From: agitlin@lynx.dac.neu.edu (Alexander Gitlin)
Subject: Another Rainbow album review (aw, who needs it!)
Date: 6 Dec 1995 18:20:37 GMT
Message-ID: <4a4mtl$7m3@chaos.dac.neu.edu>

Firstly, Stranger in Us All was recorded ONE hour of drive from here (Boston); their management is in New York City, and yet there's still no US release - what is this?

OK, secondly, the cover. As in the album cover - the scarecrow Blackmore, amidst a field, complete with the cylinder hat and the guitar. (Henceforth, I'm expressing my own personal opinions, so don't lynch me). BRILLIANT!

Ritchie is still looking good, complete with that sombre facial expression, the devilish "mini Ron Mael 1995" moustache and the hair - again, A+. The rest of the band look shite - basic black, metal, blah blah blah, yawn...

Now, the music. VERY GOOD! Surprised? I guess it's because I haven't progressed with the times, as much as to be able to appreciate bands like Smashing Pumpkins and Garbage, and instead had started re-discovering the 70s and the 60s bands in 1990-1991 that I think this album sounds pretty good. The reason being is, I've almost totally forgotten about the so-called "power rock" the early 80s Rainbow were all about! And now, tunes like "Wolf to the Moon" sound like a welcome breathe of fresh air, relief even. No, it's not nostalgia (although early 80s heavy metal and hard rock WERE my first love before I've mellowed out to listening to the likes of Lynsey De Paul and Brotherhood of Man), it's just a sense of relief about the fact that Ritchie has had the balls, unlike so many others in the industry, of his age, and didn't follow the current trends, but instead has decided to go his own route and do what he does best - melodic rock!

Some Bach influences are in place, and although there's no way any of the tunes on SIUA could fit the format of the Dio-era Rainbow, still, somewhere between Difficult to Cure and Straight Between the Eyes - sounds fair.

If radio stations worldwide are going to pass up on this great album, because is not fashionable, then fuck them. This is as polite as I can get here on the net.

Now, the tunes. "Wolf to the Moon" - a very atypical for the 90s, steady chugger with excellent chord progressions, excellent guitar riffs, excellent vocals. Long live Bach! No, it doesn't sound redundant to the JLT era Rainbow, musically, although it definitely does stylistically, production wise, and of course, the same brilliant guitar is still in place.

Contrary to what many others here say, Dougie White doesn't sound anything like JLT. Kill me.

Stand Up and Fight (or something) - another melodic track, with a mediocre verse part and a better than average chorus. Something along the lines of "Power" off "SBTE".

Ariel - a slower, definitely Purplish track, this could quite easily fit on a Purple album, again, IMHO, these days, if Big Ian were singing it.

Hall of the Mountain King and Still I'm Sad (with vocals!) are the real surprises of this album - both sound killer! They will, no doubt, take their place alongside other Rainbow classics such as "Difficult To Cure", "Vielleicht Das Nachstes Zeit", etc.

This is not the album you can easily play once and throw in the corner afterwards, even if you ARE into Smashing Pumpkins and Garbage... Ritchie's guitar playing is so haunting, especially the solos, the lure you back; if you've bought the CD, you will not be just listening to it, more like squeezing it like a really juicy fruit, until there's no more juice left. And that's not likely to happen any time soon.

P.S. I'm not one of the people who will easily justify Ritchie's BETRAYAL of Deep Purple a couple of years back, but perhaps this was meant to be. The Purps are no doubt enjoying themselves outside the realm of TMIB's dictatorship, and Ritchie... well, see above. :)

P.P.S. Candice - I've always wondered what she looked like. Could it be that this innocent sweet vivacious 20-year old blonde was THE Yoko Ono that stole Ritchie from Purple? Just a thought.

--
Cheers,                            
Alex            
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