The album runs for approximately 77 minutes and compiles 16 tracks. Here is the full lineup with their source albums:
A classic early Rainbow track that defines their hard rock foundation. 4. Why This Compilation Matters Today
: A straight-ahead hard rock anthem driven by a pounding, accessible rhythm. 3. The Joe Lynn Turner Era (1980–1984) Rainbow - 1997 - The Very Best of Rainbow-FLAC-...
Audiophiles target the FLAC format for this specific release because lossy formats like MP3 crush the intricate textures of Rainbow's music.
Whether you prefer Rainbow's or their 80s melodic rock era ? The album runs for approximately 77 minutes and
Compare the of the 1997 master against later remasters.
| Track No. | Song Title | Source Album (Year) | Length | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | 1 | Man on the Silver Mountain | Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow (1975) | 4:37 | | 2 | Catch the Rainbow | Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow (1975) | 6:38 | | 3 | Starstruck | Rising (1976) | 4:06 | | 4 | Stargazer | Rising (1976) | 8:26 | | 5 | Kill the King | Long Live Rock 'n' Roll (1978) | 4:28 | | 6 | Long Live Rock 'n' Roll | Long Live Rock 'n' Roll (1978) | 4:23 | | 7 | Gates of Babylon | Long Live Rock 'n' Roll (1978) | 6:46 | | 8 | Since You Been Gone | Down to Earth (1979) | 3:17 | | 9 | All Night Long | Down to Earth (1979) | 3:50 | | 10 | I Surrender | Difficult to Cure (1981) | 4:01 | | 11 | Can't Happen Here | Difficult to Cure (1981) | 4:57 | | 12 | Jealous Lover | B-side / Difficult to Cure (1981) | 3:11 | | 13 | Stone Cold | Straight Between the Eyes (1982) | 5:17 | | 14 | Power | Straight Between the Eyes (1982) | 4:26 | | 15 | Can't Let You Go | Bent Out of Shape (1983) | 4:20 | | 16 | Street of Dreams | Bent Out of Shape (1983) | 4:26 | Why This Compilation Matters Today : A straight-ahead
The final era featured Joe Lynn Turner, steering Rainbow fully into the American Adult Oriented Rock (AOR) market with polished melodies and slick keyboard arrangements.
The Very Best of Rainbow is a definitive compilation album released in
The journey begins with the Ronnie James Dio era, which many purists consider the pinnacle of the band. Tracks like "Man on the Silver Mountain" and the epic "Stargazer" are pillars of the "Castle Rock" subgenre. Dio’s lyrics, filled with wizards, kings, and medieval metaphors, paired perfectly with Blackmore's fascination with classical melodies. Hearing "Catch the Rainbow" in high fidelity allows the listener to appreciate the delicate, bluesy phrasing of Blackmore’s solo, which remains one of his most emotive pieces of work.