The forthcoming 'Rainbow: Live in Munich 1977' offers fans a remastered -- and comprehensive -- glimpse of Ritchie Blackmore's band with Ronnie James Dio and Cozy Powell. In fact, the April 30 release is the only complete performance ever filmed from that era.

And what a show it was: 'Rainbow: Live in Munich 1977' showcases an endlessly bootlegged gig in which Blackmore belatedly arrives, having been smuggled out of Austria after allegedly getting into a fight with a concert security guard. Dio actually apologizes for the late start, though by then the crowd had noticeably thinned.

Those who stayed witnessed Rainbow rip through new songs like "Kill the King," while offering expanded takes on favorites like "Mistreated" (from Deep Purple's 1974 album 'Burn,' one of the last with Blackmore) and "Catch the Rainbow" (from the band's 1975 debut) -- the latter of which clocks in at 17-and-a-half minutes. Later, they launch into a 25-minute examination of the Yardbirds' "Still I'm Sad."

Blackmore is joined by Dio on vocals, Powell on drums, Bob Daisley on bass and David Stone on keyboards. The same unit would later convene for the 1978 studio effort 'Long Live Rock 'n' Roll,' which would be Dio's final disc with Rainbow before departing for Black Sabbath. Powell later died in 1998 after a high-speed auto accident, while Dio passed in 2010 of stomach cancer.

'Rainbow: Live in Munich 1977' will be packaged by Eagle Rock on two CDs, a DVD or on two LPs. The DVD includes videos for 'Long Live Rock 'n' Roll,' 'Gates Of Babylon' and 'L.A. Connection,' as well as a photo gallery, slideshow with audio commentary, interviews and the 'Rainbow Over Texas '76' feature, which includes additional interviews and performance footage.

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