Posts tagged Ronnie James Dio

(Review from roadrunnerrecords.com)

On Thursday July 30, 2009, Heaven & Hell took to the stage at the famous Wacken festival in Germany as part of the tour in support of their album ‘The Devil You Know’, released earlier in the year.

Although nobody knew at the time, it was to be Ronnie James Dio’s last recorded concert appearance before his death in May 2010 from stomach cancer. Heaven & Hell were on fantastic form and played a set blending tracks from the newly released album with classics from their Black Sabbath days.

This is a truly fitting tribute to one of the legendary voices of rock.

Line-up:
- Ronnie James Dio / vocals
- Tony Iommi / lead guitar
- Geezer Butler / bass
- Vinny Appice / drums
- Scott Warren / keyboards, rhythm guitar

Track List:
01. Mob Rules – 3:46
02. Children Of The Sea – 6:30
03. I – 6:16
04. Bible Black – 6:29
05. Time Machine – 4:39
06. Fear – 4:36
07. Falling Off The Edge Of The World – 5:39
08. Follow The Tears – 6:11
09. Die Young – 6:41
10. Heaven And Hell – 17:48
11. Neon Knights – 5:45

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Geezer Butler, Heaven & Hell, Ronnie James Dio, Tony Iommi, Vinny Appice

Heaven and Hell – Devil You Know (2009) (@256)

18 May 2010

(Review from allmusic, blabbermouth.net, wikipedia)

After the band’s successful 2007 world tour, “Heaven & Hell” entered the studio to record the album “Devil You Know”.

This is a heavier album than any of its three predecessors with the same line-up (Heaven and Hell, Mob Rules, Dehumanizer); whether it’s due to the bandmembers’ advancing age or the influence of anxieties felt throughout the world outside the studio.

The first songs of the album that make up the bulk of its running time, are like slow-motion avalanches, Iommi’s riffs and Appice’s drumming punishing the listener like medieval monks scourging unbelievers. Dio’s lyrics, too, seem to embody an almost Old Testament world-view, positing a universe of darkness, fire, and despair. His voice is as powerful as ever, but he’s no longer offering self-esteem lessons the way he once did; he seems consumed by fear and doubt. This gives The Devil You Know a feeling of genuine doom that leaves little opportunity for the catharsis provided by classic heavy metal.

It’s not until “Eating the Cannibals”, that the band revs into high gear the way it did on “Neon Knights” and “Turn Up the Night” 20-plus years ago.

Dio still sounds amazing, writing in a lower register these days but possessed of a grandeur and gravity that’s just awe-inspiring. He’s always been a consummate professional, able to give the dodgiest material a patina of class and grace, and when he’s working with Iommi and Geezer Butler, he’s clearly inspired to kick things up a notch. And speaking of Butler, the band’s oft-underrated secret weapon is all over “The Devil You Know”, his bass high up in the mix, with a larger-than-life tone and plenty of sly accents and fills burbling under the obsidian sheen of Iommi’s riffing.

Due to the death of Ronnie James Dio, this would be the band’s only studio album.

Line-up:
- Ronnie James Dio / vocals
- Tony Iommi / guitar
- Geezer Butler / bass guitar
- Vinny Appice / drums

Track List:
01. Atom & Evil – 5:13
02. Fear – 4:46
03. Bible Black – 6:26
04. Double The Pain – 5:23
05. Rock And Roll Angel – 6:02
06. The Turn Of The Screw – 5:00
07. Eating The Cannibals – 3:35
08. Follow The Tears – 6:09
09. Neverwhere – 4:32
10. Breaking Into Heaven – 6:53

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Black Sabbath, Geezer Butler, Heaven & Hell, Ronnie James Dio, Tony Iommi, Vinny Appice

Ronnie James Dio died yesterday :(

17 May 2010

9 comments

This is heart-breaking news for me.

Ronnie James Dio is, and probably always be my favorite singer. Whether it be with Rainbow, Black Sabbath or with his own band as Dio; even with the early Elf.

I was finally going to see him live with Black Sabbath at the end of June. Actually he was the primary reason I was even going to the festival.

I am at a loss of words.

Fade away, fade away… :(

Ronnie James Dio

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

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Dio, Doug Aldrich, Live, Ronnie James Dio, Rudy Sarzo

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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Craig Goldy, Dio, Ronnie James Dio

Dio – Evil or Divine (Live 2002) (@256)

12 Nov 2008

5 comments

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

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Dio, Doug Aldrich, Jimmy Bain, Live, Ronnie James Dio

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

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Dio, Jimmy Bain, Ronnie James Dio, Rudy Sarzo

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

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Craig Goldy, Dio, Jimmy Bain, Ronnie James Dio

Dio – Inferno : Last in Live (1998) (@256)

09 Nov 2008

4 comments

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

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Dio, Live, Ronnie James Dio, Tracy Grijalva, Vinny Appice

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

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Dio, Ronnie James Dio, Tracy Grijalva, Vinny Appice

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, Ronnie James Dio, Tracy Grijalva, Vinny Appice

Dio – Lock Up the Wolves (1990) (@256)

06 Nov 2008

5 comments

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, Ronnie James Dio

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

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Craig Goldy, Dio, Jimmy Bain, Ronnie James Dio, Vinny Appice

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.

