Rainbow - Long Live Rock 'N' Roll (1978)

“Long Live Rock 'n' Roll” is the third studio album released by the British hard rock band Rainbow, released in 1978.
“Long Live Rock 'n' Roll” may be singer Ronnie James Dio's last album with Rainbow, but at least he went out on a high note. While the material is not quite as strong as on the previous studio effort, Rising, Long Live Rock 'n' Roll maintains the momentum the band had built up. "Kill the King" had been previously heard on the live On Stage record, but here it sounds more fully realized. Also, the title track from the album stands as one of the best songs the band did, not to mention a noble sentiment. The chugging "L.A. Connection" is another highlight. As with all of their first four albums, this one was produced by Martin Birch (who produced everyone from Blue Öyster Cult to Wayne County), and he really knows how to get the best out of the band by this point. The result is that the songs couldn't sound any better, so even if some of the material isn't quite up to their best, the album is still very cohesive, steady, and, ultimately, satisfying. This would turn out to be the last great album Rainbow would ever make, although they did enjoy a great deal of chart success in the post-Dio era.

Tracklist

01. "Long Live Rock 'n' Roll"  (Ritchie Blackmore, Ronnie James Dio)  - 4:21
02. "Lady of the Lake"  (Ritchie Blackmore, Ronnie James Dio)  - 3:39
03. "L.A. Connection"  (Ritchie Blackmore, Ronnie James Dio)  - 5:02
04. "Gates of Babylon"  (Ritchie Blackmore, Ronnie James Dio)  - 6:49
05. "Kill the King"   (Blackmore, Dio, Cozy Powell)  - 4:29
06. "The Shed (Subtle)"   (Blackmore, Dio, Powell)  - 4:47
07. "Sensitive to Light" (Ritchie Blackmore, Ronnie James Dio)  - 3:07
08. "Rainbow Eyes"  (Ritchie Blackmore, Ronnie James Dio)  - 7:11

Rainbow
Ronnie James Dio – lead vocals
Ritchie Blackmore – guitars, bass (also bass on rough mix tracks 1–6, 2012 Deluxe Edition)
Cozy Powell – drums, percussion
Bob Daisley – bass on "Gates of Babylon", "Kill the King", and "Sensitive to Light"
David Stone – keyboards on "Gates of Babylon", "Kill the King", "The Shed". Piano outro on "L.A. Connection"
Tony Carey – keyboards on "Long Live Rock 'n' Roll", "Lady of the Lake", and "Rainbow Eyes" (2012 Deluxe Edition rough mix only)

Additional musicians
Bavarian String Ensemble conducted by Rainer Pietsch on "Gates of Babylon"
Ferenc Kiss, Nico Nicolic – violins on "Rainbow Eyes"
Ottmar Machan - viola on "Rainbow Eyes"
Karl Heinz Feit – cello on "Rainbow Eyes"
Rudi Risavy – flute on "Rainbow Eyes"

Notes
Released: 9 April 1978
Recorded at: The Strawberry Studio, Château d'Hérouville, France, May–July & December 1977
Genre: Heavy metal, Hard rock
Length: 39:27
Label: Polydor
Producer: Martin Birch

1994: - 1994 (1978)

Karen Lawrence is an American singer and songwriter who has worked with The LA Jets, 1994:, Karen Lawrence and the Pinz and Blue by Nature. She sang backup vocals on "Get it up" from Draw the Line by Aerosmith. Karen Lawrence, is a dynamic singer and prolific songwriter. A charismatic performer with a spirited stage presence, Lawrence has enjoyed a challenging and diverse career. A stage performer continually since the age of 9, she fronted her first band, a blues outfit, at the age of 13. As front woman for the A&M band 1994: (produced by Jack Douglas ), Lawrence’s distinctive and emotive vocal stylings frequently put her on international critics’ "Best Female Singer" lists. Wrote Kerrang!... "it was 1994:’s Karen Lawrence who gave the others the choice of being second best or giving up". Lawrence composed "Prisoner (Love Theme From the 'Eyes of Laura Mars')," immortalized by Barbra Streisand. Lawrence also backed Aerosmith on Draw the Line. Guitarist Brad Whitford tagged along for 1994's self-titled inaugural, helping out on one track, "Heleana." Acclaimed Aerosmith producer Jack Douglas was also in tow. He helmed the entire debut, as well as the 1979 follow-up, "Please Stand By". Lawrence went on to dabble in new wave as Karen Lawrence and the Pinz, and then backed Graham Parker. Douglas also produced Lawrence's '90s band, Blue By Nature, which included Rick DuFray, another (albeit momentarily) Aerosmith axeman. At the turn of the century, Lawrence lent her powerful pipes to Slash's Snakepit on Ain't Life Grand, yet another Douglas production.

Tracklist

01.  Once Again  - 5:47
02.  Shoot To Kill  - 3:54
03.  Sing To Me (Backing Vocals: Eric Troyer) - 4:47
04.  Heleana  - 4:46
05.  Bring It Home  - 4:45
06.  Radio Zone  - 3:32
07.  Hit The Hard Way  - 4:15
08.  Read Up  - 3:18
09.  Anastasia  - 3:19 

Personnel
Karen Lawrence - Vocals
Bill Rhodes - Bass, Guitar, Backing Vocals
John Desautels - Drums
Mondo Rickets - Guitar
Steve Schiff - Guitar [Lead] 

Notes
Release:  1978
Label:  A&M Records
Genre:  Rock / Length:  38:33
Producer:  Jack Douglas
Arranged By: 1994:

AC/DC - Powerage (1978)

"Powerage" is the fifth studio album by Australian hard rock band AC/DC, released in May 1978. It is also AC/DC's fourth international studio album. All songs were written by Angus Young, Malcolm Young and Bon Scott. "Powerage" was a first in the sense that it debuted bassist Cliff Williams, but it really is more of a final curtain to the band's early years.

