The Best of Rainbow

The Best of Rainbow
Cover design by Hipgnosis
Greatest hits album by Rainbow
Released	November 1981
Recorded	1975–1981
Genre	Hard rock, heavy metal
Length	82:11
Label	Polydor
Producer	Martin Birch, Roger Glover
Rainbow compilation albums chronology
The Best of Rainbow (1981) The Very Best of Rainbow (1997)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]

The Best of Rainbow is the first compilation album from British hard rock group Rainbow, released in 1981.

It featured only previously released studio cuts, taken from the five studio LPs released at that point. However, "Jealous Lover", the first song written by Blackmore and Turner, had been available only as a B-side in Europe (to "Can't Happen Here") and on the Jealous Lover EP in the USA.

The original vinyl-release was a 2LP set, in a gatefold-sleeve and reached No. 14 in the UK Albums Chart in 1981.^[2]

Track listing

Side one
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Original release	Length
1.	"All Night Long"	Ritchie Blackmore, Roger Glover	Down to Earth (1979)	3:53
2.	"Man on the Silver Mountain"	Blackmore, Ronnie James Dio	Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow (1975)	4:39
3.	"Lost in Hollywood"	Blackmore, Glover, Cozy Powell	Down to Earth	4:53
4.	"Jealous Lover"	Blackmore, Joe Lynn Turner	B-side of the single "Can't Happen Here" (1981)	3:10
5.	"Long Live Rock 'n' Roll"	Blackmore, Dio	Long Live Rock 'n' Roll (1978)	4:23

Side two
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Original release	Length
6.	"Stargazer"	Blackmore, Dio	Rising (1976)	8:26
7.	"Kill the King"	Blackmore, Dio, Powell	Long Live Rock 'n' Roll	4:29
8.	"A Light in the Black"	Blackmore, Dio	Rising	8:12

Side three
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Original release	Length
9.	"Since You Been Gone"	Russ Ballard	Down to Earth	3:20
10.	"Sixteenth Century Greensleeves"	Blackmore, Dio	Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow	3:31
11.	"Catch the Rainbow"	Blackmore, Dio	Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow	6:36
12.	"Eyes of the World"	Blackmore, Glover	Down to Earth	6:42

Side four
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Original release	Length
13.	"I Surrender"	Ballard	Difficult to Cure (1981)	4:03
14.	"Gates of Babylon"	Blackmore, Dio	Long Live Rock 'n' Roll	6:49
15.	"Can't Happen Here"	Blackmore, Glover	Difficult to Cure	4:59
16.	"Starstruck"	Blackmore, Dio	Rising	4:06

Personnel

• Ritchie Blackmore – guitar, bass on track 5
• Ronnie James Dio – vocals: tracks 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 14, 16
• Graham Bonnet – vocals: tracks 1, 3, 9, 12
• Joe Lynn Turner - vocals: tracks 4, 13, 15
• Micky Lee Soule – keyboards: tracks 2, 10, 11
• Tony Carey – keyboards: tracks 6, 8, 16
• David Stone – keyboards: tracks 7, 14
• Don Airey – keyboards: tracks 1, 3, 4, 9, 12, 13, 15
• Craig Gruber – bass: tracks 2, 10, 11
• Jimmy Bain – bass: tracks 6, 8, 16
• Bob Daisley – bass: tracks 7, 14
• Roger Glover – bass: tracks 1, 3, 4, 9, 12, 13, 15
• Gary Driscoll – drums: tracks 2, 10, 11
• Cozy Powell – drums: tracks 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12, 14, 16
• Bobby Rondinelli - drums: tracks 4, 13, 15
• Roger Glover - producer: tracks 1, 3, 4, 9, 12, 13, 15
• Blackmore/Birch/Dio - producers: tracks 2, 10, 11
• Martin Birch - producer: tracks 5, 6, 7, 8, 14, 16

Certifications

Country	Organization	Year	Sales
UK	BPI	1981	Gold (+ 100,000)[3]

References

1. Rivadavia, Eduardo. "The Best of Rainbow review". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 2013-12-17.
2. "Rainbow Official Charts". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2013-11-26.
3. "Search for Artist Rainbow". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 2013-11-26.

External links

• The Best Of Rainbow at Discogs