Unsurprisingly, Sin After Sin beats Images At Twilight. After two thrashings in a row, we come to a round that will perhaps be less slightly less lopsided. For this round, we will be looking at two bands that had un undeniably heavy sound, influenced many Metal bands to come, had a couple one-off hits, and yet did not really receive the same mainstream recognition as other rock bands in the late 70s. I am talking about the Irish rockers Thin Lizzy and the Deep Purple spinoff Rainbow.
Rainbow made an appearance in the last game where they underperformed against Deep Purple. Rising was released in 1976, just a year after the debut, but a ton had changed since then and the difference shows in the music. Blackmore fired most of the band, save for vocalist Ronnie James Dio. The new band consisted of Jimmy Bain on bass, Cozy Powell on drums, and Tony Carey on keys. The addition of a keyboard player was a huge move toward expanding Rainbow’s sound. While the previous album had more traditional keyboard sounds like organ and piano, Rising included more modern sounds achieved by synthesizers. It allowed Rainbow’s sound to be differentiated from the bluesy roots of Deep Purple and also brought in an element of progressive rock to the mix. Further expanding the sonic palette of Rainbow was the addition of the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra on Rising. Appropriately, the musical style also advanced from the straightforward rock found on most of Rainbow’s debut. Rising is more progressive, varied, and relies on dynamics over hooks. Instrumental passages are mostly through composed rather than bluesy jams that at times seem aimless. The songs are also longer in many cases. Of course the centerpiece of all this is Stargazer, which is widely seen as the greatest Rainbow song and a highlight in the careers of everyone involved. Stargazer was probably our first real glimpse of Dio’s lyrical and vocal genius. He really belts it out on this track and, along with the band and orchestra, really drives the climax at the end. Cozy Powell also makes his mark on the iconic drum intro. Finally, Ritchie Blackmore gets the chance to fully shed his bluesy side in exchange for a more neoclassical style that he never really got to explore in Purple. Rising is a triumph for the band.
Rising was perhaps a creative peak for Ritchie Blackmore, as his career took a more commercial turn not long after Rising before he pretty much completely abandoned the rock world. For Dio, however, this was just the beginning. The pair would go on to record one more album together with a slightly different lineup before Dio left due to creative differences. It wasn’t long before Dio was picked up by Black Sabbath, but that is another part of the story. Blackmore continued with a more commercial version of Rainbow featuring a variety of different vocalists including Graham Bonnet and Joe Lynn Turner. These versions of Rainbow saw some more mainstream success, but the post-Dio material hasn’t quite endured among fans. Rainbow broke up several times for various reasons, but is currently active as a live act with Ronnie Romero on vocals.
While I’m not sure what impact Thin Lizzy had in Europe, most North Americans probably know them as a one or two hit wonder. Criminally underrated with a wealth of material that is just not very well known. Despite that, their sound is still iconic. Phil Lynott’s unmistakeable vocal style, the thundering rhythm section including Lynott on bass, and, of course, the twin guitar attack that would be adapted by many a NWOBHM band. Like Deep Purple, there was a lot of blues influence, but it was mixed with a unique style that was reliant on extremely heavy guitar riffs. Not quite a Metal band, but they had riffs worthy of the likes of Iommi. The band’s most significant taste of commercial success came in 1976 with the release of Jailbreak. The title track and The Boys Are Back In Town both proved to be hits for the band and is still heard frequently on the radio today. Cowboy Song and Emerald, while not as famous, would go on to be live favorites. Emerald in particular is an example of how heavy this band could get. Similar riffing would be heard by bands like Iron Maiden many years later. The album also made it to the top 10 in the UK charts and top 20 in the US, their biggest success in the US and one of their biggest successes in the UK. The commercial success may have come at the expense of artistic vision, however. Lynott was interested in creating an anti-war album. Management had other ideas in mind and were more interested in seeing some commercial success for the band after a few duds. The band’s management suggested that Lynott fine tune the songs to be more commercial. Some songs, such as Warriors, maintained the concept. Others, like Boys Are Back In Town, went from epic war tales to party rock anthems. Perhaps all for the better, as this was a huge breakthrough for Thin Lizzy.
Thin Lizzy followed up with a successful live album and a few more albums that saw varying levels of success. Unfortunately, nothing quite hit the same level as Jailbreak and the band quickly fell apart due to personal issues and drugs. After Lizzy broke up in the early 80s, Phil Lynott had a few unsuccessful stabs at a solo career. There were then talks of a Thin Lizzy reunion just months before his death in 1986 due to drug-related illnesses. The rest of the band reformed for several one-offs throughout the years with a variety of different lineups and vocalists (including one version fronted by John Sykes). They picked up steam in the 2010s and began writing new material. However, they decided to release it under the name Black Star Riders out of respect for Lynott. They are currently working on their fourth album.
