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Posts tagged Dio
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
Link in comments.
Dio – Holy Diver Live (2006) (@256)
15 Nov 2008
Thanks to Man in Silence for the review contribution.
(Review from amazon, allmusic)
Captured live in front of a sold-out London crowd, Ronnie James Dio delivers a truly memorable performance on this truly memorable night. Dio has been hailed as one of the finest voices in rock for over 30 years now and for good reason. Due to his stints in Rainbow, Black Sabbath and as a solo artist, Dio is one of the few people in the history of music that can honestly say they have played on three classic albums, each under a different moniker.
“Holy Diver Live” features the classic “Holy Diver” album in its entirety, from start to finish, recorded live for the very first time. It also features, among others, “Heaven & Hell”, “Sign of the Southern Cross” and “Mob Rules” from his Black Sabbath days, “Tarot Woman”, “Man on the Silver Mountain” and “Long Live Rock ‘N’ Roll” from the Rainbow days and “We Rock” from his solo career.
Most of the songs that you want in a Dio collection are here on this album and they are all performed superbly (for a guy that’s been pumping out screaming for nearly 40 years). Headbangers worldwide have to be happy whenever the woefully underrated Dio/Sabbath-era gem “Sign of the Southern Cross” gets an airing on-stage. Despite guitarist Craig Goldy not performing on this night (due to an arm injury, Doug Aldrich took his place), “Holy Diver Live” is a fine live album — from both a performance and set-list standpoint.
Line-up:
* Ronnie James Dio – vocals
* Doug Aldrich – guitar
* Scott Warren – keyboards
* Rudy Sarzo – bass
* Simon Wright – drums
Track List:
CD1
01. Stand Up And Shout – 4:33
02. Holy Diver – 4:46
03. Gypsy – 9:46
04. Caught In The Middle – 4:51
05. Don’t Talk To Strangers – 5:11
06. Straight Through The Heart – 4:37
07. Invisible – 5:17
08. Rainbow In The Dark – 4:46
09. Shame On The Night – 16:52
CD2
01. Tarot Woman – 6:53
02. Sign Of The Southern Cross – 3:21
03. One Night In The City – 6:10
04. The Gates Of Babylon – 8:23
05. Heaven And Hell – 11:25
06. Man On The Silver Mountain – 4:14
07. Long Live Rock ‘n’ Roll – 6:14
08. We Rock – 6:21
Links in comments.
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
Link in comments.
Dio – Evil or Divine (Live 2002) (@256)
12 Nov 2008
Thanks to Man in Silence for the review contribution.
(Review from metal-archives.com)
“Evil or Divine” is a live album featuring Doug Aldrich on guitar, recorded in New York City in 2002. The entire band was spot on this night, and the recording quality was exceptional.
This album starts with “Killing The Dragon”, and as usual Dio’s voice is spot on for a man of so many years. Doug Aldrich’s guitar playing is even better than in the studio, especially with his killer guitar solo. You can really tell that he is influenced by guys like Hendrix and Tony Iommi as you listen to the things he plays.
During the concert, there are solid blocks of Dio classics. “Don’t Talk To Strangers” stands out among the others, namely because of Aldrich’s guitar solo. Vivian Campbell would’ve shed a tear over how tastefully done Aldrich did this solo in the same phrasing as he did oh so many years ago.
Notable is “Heaven and Hell” with it’s guitar solo and tempo change, as well as for the extra line of lyrics Dio adds in. But the show closes with an amazingly upbeat version of “We Rock” with a great guitar solo with some added “We Rock” and “You Rock” at the end that make it classic.
This is a great live album to hear how good the band is in action.
Line-up:
* Ronnie James Dio – vocals
* Jimmy Bain – bass
* Simon Wright – drums
* Doug Aldrich – guitar
* Scott Warren – keyboards
Track List:
01. Killing The Dragon – 5:06
02. Egypt – Children Of The Sea – 7:56
03. Push – 3:53
04. Stand Up And Shout – 3:36
05. Rock And Roll – 5:11
06. Don’t Talk To Strangers – 5:48
07. Man On The Silver Mountain – 2:24
08. Guitar Solo – 9:06
09. Long Live Rock And Roll – 4:15
10. Fever Dreams – 4:08
11. Holy Diver – 5:06
12. Heaven And Hell – 6:38
13. The Last In Line – 5:44
14. Rainbow In The Dark – 5:04
15. We Rock – 5:15
Links in comments.
Dio – Killing the Dragon (2002) (@256)
11 Nov 2008
Thanks to Man in Silence for the review contribution.
