Probably one of the last great live albums of the 70's (the decade of the great live albums, by the way). Recorded with what now is regarded as the best ever Rainbow line up, this is a CD that is up to Ritchie Blackmore's best works, including Made In Japan. When it was released in Brazil it was reduced to a single LP, instead of the double album format elsewhere. It was a butcher's work that fans never forgave. I had to wait the arrival of the CD version of this masterpiece to finally have the complete recording. Things of the past, I Hope!
Although the set list is a bit confusing (Kill the King was still an unreleased song, while the recent Rising is represented here with only a short version of Starstruck, in the middle of a medley), the playing is absolute superb (with apologies to Sean Trane, I still think Tony Carey is a great keyboards player, even though his rumored problems with drugs and alcohol did some damage in concerts). I used to hear this record almost non stop after I got it.
Ok, the long versions may hint some self indulgence, but that's not the case. When you're dealing with such gifted and talented people like those ones, they really could extend the songs and make them sound even better than the studio counterparts. Rainbow was one of the last bands to actually have the chops to do such thing and come out unscathed. Highlights: Kill The King (they would later record this one in studio, but never matched this live rendition. Great Hammond organ and guitar interplay, while Cozy Powell shows why he was so legendary among his peers), the long Catch The Rainbow and the 11 minute version of Still I'm Sad.
If you think that heavy music could not be progressive (and if you doubt that some of its best musicians could not match your best prog heroes in terms of technique and creativeness) just hear this CD. You'll be surprised. I only wished they played more stuff from Rising, but nothing's perfect. A strong four stars rating, no less. From: https://www.progarchives.com/album.asp?id=13685
