10 Hard Rock Bands That Went Pop
6. Rainbow
After years working with Deep Purple, it was clear that Ritchie Blackmore needed a break. Growing tired of the more soul-influenced direction of albums like Stormbringer, Blackmore struck out on his own with Rainbow, where he constructed the basis of power metal with vocalist Ronnie James Dio. When the band struggled to gain a footing, Blackmore was determined to see his star rise to the top.
With Dio leaving to join Black Sabbath, Blackmore drafted Graham Bonnet to work on the band's next record Down to Earth. Though the sound was definitely a change of pace, this record gave the band their first bonafied hit with "Since You've Been Gone," which finally gave Blackmore that success he craved. However, the power pop style of someone like Bonnet was not going to become a mainstay of Rainbow's sound.
Bringing in vocalist Joe Lynn Turner, Blackmore's goal was to keep the momentum going with the poppier fare, resulting in firm headbangers like "Stone Cold." The more metallic side of the band's new sound actually helped position them amongst the newer acts like Def Leppard and Scorpions. It was certainly a switch up from the band's grandiose beginnings, but Rainbow's stabs at mainstream material seemed to have some staying power after all.