Bent Out of Shape

Bent Out of Shape

Track Listings

1. Stranded

2. Can't Let You Go

3. Fool for the Night

4. Fire Dance

5. Anybody There

6. Desperate Heart

7. Street of Dreams

8. Drinking With the Devil

9. Snowman

10. Make Your Move

Tracks:

Stranded
Can't Let You Go
Fool For The Night
Fire Dance
Anybody There
Desperate Heart
Street Of Dreams
Drinking With The Devil
Snowman
Make Your Move

Customer Reviews:

Production a bit too polished but a worthy release by the master..........2006-08-09

Early Rainbow fans go as far to say that after Dio and Bonnet left on vocals, Joe Lynn Turner era was no longer Rainbow. This is not really fair. Ritchie knew what he wanted and he did it. If you look back and analyze the history of Ritchie Blacmore's project, Rainbow, you have to conclude that Blackmore was a musical genius and has had more influence on pop music than any other person. He also had a very keen sense of timing, knowing what to release and when to release it.

Not even the Beatles or the Stones or whoever have been able to go from relatively non-commercial hard rock (ie-Rainbow Rising) appealing to fans of heavy metal only, to appealing to a completely different segment of the American Adult Oriented (AOR) pop market, while at the same time adding bits and pieces of classical music along with it, to the tune of Beethoven. This is what Ritchie did with the band Rainbow. This was the last of the Turner era studio releases, and while it's not quite as good as "Straight Between the Eyes", it's still very good.

It is a bit too polished and poppy at times (very 80's sounding), which makes the songs seem a bit generic now. It is quite evident that Ritchie's guitar playing was taking a sideline to a certain degree, to the favoring of a strong melody and the smooth high voice of Joe Lynn Turner. This is typical of Ritchie's contrasting personality, while on the one hand he wants a top ten hit, of which he had several in the UK (and close to it in the U.S. with "Stone Cold" and "Street of Dreams") and then on the other hand, he doesn't want the spotlight for himself. His unwillingness to do interviews and his disappearances and constant line-up changes have made Rainbow one of the biggest "sleepers" of all time. How many times have I played a Rainbow song and someone says "that's awesome; who is it"? I say it's Rainbow and they reply "Who"? Unfortunate, but Ritchie is still laughing because he did what he set out to do. He found enough success, but effectively kept himself away from the media hounds and the trappings of personal limelight. The stellar tracks on this CD are: Stranded, Can't Let You Go, Street of Dreams (not really a rock song, but like a Michael Bolton song), and Fire Dance. Overall a bit overproduced with the guitar kind of buried in the mix, but a four star record, for sure.

What Rainbow management should do is re-release Japan Live 84, which is now an out-of-print VHS release. It should be released on CD. This is the last and likely the best concert that Rainbow played with Joe Lynn Turner on vocals. This epitomized what Ritchie had set out to do with the band

Can one song make the CD?.......2006-04-26

Yes, when that song is "Street of Dreams." It is the best ever by Blackmore et al. "Can't Let You Go" is some righteous powerful vocals; dessert if you will to the main dish and another reason to grab this CD. The best part is neither song has anything to do with the Knights, Wizards or Dragons. That little banjo player (thanx Ian) really had gotten quite bent, but with this collection was bent back INTO shape. Cheers.

Bent Out of Shape ~ Rainbow.......2005-12-15

Again a good album by rainbow, after this album Blackmore goes back to deep purple, I rather see Ritchie in rainbow. That is because I think Ian Gillan isn't such a good singer as Joe Lynn Turner. This is the third album with Joe Lynn Turner, and it is very good. Ritchie plays good, but at some songs I think the guitar may be a bit louder. Fire Dance is a song that needs louder guitars, it rocks, but I almost can't here the guitarplay during the stanza. There are two instrumental songs on this album: Anybody there and Snowman. Anybody there is nice to hear, but Snowman is boring. Well, the rest is kinda good, below you can see how I rate the songs:

1. Stranded (7/10)
2. Can't Let You go (10/10) --> my favorite song of the album.
3. Fool For The Night (10/10)
4. Fire Dance (10/10)
5. Anybody There (8/10)
6. Desperate Heart (10/10)
7. Street Of Dreams (10/10)
8. Drinking With the Devil (9/10)
9. Snowman (6/10)
10. Make Your Move (7/10)

As you can see, there are no bad songs on this album, some average songs, but the rest is very good. I recommend this to you!

Rainbow's best Turner era album!.......2005-12-03

This has 2 of Blackmore's best instrumentals and plenty of classic songs Including the hits Can't Let You Go and Street Of Dreams. Turner's vocals are brilliant and Blackmore's playing has never been better.

