Best Album on My Favourite Albums of......1976

Is Rainbow's Rising any good? I see it's ranked third on RYM's 1976 list (Station to Station also happens to be their #1).

'good' is subjective but it's the origin point of nearly all Power Metal.

The only Rainbow album from the Dio phase that was recorded by a stable band (or didn't have huge chunks overdubbed by Blackmore to erase people he'd fallen out with or didn't think were good enough) it straddles the boogie elements (Starstruck) with the driving proto-thrash (Light In The Black), giving them all equal favour.

But the reputation and love definitely, more than anything else, comes from Stargazer (voted best metal track of all time on this very board iirc).

It's a sandals 'n' sorcery prog epic with far more key changes than necessary, a lifetime great soaring vocal and grinding, repetitive final coda that feels like it could go on forever (and possibly did, given it's faded out on the record).

And that's why it got my vote, despite arguably stronger candidates this year.

Rising is an excellent record, an absolute 100% classic. Those keyboards at the beginning of 'Tarot Woman'!

I'll have to check it out then, if only for historical reasons.

Best Album on My Favourite Albums of......1977!