(Review from amazon, metal-archives.com)
Sword-and-sorcery maven Ronnie James Dio keeps trucking in the D&D themes with “Killing the Dragon”, his ninth solo studio album. Craig Goldy is out the door again, Doug Aldrich fills in guitars.
Although it’s easy to dismiss Dio the lyricist as some guy who tends to write about rainbows, spells and other fantasy-linked matter, this particular outing has him penning allegories firmly rooted in the 21st century. The galloping title track alludes to electronic serfdom and digital dreams while taking aim at the grip computers and the internet have on society. “Rock & Roll” addresses the knee-jerk self-censorship some radio stations perpetuated immediately following 9/11′s events.
The longtime supporter of the charity “Children of the Night” enlisted the aid of the King’s Harbor Church Children’s Choir to deliver the poignant-but-heavy “Throw Away Children”. The rocking “Push” features an Aldrich guitar solo that cleaves closely to predecessor Vivian Campbell’s penchant for tossing in Middle Eastern-flavoured flourishes, while Scott Warren’s keyboard runs on “Before The Fall” bring to mind Deep Purple’s great Jon Lord.
The overall sense of this album is one of nostalgia. Most of the songs on here are highly similar to Dio’s past work either with Rainbow, Sabbath, or on his own. Songs like “Better in the Dark”, “Throw Away Children”, and “Along came a Spider” have extremely spooky and doom-like intros. The lyrics are especially dark on “Throw Away Children”, which is essentially a song describing the rather detestable condition that some children often find themselves in when their parents abandon them.
Mid-tempo rockers like “Scream” and “Guilty” are heavily similar to his earlier 80s material, particularly tracks like “Eat your heart out” and “Breathless” off of the Last in Line. The album’s most well-known track “Push” has a highly memorable main riff, spearheaded by a more positive and uplifting message in the lyrics. “Cold Feet” sounds like Dio’s Sabbath era music, the song that it probably bears most comparison to is “Walk Away” off the Heaven and Hell album. “Before the Fall” is a bit similar to Ronnie James Dio’s more rocking work with Rainbow, and includes a rather intricant organ solo courtesy of his current keyboardist Scott Warren.
There are also bonus live tracks, Ronnie James Dio singing two Dio classics with Deep Purple.
Line-up:
* Ronnie James Dio – vocals
* Doug Aldrich – guitar
* Jimmy Bain – bass, keyboards
* Simon Wright – drums
with
* Scott Warren – keyboards (9)
* King Harbour Children’s Choir – chorus (8)
Track List:
01. Killing The Dragon – 4:26
02. Along Comes A Spider – 3:33
03. Scream – 5:02
04. Better In The Dark – 3:42
05. Rock & Roll – 6:13
06. Push – 4:08
07. Guilty – 4:26
08. Throw Away Children – 5:35
09. Before The Fall – 3:48
10. Cold Feet – 4:13
11. Fever Dreams (Bonus Live w. Deep Purple) – 4:24
12. Rainbow In The Dark (Bonus Live w. Deep Purple) – 4:50
Links in comments.
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 – Inferno : Last in Live (1998) (@256)
09 Nov 2008
Thanks to Man in Silence for the review contribution.
(Review from amazon, allmusic)
This is a sprawling double live set that if nothing else proves that at the end of the century Ronnie James Dio still has some of the best set of pipes in the business.
The album was recorded on the “Angry Machines” tour but looks back on his career with Rainbow, Sabbath and Dio. In fact he even throws in a cover of Deep Purple’s “Mistreated”, a song that he used to sing
with Rainbow.
Most of the tracks are classic Dio with only one song from the “Angry Machines” album. In addition he performs Sabbath tunes “Heaven And Hell”, and “The Mob Rules”. There is also a surprising amount of Rainbow material with “Long Live Rock N Roll”, “Catch The Rainbow”, and “Man On The Silver Mountain” all represented here.
Tracy G’s radically different approach to soloing and his highly dark sound we get a radically different take on many of the older Dio material. “Holy Diver” and “Heaven and Hell” sound much more doom oriented than on any other live album containing these classics. “The Last in Line” has a more agitated sounding solo, probably because it’s a difficult solo to pull off so Tracy G retailored it to fit his own style.
As blistering as much of the material is, Inferno points to the fact that the singer has always been an expert when it comes to combining rich melodies with brute force.