1.Stranded- 10/10 An excellent fast paced song with a great subtle riff at the beginning. This song has an excellent chorus where Joe Lynn Turner shows off his vocal power. The yells of "Stranded" are awesome too. A great solo by Blackmore who throws in some whammy bar dives and some cool fast lines. The ending of the song sounds great with the yells of "Stranded" and Blackmore's great riff. A great hard rocking classic.

2.Can't Let You Go- 10/10 This song starts out with a great scary organ intro similar to the Ozzy song Mr. Crowley. The riff is great too. The song is very melodic and Joe Lynn Turner's vocal performance is incredible. This is a very commercial song but it's still great. Blackmore's solo is excellent and has a lot of feeling. This song kind of reminds me of Journey actually.

3.Fool For The Night- 9/10 A great melodic rocker. This song has a catchy riff and great soaring vocals. The song has a nice fast tempo to it and excellent drum and bass work. Blackmore's solo is brilliant again and very lyrical.

4.Fire Dance- 9/10 A great fast paced melodic rocker with a great riff. The drumming is amazing too. The keyboard solo is incredible too and Blackmore's solo is as amazing. The trade off works very well in this song and Turner's vocals soar. Turner's amazing high pitched screams att he end remind me of classic Deep Purple. Another classic!

5.Anybody There- 10/10 A beautiful instrumental with some of Ritchie Blackmore's best playing ever. Blackmore plays some of the emotional guitar playing I've ever heard. The backround music is great too.

6.Desperate Heart- 9/10 A great melodic song with an excellent vocal performance from Joe Lynn Turner. The melodic riff is excellent and the drums are great. Blackmore's solo is brilliant again too.

7.Street of Dreams- 10/10 Another Rainbow classic. This starts off with a great melodic intro which a lot of keyboards. Joe Lynn Turner's vocals and lyrics are excellent too. The chorus is very strong and the drum and bass sound is great. Blackmore's solo has a lot of feeling and is very lyrical. This was one of Rainbow's biggest hits too. Blackmore's second solo has a lot of feeling too. This is one of the best songs on the album.

8.Drinking With the Devil- 9/10 A great fast paced rocker with an excellent riff. Turner's vocals are excellent and Blackmore's blazing solo is amazing. Very solid drum and bass work on this fast song.

9.Snowman- 9/10 A great instrumental with an excellent keyboard arrangement and great playing by Blackmore. Blackmore's playing is both emotional and technical. A great instrumental but maybe a little too long.

10.Make Your Move- 9/10 A good fast paced song with excellent drumming. More great high pitched screams by Joe Lynn Turner too. Turner's vocals soar and Blackmore's riff is great again. Blackmore's solo is excellent too.

If you like melodic rock, 80's music, great guitar playing or great singing than this album is for you. The band is

Joe Lynn Turner- Vocals
Ritchie Blackmore- Guitar
Chuck Burgi- Drums
Roger Glover- Bass, Percussion
David Rosenthal- Keyboards

Solid Rainbow.......2005-11-30

It's disappointing that as I write this review, Bent Out Of Shape is only being offered used. After many years I've come to realize that it is one of the better Rainbow albums. Produced by Deep Purple/Rainbow bassist Roger Glover in 1983, Bent Out Shape made it to #34 on the charts thanks to heavy rotation of the video for Street Of Dreams on MTV. When I got the cassette I did not listen to it as much as I should have. But with a lot of formula music out there these days I find myself going back to 70s and early 80s rock. Anyways, there are several excellent tracks like Stranded, Drinking With The Devil, and Can't Let You Go (the other single with a great church organ intro). I also love the two instrumentals, Anybody There and Snowman! Both have great emotional melodic guitar from the master, Ritchie Blackmore. Snowman has a beautiful relaxing melody played on keyboards. Apparently both Richie and singer Joe Lynn Turner wanted to do another album together but due to a sly manager who wanted to see Richie back in Deep Purple, this never happened. They did do the decent Slaves and Masters (Deep Purple) together with Roger but that would be seven years later.

Average customer rating:

Explosive blues.

Bent Out of Shape
Bobby Parker
Manufacturer: Black Top Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Contemporary Blues | Blues | Styles | Music

General | Blues | Styles | Music

General | R&B | Styles | Music

General | Soul | R&B | Styles | Music
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ASIN: B000006KTO
Release Date: 1993-03-01

Tracks:

Fast Train
It's Hard But It's Fair
Bent Out Of Shape
So Glad I Found You
I Call Her Baby
Watch Your Step
Break It Up
Let That Be The Reason
I've Got A Way With Women
Bobby-A-Go-Go
Blues Get Off My Shoulder

