Rainbow

Artist: Rainbow

LP: Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow

Song: "Man On the Silver Mountain"

[ listen ]

Aside from the obvious reasons (guitar castle on cover, all gay men love rainbows), I picked up this album (Rainbow's first, from 1975) because it features the original version of a song later covered by His Name Is Alive, one of my favorite bands. The song was written by Rainbow founder Ritchie Blackmore and bandmate Ronnie James Dio, who, sadly, died just two weeks ago from stomach cancer. You can go here to read all about Ritchie Blackmore, his Rainbow and the numerous lineup changes the band has gone through over the years. In case you're wondering what His Name Is Alive sounds like doing "Man on the Silver Mountain," I've included it here:

Artist: His Name Is Alive

EP: The Dirt Eaters

Song: "Man On the Silver Mountain"

[ listen ]