Line-up:
* Ronnie James Dio – Vocals
* Tracy Grijalva – Guitars
* Larry Dennison – Bass
* Scott Warren – Keyboards
* Vinny Appice – Drums
Track List:
CD1
01. Intro – 1:37
02. Jesus, Mary And The Holy Ghost – 3:27
03. Straight Through The Heart – 5:47
04. Don’t Talk To Strangers – 6:02
05. Holy Diver – 4:59
06. Drum Solo – 4:01
07. Heaven And Hell – 7:29
08. Double Monday – 3:18
09. Stand Up And Shout – 4:08
10. Hunter Of The Heart – 5:16
CD2
01. Mistreated – 10:11
02. Guitar Solo – 3:38
03. The Last In Line – 6:54
04. Rainbow In The Dark – 4:56
05. Mob Rules – 3:37
06. Man On The Silver Mountain – 2:11
07. Long Live Rock ‘n’ Roll – 4:14
08. We Rock – 5:40
Links in comments.
Dio – Angry Machines (1996) (@256)
09 Nov 2008
(Review from metal-archives.com, allmusic)
“Angry Machines” is a natural follow-up to the band’s previous album with the same line-up. Awkward sound all across the board, dissonant riffs, random baroque symphonic pieces, and confusing social commentary!
Whether you get it or not, the album is making a statement. The lyrics mostly avoid Dio’s familiar medieval-fantasy D&D obsessions, instead directing their attention to more real-world concerns (albeit with the same sense of drama).
The album is full of pounding rhythms and guitars along with plenty of wailing by Ronnie James Dio. The band often seems to concentrate on sound more than songwriting — the album sounds good while it’s playing, but the riffs or melodies don’t stick with you afterwards to judge it a complete return to form.
Line-up:
# Ronnie James Dio – Vocals
# Tracy Grijalva – Guitars
# Jeff Pilson – Bass
# Vinny Appice – Drums
# Scott Warren – Keyboards
Track List:
01. Institutional Man – 5:09
02. Don’t Tell the Kids – 4:18
03. Black – 3:10
04. Hunter of the Heart – 4:13
05. Stay Out of My Mind – 7:11
06. Big Sister – 5:35
07. Double Monday – 2:55
08. Golden Rules – 4:54
09. Dying in America – 4:38
10. This Is Your Life – 3:23
Link in comments.
Dio – Strange Highways (1994) (@256)
07 Nov 2008
Thanks to Man in Silence for the review contribution.
(Review from wikipedia, metal-archives.com)
After the short lived Dehumanizer reunion with Black Sabbath, Dio and Appice returned to Dio’s solo group. Due to Dio’s hard feelings toward Craig Goldy at the time, he hired Tracy Grijalva a his guitarist.
In this album, Dio takes the sound of the “Dehumanizer” album and build on that, giving this album a very hard, modern feel. Many Dio fans felt betrayed by this who were expecting another ‘Holy Diver’ or ‘Dream Evil’. Others viewed it as a nice change from the 80s sound he had relied on before. Both musically and lyrically the album takes off right where Sabbath’s “Dehumanizer” left you.
The first noticeable point when playing this album for the first time is that the production of this record is massive. Turning up the stereo reveals a huge deep drum sound, which is nice and natural. The guitar sound is absolutely fantastic with much more gain than on previous Dio efforts, and fabulous tone. A great example of the heavyness of the guitars can be heard in the intro of the title track ‘Strange Highways’ with lovely open power chords. The guitar playing of Tracy G is unique and quite unlike any of the other Dio axe slingers. There is lots of use of the whammy bar and pinched harmonics. The solos tend not to be particularly fast, but then the music isn’t.
The songs on this album are generally mid to slow tempo, apart from the opener ‘Jesus, Mary and the holy ghost’ and ‘Here’s to you’. The choruses of the songs tend not to be as catchy as previous efforts. Ronnie James Dio is playing a different game here. The songs are deep, dark and disturbing with sinister lyrics. ‘Evilution’ and ‘Pain’ are a good example of the sludgy, doom laden material that represents ‘Strange Highways’.
Line-up:
* Ronnie James Dio – vocals
* Tracy G – guitars
* Jeff Pilson – bass, keyboards
* Vinny Appice – drums
Track List:
01. Jesus Mary & The Holy Ghost – 4:14
02. Firehead – 4:07
03. Strange Highways – 6:54
04. Hollywood Black – 5:09
05. Evilution – 5:37
06. Pain – 4:13
07. One Foot In The Grave – 4:02
08. Give Her The Gun – 6:00
09. Blood From A Stone – 4:14
10. Here’s To You – 3:24
11. Bring Down The Rain – 5:45
Link in comments.
Dio – Lock Up the Wolves (1990) (@256)
06 Nov 2008
Thanks to Man in Silence for the review contribution.
