Unfortunately, "All that glitters" start time was pushed back yet again, and so Mariah was once more left in limbo with a handful of songs. "I was like okay", she told the Baltimore Sun. "If I'm going to do this, I'm either going to use some of the songs from the soundtrack or go back to square one and do a completely different album. So I decided to take the songs I had already done and just do a completely different album."

Sony was delighted at the news that they would get a new Mariah Carey album in 1999. Once again, they were less than thrilled when Mariah announced that she would be recruiting such rap and hip-hop stars as Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg, Da Brat, and Missy Elliot to help her make further inroads into rap and R&B. Although never made public, many in the Sony Records corporate empire believed that Mariah worked the experimentation out of her system with "Butterfly", and that she would now return to safe and potentially more lucrative middleof- the-road pop. But with her newfound sense of independence, Mariah was having none of that.

"It's a challenge to work with other artists," she told Breakout magazine. "On my first four albums, there were no songs with other artists because I was not allowed to. But, now that I decide what I do, I ask everybody to join in on my records." For "Rainbow", Mariah also made the decision to record in Capri, Italy rather than her normal recording haunts in New York. "I love New York," she told a Blitz TV interviewer. "But if I'm there, I want to go out, friends come to the studio, and the phone rings constantly. But in Capri, I am in a remote place, and there is no one I can run into."

Mariah immediately rang up Walter Afanasieff who was integral to creating her trademark ballads. Unfortunately, Afanasieff, who had become an in-house producer for other Sony acts largely because of his work with Mariah, was busy working on another album and was not available. Mariah was disappointed and just a little bit suspicious. Again, she speculated that the fact that Walter was not available for her new album was Sony's doing; it was another stumbling block put in her path because of lingering hard feelings resulting from her divorce from Tommy. The falling out between Walter and Mariah appeared to be due to creative differences and not just to Sony's interference, but the record company's insistence on not responding to rumors only fueled suspicions that they were interfering with Mariah as some kind of revenge for her breakup with Tommy.

But she was not going to let the absence of Walter derail the album. David Foster had a reputation as a producer who knew his way around a ballad and who had a keen commercial sense. He was available and anxious at the opportunity to work with Mariah. For the album's dance-rap hip-hop songs, which she felt would end up taking at least half of the album, she chose the solid-gold hip-hop-rap producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. While she talked up Jam and Lewis to Launch magazine, Mariah, uncharacteristically, took the opportunity to take a shot at Walter. "I think Jimmy and Terry have added a different direction musically. I told them how great it was to be able to sit there (in the studio) and not have to say: No, not so schmaltzy."

In the booklet, Mariah said about the album: "This album chronicles my emotional rollercoater ride of the past year. If you listen closely, there's a story here with a very happy ending. After every storm - if you look hard enough - a rainbow appears."

In a perfect world
Human beings would co-exist
Harmoniously, like a rainbow
A multitude of colors
Each layer vibrant and clearly by itself
But in unison...
Boundless, breathtaking, celestial

"Rainbow" was released between October 27 and November 2, 1999. In September 2000, after the success of the duet with Westlife, the album was re-released with an extra song. In the USA, it became Mariah's biggest debut with 322,800 copies sold. It entered Billboard's 200 at number 2 and eventually shipped over 3 million copies in the USA alone.

COMPACT DISCS (CD'S)

CD from Argentina (0764) 2-495065 collection Eric de Ridder

CD from Asia (0591) 495065 2 collection Eric de Ridder

CD from Asia (0592) 495065.2 collection Eric de Ridder The difference with item 0591 is the color of the CD. Here, the main color is silverish instead of white.

CD from Asia (1796) 495065.2 collection Eric de Ridder This CD is packed together with the 5" CD-Single "Thank God I found you" (44K 79339) from the USA (0641).

CD from Asia (0593) 495065 2 comes with bonus CD collection Eric de Ridder Tracklisting bonus CD: 1. Against all odds (take a look at me now) (duet with Westlife)

CD from Asia (0594) 495065.2 comes with bonus CD collection Eric de Ridder Tracklisting bonus CD: 1. Against all odds (take a look at me now) (duet with Westlife) The difference with item 0593 is the color of the CD. Here, the main color is silverish instead of white.

