Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow has released two singles that mark the band’s first new recordings in more than two decades.
Originally featured on 1981’s “Difficult To Cure”, the guitarist has re-recorded that project’s lead track, “I Surrender”, with new Rainbow vocalist Ronnie Romero.
A second track, “Land Of Hope And Glory”, is an instrumental reworking of the 1902 British patriotic song of the same name from Edward Elgar's "Pomp And Circumstance March No. 1."
"We recorded some songs for Blackmore’s Night and two songs with the new singer for Rainbow,” Blackmore recently told Japan’s Burrn! magazine. “I wrote one new song, and also recorded one of the old ones. Ronnie, who is in Madrid now, added his vocals and sent it back. Rather than make an album, we may release as singles."
The tunes mark the first recordings released by Rainbow since their eighth album, 1995’s “Stranger In Us All.” After completing a tour in support of the record, the guitarist left rock behind to form the medieval folk band Blackmore’s Night with then-girlfriend and now-wife Candice Night.
Blackmore regrouped Rainbow last year for live dates with a lineup that featured Romero, Stratovarius keyboardist Jens Johansson, Blackmore’s Night drummer David Keith, bassist Bob Nouveau and backup singers Candice Night and Lady Lynn.
On June 9, Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow will release “Live In Birmingham 2016”, a 2CD/digital audio set capturing the guitarist’s return to the rock stage during a June 2016 concert at the city’s Genting Arena that was the third and final date of the group’s European shows – following a pair of appearances at Monsters Of Rock festivals earlier the same month that were issued last fall as “Memories In Rock - Live In Germany.”
The Birmingham release will arrive prior to the launch of Rainbow’s upcoming UK tour: the band will headline the second annual Stone Free Festival at the 02 in London on June 17 before performing shows in Manchester, Glasgow and Birmingham.
See also:
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