July 18th, 2021 - I'm Looking For A Cool Change And Living Long With Rock 'N' Roll

Hey evening rockers and rollers, and hop lovers!  The Meista here today pairing Rainbow's wonderful 1978 album "Long Live Rock 'N' Roll" with a Cool Change India Pale Lager from T.F. Brewing!  This pairing goes out to my buddy John Thomas!  Cheers John and thank you for all your support and interview hook-ups!!

Album Info:

• Artist: Rainbow
• Title: "Long Live Rock 'N' Roll"
• Recorded: May through July and December 1977 at The Strawberry Studio in Château d'Hérouville, France 
• Release date: April 9th, 1978 (3rd studio album by Rainbow)
• Record company: Polydor
• Production: Martin Birch
• Album cover art: Debbie Hall
• Personnel: Ritchie Blackmore (guitars), Tony Carey (keyboards on "Long Live Rock 'N' Roll", "Lady of the Lake", and "Rainbow Eyes"), Bob Daisley (bass... although most of the bass had already been played and recorded by Blackmore when Daisley was recruited), Ronnie James Dio (lead vocals), Cozy Powell (drums and percussion), and David Stone (keyboards on "Gates of Babylon", "Kill the King", and "The Shed" and piano outro on "L.A. Connection")
• Additional musicians: Bavarian String Ensemble (orchestra on "Gates Of Babylon"), Karl Heinz Feit (cello on "Rainbow Eyes"), Ferenc Kiss (violin on "Rainbow Eyes"), Ottmar Machan (viola on "Rainbow Eyes"), Nico Nicolic (violin on "Rainbow Eyes"), and Rudi Risavy (flute on "Rainbow Eyes")
• Musical style: Heavy metal, hard rock, progressive rock
• Sound: Laying the groundwork for a multitude of heavy metal, power metal, progressive metal, and straight-ahead hard rock albums and bands that would follow, "Long Live Rock 'N' Roll" is most definitely one of the greatest hard rock albums ever recorded.  This album is the proto-metal road map, bible, and blue print for all that was yet to come in 1980s and beyond.  Each track is a perfect gem, a power-house of sharp guitar attack, vocal beauty, power-house drumming, perfect pitch, perfect tone, perfect composition and delivery... just perfection altogether!!
• Major themes: etc.
• Tracks:   

1. "Long Live Rock 'N' Roll"
2. "Lady Of The Lake"
3. "L.A. Connection"
4. "Gates Of Babylon"
5. "Kill The King"
6. "The Shed (Subtle)"
7. "Sensitive To Light"
8. "Rainbow Eyes"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: T.F. Brewing (Salt Lake City, Utah)
• Website: https://www.tfbrewing.com/ 
• Brew: Cool Change India Pale Lager
• Style: India Pale Lager (IPL)
• Serving: 16 ounce can
• ABV: 6.9%
• Ingredients: Simcoe, Citra, and Mosaic hops
• Pour: The Cool Change pours a clear golden yellow with a bright white, frothy, half-finger head with good retention and soapy lacing.
• Nose: The nose is floral, grassy, citrusy, and grainy.  There are aromas of grapefruit rind, lemon zest, lemongrass, wild flowers, light onion, cracked wheat, and sourdough bread.
• Taste: Following the nose, the taste of the Cool Change is characterized by citrusy, grassy, and grainy flavors. There are notes of lemon zest, crackery biscuit, and a hint of white pepper in the finish.
• Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied and well carbonated, the mouthfeel is very crisp with a dry, mildly bitter finish.

Overall pairing: Those bright and complex flavors of  T.F. Brewing's tasty Cool Change India Pale Lager go great with the hard rockin' brilliance that is "Long Live Rock 'N' Roll"!  'Nuff said!

To your health and happiness... bottoms up!!