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Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow
Studio album by Rainbow
Released	May, 1975
Recorded	February 20, 1975 to March 14, 1975
Genre	Hard rock
Length	36:54
Label	Polydor
Professional reviews
All Music Guide link Rolling Stone (unfavorable) link
Rainbow chronology
Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow (1975) Rising (1976)

Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow (1975) is the first album released by Rainbow. Despite the modest chart success this album achieved, many musicians consider this album to be one of hard rock's finest moments. In the Rainbow catalogue, it is Ronnie James Dio's favorite album.^[1]

"Black Sheep of the Family" was a cover of an old Quatermass song, and "Still I'm Sad" a cover of a Yardbirds track.

Backing singer Shoshana Feinstein was Blackmore's girlfriend at the time.

The original vinyl release had a gatefold sleeve, although later reissues on the budget arms of Polydor reduced this to a single sleeve. This line-up never performed live and the live-shots used in the album art are of Blackmore in his Deep Purple days and of Elf playing live.

Several of the songs on the album are featured, generally in extended form, on the 1977 live album On Stage. When performed live Dio sang the lyric to "Still I'm Sad", rather than having to sit out the song. The studio version was done as an instrumental.

Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow was re-issued on CD, in remastered form, in the US in April 1999. The European release would follow later in the year.

"Man on the Silver Mountain" is a favorite on AOR and classic rock stations.

All songs written by Ronnie James Dio and Ritchie Blackmore, except where indicated.

1. "Man on the Silver Mountain" – 4:42
2. "Self Portrait" – 3:17
3. "Black Sheep of the Family" (Steve Hammond) – 3:22
4. "Catch the Rainbow" – 6:27
5. "Snake Charmer" – 4:33
6. "The Temple of the King" – 4:45
7. "If You Don't Like Rock 'n' Roll" – 2:38
8. "Sixteenth Century Greensleeves" – 3:31
9. "Still I'm Sad" (Paul Samwell-Smith, Jim McCarty) – 3:51

Note: On the cassette version of the album, Side One features the last five tracks, while Side Two plays the first four. Also, on the case insert and on the cassette itself, "Sixteenth Century Greensleeves" is written as "Sixteen Century Greensleeves".

• Ronnie James Dio – vocals
• Ritchie Blackmore – guitar
• Micky Lee Soule – keyboard
• Craig Gruber – bass
• Gary Driscoll – drums
• Judith Feinstein (AKA Shoshana)– backing vocals

1. ^ Popoff, Martin. The Very Beast of Dio (liner notes), pg. 11.