'Ritchie Blackmore' wielded his notorious axe before this album, and out went all the previous members of 'Elf', with the exception of powerhouse vocalist 'Ronnie James Dio'. In stepped 'Jimmy Bain' later of 'Dio' fame, great journeyman drummer 'Cozy Powell' and keyboard wonder 'Tony Carey'. This improved line-up produced a much more consistent and accomplished album than the first offering, and although there are only six song here, this album is full of classics and can be considered very influential and still holds its own as a 70's masterpiece.

The album opens with a superb mystical winding intro courtesy of 'Tony Carey', which builds into the pure grooving genius of 'Tarot Woman', Dio's vocals are absolutely stellar, crisp, pure and powerful, while Blackmore's guitaring is on top form and when the two are combined, it's undoubtedly one of the highlights of the 70's. Following on superbly is the glorious plodder 'Run with the wolf', a lyrically strong number that emphasises a great fist raising chorus, commanding drum and bass work and more deft guitaring from 'Ritchie Blackmore'. Better still is the brisk riff rolling 'Starstruck', a pulsating gem that is brilliantly executed and totally infectious, complete with remarkable contributions from 'Cozy Powell' who keeps this track flowing perfectly, while 'Dio' delivers the quality lyrics with passion and authority. Not quite so impressive is the out of place 'Do you Close your Eyes', although the soaring vocals are pretty staggering, the song is too basic and overall a tad repetitive for my liking. Next up is 'Stargazer' the first of two epics that close the album, this is a real jewel and my highlight of the album, musically it all comes together, 'Tony Carey's' tight keyboards really enhance the overall effect, while 'Blackmore's' guitaring is some of the best for the time and 'Dio' sings his heart out on some cracking lyrics. Lastly we are gifted another 8 minute epic, while not as strong as 'Stargazer', 'A Light in the Black' is a superb rocker, that's surprisingly brisk and graced with plenty of fantastic keyboard and guitar solos, to make this another high point of a marvellous album.

If I had one criticism about 'Rainbow Rising', it would be the running time- 33 minutes, I always expect a bit more than that, but I'm splitting hairs, this is still a 70's jewel. No self respecting fan of 70's Hard Rock / Metal should be without this masterpiece, Oh and while you're picking up your copy, get their next release 'Long Live Rock 'n' Roll' as well.