(Review from metal-archives.com)
Soon after the release of “Dream Evil”, the band Dio as we know it completely self-destructed, leaving Ronnie James Dio on his own to pick up the pieces.
Simon Wright is probably one of the biggest surprises, going from the minimalistic and dry drumming style of AC/DC to a more technical challenge with Dio, and would prove to be one of his more reliable bandmates in later years. Jens Johannsen also had found himself on his own after parting ways with Yngwie Malmsteen and appears on this album, although we see a more reserved and atmospheric set of keyboard lines out of him on here, rather than the shred lines he is better known for. Bassist Ted Cook is probably one of Dio’s more active bassists and is a suitable replacement for ex-Rainbow member Jimmy Bain. However, the truly biggest surprise on this album is 18 year-old newcomer Rowan Robertson. He really wrote some impressive and memorable riffs, not to mention some rather dramatic solos. His style is a combination of Eddie Van Halen and Rhandy Rhodes, complete with all the screaming pinch harmonic bends and blues driven licks.
One plus to this album is the rather sizable collection of faster tracks. “Walk on Water” reminds a lot of classic Dio cookers such as “Stand up and Shout” and “King of Rock and Roll”. “Wild One” features one of the fastest drum beats put out by Dio, not to mention Dio’s vocal delivery is amazing, especially the high scream just before the solo.
We also have some great mid-tempo epics loaded with great lyrical metaphors. “Hey Angel” has a thick texture, particularly in the vocal tracks, and is loaded with driving power chord riffs. “Born on the Sun” is has a lot of blues driven riffs, and is highly comparable to epic Dio classic “Last in Line”. This song has a great guitar solo and has an amazing ending fade out, complete with a similar background choir drone that was found on “Last in Line”. Not one to rely completely, Dio has a good collection of slower and more doom sounding tracks. “Between Two Hearts” is probably the darkest song lyrically on this album. “Lock Up the Wolves” is another gloomy song with a good deal of blues in the riffs, although a lot more atmospheric due to some rather weird keyboard lines.
This is a solid release from a band that is not what it was before, and unfortunately never will be again, as Ronnie James Dio disbanded this line-up of “Dio” and went to re-join Black Sabbath for the recording of “Dehumanizer” the next year.
Line-up:
* Ronnie James Dio – Vocals
* Rowan Robertson – Guitars
* Teddy Cook – Bass
* Simon Wright – Drums
* Jens Johansson – Keyboards
Track List:
01. Wild One – 4:06
02. Born On The Sun – 5:35
03. Hey Angel – 5:00
04. Between Two Hearts – 6:30
05. Night Music – 5:05
06. Lock Up The Wolves – 8:32
07. Evil On Queen Street – 6:04
08. Walk On Water – 3:44
09. Twisted – 4:45
10. Why Are They Watching Me – 5:04
11. My Eyes – 6:36
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.
Dio – Sacred Heart (1985) (@256)
04 Nov 2008
Thanks to Man in Silence for the review contribution.
(Review from amazon)
Sure, you could argue that Dio’s style has remained fairly constant and he does not have a tendency to “grow” stylistically. But one thing for sure: this is one guy who knows how to rock. On Sacred Heart, he cranks out 9 great tunes, and he makes it seem easy. The truth is, while these songs do not shock you with stunning originality, they still rock you to the core. This music is not emotionally moving, but that’s not the point!! The point is that it is hard rock, and it does just that: it rocks hard.
The best song on the album is definitely the title track, “Sacred Heart.” It is in the vein of the title tracks of his two previous albums, “Holy Diver” and “Last in Line”. It is a slower, more epic composition, and it dominates. Other highlights are “King of Rock and Roll” and “Another Lie”.
The band is in top form, as usual. The new keyboardist, Claude Schnell, is pretty cool; his sounds add a whole new element to the band’s music. Sometimes they sound downright evil: check out the main riff to “Like the Beat of a Heart.” And of course, Vivian Campbell tears it up on guitar.
Dio is one of the great voices of hard rock. Although he has more popular albums than “Sacred Heart”, it still seems that he can do no wrong.
Line-up:
* Ronnie James Dio – Vocals
* Vivian Campbell – Guitar
* Jimmy Bain – Bass
* Claude Schnell – Keyboards
* Vinny Appice – Drums
Track List:
01. King of Rock and Roll – 3:43
02. Sacred Heart – 6:27
03. Another Lie – 3:49
04. Rock’n'Roll Children – 4:32
05. Hungry For Heaven – 4:11
06. Like The Beat Of A Heart – 4:20
07. Just Another Day – 3:21
08. Fallen Angels – 3:58
09. Shoot Shoot – 4:16
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Dio – Last in Line (1984) (@256)
02 Nov 2008
Thanks to Man In Silence for the review contribution.
