"That's it, that's it, we should have done it sooner.": talk about Stranger In Us All, an album that didn't get the attention it deserved in its day

Ritchie Blackmore was a famous guitarist Deep Purplebut he couldn't harmonise his musical tastes with the rest of the band. He wanted to play heavier and darker rock, and they wanted to be more commercial and popular. So in 1975 the year he decided go away from Deep Purple and formed his own band, which he called Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow. He invited vocalist Ronnie James DioRainbow, who was known for his powerful and expressive voice, and other musicians who shared his vision of rock. Together they recorded their first album, which became a hit and brought Rainbow many fans.

But Ritchie Blackmore was a very demanding and capricious leader, and he often changed The band's line-up, looking for the best musicians for his sound. He also changed the band's style, making it more commercial or more experimental. Throughout Rainbow's history, they've had eight different compositions and eight different albumsEach of them had its own characteristics and advantages. Today we will tell you about one of them.

Ritchie is primed for success

The band recorded a total of eight albums with different singers and musicians, but the first singer was the most loved by fans Ronnie James Diowho sang on such hits as. "Man on the Silver Mountain" и "Stargazer.".

In 1995, Blackmore decided revive Rainbow and record one more album, which was their last until 2015.

"Stranger In Us All" - is a Rainbow album recorded in 1995 year. Blackmore invited the vocalist Dougie Whitewho was a good singer but didn't have his own style or fame. A lot of Rainbow fans were disappointedthat Blackmore couldn't get a more star-studded line-up. They wanted to hear Ronnie James Dio or other singers who had been in Rainbow before.

And perhaps Blackmore didn't give White many good songs for him to show his potential. Today, however, White deserves respect. At times ("Too Late For Tears" and "Black Masquerade") he seemed to, copies the Rainbow singer from the 1980s Joe Lynn Turner... but mostly he sings very much like a Dio.

So. "Stranger In Us All" - it's an album that sounds almost 20 years older of his time. He can be considered the missing link between the two eras, as Blackmore's returns (or trying to recapture) the Rainbow sound of the mid-70s.

Track list

"Stranger In Us All" is trying come back to the band's roots, when it played hard rock with elements of neoclassic and fantasy. But not all the songs on the album are equally good. Some of them, such as "Wolf To The Moon", "Cold Hearted Woman" and "Stand And Fight", are decent enough, but the unmemorable. Others, such as "Hunting Humans (Insatiable)" and "Black Masquerade," recreate the energy, drama and dynamics of the classical Rainbow when sung by Ronnie James Dio. These songs sound powerful and exciting, and show that Blackmore can still play guitar like no one else.

White - a good singer, but he's not as unique as Dio, Bonnet or Turner who were in Rainbow before. He's trying imitate but he lacks his voice and charisma. He does his best, but he can't match the legends. On the other hand, there aren't many singers like him, and he deserves respects for your work.

The album also suffers from bad producing. The sound of the album sounds low-budget and cloudy, especially drums. It spoils the impression of the music and makes it hard to appreciate it fairly. Guitar the sound of Blackmore, thankfully, flawlessand his neo-classical tendencies in the first song "Wolf To The Moon" were refreshing. This song is one of the best on the album, and it still sounds great today.

The album has its strengths and weaknesses. He combines encapsulates what was good about Deep Purple and what was good about early Rainbow. It has a few outstanding songs that remind us of the guitarist's earlier work. But he also has some boring and forgettable compositions that don't live up to the name and fame of Rainbow.

It's official song list next:

"Wolf To The Moon"

"Cold Hearted Woman"

"Hunting Humans (Insatiable)."

"Stand And Fight"

"Ariel."

"Too Late For Tears"

"Black Masquerade"

"Silence."

"Hall Of The Mountain King"

"Still I'm Sad"

"Stranger In Us All" introduces us to. different of Ritchie Blackmore's work. It's an album that makes us recall His previous and magnificent works that have inspired many rock musicians.

For example, the song "Silence." has a melody that in some parts sounds like a "You Fool No One" from the album Burn, which he recorded with Deep Purple in 1974.

And the song "Ariel." has eastern motifs that wistfully bring us back to the immortal "Stargazer."which he recorded with Rainbow in 1976. You can listen to that song by going back to commencement articles.

The melody in the track "Too Late for Tears" reminded us of "Can't Happen Here"which he wrote with Roger Glover for the album "Difficult to Cure" in 1981.

And the song "Black Masquerade"which contains the album title "Stranger in Us All" in its lyrics, reminded us with its dynamics of the song "Stranger in Us All". "Anya." from the album The Battle Rages On, which he recorded with Deep Purple in 1993.

What about Ritchie Blackmore? He plays the guitar the way only he can. He shows off his amazing ability, his speed and his sensuality. He creates music that sounds powerful and beautiful. He shows that he's still one of best of guitarists in rock history.

The brutal era of grunge

But this album has become last for him in rock music for over two decades. В 1997 he and his lover created a renaissance folk project in the year. "Blackmore's Night" and replaced the electric Stratocaster with an acoustic guitar.

They began to play music that was more relaxed and romanticthan the usual rock. They now live in a different world, far from the hustle and bustle of their youth.

Interesting to know

• Rainbow is a band that has known no stability. Throughout its history. changed its members 13 times. Every time Ritchie Blackmore, the band's leader and guitarist, wasn't happy with some musician or singer, he would fire him and look for a new one.
• Rainbow also knew no formality. There were informal and humorous relationship. It was because of Ritchie Blackmore, who liked to do peculiar. jokes and pranks on his colleagues. He enjoyed teasing them, making fun of them or setting them up. He did this back in the days of Deep Purple. As he said Jimmy Bain:

"You could go back to the hotel and find that everything was 'gone' from the room. There was nothing in the room but a light bulb because it was all in your bathroom. They could lure you out of your room for hours just to surprise you like that later. And a couple of times we were just thrown out of hotels in the middle of the night because one of the guys had messed up."

• In 1978, Rainbow updated his line-up. Ritchie Blackmore, the band's leader and guitarist, invited his former Deep Purple colleague - bassist Roger Gloverwho also became a producer. They were joined by keyboardist Don Airywho was known for his work with Ozzy Osbourne and Whitesnake, and singer Graham Bonnetwho was more pop-orientated than the previous Rainbow singers. They recorded an album together "Down To Earth"which was more commercial and melodic than the band's previous albums.

• The album was released at the end of July 1979 and was a hit in the UK, reaching number 6 in the charts. In the US, the album was also a success, reaching number 66.