruck" | Blackmore, Dio | Rising | 4:06 |
Personnel
- Ritchie Blackmore – guitar, bass on track 5
- Ronnie James Dio – vocals: tracks 2, 5-8, 10, 11, 14, 16
- Graham Bonnet – vocals: tracks 1, 3, 9, 12
- Joe Lynn Turner - vocals: tracks 4, 13, 15
- Micky Lee Soule – keyboards: tracks 2, 10, 11
- Tony Carey – keyboards: tracks 6, 8, 16
- David Stone – keyboards: tracks 7, 14
- Don Airey – keyboards: tracks 1, 3, 4, 9, 12, 13, 15
- Craig Gruber – bass: tracks 2, 10, 11
- Jimmy Bain – bass: tracks 6, 8, 16
- Bob Daisley – bass: tracks 7, 14
- Roger Glover – bass: tracks 1, 3, 4, 9, 12, 13, 15
- Gary Driscoll – drums: tracks 2, 10, 11
- Cozy Powell – drums: tracks 1, 3, 5-9, 12, 14, 16
- Bobby Rondinelli - drums: tracks 4, 13, 15
- Roger Glover - producer: tracks 1, 3, 4, 9, 12, 13, 15
- Blackmore/Birch/Dio - producers: tracks 2, 10, 11
- Martin Birch - producer: tracks 5-8, 14, 16
References
- Rivadavia, Eduardo. "The Best of Rainbow review". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 2013-12-17.
- "Rainbow - The Best Of Rainbow". Discogs. Retrieved 2019-10-16.
- "Rainbow Official Charts". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2013-11-26.
- "Search for Artist Rainbow". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 2013-11-26.