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Posts tagged Craig Goldy
Dio – Live at Donington UK (1983-87) (@256)
01 Jan 2012
(Review from bbc.co.uk)
When former Black Sabbath and Rainbow frontman Ronnie James Dio exploded out of the gate with a formidable new band and a simply awesome new album, he was an artist reborn. The year was 1983 and the band – simply christened Dio – were on fire, as the album – the immaculate, immortal Holy Diver – so ably attested. Rather than become jaded by acrimonious splits with both his former bands, Dio turned his trials into triumphs and when Dio the band arrived on UK shores for the first time, the setting simply couldn’t have been more magnificent.
The 1980s were the Monsters of Rock’s glory years, taking place in Doningtom. In 1983 Dio had their first taste of success. With just one ‘solo’ album to call upon, Dio delved into his illustrious past to assemble a set as replete with metal standards as it was with future classics. Today, Dio tunes such as Stand Up and Shout, Rainbow in the Dark and Holy Diver can hold their own alongside Sabbath’s epic Heaven and Hell or Rainbow’s jaw-dropping set piece Stargazer; in 83 Dio were really throwing down the gauntlet by daring to perform new, untested material back-to-back with songs that’d sold millions. As a result, the band’s Donington 83 set is simply electric.
Even if it hadn’t been a decidedly damp and miserable afternoon, their return to the Donington stage in 1987 was never likely to eclipse the sheer energy of their debut appearance. New numbers such as Dream Evil and Naked in the Rain show Dio holding steady rather than racing ahead. That said, the band – complete with new guitarist Craig Goldy on his maiden show – are as razor-sharp and rampant as four years previously, riding high on the huge successes of the intervening period.
This double-disc is a trip down memory lane, one disc recordings from 1983, the second from 1987. There’s a fair bit of track duplication between both recordings but, with Vivian Campbell strutting his stuff in 1983 and the aforementioned Goldy taking over in 1987, there’s also plenty of contrast.
Line-up:
- Ronnie James Dio / Vocals
- Vivian Campbell / Guitar (CD1)
- Craig Goldy / Guitar (CD2)
- Jimmy Bain / Bass
- Vinny Appice / Drums
- Claude Schnell / Keyboards
Track List:
CD1 (1983)
01. Stand Up And Shout – 3:49
02. Straight Through The Heart – 4:49
03. Children Of The Sea – 6:15
04. Rainbow In The Dark – 4:38
05. Holy Diver – 5:08
06. Drum Solo – 0:41
07. Stargazer – 1:42
08. Guitar Solo – 1:38
09. Heaven And Hell (Long Live Version) – 11:05
10. Man On The Silver Mountain – 3:32
11. Starstruck – 0:47
12. Man On The Silver Mountain (Reprise) – 2:29
CD2 (1987)
01. Dream Evil – 4:56
02. Neon Knights – 4:43
03. Naked In The Rain – 7:28
04. Rock And Roll Children – 2:46
05. Long Live Rock And Roll – 4:39
06. The Last In Line – 4:12
07. Children Of The Sea – 1:22
08. Holy Diver – 1:27
09. Heaven And Hell (Long Live Version) – 3:18
10. Man On The Silver Mountain – 4:28
11. All The Fools Sailed Away – 4:23
12. The Last In Line (Reprise) – 1:11
13. Rainbow In The Dark – 5:11
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Dio – Master of the Moon (2004) (@256)
13 Nov 2008
Thanks to Man in Silence for the review contribution.
(Review from amazon, metal-archives.com)
With “Magica” and “Killing the Dragon” under his belt, Ronnie James Dio has had something of a resurgance recently amongst the metal community. “Master of the Moon” clings to the Dungeons and Dragons theme that suits him so well. The return of Craig Goldy recreates a classic sound. Yet Jeff Pilson from Dio’s 90s work also returns to replace Jimmy Bain. It seems as though Dio has gone back to his doom side, which explains why most of the songs are slow.
There are two types of guitar riffs on this album. The first type is the slow, doom like kind. There are a couple of songs that are super slow. “The Man Who Would Be King” and “The Eyes” are prime examples. These are your typical doom metal songs. Slow, crunching riffs, that are filled with evil. The other type of guitar riff is a medium paced guitar riff. These riffs are crunched with some pretty cool palm muting. “The Shiver” displays this style the best.
The best way to describe this album is like tacking Dio’s Black Sabbath work, mixing it with “Killing the Dragon”. So If you like the slow, evil, doom metal style of Dio, or you just like “Killing the Dragon”, then you will enjoy this new piece of heavy metal.
Line-up:
* Ronnie James Dio – vocals
* Craig Goldy – guitar, keyboards
* Jeff Pilson – bass
* Simon Wright – drums
with
* Scott Warren – keyboards
Track List:
01. One More For the Road – 3:17
02. Master of the Moon – 4:19
03. The End of the World – 4:39
04. Shivers – 4:15
05. The Man Who Would Be King – 4:58
06. The Eyes – 6:27
07. Living the Lie – 4:25
08. I Am – 5:00
09. Death By Love – 4:21
10. In Dreams – 4:26
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Dio – Magica (2000) (@256)
10 Nov 2008
Thanks to Man in Silence for the review contribution.
