Down to Earth is the fourth studio album by the British hard rock band Rainbow. This is their last album to feature drummer Cozy Powell and their only album with vocalist Graham Bonnet. Released in 1979, it contains Rainbow's first hit single "Since You Been Gone", marking the more commercial direction of the band's sound.
Video Down to Earth (Rainbow album)
Write and record
Down to Earth writing began at Ritchie Blackmore's home in Connecticut in December 1978. At that time, he had fired bassist Bob Daisley and keyboardist David Stone as soon as singer Ronnie James Dio left the band. Blackmore had recruited his team-mate at Deep Purple Roger Glover as a producer and began auditioning musicians for empty slots in the band, while songwriting continued with Blackmore, Cozy Powell and Clive Chaman session musicians on bass. The trail of supporters is mostly written by Blackmore and Glover. "That was a great opportunity for me, and why should I hold a grudge [about being fired from Purple in 1973] ?" remember Glover. "I'm a big Ritchie fan, part of my biggest influence comes from him."
In late 1978, Blackmore had recruited keyboardist Don Airey - a suggestion from Powell - and considered Ian Gillan and Peter Goalby from Trapeze to replace Dio. In April 1979, Jack Green of The Pretty Things was hired as a new bass player for a recording session at ChÃÆ'Â Â ¢ teau Pelly de Cornfeld, in the countryside of South France, but he did not stay long. Producer Glover finally played bass on the album and gave the lyrics to all the songs. While auditions for the new singer continued, Glover tracked former Marbles singer Graham Bonnet, who auditioned in France and was soon hired.
During the composition of the song, Bonnet made her vocal melody even though her contribution remained unidentified. His vocals were not recorded with other tracks in France, but later in Kingdom Sound Studios on Long Island, when all the other recording sessions finished. Down to Earth is the only Rainbow album featuring Bonnet, although he is still part of the band when writing for Difficult to Cure begins.
Also recorded for the next proposed single, but never released due to Bonnet's departure, is "Will You Love Me Tomorrow". Bonnet has previously recorded this song for his first solo album, eponymously written, in 1977. The Rainbow version was recorded in the studio in May 1980, during practice for the Japan tour of the Down to Earth tour. It was then played live throughout the tour.
Maps Down to Earth (Rainbow album)
Tour
In 1980, Blackmore's Rainbow presented the first Monsters of Rock festival at Castle Donington in England.
Songs from Down to Earth were performed by Graham Bonnet in her solo event, as well as at concerts held with Don Airey (2001) and Joe Lynn Turner (2007).
Release
In the UK there is a limited edition vinyl LP release.
"Bad Girl", an outtake of the album sessions, is used as a B-side to the single "Since You Been Gone". Similarly, "Weiss Heim", an instrumental recorded in Copenhagen in January 1980, is the B-side to "All Night Long".
A remastered CD re-release was released in May 1999, with original vinyl duplication packing.
In 2011, the Deluxe Edition of the album was released, featuring bonus discs with previously unreleased songs and instrumental versions of basic songs.
Reception
AllMusic editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine defines the album "a good hard rock plate", which "may not offer something unique, but deliver the goods." He criticized most of Bonnet's vocals, but praised "the guitar art and mystical sensibilities of Ritchie Blackmore", which "sounded vibrant on the album". PopMatters' Adrien Begrand, reviewing the 2011 Deluxe Edition, commented on how "Down to Earth" was somewhat underestimated compared to the towering Dio discography, but remained a strong spectacle 31 years later, "even with the new" "the material that sounds much more stripped than the epic straightforward dark metal setting of the Dio-era Rainbow." His songs are "eight enthusiasts, hard-warped rockers," which is extraordinary by the performance and energy of Bonnet.The album " is probably the most divisive record in the Rainbow catalog "according to the Record Collector's review, due to" Blackmore's pursuit of mainstream success "and the departure from previous album sounds.He added that this was a" strong "album with lots "classical radio" staples, but the second disc of the Deluxe Edition does not add anything important to the listening experience.
In 2005, Down to Earth ranked 431 in the Hard Rock magazine of The 500 Greatest Rock & amp; All Time Metal Album .
Blackmore Opinion
In an interview with Sounds (magazine) in 1979, Blackmore said: "I am very respectful of classical musicians who when I listen to myself I think, oh, that's bullshit.. I can put other people's music because the fact is I put down my own music and says it's garbage, lots of it not all- "No Time to Lose" is sure but "Eyes of the World" is OK. But a lot of it is a waste of time. "
Track list
All songs are written by Ritchie Blackmore and Roger Glover, unless noted.
2011 deluxe edition song list
Personnel
- Rainbow
- Ritchie Blackmore - guitar
- Cozy Powell - drums
- Graham Bonnet - vocals
- Don Airey - keyboard
- Roger Glover - bass guitar, producer
- Production
- Gary Edwards - engineer
- Michael Palmer, Leigh Mantle - assistant engineer
- Greg Calbi - master
Diagram
Certification
References
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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