52 Albums That Shaped My Life - #31

Rainbow – Rising

(Oyster/Polydor, 1976)

Buy the album here

Heavy metal would be a different experience if it weren’t for the contributions of Ronnie James Dio and Ritchie Blackmore.  Dio and Rob Halford of Judas Priest led a generation of heavy music vocalists with unlimited talent, operatic stylings, incredible range, and, in Dio’s case, a penchant for ludicrous fantasy lyrics.  Blackmore stands proudly in a line of iconic heavy metal guitarists like Tony Iommi, Randy Rhoads, and Eddie Van Halen who pushed the envelope and changed common perceptions of what the guitar could do, and what heavy metal could be.  Together, Dio and Blackmore have taken me to heights that none of these other musicians’ bands could accomplish.  The imaginative epic quality of their music, the riffing and structural intelligence of Blackmore in combination with his renowned soloing, and Dio’s badass, righteous voice do more for me than any other band of the era.  Rising is the pinnacle of Rainbow’s all-too-short existence.

And in terms of pinnacles there are none greater, none more impressive, than the masterpiece of “Stargazer” in which Dio and Blackmore exceed even their own high standards.  Dio’s lyrics concerning a wizard who enslaves thousands in his quest to build a tower to the stars are thematically focused but fantastically realised, and his delivery is bold, aggressive, and pitch perfect.  Blackmore’s riffs are huge, atmospheric clouds that seem to change with the wind, and his solos are both as sharp as lightning strikes and as gentle as summer rain.  But it’s the powerful drum solo from heavy metal legend Cozy Powell that brings “Stargazer” to life, and the work of both The Munich Philharmonic Orchestra and Tony Carey on keyboards that have the song reaching for the stars, much like the delusional wizard Dio creates:

All eyes see the figure of the wizard

As he climbs to the top of the world

No sound, as he falls instead of rising

Time standing still, then there's blood on the sand

Oh I see his face!

From the moment the wizard falls to his demise, the song continues to scale the heights of musical greatness.  The strings, guitars, drums, and vocals keep pushing and pushing, insisting that there must be higher peaks to reach, as if the spirit of the wizard is still convinced of his ability to touch the stars, and take his place among the gods.  The progressive element of Rainbow’s approach matches so perfectly the tale they want to tell that you may find yourself wishing that the story and this incredible song may never end.

Rising is more than just a vehicle for this show-stealing epic though.  “A Light in the Black” continues the story of the enslaved people of “Stargazer” with yet more inventive work from Blackmore, solid driving rhythms from Powell, and Dio stamping his vocal authority over everything.  It seems like a comedown after the excellence that has preceded it, but Blackmore’s and Carey’s histrionic solos followed by Dio’s screams of “I’m coming home” make it a fitting end to the album.  The chorus of “Do You Close Your Eyes” is perhaps a low point on the album, but the verse riffs and vocals are awesome, even if the song lacks the high-flying creativity of the rest of the album.  The mid-paced chug of “Run with the Wolf” is a more direct heavy rock song with Dio’s vocals providing the greatest highlights, while “Starstruck” draws a stirring harmonised sea-shanty guitar opening in to one of Dio’s customary tales of dangerous women. 

But it’s the album’s opening track that evens the scales when set against “Stargazer”.  “Tarot Woman” begins with floating, prog keys delicately setting the scene for an album that belongs to an astral plane.  The exaggerated vocals work off the staccato rhythms of much of the main riff, before the solos carry you to another level.  Dio pins you down again with screams of “no, no, no” that develop the sense of danger that lurks just beneath everything in this fantastical album, but ultimately it’s the unique sound of Blackmore’s guitars working alongside those keys that leaves it mark and builds the foundation from which “Stargazer” launches itself towards greatness.

Rising taught me to love that more natural 70s drum sound where the heaviness is incidental, the power of fantasy lyrics, and the genius of Ritchie Blackmore.  Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath always dominated my thoughts of the period, but this album changed that for me, and I have to give most of the credit for that to Ronnie James Dio.  The man credited with popularising the use of “devil horns” among heavy metal fans gave more to us with his vocal talent than he ever did with crowd-pleasing gestures.  Just listen to Henry Rollins discuss his love of Dio’s voice or the Sabbath album Mob Rules and you’ll start to understand that Dio had something that no other heavy metal singer has ever had.  He may have sung about beasts, dragons, mystical lands, wizards, evil women, and many other things you will never encounter, but he did it with an intense sincerity that could, and still does, make you care about things you barely understand.  His was a talent for inclusion, a weapon to draw people in rather than slay them like the dragons he saw in his mind.  Heavy metal sung with heart and soul to give others heart and soul when they needed it most.