Craig Goldy, Dio, Jimmy Bain, Live, Ronnie James Dio, Vinny Appice, Vivian Campbell

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, Jimmy Bain, Ronnie James Dio, Vinny Appice, Vivian Campbell

Dio – Last in Line (1984) (@256)

02 Nov 2008

6 comments

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, Jimmy Bain, Ronnie James Dio, Vinny Appice, Vivian Campbell

Heaven and Hell – Live From Radio City Music Hall (2007) (@256)

05 Oct 2008

(Review from wikipedia, allmusic)

Heaven and Hell is a musical collaboration featuring Black Sabbath members Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler along with former members Ronnie James Dio and Vinny Appice. Because of the projected continuation of Black Sabbath’s original lineup (Iommi, Butler, Osbourne and Ward) and the 2006 induction of the original lineup into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Iommi (owner of the Black Sabbath name) decided to call the touring group Heaven and Hell. The moniker was taken from the first Dio-fronted Black Sabbath recording, Heaven and Hell.

The four members of Heaven and Hell recorded and toured together as Black Sabbath from 1980-1982 and again from 1991-1992. In 2006, while the foursome reunited to record new songs and then decided to embark on a 2007-2008 tour. This live album was recorded at the legendary Radio City Music Hall during that tour.

The spirit of this live album is very much in the vein of the “Reunion” live album with Ozzy nearly a decade ago. A monstrous set list covering all aspects of the Dio-era with two newly written songs.

Even though some of this material is over 25 years old, it works phenomenally well in the context of this band. The pairing of Butler and Iommi is utterly captivating — always has been, probably always will be. The noise they make together is wonderfully musical, and at times just devastatingly heavy. Butler’s trademark bass throb, all fuzzy and dark, is the perfect foil for the riff-laden, slow to midtempo rock riffing of Iommi. Appice is a consummate big rock drummer, basic and powerful when the need arises, but he’s taken a few nods from John Bonham and Keith Moon as well; his fills are colorful and dynamic, and project the tunes forward underscoring every big riff, chorus, and post-line wail from Dio. And Dio… it’s hard to believe this guy’s actually 65 years old in the time of this recording. He is one of rock & roll’s great frontmen. He’s versatile, can project and wail on top of that boisterous trio.

So they run the course of their recordings together and it’s wildly obvious from the end of “E5150/After All (The Dead)” that these old guys are having a good time. They play like they mean it, they understand after all this time what a rock show is supposed to be (not what it is any longer), and they give it to the faithful in overdrive. There is crisp fresh energy here and the execution is nearly flawless.

Iommi’s wah-wah guitar solo in “Lady Evil” is just plain nasty. “The Devil Cried”, one of the new cuts, is among the best in the bunch. Beginning with a growling open-chord guitar riff and a sub-basement bass pummel, it gets the crowd into fist-pumping mode and, if the tape is accurate, keeps them there — yes, even through the drum solo.

At the end nothing but pure godless rawk power and orgiastic volume excess that somehow don’t seem as menacing as they do rousing, as the freewheeling closer, “Neon Knights”, finally fades.

“Heaven & Hell” are not a guilty pleasure; the band is a riot of the greatest aspects of stadium rock power and glory.

Line-up:
* Ronnie James Dio – vocals
* Tony Iommi – guitar
* Geezer Butler – bass
* Vinny Appice – drums
with
* Scott Warren – keyboards

Track List:
CD1
01. 5150 – After All (The Dead) – 8:30
02. The Mob Rules – 4:04
03. Children Of The Sea – 6:52
04. Lady Evil – 5:20
05. I – 6:27
06. The Sign Of The Southern Cross – 9:06
07. Voodoo – 7:42
08. The Devil Cried – 11:29
CD2
01. Computer God – 6:41
02. Falling Off The Edge Of The World – 5:45
03. Shadow Of The Wind – 6:05
04. Die Young – 7:44
05. Heaven And Hell – 15:15
06. Lonely Is The Word – 6:48
07. Neon Knights – 7:58

Links in comments.

Black Sabbath, Geezer Butler, Heaven & Hell, Live, Ronnie James Dio, Tony Iommi, Vinny Appice

Black Sabbath – Dehumanizer (1992) (@256)

30 Sep 2008

(Review from wikipedia, amazon, ram.org, metal-archives.com)

While on tour with his own band in August 1990, former Black Sabbath vocalist Ronnie James Dio was joined on stage at the Minneapolis Forum by former Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler to perform “Neon Knights”. Following the show, the two expressed interest in rejoining Black Sabbath. Butler convinced Iommi, who in turn broke up the current lineup, dismissing vocalist Tony Martin and bassist Neil Murray.

