Rainbow - Live In Munich 1977

"Live in Munich 1977" is a live album and DVD released by the British hard rock band RAINBOW in 2006.

The concert was recorded in Munich on October 20, 1977, originally filmed to air on the German Rockpalast TV show. Repeated airings have led to numerous bootleg video and audio tapes of the show being available through the 80's and 90's. The set is not from the same tour that produced the previously released live album "On Stage" (which was mostly culled from their 1976 Japanese tour), but from their 1977 European tour, a few months prior to the release of "Long Live Rock 'n' Roll", with a different bass player and keyboardist.

The DVD release also features the three promotional videos for RAINBOWs "Long Live Rock 'n' Roll" album, and interviews with Bob Daisley and former tour manager Colin Hart.

On April 26, 2010 a double 180 gram limited edition gatefold vinyl reissue of the album was released through Just For Kicks Music (Germany).

On May 6, 2013, the CD and DVD were reissued by Eagle Rock and Eagle Vision respectively. The only difference being the addition of "RAINBOW Over Texas '76", a short 13-minute feature, to the DVD, and revised track timings to the CD tracks. Many of the titles on the original 2006 issue CD were edited, cutting almost 15 minutes from the total length of the concert; the 2013 issue restores these edits, making the total running time closer to that of the concert film.

On "Live In Munich 1977" you get the classic tunes that were 3-5 minutes long in the studio, but live it's something totally different, the tunes are stretched out exponentially with solos, jams and the occasional foray into another song, exactly what I want as a listener, I want to feel it, Live with it and sense it. "Live In Munich 1977" is pure "Live" rock, a complete live concert without any real production. It's simply the band playing their asses off in October 1977. The line up during this evening consist of man with the big voice Ronnie James Dio along with the string bender Ritchie Blackmore, the drummer and percussionist Cozy Powell, bass and backing vocals by Bob Daisley and David Stone on keyboards.

"Live In Munich 1977" reminds of the RAINBOW live recording "On Stage" but there are some differences, first the order of the tracks. Like today's tune "Sixteenth Century Greensleeves" that is almost a minute longer here and it's shreds the "On Stage" version, as does the thrashing opener "Kill the King". "Man on the Silver Mountain" is a beast on this live recording, 3 and half minute longer that the "On Stage" version, is it better, well yes!. "Catch the Rainbow" is a real beauty on this recording, Ronnie James Dio sings with a such a feeling that is this might be his prime time on stage. Then we also have the 25 minute "Still I'm Sad" and the closing killer "Do You Close Your Eyes" where we hear Blackmore's skill at his highest peak when he plays the hell of the whole band.

This a really mindblowing recording, the sound is really good and it's freaking tight and raw, a record that you need in your collection if you are a RAINBOW, DIO fan!

Today's tune "Sixteenth Century Greensleeves"

When performing this song with RAINBOW, lead guitarist Ritchie Blackmore would lead into it with the original "Greensleeves". Running to 3 minutes 21 seconds, it was co-written with lead vocalist Ronnie James Dio who said "Sixteenth Century Greensleeves" is Blackmore's idea of a castle where the black knight lives. The black knight of course being Ritchie and the black knight periodically comes out of his castle and captures a young peasant maiden from the village.

Blackmore appears to have lived out this fantasy in his personal life; after lengthy spells with DEEP PURPLE, RAINBOW and DEEP PURPLE again, he formed Blackmore's Night and began writing, playing and recording traditional Olde Englishe music. The other half of the duo, the former Candice Isralow, met Blackmore when she was still a teenager. In October 2008, after working together for more than a decade, the two married. On stage, the stunningly attractive American blonde - Blackmore's fourth wife - has the appearance of a true Mediaeval damsel, and in spite of their age difference, this appears to be a marriage made in heaven.


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