The Best of Rainbow

{{Hatnote|Not to be confused with the band's 1997 compilation album [[The Very Best of Rainbow]].}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{Infobox album | name = The Best of Rainbow | type = greatest | artist = [[Rainbow (rock band)|Rainbow]] | cover = The Best of Rainbow Album.jpg | alt = | caption = Cover design by [[Hipgnosis]] | released = 13 November 1981<ref>{{cite magazine|title=News|magazine=Record Mirror|date=7 Nov 1981|page=3}}</ref> | recorded = 1975–1981 | venue = | studio = | genre = [[Hard rock]], [[heavy metal music|heavy metal]] | length = 82:11 | label = [[Polydor Records|Polydor]] | producer = [[Martin Birch]], [[Roger Glover]] | chronology = [[Rainbow (rock band)|Rainbow]] compilation albums | prev_title = | prev_year = | next_title = [[The Very Best of Rainbow]] | next_year = 1997 }} {{Music ratings | rev1 =[[AllMusic]] | rev1Score = {{Rating|2.5|5}}<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-best-of-rainbow-mw0000422963 | title = The Best of Rainbow review | accessdate = 2013-12-17 | last = Rivadavia | first = Eduardo | work = [[AllMusic]] | publisher = [[All Media Network]]}}</ref> | noprose=yes }}

'''''The Best of Rainbow''''' is the first compilation album from British [[hard rock]] group [[Rainbow (rock band)|Rainbow]], released in 1981.

This compilation album is slightly different from the similarly titled album from 1980, which was released only in Japan,<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.discogs.com/Rainbow-The-Best-Of-Rainbow/master/40672 | title = Rainbow - The Best Of Rainbow | accessdate = 2019-10-16 | publisher = [[Discogs]]}}</ref> and features mostly previously released studio cuts, taken from the five studio albums Rainbow had released at that point. However, "Jealous Lover", the first song written by Blackmore and Turner, had been available only as a B-side in Europe (to "Can't Happen Here") and on the ''[[Jealous Lover]]'' EP in the United States.

The original vinyl-release was a 2-LP set, in a gatefold-sleeve which contained photos of the band during its various incarnations, and reached No. 14 in the [[UK Albums Chart]] in 1981.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/_/rainbow/ | title = Rainbow Official Charts| accessdate = 2013-11-26 | publisher = [[Official Charts Company]]}}</ref> As of 2019, this compilation album has never been released in the United States.

The photograph on the cover was taken at [[Zaanse Schans]].

==Track listing== {{Track listing | headline = Side one | extra_column = Original release | title1 = [[All Night Long (Rainbow song)|All Night Long]] | writer1 = [[Ritchie Blackmore]], [[Roger Glover]] | extra1 = ''[[Down to Earth (Rainbow album)|Down to Earth]]'' (1979) | length1 = 3:53 | title2 = [[Man on the Silver Mountain]] | writer2 = Blackmore, [[Ronnie James Dio]] | extra2 = ''[[Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow]]'' (1975) | length2 = 4:39 | title3 = Lost in Hollywood | writer3 = Blackmore, Glover, [[Cozy Powell]] | extra3 = ''Down to Earth'' | length3 = 4:53 | title4 = Jealous Lover | extra4 = B-side of the single "Can't Happen Here" (1981) | writer4 = Blackmore, [[Joe Lynn Turner]] | length4 = 3:10 | title5 = Long Live Rock 'n' Roll | extra5 = ''[[Long Live Rock 'n' Roll]]'' (1978) | writer5 = Blackmore, Dio | length5 = 4:23 }} {{Track listing | headline = Side two | extra_column = Original release | title6 = [[Stargazer (Rainbow song)|Stargazer]] | extra6 = ''[[Rising (Rainbow album)|Rising]]'' (1976) | writer6 = Blackmore, Dio | length6 = 8:26 | title7 = [[On Stage (Rainbow album)|Kill the King]] | extra7 = ''Long Live Rock 'n' Roll'' | writer7 = Blackmore, Dio, Powell | length7 = 4:29 | title8 = A Light in the Black | extra8 = ''Rising'' | writer8 = Blackmore, Dio | length8 = 8:12 }} {{Track listing | headline = Side three | extra_column = Original release | title9 = [[Since You Been Gone]] | extra9 = ''Down to Earth'' | writer9 = [[Russ Ballard]] | length9 = 3:20 | title10 = Sixteenth Century Greensleeves | extra10 = ''Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow'' | writer10 = Blackmore, Dio | length10 = 3:31 | title11 = [[Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow|Catch the Rainbow]] | extra11 = ''Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow'' | writer11 = Blackmore, Dio | length11 = 6:36 | title12 = Eyes of the World | extra12 = ''Down to Earth'' | writer12 = Blackmore, Glover | length12 = 6:42 }} {{Track listing | headline = Side four | extra_column = Original release | title13 = I Surrender | extra13 = ''[[Difficult to Cure]]'' (1981) | writer13 = Ballard | length13 = 4:03 | title14 = Gates of Babylon | extra14 = ''Long Live Rock 'n' Roll'' | writer14 = Blackmore, Dio | length14 = 6:49 | title15 = Can't Happen Here | extra15 = ''Difficult to Cure'' | writer15 = Blackmore, Glover | length15 = 4:59 | title16 = Starstruck | extra16 = ''Rising'' | writer16 = Blackmore, Dio | length16 = 4:06 }}