(Review from amazon, metal-archives.com, wikipedia)
In the 90s, few expected to ever hear from Ronnie James Dio again. Yet, he adapted and managed to survive. His dislike for his own solo work in the 90s was growing and he asked Craig Goldy to return in June 1999. Reportedly, Tracy G was asked to stay as a rhythm guitarist, but declined. Craig Goldy’s return facilitated the release of Dio’s eighth studio album in 2000, Magica. It featured the return not only of Goldy but also the band’s old guns — Simon Wright and Jimmy Bain.
The mark of the new decade also marked Dio a change in the sound with a revamped line-up. Not a funk-metal hybrid, and with nary a pair of baggy shorts to be seen, Dio’s Magica is all big-hair, big guitars and leather trousers: old-school metal (if such a thing exists).
A concept album about the “Book Of Magica”, this is good-and-evil, swords-and-sorcery stuff, the musical equivalent of a game of Dungeons and Dragons — and likely to share the same fans. With its guitar solos, stadium anthems and lyrics about wizards and demons, the album is hailed as a return to form.
An intricant blend of classic rock/blues riffs giving way to some really impressive shredding that can challenge the likes of Van Halen and Randy Rhoads. For too long guitar solos were either something to be avoided as unneccesary or meant nearly as a break for the singer to catch his breath, on “Magica” they function as they should, an independent voice that speaks in ways that a vocalist can’t.
The balance of instruments is as clean as can be without sounding processed, there is no clashing of guitars with synths, no overly muddy bass tracks, the drums have enough reverb and there are some nice innovations with orchestral timbres and synths.
No fast stuff here, the songs are more in the “Heaven and Hell”, “Holy Diver”, “Children Of The Sea”, “Shame On The Night” style. Standout tracks include “Feverdreams”, “Feed My Head”, “Eriel”, and “As Long As Its Not About Love”.
Line-up:
* Ronnie James Dio – vocals
* Craig Goldy – guitars
* Jimmy Bain – bass
* Scott Warren – keyboards
* Simon Wright – drums
Track List:
01. Discovery – 0:54
02. Magic Theme – 1:16
03. Lord Of The Last Day – 1:43
04. Fever Dreams – 4:37
05. Turn To Stone – 5:19
06. Feed My Head – 5:39
07. Eriel – 7:22
08. Challis – 4:25
09. As Long As It’s Not About Love – 6:04
10. Losing My Insanity – 5:04
11. Otherworld – 4:56
12. Magic (Reprise) – 1:53
13. Lord Of The Last Day (Reprise) – 1:43
14. Magica Story – 18:26
Links in comments.
Dio – Dream Evil (1987) (@256)
06 Nov 2008
Thanks to Man in Silence for the review contribution.
(Review from allmusic, metal-archives.com)
Dream Evil is by no means a departure from the Dio formula that was so successful for his first three solo albums. All of the elements that made them so successful are yet again retained here.
However, what makes things different this time around is that Dio has more of a melodious side to him, which he puts use here rather than relying on the riffs and delivery he learned at the school of Sabbath. He even touches on the power ballad (a sure sign that the style had fully infiltrated metal) with “All the Fool Sailed Away”, managing to be emotional without being sappy.
“Night People” is infectious speed metal and “Overlove” features a catchy main riff that will be stuck in your head for days. The title track is in the tradition of past Dio title tracks… ominous, heavy, and awesome. “Sunset Superman” also proved to be two of Dio’s most well-known, and most loved songs in his massive catalog.
Line-up:
* Ronnie James Dio – Vocals
* Craig Goldy – Guitar
* Jimmy Bain – Bass
* Claude Schnell – Keyboards
* Vinny Appice – Drums
with
* Mitchell Singing Boys – chorus (4)
Track List:
01. Night People – 4:08
02. Dream Evil – 4:25
03. Sunset Superman – 5:48
04. All The Fools Sailed Away – 7:14
05. Naked In The Rain – 5:13
06. Overlove – 3:47
07. I Could Have Been A Dreamer – 4:47
08. Faces In The Window – 3:52
09. When A Woman Cries – 4:42
Link in comments.
Dio – Intermission (Live 1986) (@256)
04 Nov 2008
Thanks to Man in Silence for the review contribution.
(Review from amazon, wikipedia)
Intermission is an EP the band released in 1986. The live songs were recorded with Vivian Campbell during the first leg of the Sacred Heart tour. Craig Goldy replaced Campbell, and the band wanted something to represent the new lineup, so they recorded “Time to Burn” with him in studio, and it was added to the album.
All 5 live recordings sound great and are of very high quality. The Rock ‘N’ Roll Children Medley is the most awesome, as it contains Man on the Silver Mountain, a classic tune from Dio’s “Rainbow” days done faster and up to date (for the 1986 that is).
“Time To Burn” is an excellent surprise, a new studio track stuck in the middle of all the live tracks.
Fans who had been hoping for a double-live album were somewhat disappointed with this release, especially as the guitar-parts of the now-departed Campbell seem low in the mix. Though, “Intermission” was popular at its time, because it was the only to get some live Dio.
Line-up:
* Ronnie James Dio – Vocals
* Vivian Campbell – Guitar Solos
* Jimmy Bain – Bass
* Claude Schnell – Keyboards
* Vinny Appice – Drums
* Craig Goldy – Guitar (4) & over-dubbed rhythm guitar (1-3,5,6)
Track List:
01. King Of Rock And Roll – 3:41
02. Rainbow In The Dark – 4:42
03. Sacred Heart – 6:23
04. Time To Burn (Studio) – 4:26
05. Rock ‘n’ Roll Children – 9:40
06. We Rock – 4:55
Link in comments.
