Straight Between the Eyes

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}

{{Infobox album

| name = Straight Between the Eyes

| type = studio

| artist = Rainbow

| cover = Straight between the eyes.jpg

| alt =

| caption = Cover art by Jeff Cummins and Hipgnosis

| released = April 1982{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/greatrockdiscogr00stro/page/211/mode/1up?q=Ritchie+Blackmore&view=theater|title=The Great Rock Discography|year=1995|page=211 |isbn=9780862415419 |last1=Strong |first1=Martin Charles }}

| recorded =

| studio = Le Studio (Morin-Heights, Quebec)

| genre = Hard rock

| length = 40:58

| label = Polydor

| producer = Roger Glover

| prev_title = Jealous Lover

| prev_year = 1981

| next_title = Bent Out of Shape

| next_year = 1983

| misc = {{Singles

| name = Straight Between the Eyes

| type = studio

| single1 = Stone Cold

| single1date = 26 March 1982{{cite magazine|date=22 March 1982|title=Merchandising|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Record-Business-UK/1982/Record-Business-1982-03-22-S-OCR.pdf|magazine=Record Business|page=4|access-date=23 August 2022}}

| single2 = Death Alley Driver

| single2date = 1982 (Japan)

}}

}}

{{Music ratings

| rev1 = AllMusic

| rev1Score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite web | url = http://www.allmusic.com/album/straight-between-the-eyes-mw0000195399 | title = Rainbow Straight Between the Eyes review | access-date = 2013-12-12 | last = Erlewine | first = Stephen Thomas | author-link = Stephen Thomas Erlewine | work = AllMusic | publisher = All Media Network}}

| rev2 =Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal

| rev2Score = 8/10{{cite book | last1 = Popoff | first1 = Martin | author-link1 = Martin Popoff | title = The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 2: The Eighties | publisher = Collector's Guide Publishing | date = November 1, 2005 | location = Burlington, Ontario, Canada | isbn = 978-1-894959-31-5 | page=280}}

| rev3 = Rolling Stone

| rev3Score = {{Rating|1.5|5}}{{cite magazine | url = https://www.rollingstone.com/artists/rainbow/albums/album/177359/review/5941415/straight_between_the_eyes | title = Album Reviews: Rainbow - Straight Between the Eyes | access-date = 2013-12-12 | last = Considine | first = J. D. | author-link = J. D. Considine | date = 24 June 1982 | magazine = Rolling Stone | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090512221419/http://rollingstone.com/artists/rainbow/albums/album/177359/review/5941415/straight_between_the_eyes | archive-date = 12 May 2009}}

| noprose = yes

}}

Straight Between the Eyes is the sixth studio album by English rock band Rainbow, released in 1982 by Polydor Records. A remastered CD reissue, with packaging duplicating the original vinyl release, was released in May 1999. It was released on 14 April 1982 in the US by Mercury Records.{{cite magazine|date=9 April 1982|title=New Releases|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/FMQB-Album/1982/FMQB-1982-04-09.pdf|magazine=FMQB|page=30|access-date=23 March 2023}}

History

The album was the band's first with keyboardist David Rosenthal replacing Don Airey. The remaining members were the same as on the previous year's Difficult to Cure album.

According to Blackmore, the title came from a meeting with Jeff Beck in 1967, when the two were discussing Jimi Hendrix. Beck told Blackmore that Hendrix's guitar playing hit him "straight between the eyes".{{cite journal | title = The Rainbow Story | journal = Kerrang! | date = 22 April 1982 | first = Dante | last = Bonutto | issue = 14 | pages = 21–23| url = http://ritchieblackmoresrainbow.wordpress.com/kerrang-no-14-april-22-may-5-1982/ | access-date = 2013-12-12}}

The sleeve-art is by British artist Jeff Cummins and Hipgnosis, though has been described as "one of [Hipgnosis]' very worst; in fact, so bad, it taints the music."{{Cite web|url=https://www.goldminemag.com/music-history/top-20-album-covers-by-celebrated-design-group-hipgnosis|title=Top 20 album covers by celebrated design group Hipgnosis - Goldmine Magazine: Record Collector & Music Memorabilia}} The original vinyl issue had the lyrics printed on the inner sleeve.

In an April 1982 interview with British rock magazine Kerrang!, Blackmore stated of "MISS Mistreated", "Well it's to avoid confusion that the 'Miss' is written three times bigger than the 'mistreated' but I expect we'll have someone who shall remain nameless coming up to us saying 'I wrote that song'!" That someone being David Coverdale, with whom Blackmore had co-written "Mistreated" for the 1974 Deep Purple album Burn. Blackmore had this issue with Coverdale previously when a rendition of "Mistreated" was included on the Rainbow live album On Stage.