It would be the last produced by Vanda & Young, the legendary Australian production team who also helmed hits by the Easybeats, and it was the last before AC/DC became superstars. As such, it's perhaps the most overlooked of their '70s records, also because, frankly, it is the most uneven of them. Not that it's a bad record far from it, actually.
There are a few genuine classics here, most notably "Down Payment Blues" and "Up to My Neck in You," and there's a real appeal in how Bon Scott's gutter poems of excess are reaching a mythic level; there's a real sense that he truly does believe that rock & roll leads straight to hell on "Rock 'n' Roll Damnation." But overall, the record is just a bit too wobbly, one where the parts don't add up to a record as hard and addictive as before  but there's still plenty worth hearing here.

 Tracklist

01.  Rock 'n' Roll Damnation   (A.Young, M.Young, B.Scott)  - 3:06

02.  Gimme a Bullet  (A.Young, M.Young, B.Scott)  - 3:20

03.  Down Payment Blues  (A.Young, M.Young, B.Scott)  - 5:40

04.  Gone Shootin'  (A.Young, M.Young, B.Scott)  - 5:22

05.  Riff Raff  (A.Young, M.Young, B.Scott)  - 5:14

06.  Sin City  (A.Young, M.Young, B.Scott)  - 4:45

07.  Up to My Neck in You  (A.Young, M.Young, B.Scott)  - 4:12

08.  What's Next to the Moon  (A.Young, M.Young, B.Scott)  - 3:42

09.  Cold Hearted Man  (A.Young, M.Young, B.Scott)  - 3:32

10.  Kicked in the Teeth  (A.Young, M.Young, B.Scott)  - 3.58

Released:  25 May 1978

Recorded at:  Albert Studios in Sydney, Australia

Genre:  Hard Rock

Length:  39:43

Label:  Atlantic

Producer:  Harry Vanda, George Young

Personnel

Bon Scott – lead vocals

Angus Young – lead guitar

Malcolm Young – rhythm guitar, backing vocals

Cliff Williams – bass guitar, backing vocals

Phil Rudd – drums

Wings - London Town (1978)

"London Town" is the sixth studio album by Wings and was released in 1978.

Reduced to the core trio of Linda McCartney, Paul McCartney, and Danny Laine after the successful "Speed of Sound" tour, "London Town" finds Wings dropping the band façade slightly, turning in their most song-oriented effort since "Band on the Run", which, not coincidentally, was recorded with this very trio. And although its high points don't shine as brightly as those on its two immediate predecessors, it's certainly stronger than Speed and, in its own way, as satisfying as "Venus and Mars". What "London Town" has in its favor is Wings' (or, more likely, McCartney's) decision to settle into slick soft rock, relying on glossy, synth-heavy productions as he ratchets up the melodic quotient. This gives the album a distinctly European flavor, a feeling that intensifies when the lyrics are taken into the equation, and this gives "London Town" a different flavor than almost any other record in his catalog. And if its best moments aren't as strong as McCartney at his best they, along with the album tracks, find him skillfully crafting engagingly light, tuneful songs that charm with their offhanded craft, domesticity, and unapologetic sweetness. McCartney's humor is in evidence here, too, with the terrific "Famous Groupies," which means there's a little of everything he does here, outside of flat-out rocking. It's a laid-back, almost effortless collection of professional pop and, as such, it's one of his strongest albums.

On the 1993 re-issue the songs "Girls School and "Mull Of Kintyre" were added to the album as bonus tracks.

Tracklist

01.  London Town  (Paul McCartney, Denny Laine)  - 4:10

02.  Cafe on the Left Bank  (Paul McCartney)  - 3:25

03.  I'm Carrying  (Paul McCartney)  - 2:44

04.  Backwards Traveller  (Paul McCartney)  - 1:09

05.  Cuff Link  (Paul McCartney)  - 1:59

06.  Children Children  (Paul McCartney, Denny Laine)  - 2:22

07.  Girlfriend   (Paul McCartney)  - 4:39

08.  I've Had Enough  (Paul McCartney)   - 3:02

09.  With a Little Luck  (Paul McCartney)  -  5:45

10.  Famous Groupies  (Paul McCartney) -  3:36

11.  Deliver Your Children  (Paul McCartney, Denny Laine)  - 4:17

12.  Name and Address  (Paul McCartney)  - 3:07

13.  Don't Let It Bring You Down  (Paul McCartney, Denny Laine)  - 4:34

14.  Morse Moose and the Grey Goose  (Paul McCartney, Denny Laine)  - 6:25

Bonus Tracks on 1993 re-issue

15. Girls School  (Paul McCartney)  - 4:38

16. Mull of Kintyre  (Paul McCartney, Denny Laine)  - 4:42

Personnel

Paul McCartney - bass, vocals, drums, percussion, guitar, violin, keyboards, flageolet

Linda McCartney - keyboards, percussion, vocals

Denny Laine - guitar, bass, flageolet, recorder, percussion, vocals

Jimmy McCulloch - guitar, backing vocals

Joe English - drums, percussion

Notes
Released:  31 March 1978

Recorded at: 

Abbey Road

Studios and Air-London-Studios, London; Virgin Islands

Genre:  Rock

Length: 100:57

Label:  Parlophone

Producer:  Paul McCartney