CD from Australia (2009) COL 49 promo collection Marcel Trupia / Luc Baumgartner

CD from Australia (0595) 496221 2 collection Eric de Ridder

CD from Austria (0590) 495065 2 collection Eric de Ridder

CD from Brazil (0588) 2-495065 collection Eric de Ridder

CD from Brazil (2246) 2-495065 promo collection Luiz Gustavo This CD is exactly the same as item 0588, but on the back cover there is a stamp saying "amostra invendável".

CD from Cameroon (1595) 495065.2 collection Jennifer Njo Tracklisting: 15. Heartbreaker (Album Version feat. Jay-Z) 16. Heartbreaker (No Rap Version)

CD from Canada (1277) CK 63800 collection Pascal Bellerose

CD from China (0596) CD-0735 collection Eric de Ridder

CD from China (2754) CD 228 collection Marcel Trupia

CD from Columbia (2755) 52495065 collection Marcel Trupia

CD from France / Austria (1457) 495065 9 collection Eric de Ridder Tracklisting: 15. Do you know where you're going to (theme from "Mahogany") The last track is a hidden track, it's not mentioned on the back cover.

CD from Indonesia (1224) 495065.2 collection Eric de Ridder

CD from Indonesia (1225) 495065.7 comes with bonus CD collection Eric de Ridder Tracklisting bonus CD: 1. Against all odds (take a look at me now) (duet with Westlife)

CD from Japan (0602) SRCS 2222 collection Eric de Ridder The CD has no rainbow printed on it, but is completely silverish. There is an extra booklet with all the lyrics in Japanese.

CD from Japan (2267) SRCS 2222 promo collection Luc Baumgartner The CD is exactly the same as item 0602, but on the back cover is a sticker saying "not for sale".

CD from Japan (2132) SRCS 2222 comes with bonus CD collection Mikael Mansur Martinelli Tracklisting bonus CD: 1. Against all odds (take a look at me now) (duet with Westlife)

CD from Malaysia (2756) 495065 7 comes with bonus CD collection Marcel Trupia Tracklisting bonus CD: 1. Against all odds (take a look at me now) (duet with Westlife)

CD from Mexico (0597) CK 495065 collection Eric de Ridder

CD from Mexico (2386) CK 495065 collection Carlos Valencia Tracklisting: 15. Against all odds (take a look at me now) (duet with Westlife)

CD from Peru (1607) 495065 collection Ricardo Wakeham

CD from Russia (2829) 88697 00501 2 collection Jamie Griffith

CD from Saudi-Arabia (2459) 495065 2 collection Kerry Scrimshaw

CD from Singapore (3213) 495065 2 collection Andy Hermawan Tjondrodihardjo This CD comes with a free diary called "Millenium Superstars". Inside the diary there are photos of Sony Music's artists, Mariah is featured in the month of November.

CD from Singapore (1462) 495065 2 collection Kerry Scrimshaw This item is packed together with the CD-Single "Thank God I found you" (0641).

CD from Singapore (2133) 495065 7 comes with bonus CD collection Mikael Mansur Martinelli Tracklisting bonus CD: 1. Against all odds (take a look at me now) (duet with Westlife)

CD from South-Africa (2008) CDCOL 5988 K collection Marcel Trupia

CD from South-Korea (0599) CPK-2140 (495065 2) comes with an extra booklet collection Eric de Ridder

CD from South-Korea (3500) CPK-2140 (495065 2) promo, comes with an extra booklet collection Chulsang Kim This promo is exactly the same as item 0599, but on the back cover is printed "promo only not for sale".

CD from South-Korea (0600) CPK-2344 (495065 7) comes with bonus CD and an extra booklet collection Eric de Ridder Tracklisting bonus CD: 1. Against all odds (take a look at me now) (duet with Westlife)

CD from Taiwan (1643) 495065.2 comes sometimes with a free key chain collection Eric de Ridder

CD from Taiwan / Asia (1541) 495065.7 comes with bonus CD collection Eric de Ridder Tracklisting bonus CD: 1. Against all odds (take a look at me now) (duet with Westlife)

CD from the UK (2358) no catalogue number promo collection Marcel Trupia

CD from the UK (3085) no catalogue number promo collection Marcel Trupia

CD from the UK (1423) 495065 5 comes with bonus CD collection Maria Swinney Tracklisting bonus CD: 1. Against all odds (take a look at me now) (duet with Westlife)

CD from the UK (1495) 495065 5 collection Renato Magalhães Rocha Tracklisting: 15. Against all odds (take a look at me now) (duet with Westlife) In contrast to item 1423, the Westlife duet is not a seperate CD, but on the regular CD.

