This is what some consider to be the best lineup Rainbow ever put on a stage. Ritchie Blackmore, Ronnie James Dio, Jimmy Bain, Cozy Powell and Tony Carey were a musical force to be reckoned with. Blackmore was enjoying UK success that he had not had since Deep Purple were in their heyday. This was his band and he had total freedom to do as he wished. He wished to play guitar and this album is a testament to his skills. Of course, the fact that we get the late Ronnie James Dio near the beginning of what would become one of Heavy Metal’s best vocalists of all time is an added plus.

The two-disc set contains only eight songs, with several songs being true epic live versions featuring tons of first class musicianship. “Mistreated” was a favorite of Blackmore’s when he was with Deep Purple but Dio outdoes David Coverdale on voice making all 16 minutes total ear candy. “Catch the Rainbow” clocks in at just under 15 minutes and is spellbinding every second of the way. “Man On the Silver Mountain” is done well and features Blackmore teasing the crowd with the riff to the DP classic “Lazy” before kicking into the classic riff from Rainbow’s debut album. Elsewhere, “Stargazer” is one of the best songs Rainbow ever wrote and this 17-minute version is outstanding. “Still I’m Sad” goes on for a quarter of an hour while “Sixteen Century Greensleeves” and “Kill the King” seem to whiz by as both are well under the ten-minute mark. “Do You Close Your Eyes” closes the CD and seems out of place as Dio seems more at home singing about dungeons and dragons than he does about closing eyes while making love.

This is a look back at a time that is quickly becoming history: the real rock concert. Eagle Records deserves a metal – err- medal for putting this one out in the marketplace as it is a reminder of what real music, live in concert, used to be like.