According to Darker Than Blue: "The first ever history of Rainbow according
to the label, and a set which can’t really make it’s mind up what it
wants to be. It’s got far too many alternate tracks and rough mixes to
be of much interest to casual fans, so seems to be aimed at the more
committed Rainbow enthusiast. It’s a difficult balance to strike, as I
found out when I put that Listen Learn Read On package together for EMI
some years ago and got roundly dissed in some quarters for mixing so
many rarities amongst a more off the wall album track choice!
As well as regular album tracks, we have a number of ‘rarities’, and on the first few discs these comprise rough mixes of a trio of Rising tracks, live recordings from Japan (which may be from the On Stage reissue), and rehearsal versions from 1977 of Long Live Rock and Roll tracks. Early lists suggested tracks from the Don Kirshner’s show and Osaka but these have been changed for more of the Munich 77 show since then. From the Down To Earth era there is an instrumental take of one track, some live numbers from November 1979 off the King Biscuit show and Stargazer audio from Castle Donington.
The Turner period is boosted by audio of the San Antonio set from 1982 and a couple of tracks from Hammersmith in 1981. The set finishes with latter day bits and bobs including a couple of out-takes from the last album, three live cuts from Cardiff in 1983 (great to have the applause back on Stranded!) and another three from the Tokyo show in 1984 on the band’s last tour.
It’s a little difficult to be exact about which of these are new to official CD (collectors will probably have sourced many on bootleg in the past), and which are recycled from the last set of Rainbow album double remasters, and the advance information doesn’t tell us."
Disc: 1 – 1975-1976
1. Black Sheep Of The Family
2. Sixteenth Century Greensleeves
3. Snake Charmer
4. The Temple Of The King
5. Tarot Woman (Rough Mix)
6. Stargazer (Rough Mix)
7. Run With The Wolf (Rough Mix)
8. Mistreated (Live In Osaka, Japan / 1976)
9. Purple Haze / White Christmas / Lazy / Man On The Silver Mountain / Blues / Starstruck (Live In Osaka, Japan / 1976)
Disc: 2 – 1977-1978
1. Sensitive To Light (Rough Mix)
2. The Shed
3. Rainbow Eyes (Rough Mix)
4. Jesus, Joy Of Man’s Desiring (Bob Daisley Rehearsal Tape)
5. Long Live Rock N Roll (LA Rehearsal / 1977)
6. Do You Close Your Eyes (Bob Daisley Rehearsal Tape)
7. Still I’m Sad (With organ intro / Bob Daisley Rehearsal Tape)
8. Gates Of Babylon
9. Catch The Rainbow (Live / 1976 / With Applause)
10. Long Live Rock ‘N’ Roll (Live In Munich, Germany / 1977)
11. LA Connection (Live In Munich, Germany / 1977)
Disc: 3 – 1979 – 1980
1. Eyes Of The World (Instrumental Outtake)
2. Is not A Lot Of Love In The Heart Of Me
3. Lost In Hollywood
4. Danger Zone
5. Since You’ve Been Gone (Album Version)
6. Bad Girl
7. Over The Rainbow / Eyes Of The World (King Biscuit Flower Hour radio broadcast / Live At Calderone, New York / 1979)
8. Love’s No Friend (King Biscuit Flower Hour radio broadcast / Live At Calderone, New York / 1979)
9. Ode To Joy (King Biscuit Flower Hour radio broadcast / Live At Calderone, New York / 1979)
10. All Night Long (Single Remix Version)
11. White Home
12. Stargazer (Live At Donnington / 1980)
Disk: 4 – 1981 – 1982
1. Midtown Tunnel Vision
2. I Surrender (Album Version)
3. Magic
4. Perhaps the time of nearest
5. Jealous Lover
6. Spotlight Kid (Live At Hammersmith Odeon, London / 1981)
7. Rule Britannia / Fire (Live At Hammersmith Odeon, London / 1981)
8. Death Alley Driver
9. Bring On The Night (Dream Chaser)
10. Stone Cold (Album Version)
11. Power (Live In San Antonio, Tx / 1982)
12. Miss Mistreated (Live In San Antonio, Tx / 1982)
13. Tearin ‘Out My Heart (Live In San Antonio, Tx / 1982)
Disk: 5 – 1983 – 1984
1. Can not Let You Go (Album Version)
2. Desperate Heart (Album Version)
3. Anybody There (Outtake / Polar Mix)
4. Drinking With The Devil (Outtake / Different Guitar Solo)
5. Make Your Move
6. Snowman
7. Street Of Dreams (Album Version)
8. Stranded (Live At St. David’s Hall, Cardiff / 1983 / With Applause)
9. Power (Live In Cardiff / 1984)
10. Fire Dance (Live In Cardiff / 1984)
11. Fool For The Night (Live At The Budokan Tokyo / 1984)
12. Difficult To Cure (Live At The Budokan Tokyo)
13. Smoke On The Water (Live At The Budokan Tokyo / 1984)
