Rainbow Bent Out Of Shape

With Joe Lynn Turner on board, Rainbow tried one crossover record and one no-frills hard rock record – which meant that Bent out of Shape, their third album with Turner, provided a fine opportunity to get a little arty. Not that the band has turned into Genesis or even returned to the mystical pretensions of its early work; they have merely broadened their horizons…

With Joe Lynn Turner on board, Rainbow tried one crossover record and one no-frills hard rock record – which meant that Bent out of Shape, their third album with Turner, provided a fine opportunity to get a little arty. Not that the band has turned into Genesis or even returned to the mystical pretensions of its early work; they have merely broadened their horizons. Ironically, that means that they've retreated, at least partially, to the radio-ready sound of Difficult to Cure, but this time, they aren't just trying for a crossover hit.

Five original albums on 5 CDs packaged in a box set. Includes the albums "Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow", "Long Live Rock 'N' Roll", "Down To Earth", "Straight Between The Eyes" and "Bent Out Of Shape".

The true power of music is impossible to define and yet we can all feel it when the sonic planets align. The magical impact of the finest rock'n'roll - that hazy but overwhelming blend of inspiration and perspiration - sustains us through dark times and fills our hearts with joy and strength. Music unites us, nourishes us and provides us with an emotional clarity that the rest of our turbulent lives singularly fails to offer. For those reasons and many more, we must proudly acknowledge and salute the true architects of the musical world that we call home. Above all else, Ritchie Blackmore is one of rock's greatest architects; a six-string seer that laid robust foundations upon which four decades of thunderous, perpetual evolution have taken place.

Ritchie Blackmore decided to pull the plug on Rainbow following the supporting tour for 1983's Bent Out of Shape. To commemorate the end of the band, he released the appropriately-titled, Finyl Vinyl. A double-record set of live recordings and a handful of studio outtakes, primarily culled from the Joe Lynn Turner era but also featuring selections with Ronnie James Dio and Graham Bonnet, Finyl Vinyl offers a haphazard alternate history designed for hardcore fans (by 1986, that's pretty much all Blackmore had left). For those fans, the album is actually quite a treat. Rainbow always sounded better on stage than they did on the studio – rawer, harder, alive – and songs that sounded half-baked in the studio, such as selections from Difficult to Cure, sound right here.

On their second release, Rainbow not only avoid the sophomore jinx; they hit a home run. After replacing the entire band (except Ronnie James Dio) immediately following the recording of the first album, Ritchie Blackmore and the Rising lineup (Blackmore; Dio; Tony Carey, keys; Jimmy Bain, bass; and the late, great Cozy Powell, drums) had plenty of time on the road touring the first album to get the chops and material together for their second. In particular, "Stargazer" really came together on the 1975 tour and featured stunning keyboard work from Carey…

Ritchie Blackmore decided to pull the plug on Rainbow following the supporting tour for 1983's Bent Out of Shape. To commemorate the end of the band, he released the appropriately-titled, Finyl Vinyl…

Joe Lynn Turner (JLT) never ceases to amaze at the number of projects he puts out on a yearly basis. Besides his comrade, Glenn Hughes, Joe must be one of the hardest working vocalists in Rock. Since 1977, Joe has appeared on no less than 94 albums! His most famous work, of course, is as front man for the band Rainbow in the early 80’s. Besides that daunting task, Joe has since then managed to front Deep Purple (2004), put out a multitude of solo albums, combined projects (Yngwie Malmsteen, Glenn Hughes, Mother’s Army, etc.) and a mile long list of tribute albums.

He is THE constant of the German metal scene: On April 6, 2022, icon Udo Dirkschneider will be 70 years old. Born in post-war Wuppertal, when heavy metal was far from being invented, he has for many years been one of the decisive characters who have helped shape this musical genre so decisively. For about five decades, it is impossible to imagine it without him. On April 22nd his most personal and extraordinary album will be released: it contains 17 cover versions of exactly those songs that have influenced the musician and singer the most. Among them are all kinds of classics of music history - even those you might not have expected from Udo. Behind all the tracks is not only a very personal story, but also a sometimes surprising arrangement, which despite their very individual implementation, however, live and breathe Udo's signature at all times. The cover album also makes one thing clear: how many in the music business have come and gone over the years. Udo Dirkschneider is still here. If his unchanging nature was briefly what almost doomed him in the midst of the norm-constructed music industry in the 80s, it has long since become his very great strength. All this makes Udo Dirkschneider one of the greatest and most imposing rock and metal icons of the last decades.