==Personnel== *[[Ritchie Blackmore]] – guitars, bass on track 5 *[[Ronnie James Dio]] – vocals: tracks 2, 5–8, 10, 11, 14, 16 *[[Graham Bonnet]] – vocals: tracks 1, 3, 9, 12 *[[Joe Lynn Turner]] - vocals: tracks 4, 13, 15 *[[Micky Lee Soule]] – keyboards: tracks 2, 10, 11 *[[Tony Carey]] – keyboards: tracks 6, 8, 16 *[[David Stone (keyboardist)|David Stone]] – keyboards: tracks 7, 14 *[[Don Airey]] – keyboards: tracks 1, 3, 4, 9, 12, 13, 15 *[[Craig Gruber]] – bass: tracks 2, 10, 11 *[[Jimmy Bain]] – bass: tracks 6, 8, 16 *[[Bob Daisley]] – bass: tracks 7, 14 *[[Roger Glover]] – bass: tracks 1, 3, 4, 9, 12, 13, 15 *[[Gary Driscoll]] – drums: tracks 2, 10, 11 *[[Cozy Powell]] – drums: tracks 1, 3, 5–9, 12, 14, 16 *[[Bobby Rondinelli]] - drums: tracks 4, 13, 15 *[[Roger Glover]] - producer: tracks 1, 3, 4, 9, 12, 13, 15 *[[Ritchie Blackmore|Blackmore]]/[[Martin Birch|Birch]]/[[Ronnie James Dio|Dio]] - producers: tracks 2, 10, 11 *[[Martin Birch]] - producer: tracks 5–8, 14, 16

== Charts == {| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" |- ! Chart (1981) ! Peak<br/>position |- !scope="row"|[[1981 in Japanese music|Japanese Albums]] ([[Oricon]])<ref name="JPN">{{cite book|title=Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005|publisher=[[Oricon|Oricon Entertainment]]|location=Roppongi, Tokyo|year=2006|isbn=4-87131-077-9|language=ja}}</ref> | align="center"| 48 |- {{Album chart|UK2|14|date=19811122|rowheader=true|accessdate=October 17, 2023}} |}

==Certifications== {{certification Table Top}} {{Certification Table Entry|type=album|relyear=1981|region=United Kingdom|award=Gold|certyear=1981|artist=Rainbow|title= The Best of Rainbow|id=844-513-2|access-date=4 February 2021}} {{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true}}

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== *[http://www.discogs.com/Rainbow-The-Best-Of-Rainbow/release/436654 The Best Of Rainbow] at [[Discogs]]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Best Of Rainbow, The}} [[Category:1981 greatest hits albums]] [[Category:Rainbow (rock band) compilation albums]] [[Category:Polydor Records compilation albums]] [[Category:Albums with cover art by Hipgnosis]]