Rainbow Rising: whose fist is coming out of the sea?
A fist the size of a mountain smashes up through the waves and reaches for a rainbow. The painter said later that he could not take the credit for the idea. Ritchie Blackmore knew exactly what he wanted.
The sea is boiling. Out of the foam and the spray a huge fist pushes up towards the sky, dripping, clenched, as big as a cliff. Behind it a rainbow arcs across a dark, stormy sky, and the fist is reaching for it as if it means to tear it down. Up top, the Rainbow name in heavy gothic letters, and under it one word: Rising.
The man who painted heroes
The painting is by Ken Kelly, an American fantasy artist who spent his life painting barbarians, monsters and muscles. He came from the right family for it: his aunt Ellie was married to Frank Frazetta, one of the great names of fantasy art, and the young Kelly learned by studying Frazetta's paintings in his studio. In 1976 he had just painted the cover of KISS's Destroyer, and suddenly rock bands wanted him.
Ritchie's picture
When Rainbow called, Kelly went to the band's office and, as he told it later, they more or less dictated the cover to him. He gave the credit to Ritchie Blackmore, who knew exactly what he wanted: a hand reaching out to the rainbow. Kelly said he walked out of the meeting with the whole painting already in his head, went home, and simply painted what Ritchie had described.
That is why it works so well. There is no band on it, no guitars, no castle. Just one big, simple idea, painted by a man who knew how to make muscles and water look like they are moving.
Less than a month in Munich
The music matched the picture. Rising was recorded at Musicland Studios in Munich in February 1976, in less than a month, with producer Martin Birch. The line-up was Ritchie Blackmore on guitar, Ronnie James Dio on vocals, Cozy Powell on drums, Jimmy Bain on bass and Tony Carey on keyboards, and the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra turned up for Stargazer, the eight-minute epic at the heart of the album. It came out in May 1976 and reached number 11 in the UK.
Ken Kelly went on to paint covers for KISS, Manowar and many more, and died in 2022 at the age of 76. The fist is still rising.
About the poster
This is the Rising sleeve printed as a 55 × 75 cm (22 × 30 in) portrait poster, from 2010. It is an original magazine insert, never hung, with no staple holes, folded three times as issued. The sheet is double-sided, with Lamb of God on the back.
Browse all original Rainbow posters.
Quick answers
Who painted the Rainbow Rising cover?
Ken Kelly, the American fantasy artist who also painted KISS's Destroyer and several Manowar covers.
Whose idea was the fist on the Rising cover?
Ken Kelly gave the credit to Ritchie Blackmore, who described exactly what he wanted: a hand reaching out of the sea to the rainbow.
When was Rising released?
In May 1976. It was recorded at Musicland Studios in Munich in February 1976.
How big is the poster?
55 × 75 cm (about 22 × 30 inches), portrait. It is a separate insert, so it has no staple holes, and it is folded three times as issued.
What is on the other side?
A Lamb of God poster. The sheet is double-sided, so you choose which side goes on the wall.