Rainbow TheatreÕs groundbreaking debut album, The Armada was originally released in 1975. Reissued here officially for the first time (there have been dubious pirated copies floating around the worldwide collector market in recent years) - this is the real deal, in digitally remastered splendour and with a bonus track to boot! Influences as diverse as classical composers Stravinsky and Wagner to King Crimson and the Mahavishnu Orchestra came into play. With composer, arranger, guitarist and mellotron player Julian Browning at the helm, the band was never going to be easily pigeonholed. Browning set about creating the unique music he had formulated in his mind. His classical influences began to emerge and in the meantime heÕd also fallen in thrall of adventurous guitarists like King CrimsonÕs Robert Fripp and John McLaughlin. The King Crimson influence was certainly a key factor in the bandÕs development because, as well as the complex arrangements that Browning was forging, the other aspect that stood Rainbow Theatre apart from the pack was the extensive use of the mellotron. Very few other Australian bands of the day even possessed, let alone knew how to incorporate the mellotron into their sound. The Armada, digitally remastered and is presented in a 6 panel digi-pak with a 20 page booklet filled with rare photos & liner notes by Ian McFarlane.