℗ 1976 Polydor Records 2490 137
℗ 1976 Oyster Records SPELP 35
℗ 1993 Santa Records 2929098
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. The material is uniformly strong, with "Starstruck" and "A Light in the Black" standing out in particular. Ronnie Dio turns in a great vocal on the stunningly direct (under three minutes!) "Do You Close Your Eyes." All six songs on the album are up there with anything the band has done, before or since. The playing has a very tight, colorful feel to it, which was lacking a bit on the first record. This album can legitimately be mentioned in the same breath as classic Deep Purple. — Geoff Ginsberg. |
(Blackmore — Dio)
I don't want to go Something tells me no No, no, no But traces in the sand The lines inside my hand Say go, go, go Beware of a place A smile on a bright shiny face I'll never return How do you know, tarot woman? I don't know, I don't know She can take you there The entrance to the fair My, my, my Ride the carousel And cast a magic spell You can fly, fly Beware of a place A smile on a bright shiny face I'll never return How do you know, tarot woman? But I don't know, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know Something in the air Tells me to beware No, no, no Her love is like a knife She'll carve away your life So go, go, go Beware of a place A smile on a bright shiny face I'll never return How do you know, tarot woman? I don't know, I don't know, I don't know, hey, I don't know
(Blackmore — Dio)
In the light of the day You can hear the old ones say Was the sound last night the wind? Can you feel the change begin? And by the fall of the snow A single soul will go Footsteps on the white There's an unholy light There's a hole in the sky Something evil's passing by What's to come? When the siren calls, you go To run with the wolf When the world makes a turn The eyes of one will learn That a sound just like the wind Only makes the change begin By the end of the rain The feeling's passed again From the things that snap and bite An unholy light There's a hole in the sky Something evil's passing by What's to come? When the siren calls, you go To run with the wolf There's a break in the ground Like the swirling waters angry as they pull you down When the siren calls, you go, yeah To run with the wolf Run with the wolf There's a hole in the sky Something evil is passing by What's to come? When the siren calls, you go, yeah To run with the wolf Run with the wolf Like a beast in a field You know his fate is sealed He runs with the wolf, oh Run with the wolf Sees his mate He knows it's late There he goes To run, run, run, run, run, run, run Run with the wolf Run with the wolf Run with the wolf Run with the wolf Run, run, run, there we go Run, run, run, run, run Run with the wolf Run with the wolf All right Run with the wolf
(Blackmore — Dio)
If I'm high on the hill She'll still been looking down at me What does she see That brings her closer every day to my heart If I'm away from home And think I'm all alone She's there, somewhere I look around to see And looking back at me She's there, beware She's creeping like a hungry cat I've seen it before, I know it can mean that The lady's starstruck, she's nothing but bad luck The lady's starstruck, running after me The lady's starstruck, she's nothing but bad luck Yeah I could fly to the moon But she'd soon find and wait me there I never knew for a while That a smile made them really care She wants a souvenir To everyone it's clear She's hooked, one look She wants a photograph And everybody laughs But not me 'cause I see She's creeping like a hungry cat I've seen it before, I know it can mean that The lady's starstruck, she's nothing but bad luck The lady's starstruck, running after me The lady's starstruck, she's nothing but bad luck Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh Oh my, the lady's starstruck, she's nothing but bad luck The lady's starstruck, running after me, yeah The lady's starstruck, she's nothing but bad luck Yeah It used to be a game Now I can't repeat my name at all She seems to believe That I never can refuse a call She wants a souvenir To everyone it's clear She's hooked, one look She wants a photograph And everybody laughs, ha But not me 'cause I see She's creeping like a hungry cat I've seen it before, I know it can mean that The lady's starstruck, she's nothing but bad luck The lady's starstruck, running after me The lady's starstruck, she's nothing but bad luck Bad luck The lady's starstruck, she's nothing but bad luck The lady's starstruck, running after me The lady's starstruck, she's nothing but bad luck Bad luck, bad luck, bad luck And back in the tree And looking back at me Climbing up my stair I've just got to beware The lady's starstruck, yes, she's bad luck, bad luck
