Unlimited Streaming
Listen to this album in high quality now on our apps
Start my trial period and start listening to this albumEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
SubscribeEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
Digital Download
Purchase and download this album in a wide variety of formats depending on your needs.
Rainbow ditched vocalist Graham Bonnet after Down to Earth, hiring former Fandango singer Joe Lynn Turner as their frontman. As it turns out, Turner is less hyperbolic than his predecessor, which fits the focused polish of Difficult to Cure. Where Down to Earth was a streamlined version of early Rainbow, Difficult to Cure is a shot at crossover. Problem is, the band never comes up with the right crossover songs. Russ Ballard's "I Surrender" comes close, but much of the record is fairly undistinguished, riding on strident melodies and big riffs that are never quite memorable. It's all given a contemporary sheen, with plenty of studio gloss that now instantly evokes the early '80s. On that level, it's somewhat of an entertaining artifact -- anyone pining for an example of what album-oriented radio sounded like in the pre-MTV years should check this out -- but it's never more than that, since the bids at chart success are only occasionally memorable ("I Surrender," "Magic"). Perhaps Ritchie Blackmore felt stifled by the exacting nature of Difficult to Cure's attempt at crossover -- witness how "Spotlight Kid" veers from a dexterous Blackmore solo to a ridiculous keyboard run, then just verges on collapse -- and that's the reason why each side ends with a pretentious pseudo-classical instrumental that functions as nothing more than a guitar showcase. Certainly, his playing is impeccable, but both numbers are really awkward (particularly the title track, based on Beethoven's Ninth Symphony and with a weirdly synthesized pulse as a rhythmic underpinning) and just highlight the fact that Difficult to Cure would have been better if Blackmore had channeled that energy into the rest of the album.
© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo
You are currently listening to samples.
Listen to over 100 million songs with an unlimited streaming plan.
Listen to this playlist and more than 100 million songs with our unlimited streaming plans.
From $10.83/month
Ritchie Blackmore, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Roger Glover, Producer, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Joe Lynn Turner, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Rainbow, MainArtist - Russ Ballard, ComposerLyricist - Don Airey, Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 1981 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Flemming Rasmussen, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ritchie Blackmore, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Roger Glover, Producer, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Joe Lynn Turner, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Thomas Brekling, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Rainbow, MainArtist - Don Airey, Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer - Clay Hutchinson, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 1981 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Flemming Rasmussen, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ritchie Blackmore, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Roger Glover, Producer, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Joe Lynn Turner, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Thomas Brekling, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Rainbow, MainArtist - Don Airey, Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer - Donald Smith Airey, ComposerLyricist - Clay Hutchinson, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 1981 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Flemming Rasmussen, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ritchie Blackmore, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Roger Glover, Producer, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Joe Lynn Turner, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Thomas Brekling, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Rainbow, MainArtist - Don Airey, Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer - Brian Moran, ComposerLyricist - Bobby Rondinelli, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Clay Hutchinson, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 1981 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Flemming Rasmussen, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ritchie Blackmore, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Roger Glover, Producer - Jimmy Bain, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Joe Lynn Turner, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Thomas Brekling, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Rainbow, MainArtist - Tony Carey, Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer - Don Airey, Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer - Donald Smith Airey, ComposerLyricist - Bobby Rondinelli, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Clay Hutchinson, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 1981 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Flemming Rasmussen, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ritchie Blackmore, Producer, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Roger Glover, Producer, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Joe Lynn Turner, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Thomas Brekling, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Rainbow, MainArtist - Don Airey, Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer - Clay Hutchinson, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Suha Gur, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 1981 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Flemming Rasmussen, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ritchie Blackmore, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Roger Glover, Producer, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Joe Lynn Turner, Vocals, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Thomas Brekling, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Rainbow, MainArtist - Don Airey, Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer - Bobby Rondinelli, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Clay Hutchinson, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Suha Gur, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 1981 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Flemming Rasmussen, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ritchie Blackmore, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Roger Glover, Producer, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Joe Lynn Turner, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Thomas Brekling, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Rainbow, MainArtist - Don Airey, Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer - Clay Hutchinson, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Suha Gur, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 1981 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Ludwig van Beethoven, Composer - Flemming Rasmussen, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ritchie Blackmore, Arranger, Guitar, Work Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - Roger Glover, Producer, Arranger, Bass Guitar, Work Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - Joe Lynn Turner, Vocals, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Thomas Brekling, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Rainbow, MainArtist - Don Airey, Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer - Donald Smith Airey, Arranger, Work Arranger - Bobby Rondinelli, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Clay Hutchinson, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Suha Gur, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 1981 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Album review
Rainbow ditched vocalist Graham Bonnet after Down to Earth, hiring former Fandango singer Joe Lynn Turner as their frontman. As it turns out, Turner is less hyperbolic than his predecessor, which fits the focused polish of Difficult to Cure. Where Down to Earth was a streamlined version of early Rainbow, Difficult to Cure is a shot at crossover. Problem is, the band never comes up with the right crossover songs. Russ Ballard's "I Surrender" comes close, but much of the record is fairly undistinguished, riding on strident melodies and big riffs that are never quite memorable. It's all given a contemporary sheen, with plenty of studio gloss that now instantly evokes the early '80s. On that level, it's somewhat of an entertaining artifact -- anyone pining for an example of what album-oriented radio sounded like in the pre-MTV years should check this out -- but it's never more than that, since the bids at chart success are only occasionally memorable ("I Surrender," "Magic"). Perhaps Ritchie Blackmore felt stifled by the exacting nature of Difficult to Cure's attempt at crossover -- witness how "Spotlight Kid" veers from a dexterous Blackmore solo to a ridiculous keyboard run, then just verges on collapse -- and that's the reason why each side ends with a pretentious pseudo-classical instrumental that functions as nothing more than a guitar showcase. Certainly, his playing is impeccable, but both numbers are really awkward (particularly the title track, based on Beethoven's Ninth Symphony and with a weirdly synthesized pulse as a rhythmic underpinning) and just highlight the fact that Difficult to Cure would have been better if Blackmore had channeled that energy into the rest of the album.
© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 9 track(s)
- Total length: 00:41:38
- Main artists: Rainbow
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Polydor
- Genre: Pop/Rock Rock
© 1981 UMG Recordings, Inc. ℗ 1981 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Improve album information
Why buy on Qobuz?
-
Stream or download your music
Buy an album or an individual track. Or listen to our entire catalog with our high-quality unlimited streaming subscriptions.
-
Zero DRM
The downloaded files belong to you, without any usage limit. You can download them as many times as you like.
-
Choose the format best suited for you
Download your purchases in a wide variety of formats (FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF...) depending on your needs.
-
Listen to your purchases on our apps
Download the Qobuz apps for smartphones, tablets, and computers, and listen to your purchases wherever you go.