Remorseless Letter to David Feinstein

[Remorseless Crusader]

I wasn’t a fan of the blue collar approach to heavy metal of the Rods in the 80’s. I purchased Third Wish out of curiosity and was stunned to find the album I had been waiting for from Ronnie after leaving Rainbow. I consider Third Wish to be the best hard rock/heavy metal album since Perfect Strangers and the classic title track is one of my all-time favorites. At long last, you found the perfect match in singer and co-writer John West.

I also enjoyed your solo album, One Night in the Jungle, recorded before Third Wish. It’s raw and exciting although not as consistent as Third Wish. I still listen to my Feinstein tape: (a) Regeneration, Rebelution, One Night in the Jungle, Primal Temptation, Streaming Star, Masquerade, Freedom Reigns, Imagination, Live to Ride, and Inferno. (b) Third Wish, Rule the World, Judgment Day, Poison Ivy, L.A. Way, Far Beyond, Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark, Black Azul, and Freedom Reigns II.

I find it ironic that according to you it wasn’t financially feasible for Feinstein to tour in support of Dio for Third Wish, yet the reformed Rods are special guests for Ronnie’s tribute band! If you hadn’t been so impatient then Feinstein would probably be a headline act today. I don’t know if there are hard feelings between you and John, but it was career suicide to disband Feinstein so quickly and record two recent albums without him.

Bitten by the Beast sounds like a quickie featuring one of the two tracks Ronnie recorded initially for Vengeance and isn’t comparable to One Night in the Jungle. I don’t see the point of recording a third version of Freedom Reigns (Give Me Mercy) and not playing it live. I was equally unimpressed with Vengeance. The songwriting and singing are second-rate in comparison to Third Wish.

David Coverdale was nicknamed Cinderella after the unknown’s meteoric rise to Deep Purple. You had an opportunity to finally make it big-time and you blew it. I haven’t noticed any updates on John West’s home page in a long time. You really should consider contacting him and be playing songs from One Night in the Jungle and Third Wish not a collection of songs that weren’t very good in the 80’s.

At the very least, you should ask one of the two singers in Ronnie’s tribute band to perform with the Rods. I imagine you’ve been advised repeatedly throughout your career to hire a full-time singer.