Rainbow – Live In Munich 1977

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Eagle Vision
Produced by Geoff Kempin, Terry Shand & Doctor Drew Thompson

Thirty years ago in 1977 Rainbow, featuring Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore and Elf vocalist Ronnie James Dio had their October 20th show in Munich broadcast in its entirety on German TV station WDR, as part of their famed Rockpalast show. Finally the show is now available to own on DVD.

The most striking thing about this official release, apart from the slick menu (Eagle Vision always do these well), is the sound. Compared to the original television broadcast the difference is striking. The band are much louder and clearer than any previous Rainbow live release. The On Stage live album is notoriously quiet, and the original broadcast of this show was as well, but this new version sounds superb. The double CD release, containing the complete soundtrack from the DVD, is easily the best Rainbow live CD available (there are three others, with at least another two to come).

Just like the original broadcast, the video quality is excellent for a 1977 recording. Some colours suffer a little (notably red) but otherwise there’s no better recording of this classic Rainbow line-up, which also included legendary drummer Cozy Powell, bassist Bob Daisley and keyboard player Dave Stone. Blackmore in particular is on top form, playing to the height of his remarkable ability, in full over-the-top soloing mode. And he even looks happy. This is something that’s difficult to remember for a lot of people, so it’s worth seeing just for that. And yes, the complete guitar-smashing finale is included. The only disappointment is that the quality of the recording hasn’t really been improved from the original TV broadcast. No noticeable digital remastering has been done. It’s still better than the numerous popular bootlegs of the broadcast version, particularly in the sound department, but it’s not the astonishing remaster job some old recordings have been treated to, in terms of picture.

That said, most of the bootlegs are sourced from VHS tapes that are often more than one generation old (i.e. they’ve been copied tape-to-tape more than once, which reduces quality, particularly in the colours), so this is still better because it’s from a master tape. One exceptionally neat addition is the insert that comes with the DVD. More than your average “chapter list” or merchandise catalogue, Eagle Vision have produced a replica of the tour programme from the 1977 European tour, complete with all the original photos of the band. It’s a beautiful thing, and unique in the field at the moment. Collectors will love it.

In terms of bonus features on the disc, there’s nothing that great, but that’s not so much Eagle’s fault. The stuff they’ve included is very rare/exclusive and impossible to get anywhere else. In particular the original promo videos (all shot at the same time) for the three singles from the bands last album with Dio, Long Live Rock ‘n’ Roll. Recorded in late 1977/early 1978 these videos are pretty poor and very dated, but as a curio for fans, are an invaluable inclusion. The exclusive new interviews with bassist Daisley and tour manager Colin Hart will also be of huge interest.

With the overall excellent job Eagle have done with this, hopefully Rainbow’s return performance from 1995 with Doogie White on vocals will surface next.

“ quality is excellent for a 1977 recording ”

Tracklist: Kill The King / Mistreated / Sixteenth Century Greensleeves / Catch The Rainbow / Long Live Rock ‘n’ Roll / Man On The Silver Mountain / Still I’m Sad / Do You Close Your Eyes

Bonus features: Long Live Rock ‘n’ Roll Promo Video / Gates of Babylon Promo Video / L.A. Connection Promo Video / Colin Hart Interview / Bob Daisley Interview / Photogallery / Slide Show with Audio Commentary

Written by Andy Lye
More: Live DVDs, Rock, Rainbow