Review Summary: Joe FEELS THE POWWUUUURRRR, but we don't.
Even by going commercial, Ritchie Blackmore still showed that he could write great songs, even if the second album in Rainbow’s second era,
Difficult to Cure, was more miss than it was hit. Unfortunately, the decision to change musical direction also resulted in many of the most capable musicians in the band leaving. First vocalist Ronnie James Dio after
Long Live Rock ‘n’ Roll, then drummer Cozy Powell after
Down to Earth, and now, after their fifth album
Difficult to Cure, it was the turn for keyboardist Donald Airey. He was promptly replaced, by David Rosenthal, and as if a miracle had occurred, Blackmore did not fire a single member. With his slightly altered Rainbow, he recorded the band’s sixth album,
Straight Between the Eyes. Although once again moderately successful, most notably the ballad
Stone Cold, a hit, it alienated Rainbow’s initial fans from the band. Not particularly surprising, because by now, nobody really expected Blackmore to stray from his newfound direction. Once he went there, it became difficult for him and the band to go back.
Compared to
Difficult to Cure,
Straight Between the Eyes doesn’t do a lot better. In fact, it’s even worse off. By replacing capable musicians with lesser ones album by album since
Long Live Rock ‘n’ Roll (with the exception of Roger Glover), the quality of Rainbow’s albums had been slowly declining along with its musicians.
Straight Between the Eyes continues this decline.
By 1982, vocalist Joe Lynn Turner had given up his slightly dramatic delivery on Rainbow’s previous album, and changed to an ever more standard (read: boring) style. He sounds comfortable with it, but there’s so little appeal to his voice no one will find the will to really care for it (when he recorded
Slaves and Masters with
Deep Purple 8 years later, it was also because of this that the album was so excruciatingly bad). The horrible choruses he wrote for tracks such as
Power and
Rock Fever (Lemma see ya rock!/Lemma see ya roll!/Lemma see ya burn!/Rock FEVEEEERR!) don’t really help either.
On past Rainbow releases, after the Dio-era, it were always Blackmore’s virtuoso skills (and not only skills, but also sheer appeal) that saved the day. He helped bringing
Down to Earth to an actually quite enjoyable level, and while more on
Difficult to Cure was miss than it was hit, nobody could really argue with Ritchie’s chops. On
Straight Between the Eyes, this doesn’t serve as an argument anymore. The guitarist is running out of (above average) riffs and solos, and hardly makes an impression. Exceptions are the fast-paced and catchy opener
Death Alley Driver, which at the same time contains one of Turner’s best moments on the album, as well as the ballad
Stone Cold. Those are merely the first two tracks, however, and afterwards it’s a steep road downhill for
Straight Between the Eyes.
Like many other examples, the cover art of Rainbow’s sixth signifies exactly the quality of said album. The record was another step down from, and it would not seem Rainbow was going to quickly recover. It’s generic, it’s far too cheesy, and it just doesn’t get enjoyable for the far greatest part of its 41 minutes and 9 songs. If
Straight Between the Eyes signified anything, it was that Blackmore might have been beginning to slightly lose it.
Straight Between the Eyes’ Rainbow was:
- Richard Hugh Blackmore ~ Lead Guitar
- Joseph Arthur Mark ‘Joe Lynn Turner’ Linquito ~ Vocals
- Roger David Glover ~ Bass Guitar
- Bobby Rondinelli ~ Drums
- David Rosenthal ~ Keyboards
Essential listening:
Death Alley Driver
Stone Cold
