Description
Check the exclusive video showing this LP for sale.
Check the exclusive video showing this LP for sale.
Rainbow – Straight Between The Eyes
Label: Polydor – 2391 542, Polydor – 2391542
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Stereo
Country: Greece
Released: 1982
Style: Hard Rock
A1 Death Alley Driver 4:42
A2 Stone Cold 5:15
A3 Bring On The Night 4:06
A4 Tite Squeeze 3:15
A5 Tearin’ Out My Heart 4:04
B1 Power 4:26
B2 MISS Mistreated 4:25
B3 Rock Fever 3:49
B4 Eyes Of Fire 6:41
Manufactured By – G.P.I. S.A.
Bass [Hondo Longhorn 4 & 8 String] – Roger Glover
Drums [Yamaha, sonor, & Paiste] – Bobby Rondinelli
Guitar [Fender Strat, marshall] – Ritchie Blackmore
Keyboards [Oberheim, noog, roland Hammond & Hohner] – Dave Rosenthal
Producer – Roger Glover
Vocals – Joe Lynn Turner
Written-By – Bobby Rondinelli (tracks: B4), Rosenthal* (tracks: B2), Turner*, Blackmore*, Roger* (tracks: A2 to A5, B1)
Track durations as on labels.
Accompanied by a 2-page insert.
Track A5 is titled “Tearing Out My Heart” on the label.
2391 542 on labels
2391542 on back cover & insert
Joe’s number 1 favoured album:
Straight Between the Eyes is the sixth studio album by English hard rock band Rainbow, released in 1982. A remastered CD reissue, with packaging duplicating the original vinyl release, was released in May 1999.
History
The band line-up was the same as had recorded the previous year’s Difficult to Cure album, with the exception of David Rosenthal, who replaced Don Airey on keyboards.
The title allegedly came from a phrase from Jeff Beck, describing Jimi Hendrix to Blackmore.
The sleeve-art is by British artist Jeff Cummins and Hipgnosis, though has been described as “one of [Hipgnosis]’ very worst; in fact, so bad, it taints the music.” The original vinyl issue had the lyrics printed on the inner sleeve.
In an April 1982 interview with British rock magazine Kerrang!, Blackmore stated of “MISS Mistreated”, “Well it’s to avoid confusion that the ‘Miss’ is written three times bigger than the ‘mistreated’ but I expect we’ll have someone who shall remain nameless coming up to us saying ‘I wrote that song’!” That someone being David Coverdale, with whom Blackmore had co-written “Mistreated” for the 1974 Deep Purple album Burn. Blackmore had this issue with Coverdale previously when a rendition of “Mistreated” was included on the Rainbow live album On Stage.
Videos were shot for the songs “Stone Cold” and “Death Alley Driver”, which featured Sega’s video game Turbo. They were occasionally still aired on VH1’s Metal Mania program, but have not been aired since 2005. However, they can be found on YouTube or on the band’s “Final Cut” 1985 home video.
Tour
The tour featured a giant pair of moving mechanical eyes as part of the stage set, with spotlights shining from the pupils. This is captured on the video release Live Between the Eyes recorded at the Hemisfair Arena in San Antonio, Texas on August 18, 1982. The tour, although extensive, did not include the UK, which rankled with British fans.
Accolades
In 2022, Straight Between the Eyes was named #5 of ‘The 25 greatest rock guitar albums of 1982’ list in Guitar World.
“Straight between the Eyes was the first album I was able to fully contribute to the song writing. I was totally motivated to make it a special album and to set a new course for the band.
Le Studio was state of the art recording conditions…The Police were finishing Ghost in the Machine and seemed like a great bunch of guys…
Rehearsal equipment was set up in the huge living room near the fireplace…and we started to work everyday…Recording went very well and the album was taking shape nicely. We knew we had something special…and felt like we were collectively making it happen…” JLT (singer)