Videos were shot for the songs "Stone Cold" and "Death Alley Driver", the latter featuring Sega's video game Turbo. Both videos received heavy play on MTV and were later included on Rainbow's The Final Cut home video in 1985.

Tour

The tour featured a giant pair of moving mechanical eyes as part of the stageset, with spotlights shining from the pupils. This is captured on the video release Live Between the Eyes recorded at the Hemisfair Arena in San Antonio, Texas on August 18, 1982. The tour, although extensive, did not include the UK, which rankled with British fans.

Accolades

In 2022, Straight Between the Eyes was named #5 of 'The 25 greatest rock guitar albums of 1982' list in Guitar World.{{cite news |url=https://www.guitarworld.com/features/25-greatest-rock-guitar-albums-of-1982 |title=The 25 greatest rock guitar albums of 1982 |access-date=27 March 2022 |last=Prato |first=Greg |date=2 March 2022 |magazine=Guitar World}}

Track listing

{{Track listing

| headline = Side one

| all_writing = Ritchie Blackmore, Joe Lynn Turner, and Roger Glover except where indicated

| title1 = Death Alley Driver

| length1 = 4:42

| writer1 = Blackmore, Turner

| title2 = Stone Cold

| length2 = 5:17

| title3 = Bring On the Night (Dream Chaser)

| length3 = 4:06

| title4 = Tite Squeeze

| length4 = 3:15

| title5 = Tearin' Out My Heart

| length5 = 4:03

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = Side two

| title6 = Power

| length6 = 4:26

| title7 = Miss Mistreated

| length7 = 4:27

| writer7 = Blackmore, Turner, David Rosenthal

| title8 = Rock Fever

| length8 = 3:50

| writer8 = Blackmore, Turner

| title9 = Eyes of Fire

| length9 = 6:37

| writer9 = Blackmore, Turner, Bobby Rondinelli

}}

Personnel

;Rainbow

;Additional musicians

  • François Dompierre – orchestra conductor
  • Raymond Dessaint – orchestra lead

;Production

  • Engineered by Nick Blagona (assisted by Robbie Whelan)
  • Recorded at Le Studio, Morin Heights, Canada
  • Digital mixing by Roger Glover and Nick Blagona
  • Digital mastering by Greg Calbi, Sterling Sound, New York

Charts

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
Chart (1982)

! Peak
position

scope="row"| Australian Albums (Kent Music Report){{cite book|last=Kent|first=David|author-link=David Kent (historian)|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992|edition=illustrated|publisher=Australian Chart Book|location=St Ives, N.S.W.|year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6}}

| align="center"| 86

{{Album chart|Canada|17|chartid=6536|artist=Rainbow|album=Straight Between the Eyes|rowheader=true|accessdate=October 17, 2023}}
{{Album chart|Netherlands|19|artist=Rainbow|album=Straight Between the Eyes|rowheader=true|accessdate=October 17, 2023}}
scope="row"| Finnish Albums (The Official Finnish Charts){{cite book|last=Pennanen|first=Timo|title=Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972|edition=1st|publisher=Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava|location=Helsinki|year=2006|isbn=978-951-1-21053-5 | page= 166 | language= fi}}

| align="center"| 2

{{Album chart|Germany4|21|id=16843|artist=Rainbow|album=Straight Between the Eyes|rowheader=true|accessdate=October 17, 2023}}
scope="row"|Japanese Albums (Oricon){{cite book|title=Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005|publisher=Oricon Entertainment|location=Roppongi, Tokyo|year=2006|isbn=4-87131-077-9|language=ja}}

| align="center"| 8

{{Album chart|Norway|12|artist=Rainbow|album=Straight Between the Eyes|rowheader=true|accessdate=October 17, 2023}}
{{Album chart|Sweden|7|artist=Rainbow|album=Straight Between the Eyes|rowheader=true|accessdate=October 17, 2023}}
{{Album chart|UK2|5|date=19820418|rowheader=true|accessdate=October 17, 2023}}
{{Album chart|Billboard200|30|artist=Rainbow|rowheader=true|accessdate=October 17, 2023}}

Certifications

{{certification Table Top}}

{{Certification Table Entry | region=Finland | title=Straight Between the Eyes | artist=Rainbow | award=Gold| type=album| access-date=13 January 2021| relyear=1982|salesamount=25,000}}

{{Certification Table Entry|type=album|relyear=1982|region=United Kingdom|award=Silver|certyear=1982|artist=Rainbow|title= Straight Between the Eyes|id=6308-513-2|access-date=4 February 2021}}

{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true}}

In other media

The song "Stone Cold" was featured in the video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories on the radio station Emotion 98.3.

References