Ελληνικά
Rainbow – Bent Out of Shape: On the street of dreams, just before the end
Genre: Hard Rock / AOR
Country: United Kingdom
Company: Polydor
Year: 1983
If Difficult to Cure was the beginning of the ‘mutation’ and Straight Between the Eyes an attempt to balance commercial hard rock and harder guitars, then Bent Out of Shape is the point where Rainbow of the Joe Lynn Turner era fully accept what they have now become; not Rainbow of Rising, not even a domesticated version of them. A different band: melodic, elegant, clearly American-oriented, with one foot laid in Hard rock and the other in AOR.
Released in September 1983, Rainbow’s seventh studio album was to be their last before the twelve-year hiatus and the reunion of Deep Purple’s classic Mark II lineup. Ritchie Blackmore, Turner and Roger Glover were joined by David Rosenthal on keyboards and Chuck Burgi on drums. It was recorded at Sweet Silence Studios in Copenhagen, with Glover back in production.
“Stranded” opens impressively. A great riff, an excellent chorus and a Turner that sounds as if this very period of Rainbow was written precisely for his voice. “Can’t Let You Go” follows, with Rosenthal’s imposing instrumental intro giving almost ecclesiastical drama before the song turns into one of the finest samples of melodic hard rock recorded by the band.
“Fool for the Night” moves in more conventional waters, but “Fire Dance” makes up for it immediately. Here Blackmore remembers that behind the radio refrains there is still one of hard rock’s most dynamic guitarists. The riff has nerve; the track has real movement and the interaction with Rosenthal offers a reminder of Rainbow’s earlier adventurous nature. The instrumental “Anybody There” that follows is short, lyrical and beautiful: Blackmore without showmanship, saying more in a few notes than others say in a hundred. In 1984, it was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance.
And then comes “Street of Dreams”.
If one needs a single song to understand the Turner-era, it’s this one. Melancholic, dreamy, almost pop in its structure, but with Blackmore’s guitar giving it that subtle darkness that prevents the composition from becoming banal. It was also the most important American hit of the album, reaching No.60 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No.2 on the Mainstream Rock chart, while in the UK it stopped at No.52.
The official video for the track, directed by Storm Thorgerson, combines dark surreal aesthetics and psychological thriller narration around hypnosis, a nightmare and the kidnapping of a woman. Although today it is considered a typical cinematic example of the ’80s and fits the band’s melodic hard rock/AOR direction, MTV withdrew it in 1983 after reactions from organizations for the scenes of manipulation, violence and captivity.
“Desperate Heart” is also a great example of how well Turner had now adapted to Blackmore’s world: huge chorus, controlled drama and guitar that never needs to overload the composition. “Drinking with the Devil” returns to a straighter hard rock logic, while the instrumental “Snowman” is one of the strangest but most charming moments of their discography. It is a cover of Howard Blake’s “Walking in the Air” theme, which Blackmore turns into an atmospheric guitar track. “Make Your Move” closes the album dynamically, although not with the climax that one might expect.
This is where the main objection lies. Bent Out of Shape is extremely well made but controlled… The contradiction becomes sharper when its track list is compared to older tracks such as “Stargazer”, “A Light in the Black”, “Gates of Babylon” and “Kill the King”: compositions with greater dramatic escalation, heavier riffs, stronger melodic identity and a sense of danger. Here the sound remains impeccable, the refrains measured and Blackmore performs great, but most of the songs don’t have the same compositional weight, strength and timeless imposition; their presentation is often stronger than their very essence.
And yet, time has treated it well. Even listeners who prefer the Dio era have re-evaluated the different personality of Turner-era Rainbow, especially the mixture of hard rock and AOR that here reaches perhaps its most mature form.
Commercially, the album reached No.11 in the UK and No.34 on the Billboard 200. A few months later Blackmore would return to Deep Purple and this version of Rainbow would be a thing of the past.
So Bent Out of Shape today looks like a farewell that no one knew was like that yet. It doesn’t bear the mythology of Rising or the darkness of Long Live Rock ‘n’ Roll. But it does have melodies, atmosphere, a great Turner and a Blackmore that remains impossible to sound like anyone else, even when he pursues airplay.
Rainbow might have bent their shape by now. On Bent Out of Shape, however, they hadn’t broken yet.
Joe Lynn Turner is coming to Greece on September 26th & 27th! The legendary voice that was much adored through his collaborations with Rainbow, Yngwie Malmsteen’s Rising Force and Deep Purple, will present the hits of his great career, as well as classic rock favorites.
JLT’s impressive musical career spans five decades. He founded Fandango in 1977 and sang on four albums. At the invitation of Ritchie Blackmore, he joined Rainbow. His vocals propelled the seminal album Difficult to Cure which went gold in the UK in 1981. A year later, he excelled in Straight Between the Eyes and is behind the top singles: “I Surrender”, “Can’t Let You Go”, “Death Alley Driver”, “Stone Cold”, “Street of Dreams” etc. In 1988 he released the album Odyssey together with the famous virtuoso Yngwie Malmsteen for the Rising Force project. Then, he collaborated again with Blackmore on the album Slaves and Masters by Deep Purple. At the same time, he has released 11 personal albums, while he has collaborated on the recordings of many artists (Cher, Billy Joel, Riot, Bonnie Tyler, etc.).
Save the Dates: September 26, 2026 in Larissa @ Circus Entertainment Hub | September 27, 2026 in Athens @ Gagarin 205.
Don’t miss it!
Tickets are on sale from www.more.com, Public stores and the rest of the More network.
