Rainbow - Down To Earth (1979)

Question: how do you go about replacing Ronnie James Dio? Answer: recruit a short haired bit-part actor and ex-member of 1960s obscurities The Marbles, Graham Bonnet! What an inspired move that proved to be too with Graham Bonnet providing his considerable vocal talent to a ‘new’ commercial-edged Rainbow – gone were the dragons, rainbows and mythology of the Dio era and in came shorter, chart-friendly numbers enabling Rainbow to trouble the upper echelons of the UK chart for the first time with All Night Long and Since You’ve Been Gone reaching numbers 5 and 6 respectively.

Whilst Rainbow had previously been a reasonably well-kept secret of the rock fraternity, now they became more mainstream – a move that gathered apace following Down To Earth. Quite why Down To Earth was to be Bonnet’s debut and swansong (as well as signalling Cozy Powell’s departure) I’m not overly certain but the album contains some classic tracks – including the sublime Makin’ Love.

Bonnet sings his heart out giving full reign to his staggering range while the Airey-Powell-Glover backing was one of the strongest lineups Rainbow was to enjoy: Blackmore, as ever, is consistently good throughout.

This was also the first Rainbow album to reunite Richie Blackmore with ex-Deep Purple band-mate Roger Glover who undertook production duties and co-wrote the majority of the tracks which also helped the band transition from heavy rock to commercial melodic rock. Notable is the absence of writing credits for Graham Bonnet who, with his post-Rainbow band Alcatrazz, co-wrote all the tracks: even Cozy Powell gets a writing credit here on Lost In Hollywood – possibly for the drum roll at the beginning one wonders?

As with the follow-up, Difficult To Cure, this album represents Rainbow at the peak of their popularity.

• Graham Bonnet – Vocals
• Ritchie Blackmore – Guitar
• Don Airey – Keyboards
• Roger Glover – Bass
• Cozy Powell – Drums

Rainbow - Difficult To Cure (1981)

Following the departure of Graham Bonnet after one album, Down To Earth, Rainbow further pursued a more commercial sound with Difficult To Cure. With the extremely capable Joe Lynn Turner on vocals, the band further developed a more mainstream, chart-friendly approach which paid dividends with I Surrender achieving Rainbow’s highest-ever UK chart position at number 3.

Whilst I harbour a strong leaning towards the Dio-era Rainbow, Difficult To Cure is nevertheless a strong album and the last before the commercialism went too far. There is a good blend here of all-out rock riffing with Richie Blackmore in fine-form on Spotlight Kid and the track Magic is a real highlight. Joe Lynn Turner’s vocals are strong and soaring throughout the album and the band really were riding the crest of a wave. New boy Bobby Rondinelli ably steps into Cozy Powell’s shoes too providing the blunt, thundering style eschewed by Mr Powell.

The album also gives vent to Riche Blackmore to explore his classical roots once more with Vielleicht Das Nachste Mal and the title track (based around Beethoven’s Ninth) in which Don Airey performs a section in a very much Keith Emerson mould!

Chart success and a new vocalist who also would prove to be one of the greatest in rock – could it get any better? Well, no really and the band gradually slid into decline but for fans of classic melodic rock – and/or Richie Blackmore – this album should definitely be added to the collection.

• Joe Lynn Turner – Vocals
• Ritchie Blackmore – Guitar
• Don Airey – Keyboard
• Roger Glover – Bass
• Bobby Rondinelli – Drums

Deep Purple - Machine Head (1972)

As seminal albums go, Deep Purple’s 1972 Machine Head has to be near the top of the heap. I stumbled across this gem purely by accident at about 14 after seeing Ian Paice, then drummer with the Gary Moore band, on BBC2’s Rockschool programme and – as a budding drummer myself – wanted to hear more of his playing. A friend mentioned that he thought Paice used to be in Deep Purple, of whom I’d not heard, but trundled I off to the nearest record shop and randomly picked Machine Head . . . purely a stroke of luck that went a large way to shaping my musical tastes for many years to come.

Featuring the Mark II Gillan-Glover lineup of Purple, the album really captures Purple at the peak of their powers. I’m sure most people are aware of the drama around its recording where the venue in Montreaux to be used burnt down during a Frank Zappa gig leading to Purple being offered the use of a closed for off-season hotel to lay down the tracks . . . providing inspiration for one of the band’s most famous compositions, Smoke On The Water, which is featured here.

The impromptu venue change certainly helped Purple focus their minds as Machine Head is a belter from start to finish, a real career defining moment. From the driving Highway Star to the blues stylings of Lazy, all members of the band were firing on all cylinders with Paice, in particular, at the top of his game with an endless supply of rapid fire rolls.

Whilst Smoke On The Water is possibly the most famous track from Machine Head, there’s no fillers here, and Pictures From Home also conjures up the mindset of the band recording in a freezing hotel in the Alps “with emptiness, eagles and snow, Unfriendliness chilling my body. And whispering pictures of home”.

For the 25th anniversary of the album a Special Edition has also been released featuring alternate versions of a handful of the tracks and the excellent When A Blind Man Cries which was recorded at the sessions but didn’t make the final cut of the original album and is well worth purchasing.

If you only buy one Deep Purple album, I would recommend that Machine Head is the one: hear the band at their best before Gillan – Blackmore bickering led to the demise of their greatest lineup after the band’s follow-up release.

• Ian Gillan – Vocals
• Ian Paice – Drums
• Richie Blackmore – Guitar
• Jon Lord – Keyboards
• Roger Glover – Bass

Deep Purple - Slaves And Masters (1990)

I have to say that a glimpse of the cover alone should be reason enough to give this Deep Purple album a wide birth! However, before die-hard Purple fans feel too aggrieved, I too am a long-time Purple fan and as such soooo wanted to play this album and feel the same excitement I did when I first put Machine Head on the turntable some 25 years ago, but alas, it was not to be.

The album features the ‘classic’ Mark II lineup minus Ian Gillan with extremely able ex-Rainbow vocalist Joe Lynn turner providing the vocals. As a concept, that sounds quite good but when put into practice what was actually achieved was a dismal affair indeed.

The band sounds like they were merely going through the motions – Lynn Turner himself admits that the band were under pressure to update their sound and be more ‘commercial’ and so we don’t get any of the distinctive halcyon days Purple sound here, rather a bland and uninspiring AOR album. Jon Lord’s grinding Hammond and Ian Paice’s quick-fire rolls are sadly absent throughout – as are apparently a lack of ideas.

Never has the old adage ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ been ignored more completely than in their post comeback output with this being a prime example.

• Ritchie Blackmore – Guitar
• Roger Glover – Bass
• Jon Lord – Keyboards
• Ian Paice – Drums
• Joe Lynn Turner – Vocals