Long Live Rock 'n' Roll

Infobox Album | Name = Long Live Rock 'n' Roll
Type = Album
Artist = Rainbow


Released = April 9, 1978
Recorded = May-July & December 1977
Genre = Hard rock
Length = 39:27
Label = Polydor
Producer = Martin Birch
Reviews = *Allmusic rating|4|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:wn59ke9t7q7n link]
*Sputnik Music rating|4.5|5 [http://www.sputnikmusic.com/album.php?albumid=8364 link]

Last album = "On Stage"
(1977)
This album = "Long Live Rock 'n' Roll"
(1978)
Next album = "Down to Earth"
(1979)

"Long Live Rock 'n' Roll" is the third studio album released by Rainbow, released in 1978.

Although Bob Daisley & David Stone are listed on the album credits for their contributions they joined the band part way through the recording sessions and only appear on a couple of tracks. (Stone part wrote "Gates of Babylon" but was never credited). Blackmore played most of the bass parts himself for the album.

"Kill the King" was already a staple part of the tour setlists, opening Rainbow concerts since mid-1976. It first appeared on the live album "On Stage" in 1977.

The original vinyl release was in a gatefold-sleeve, with a lyric-sheet insert. The crowd picture is actually from a Rush concert, with the wording on the banner the fans were actually holding replaced by the Rainbow album title and the visible Rush t-shirts airbrushed to black.

"Long Live Rock 'n' Roll" was remastered on CD for the US market in April 1999, with the European version following later. The US version had a matte booklet/ insert, which matched the original vinyl sleeve for all markets, whereas the European issue was the standard glossy type.

In the 1977-78 live concerts the title track and "Kill the King" were the only songs performed, although "LA Connection" did get a few airings on the US tour before being dropped from the set.

This was Rainbow's last album to feature Ronnie James Dio on vocals. He left to join Black Sabbath, and was replaced by Graham Bonnet.

Since 2004 Dio's solo shows have featured a live version of "Gates of Babylon."

The title song was covered by the fictitious heavy metal band Steel Dragon for the 2001 movie "Rock Star".

Track listing

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

ide one

#"Long Live Rock 'n' Roll" – 4:21
#"Lady of the Lake" – 3:39
#"L.A. Connection" – 5:02
#"Gates of Babylon" – 6:49

ide two

#"Kill the King" (Dio, Blackmore, Cozy Powell) – 4:29
#"The Shed (Subtle)" (Dio, Blackmore, Powell) – 4:47
#"Sensitive to Light" – 3:07
#"Rainbow Eyes" – 7:11

Personnel

*Ronnie James Dio – Vocals
*Ritchie Blackmore – guitar
*David Stone – keyboards
*Bob Daisley – bass
*Cozy Powell – drums

with

*Bavarian String Ensemble conducted by Rainer Pietsch on "Gates Of Babylon"
*Ferenc Kiss & Nico Nicolicv – viola on "Rainbow Eyes"
*Karl Heinz Feit – cello on "Rainbow Eyes"
*Rudi Risavy & Max Hecker – flute on "Rainbow Eyes"

ingles

* 1978 - Long Live Rock 'n' Roll / Sensitive to Light
* 1978 - L.A. Connection / Lady of the Lake
These two singles were also re-released in the UK in July 1981.

Charts

Album - Billboard (North America)

Covers

*Neo-classical metal musician Yngwie J. Malmsteen covered "Gates of Babylon" on his album "Inspiration".

*Dream Theater when known as Majesty played "Gates of Babylon" in their earliest live shows in 1986.

*Thrash metal band Heathen covered "Kill the King" on their album "Victims of Deception", as did bands Stratovarius, Liege Lord, Primal Fear, Grave Digger and others.

* German power metal band Gamma Ray did a cover of "Long Live Rock 'n' Roll" on the 2002 reissue of their album "Power Plant".

*Fictitious metal band Steel Dragon also covered the song "Long Live Rock 'n' Roll".

*Serbian heavy metal band Kraljevski Apartman recorded a cover version of the song "Long Live Rock 'n' Roll" with lyrics in Serbian on their 1997 debut album "Long Live Rock 'n' Roll".

*Serbian hard rock / heavy metal band Osvajači recorded a cover version of the song "Rainbow Eyes" titled "Tragovi" on their 1999 album "Vrelina".

*Blackmore's Night, a folk rock band which also includes Ritchie Blackmore, did a cover of "Rainbow Eyes" for their album Secret Voyage. [ [http://www.spv.de/scripts/artistlight_e.asp?Eingabe=Blackmore Secret Voyage @ SPV] ]

References