LONG LIVE ROCK & ROLL

Consolidating its reputation as one of the quite compelling hard rock albums from the 1970s, 'Long Live Rock 'n' Roll' is Rainbow's third studio album, released on April 9, 1978, and for some it is among the band's canon work. Heavy-hitting and enticing from start to finish, the record is packed with classics; Led by Ritchie Blackmore, of course, the band for this album also features Ronnie James Dio on vocals, Cozy Powell on drums, Bob Daisley handling some bass duties, and David Stone and Tony Carey splitting the keyboards contributions. A difficult album for Blackmore, however, we have to mention, as he fired the entire band except Powell after it, and Dio left to join Black Sabbath. This one was recorded without a proper bassist as a band member, too, and had to follow up the all-time classic 'Rising'. All of this puts the album in a difficult atmosphere that the music had to somehow overcome.

Thumping bass riffs and majestic guitars, Blackmore's signature classic style is penetrating every song, injecting within it its infectious hard rock power and mystical brilliance, indelibly topped by Dio's tremendous vocal performance. Take the title track or the underrated 'Lady of the Lake', with its magnificent metallic riff, the fast-paced killer 'Kill the King' or the quite exceptional 'The Shed (Subtle)', the last two co-written with Powell (alongside Blackmore and Dio). The album also fratures the legendary 'Gates of Babylon,' the glorious medieval-esque closing track 'Rainbow Eyes' (which might also be the best song on the album), one of the most impactful songs in Rainbow's entire catalogue. 'Sensitive to Light' is no less brilliant than anything else on this album, which is a great, great classic for hard rock overall. A well-known album that deserves the attention that's been given to it, simply one of the classics of the 70s.

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