CD from the USA (0598) CK 63800 collection Eric de Ridder

CD from the USA (3015) CK 63800 collection Jay New This CD is almost the same as item 0598, but on the back cover and the booklet is an extra number D 132764.

LONG PLAYERS (LP'S)

LP from Holland (0603) 495065 1 2 LP set collection Eric de Ridder

LP from the USA (0604) C2 63800 2 LP set collection Eric de Ridder

CASSETTES

cassette from Argentina (1357) 620-329 / 4-495065 collection Eric de Ridder All the song titles are in Spanish, but the songs are sung in English.

cassette from Asia (0586) 495065.4 collection Eric de Ridder

cassette from Australia (2794) 495065 4 collection Jamie Griffith

cassette from Bulgaria (3062) 495065 4 collection Wojciech Sichniewicz

cassette from China (0585) Y-1640 / 495065 4 collection Eric de Ridder

cassette from Holland (2422) 495065 4 collection Yuan Man

cassette from Indonesia (1349) 495065.4 collection Eric de Ridder

cassette from Indonesia (1226) 495065.3 / 495065.4 comes with bonus cassette collection Eric de Ridder Tracklisting bonus cassette: 1. Against all odds (take a look at me now) (duet with Westlife)

cassette from Japan (1602) SRCS 2222 promo collection Carina Blokpoel

cassette from Malaysia (0584) 495065 3 collection Eric de Ridder Tracklisting: 15. Against all odds (take a look at me now) (duet with Westlife)

cassette from Malaysia (1684) 495065 4 collection Eric de Ridder

cassette from the Philippines (1546) 495065.3 collection Eric de Ridder Tracklisting: 15. Against all odds (take a look at me now) (duet with Westlife)

cassette from the Philippines (1559) 495065.4 collection Eric de Ridder

cassette from Poland (1456) 495065 4 collection Eric de Ridder

cassette from Saudi-Arabia (1461) 363481 collection Kerry Scrimshaw

cassette from Saudi-Arabia (2447) 363951 collection Kerry Scrimshaw

cassette from South-Africa (1384) MCCOL 5988 K collection Eric de Ridder

cassette from South-Korea (2628) CPT-2140 (495065 4) collection Soyeon Park The booklet has a story in Korean.

cassette from South-Korea (2629) CPT-2344 (495065 3) collection Soyeon Park Tracklisting: 15. Against all odds (take a look at me now) (duet with Westlife) The booklet has a story in Korean.

cassette from Thailand (1954) 495065 4 collection Kerry Scrimshaw

cassette from Turkey (2266) 495065 4 collection Kerry Scrimshaw

cassette from the UK (1463) XPC 23 promo cassette sampler, called "Snippets tape" collection Kerry Scrimshaw Tracklisting: 1. Heartbreaker (feat. Jay-Z) 2. Bliss 3. X-Girlfriend 4. How much (feat. Usher) 5. Did I do that? 6. Crybaby (feat. Snoop Dogg) 7. Thank God I found you (feat. Joe & 98 Degrees) 8. Heartbreaker (feat. Da Brat & Missy Elliott)

cassette from the USA (0587) CT 63800 collection Eric de Ridder

cassette from Zimbabwe (0759) MCCOL 5988 collection Eric de Ridder

MINI DISCS

mini disc from Austria (0606) 495065 8 collection Eric de Ridder

mini disc from Japan (3110) SRYS 1271 collection Andy Tjondrodihardjo This mini disc comes with a custom mini disc holder.

mini disc from the USA (0605) CM 63800 collection Eric de Ridder

SONG BOOKS

song book from the USA (1073) ISBN 0-634-01492-7 Sony / ATV Music Publishing exclusively distributed by Hal Leonard piano - vocal - guitar 95 pages collection Eric de Ridder