Ranking The Songs: Rainbow -"Rising"

Rainbow's "Rising" is often cited as one of the greatest rock albums of all time. It's easy to see why, since it was the moment that cemented Ronnie James Dio as the vocal powerhouse he was, but also because it's such a short album there wasn't room for much in the way of filler. Or at least that's what we're led to believe. My opinion of the record has been documented before, but I will reiterate; I'm one of the few people that prefers the follow-up, "Long Live Rock 'N' Roll".

That album isn't as celebrated, or as legendary, so instead we're going to look at the six songs that make up "Rising", and rank them.

6. A Light In The Black

Let's start out with a bit of controversy. This song gets plenty of praise, and I'm not entirely sure why. With its eight-minute running time, it's a successor to "Stargazer", but it lacks everything that makes a song so epic and legendary. Placing it after the song that takes our breath away hampers it to begin with, but then it doesn't have the same sense of drama or scope. The melodies aren't as towering, and the solo section drags on for far too long. It's a song that really shouldn't be that long, and the placement in the track listing means it has to be twice as good to get half the credit. It isn't, so it's the song I'm most disappointed in.

5. Do You Close Your Eyes

If ever there was a disposable track, this would be it. Dio did have a penchant for throwing in a pop fluffer once in a while, and Blackmore would go on to court the mainstream, and this song is an embodiment of both. It's harmless, but also the only song of this batch that feels like it has no weight to it at all. "Rising" is barely a full-length album as it is, and I have to think this song might have been included just to get to that point.

4. Starstruck

You could argue this song is also going for a slightly more pop direction, but there's something about the speed Dio delivers that chorus that sets it apart. The more you hear it, the more it start to embed itself in your head. Eventually, even though the song is not a lyrical dynamo, it finds a charm that lets you forgive it not being Dio's best work.

3. Run With The Wolf

Now we get into the meat of the record. Rainbow took a big step forward with this record, and it shows here. There's a heavy groove to their best songs that wasn't as present before, and wasn't there afterward either, if I'm being honest. Songs like this one set the stage for what Dio would go on to be, and the (relatively) youthful energy in his voice carries this one to a higher level.

2. Tarot Woman

On most records, this would be the pinnacle. "Tarot Woman" tells us right from the start what Rainbow had evolved into, with the pounding drums, pulsating riff, and massive Dio vocal. There was something a bit mystical to both Dio and Blackmore, and they play that up on this track, leaning into the magical churn of the music. This is the sound of Rainbow coalescing.

1. Stargazer

I can be a contrarian, but not here. There is a reason "Stargazer" is one of the defining songs of classic rock, and I can't deny that. Few songs have ever sounded so epic, so bombastic, and had the firepower to back it up. The addition of the strings adds layers of depth and power, but the song is entirely driven by Dio belting like he never did before or after. It's a tour-de-force of vocal power, definitely the best thing Blackmore ever did, and quite possibly still the defining moment of Dio's illustrious career. It is Rainbow, full stop.