(Blackmore — Dio)
A mystery in me It's something I can't see But I see you very well You're slippy, cool Nobody's fool But there's something inside I can tell I know a poor man, a rich man I know I can talk to a king But nobody here is gonna tell me I can't find out one thing I see a glow around you Open your arms 'Cause I'm walking to you coming straight on through Maybe I'm wrong But I know it won't take long to see Do you close your eyes Do you close your eyes Do you close your eyes When you're making love Making sweet love to me, yeah The logical trend Is that I'll know in the end The things that make you smile So right from the start I take an aim at your heart And know that all the while I know a rich man, a poor man I know I can talk to a king So nobody here is going to make me believe I can't find out one thing I see a glow around you Open your arms 'Cause I'm coming, running straight on through I could be wrong But I know it won't take long to see Do you close your eyes Do you close your eyes Do you close your eyes When you're making love Do you close your eyes Do you close your eyes, I've got to know Do you close your eyes When you're making love
(Blackmore — Dio)
High noon, oh I'd sell my soul for water Nine years worth of breakin' my back There's no sun in the shadow of the wizard See how he glides, why he's lighter than air Oh I see his face! Where is your star? Is it far, is it far, is it far? When do we leave? I believe, yes, I believe In the heat and the rain With whips and chains To see him fly So many died We built a tower of stone With our flesh and bone To see him fly But don't know why Now where do we go? Hot wind, moving fast across the desert We feel that our time has arrived The world spins, while we put his dream together A tower of stone to take him straight to the sky Oh I see his face! Where is your star? Is it far, is it far, is it far? When do we leave? Hey, I believe, I believe In the heat and the rain With whips and chains Just to see him fly Too many died We built a tower of stone With our flesh and bone To see him fly But we don't know why Ooh, now where do we go? All eyes see the figure of the wizard As he climbs to the top of the world No sound, as he falls instead of rising Time standing still, then there's blood on the sand Oh I see his face! Where was your star? Was it far, was it far? When did we leave? We believed, we believed, we believed In heat and rain With the whips and chains To see him fly So many died We built a tower of stone With our flesh and bone To see him fly But why In all the rain With all the chains Did so many die Just to see him fly Look at my flesh and bone Now, look, look, look, look Look at his tower of stone I see a rainbow rising Look there, on the horizon And I'm coming home, I'm coming home, I'm coming home Time is standing still He gave back my will Ooh ooh ooh ooh Going home I'm going home My eyes are bleeding And my heart is leaving here But it's not home But it's not home Ooh Take me back He gave back my will Ooh ooh ooh ooh Going home I'm going home My eyes are bleeding And my heart is leaving here But it's not home But it's not home Ooh Ooh Take me back, take me back Back to my home ooh, ooh, ooh
(Blackmore — Dio)
Can't forget his face What a lonely place Has he really let us go? All the time that's lost What's the final cost? Will I really get away? All my life it seems Just a crazy dream Reaching for somebody's star Can't believe it all Did he really fall? What to do now, I don't know Something's calling me back There's a light in the black Am I ready to go? I'm coming home Breathed the air before Heard the thunder roar Never knew it was for me Always looking down Lost and never found Eyes that look but not to see All my life it seems Just a crazy dream Reaching for somebody's star Like an open door That you've passed before But you never had the key Something's calling me back There's a light in the black Am I ready to go? I'm coming home I'm coming home, yeah I'm going back to my home I'm going home, home, home Going home, home, home I'm coming back Won't forget his face What a lonely place Did he really let us go? All the time that's lost What's the final cost? Will I really get away? All my life it seems Just a crazy dream Reaching for somebody's star Can't believe it all Did he really fall? What to do now when I know Something's calling me back Like a light in the black Yes I'm ready to go I'm coming home, home yeah I'm on my way back home To the sky There in the sky I see a star