(Review from amazon)
Holy Diver was an excellent debut from Dio, and this album, just a year later, continued to show Dio at full glory.
The album kicks off with one of heavy metal’s top ever openers – “We Rock”. And indeed it rocks. This is the classic type of metal opener you’d imagine: fast, furious and it rocks! The title track is next, and is the highlight of the album. “Breathless” is next and is a good metal song, quite fast, decent chorus, and strong solos. “I Speed At Night” has some great solos, and has an extemely cool riff.
“One Night In The City” is a mid-tempo song with some strong riffs, that would best be compared to ‘Shame On The Night’
from the previous album (nothing to do with the ‘night’ though). “Evil Eyes” is another short and fast rocker, sort of like “Gypsy”, with strong lines throughout, very good. “Mystery” is a ballad, with some good keyboard work by Dio himself. Its slow but manages to stay solid. It reminds you a little of “Rainbow In The Dark”. “Eat Your Heart Out” is a nice mid-tempo song, with nice solos by Vivian Campbell, once again.
The closing song is Dio’s soon-to-be famous ballad – Egypt (The Chains Are On). It’s a slow song, but has excellent crunching riffs, great lyrics, and is a real classic.
Line-up:
* Ronnie James Dio – Vocals
* Vivian Campbell – Guitar
* Jimmy Bain – Bass
* Vinny Appice – Drums
with
* Claude Schnell – Keyboards
Track List:
01. We Rock – 4:35
02. The Last In Line – 5:47
03. Breathless – 4:09
04. I Speed At Night – 3:22
05. One Night In The City – 5:16
06. Evil Eyes – 3:38
07. Mystery – 3:58
08. Eat Your Heart Out – 3:50
09. Egypt (The Chains Are On) – 6:57
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Dio – Holy Diver (1983) (@320)
24 Jun 2007
(Review from allmusic.com, wikipedia)
After participating in five classic studio albums (three with Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow and two with Black Sabbath) in the late ’70s and early ’80s, legendary vocalist Ronnie James Dio formed a band bearing his own name in 1983. Dio states that he never intended to begin a solo career. His intention was to form a new band with fellow former Black Sabbath member drummer Vinny Appice. Naming the band Dio made sense from a commercial standpoint, as the name was already well-known at that time.
With the release of his self-monickered band’s debut album, Holy Diver, in 1983, Dio struck gold once again by injecting catchy melodies into the classic metal riffery of his previous groups. Besides Dio’s inspired songwriting, the album’s consistency owes a lot to his carefully chosen bandmates, including veteran bassist Jimmy Bain and drummer Vinny Appice, and a phenomenal find in young guitarist Vivian Campbell, whose creativity and technique are quite astounding. The album opens in full-tilt metal mode with the frenetic “Stand Up and Shout,” which segues into the epic title track, an album highlight thanks to it’s hypnotic, mid-paced riff. Dio himself plays keyboards (badly) on the hit single “Rainbow in the Dark,” and the remaining cuts range from further stabs at pop-metal (“Gypsy,” “Caught in the Middle”) to blatant metal anthems (“Straight Through the Heart,” “Invisible”). These two facets find a perfect balance on the excellent “Don’t Talk to Strangers,” arguably the album’s high point.
Dio quickly became one of the world’s top heavy-metal acts. In the late ’80s, lineup changes unsettled the group, but the tenacious frontman persevered, leading Dio into the 21st century still waving its classic headbanging flag high.
Line-up:
* Ronnie James Dio – Vocals, Keyboards
* Vivian Campbell – Guitar
* Jimmy Bain – Bass, Keyboards
* Vinny Appice – Drums
Track List:
01. Stand Up and Shout (Ronnie James Dio, Jimmy Bain) – 3:06
02. Holy Diver (Dio) – 5:51
03. Gypsy (Dio, Vivian Campbell) – 3:39
04. Caught in the Middle (Dio, Vinny Appice, Campbell) – 4:14
05. Don’t Talk to Strangers (Dio) – 4:53
06. Straight Through the Heart (Dio, Bain) – 4:31
07. Invisible (Dio, Appice, Campbell) – 5:24
08. Rainbow in the Dark (Dio, Appice, Bain, Campbell) – 4:21
09. Shame on the Night (Dio, Appice, Bain, Campbell) – 5:20
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