Amazon.com

Though guitarist Bobby Parker's success is recent, he's been a driving behind-the-scenes force in the blues for a long time. Listening to his Black Top Records debut, 1993's Bent Out of Shape, it's easy to hear why. Parker has the sure skill of the veteran, so that even when his solos are at their most elaborate, he never sounds like he's showing off. He works with bassist Lee Allen Zeno to a degree rarely heard among blues guitarists; listen to how the lines play off of each other on "Bobby-A-Go-Go." In fact, the bass work is strong throughout, coming to the fore on "Break It Up" and the album's scorching closer, "Blues Get Off My Shoulder." Parker's a more than capable vocalist as well, whispering, shouting, and wailing with never a wrong note. Bent Out of Shape has the feel of a best-kept secret. Hopefully, that won't be so for long. --Genevieve Williams

Customer Reviews:

Explosive blues........2006-06-13

Bobby Parker's original version of "Watch Your Step" is the song that influenced John Lennon to write "Daytripper"..listen to the similarity in guitar riffs.
Bobby has been a huge influence on many artists. His own style is a cross between James Brown, Jimmy Johnson (who he sounds like vocally) and his guitar playing is very progressive. You won't find many of the usual Blues cliches. Some of his riffs are very jazzy, slick and accurate especially on the slow blues numbers. All in all he's a very sophisticated blues player.
Not one bad track on this CD. The title track is especially good and "Bobby a go-go" which is very funky in a James Brown way. Watch out for the guitar solo on this one, it's great!
The remake of "Watch your step" on this CD is stupendous but i do wish it hadn't been faded out. If only it had gone on abit longer because Bobby was just reaching a crescendo on it.
This is a "BlackTop" CD and they always satisfy!

Average customer rating:

Bent Out of Shape
Rainbow
Manufacturer: Universal/Polygram
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

Hard Rock | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

Rock | Imports | Stores | Music
ASIN: B00005S776
Release Date: 2002-01-04

Tracks:

Stranded
Can't Let You Go
Fool for the Night
Fire Dance
Anybody There
Desperate Heart
Street of Dreams
Drinking With the Devil
Snowman
Make Your Move

Album Description

Japanese reissue of 1983 album, packaged in a limited edition miniature LP sleeve.

Album Details

Japanese Limited Edition Issue of the Album Classic in a Deluxe, Miniaturized LP Sleeve Replica of the Original Vinyl Album Artwork.

Average customer rating:

Bent Out of Shape
Bobby Parker
Manufacturer: Black Top
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Contemporary Blues | Blues | Styles | Music

General | Blues | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000005YXQ
Release Date: 1993-01-01

Tracks:

Fast Train
It's Hard But It's Fair
Bent Out Of Shape
So Glad I Found You
I Call Her Baby
Watch Your Step
Break It Up
Let That Be The Reason
I've Got A Way With Women
Bobby-A-Go-Go
Blues Get Off My Shoulder

Average customer rating:

Ah Yes.The Misty...
Rainbow Always Rocks
I think that these music included CD are real hard rock.
Taste of Things To Come

Bent Out of Shape
Rainbow
Manufacturer: Polygram Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

Pop Metal | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

Hard Rock | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

Album-Oriented Rock (AOR) | Classic Rock | Styles | Music

Straight Between the Eyes
Difficult to Cure

ASIN: B000001F59
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

Stranded
Can't Let You Go
Fool For The Night
Fire Dance
Anybody There
Desperate Heart
Street Of Dreams
Drinking With The Devil
Snowman
Make Your Move

Customer Reviews:

Ah Yes.The Misty..........2007-02-04

street corner where Ritchie Blackmore has his inspirations. Just Like Little Ol Sarolta G. DeFaltay. Is it "Street of Dreams" that takes me away to a moonlit night? Or "Spiritual Bathing" her co-authored book with Nadine Epstein and others. Blackmore's night has romance, and Sarolta's sad face can be seen in "Street of Dreams."Just like it's hard to find Landolfini's "Echo la Prima Vera" it's hard to see someone fade out.."Will we ever meet again my friend?"'s the line in the song that's kept me for so long in Service tO Rainbow and my life and dream of music.Ciao.

Rainbow Always Rocks.......2005-08-24

This one is among my favorites. R. Blackmore was, is and will be always the best in all times. It is sad that R. Blackmore is out of rock music.

I think that these music included CD are real hard rock........1998-11-26

This CD would remain forever Rainbow as a legend of hard rock band. Especially, I love the power ballad "Can't Let You Go ". Listen it !

Taste of Things To Come.......1998-04-27

More melodious and less speed-driven than previous Rainbow albums, this one offers a preview of reconstituted Deep Purple. It sounds a lot like "Perfect Strangers". Lots of DP fans turn their noses up at untempered Blackmore, but there's a lot to be said for melody-driven hard rock. Maybe not a very inspiring album, but very solid work nevertheless.