All songs from Rising are included, but I had to make a few cuts from Jailbreak to make it even. There weren’t any survivors to go off of, so I went with a judgment call on this. The most popular songs are still included.
Rainbow made an appearance in the last game where they underperformed against Deep Purple. Rising was released in 1976, just a year after the debut, but a ton had changed since then and the difference shows in the music. Blackmore fired most of the band, save for vocalist Ronnie James Dio. The new band consisted of Jimmy Bain on bass, Cozy Powell on drums, and Tony Carey on keys. The addition of a keyboard player was a huge move toward expanding Rainbow’s sound. While the previous album had more traditional keyboard sounds like organ and piano, Rising included more modern sounds achieved by synthesizers. It allowed Rainbow’s sound to be differentiated from the bluesy roots of Deep Purple and also brought in an element of progressive rock to the mix. Further expanding the sonic palette of Rainbow was the addition of the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra on Rising. Appropriately, the musical style also advanced from the straightforward rock found on most of Rainbow’s debut. Rising is more progressive, varied, and relies on dynamics over hooks. Instrumental passages are mostly through composed rather than bluesy jams that at times seem aimless. The songs are also longer in many cases. Of course the centerpiece of all this is Stargazer, which is widely seen as the greatest Rainbow song and a highlight in the careers of everyone involved. Stargazer was probably our first real glimpse of Dio’s lyrical and vocal genius. He really belts it out on this track and, along with the band and orchestra, really drives the climax at the end. Cozy Powell also makes his mark on the iconic drum intro. Finally, Ritchie Blackmore gets the chance to fully shed his bluesy side in exchange for a more neoclassical style that he never really got to explore in Purple. Rising is a triumph for the band.
Rising was perhaps a creative peak for Ritchie Blackmore, as his career took a more commercial turn not long after Rising before he pretty much completely abandoned the rock world. For Dio, however, this was just the beginning. The pair would go on to record one more album together with a slightly different lineup before Dio left due to creative differences. It wasn’t long before Dio was picked up by Black Sabbath, but that is another part of the story. Blackmore continued with a more commercial version of Rainbow featuring a variety of different vocalists including Graham Bonnet and Joe Lynn Turner. These versions of Rainbow saw some more mainstream success, but the post-Dio material hasn’t quite endured among fans. Rainbow broke up several times for various reasons, but is currently active as a live act with Ronnie Romero on vocals.
While I’m not sure what impact Thin Lizzy had in Europe, most North Americans probably know them as a one or two hit wonder. Criminally underrated with a wealth of material that is just not very well known. Despite that, their sound is still iconic. Phil Lynott’s unmistakeable vocal style, the thundering rhythm section including Lynott on bass, and, of course, the twin guitar attack that would be adapted by many a NWOBHM band. Like Deep Purple, there was a lot of blues influence, but it was mixed with a unique style that was reliant on extremely heavy guitar riffs. Not quite a Metal band, but they had riffs worthy of the likes of Iommi. The band’s most significant taste of commercial success came in 1976 with the release of Jailbreak. The title track and The Boys Are Back In Town both proved to be hits for the band and is still heard frequently on the radio today. Cowboy Song and Emerald, while not as famous, would go on to be live favorites. Emerald in particular is an example of how heavy this band could get. Similar riffing would be heard by bands like Iron Maiden many years later. The album also made it to the top 10 in the UK charts and top 20 in the US, their biggest success in the US and one of their biggest successes in the UK. The commercial success may have come at the expense of artistic vision, however. Lynott was interested in creating an anti-war album. Management had other ideas in mind and were more interested in seeing some commercial success for the band after a few duds. The band’s management suggested that Lynott fine tune the songs to be more commercial. Some songs, such as Warriors, maintained the concept. Others, like Boys Are Back In Town, went from epic war tales to party rock anthems. Perhaps all for the better, as this was a huge breakthrough for Thin Lizzy.
Thin Lizzy followed up with a successful live album and a few more albums that saw varying levels of success. Unfortunately, nothing quite hit the same level as Jailbreak and the band quickly fell apart due to personal issues and drugs. After Lizzy broke up in the early 80s, Phil Lynott had a few unsuccessful stabs at a solo career. There were then talks of a Thin Lizzy reunion just months before his death in 1986 due to drug-related illnesses. The rest of the band reformed for several one-offs throughout the years with a variety of different lineups and vocalists (including one version fronted by John Sykes). They picked up steam in the 2010s and began writing new material. However, they decided to release it under the name Black Star Riders out of respect for Lynott. They are currently working on their fourth album.
All songs from Rising are included, but I had to make a few cuts from Jailbreak to make it even. There weren’t any survivors to go off of, so I went with a judgment call on this. The most popular songs are still included.
