Universal Music's new Rainbow DVD release combines the two commercial videos released under the band's name outside Japan, namely 'Live Between the Eyes' and 'The Final Cut'.

The result is an economically pleasing package containing over two hours of live music and promo videos which say everything which needs to be said about, well, certainly the band's 1981-1984 Joe Lynn Turner fronted era.

'The Final Cut' was originally released in 1985, as a companion to the retrospective 'Finyl Vinyl', and is a similarly unfocussed mish-mash of material, making it forever unsatisfying in my eyes at least. Picked apart, it contains all of the promo videos made between 1979-1984, and a few live tracks from 1982 and 1984.

The promos first:

1/ 'Since You Been Gone' is a straight performance video, with a few inserts of Graham Bonnet doing things like having the old dreams same time every night, falling to the ground and waking up, getting out of bed, putting on his shoes, and all with thoughts flying back to the break-up, etc. For many people the appearance of this video on Top Of The Pops in late 1979 will have been their first sight of Ritchie Blackmore on UK TV, so there is a lot of nostalgic baggage attached to it. In 2006, the picture quality looks a bit soft, and not a patch on the superb film which Whitesnake produced for 'Fool For Your Loving' less than a year later. Anyway... check out the Flash video clip, and feel the memories flood back.

2/ 'All Night Long' from early 1980. Heavier and less melodic than 'Since You Been Gone', though a similar promo. This is the original version, with a boob-tubed dancer in the wings. On UK children's TV she was replaced by some live footage from the 1979 tour.

3/ 'I Surrender', 1981. Most people's first glimpse of Joe Lynn Turner in Rainbow. The video is a straightforward performance job, with simple lighting provided by two flashing police lights.

4/ 'Can't Happen Here', 1981. Another performance video, but with lots of film inserts to illustrate the lyrics, such as huge supertankers on Arabian trips, oily propaganda from the leaders' lips, etc, which helps it all trot briskly along.

5/ 'Stone Cold' 1982, is where it starts getting weird. Joe Lynn Turner in a hall of mirrors, and a 'woman' (one can hope) made up to look like a mannequin. 6/ 'Death Alley Driver' 1982, has JLT as a biker being chased down a country road by a long black limousine containing a top-hatted Ritchie Blackmore (guest starring as Death). 7/ 'Street Of Dreams' 1983, is a mini-movie about a girl being held in mild bondage by a naughty hypnotist. The band only appear fleetingly. And finally, 8/ 'Can't Let You Go' 1983, which goes all Cabinet Of Dr.Caligari. In this one Ritchie keeps the undead Joe Lynn Turner in the aforementioned cabinet, only letting him out to disturb some poor girl's sleepy time.

By the end it seems as if the band were really getting into their video making. It was later revived in Deep Purple Mk5, or at least the young females and their traumatic nocturnal issues were; with a girl being stalked on a roller coaster by a phantom carnie in 'King Of Dreams', and some poor wench writhing about in bed so much in 'Love Conquers All' that she turns into a poster on her bedroom wall. (A lesson to us all..)

The remainder of 'The Final Cut' was taken up by two tracks from Rainbow's final concert before the Deep Purple reunion, including 'Difficult To Cure' with an orchestra. The full show was released (in Japan only) as 'Japan Tour 84'. It has been bootlegged on DVD, but never officially released in that format. 'Power' is from San Antonio in August 1982, and is also included in the second part of the two-fer: 'Live Between The Eyes'.

As with 'Since You Been Gone', the San Antonio show made a large impact on its release, being the first official live Rainbow video. It certainly did not disappoint, and still comes across as bright, energetic, and above all hugely entertaining. Blackmore's playing throughout is superb, including what I personally consider to be one of his greatest ever recorded solos: the closing work-out in 'Tearing Out My Heart' (see the Flash video, and be amazed). The rest of the band come across well in the show, Bobby Rondinelli especially, and the difference that Joe Lynn Turner makes in restructuring and expanding 'All Night Long' shows how well he could work with Ritchie Blackmore.

As a memento for fans of latter day Rainbow, this DVD is essential, and also sits alongside 'Live In Munich 77' as record of different chapters in the life the band.