Ronnie James Dio and Geezer Butler joined Tony Iommi and Cozy Powell in the fall of 1990 to begin working on the next Black Sabbath release. While rehearsing in November, Powell suffered a broken hip when his horse died, falling on the drummer’s legs. Unable to complete work on the album, Powell was replaced by former drummer Vinny Appice.

The year-long recording process was plagued with problems, primarily stemming from writing tension between Tony Iommi and Ronnie James Dio, as some songs were re-written multiple times. The resulting album, “Dehumanizer” was finally released on June 1992.

“Dehumanizer” is a concept recording dealing with the evils of modern technology, painting a vision of a dystopian future. It is incredibly heavy, dark and powerful. Dio’s angry and powerful vocals and Iommi’s soaring guitar work are nicely complemented by Geezer Butler’s pounding bass and Vinny Appice excellent drum work.

Throughout the entire listen we are treated to a variety of lyrical themes that are quite a departure from Dio’s earlier work with Sabbath. From the futuristic technological tyranny of “Computer God” to the egoistic anthem “I”, we get songs that are poetic, yet still catchy and easy to sing along with in the concert hall. We also get a taste of older Sabbath themes from back when Ozzy was still fronting the band such as the somber introspective song “Too Late”, and the social commentary included on such tracks as “Letters from Earth” and “Sins of the Father”.

The music contained on here is a rather brilliant combination of several eras of Sabbath. “After All (The Dead)” sounds a good deal like “Disturbing the Priest”, while “Buried Alive” has an introductory riff that reminds a good deal of “Zero the Hero”. “TV Crimes” and “Time Machine” could almost pass for faster tracks from the earlier Dio era of Sabbath, although the riffs do contain a darker tinge that keeps them in line with the subject of this album. “Master of Insanity” is definitely similar to some of the darker tracks from the Ozzy era, and contains one hell of an evil sounding bass intro.

Some of the music on here is a bit more original sounding, though still in line with the precedents set on previous efforts. “Too Late” starts off with a sad sounding acoustic guitar intro that sounds a tiny bit like “Odin’s Court” off the last album, only to kick into some rather evil sounding electric guitar riffs that seem more in line with the dark title track to “The Eternal Idol”. “I” has a very blues inspired intro that could pass for Sabbath’s debut album in 1970, though the rest of the song sounds similar to some of Dio’s later solo work.

During the tour of this album, former vocalist Ozzy Osbourne announced his first retirement, and invited Black Sabbath to open for his solo band at the final two shows. The band agreed, aside from vocalist Ronnie James Dio who believed it was humiliating and a harbringer of a reunion. Dio quit the band the night before those shows.

Line-up:
- Ronnie James Dio / vocals
- Tony Iommi / guitars
- Geezer Butler / bass
- Vinny Appice / drums
- Geoff Nicholls / keyboards

Track List:
01. Computer God – 6:15
02. After All (The Dead) – 5:41
03. TV Crimes – 4:02
04. Letters From Earth – 4:17
05. Master Of Insanity – 5:55
06. Time Machine – 4:15
07. Sins Of The Father – 4:46
08. Too Late – 6:55
09. I – 5:13
10. Buried Alive – 4:50

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Black Sabbath, Geezer Butler, Ronnie James Dio, Tony Iommi, Vinny Appice

Black Sabbath – Live at Hammersmith Odeon (1982) (@256)

23 Sep 2008

(Review from amazon, allmusic)

As evidenced by their so-so live set, “Live Evil”, a Dio-era Black Sabbath live performance was never truly captured on vinyl — as the aforementioned album was allegedly the victim of far too much knob-twiddling during the mixing stage. As a result, many longtime fans will attest that this lone live document was an album that lacked the spark of Sabbath’s live shows circa 1980 through 1982.

“Live At Hammersmith Odeon” is quite a nice little treat on that account. Recorded during the 1981 Mob Rules tour, this recording takes the best versions of the performed songs from 3 out of the 4 Hammersmith Odeon sold-out concerts (between December 31st, 1981 through January 2nd, 1982) and compiles them seamlessly as one glorious presentation.

The Black Sabbath are on fire throughout — as they launch through a set that is split almost 50/50 between Ozzy-era classics and soon-to-be Dio era classics. Tops on the list here are fine readings of “Neon Knights”, “The Mob Rules”, “N.I.B.”, “Voodoo” and “Children of the Grave”, as well as such rarely played “Mob Rules” nuggets as “Country Girl” and “Slippin’ Away”.

This is a great live album both from a sonic and performance standpoint, a must for Dio-era Sabbath fans.

Line-up:
* Ronnie James Dio – vocals
* Tony Iommi – guitars
* Geezer Butler – bass
* Vinny Appice – drums
* Geoff Nicholls – keyboards

Track List:
01. E5150 – 1:17
02. Neon Knights – 4:37
03. N.I.B – 5:16
04. Children Of The Sea – 6:07
05. Country Girl – 3:53
06. Black Sabbath – 8:24
07. War Pigs – 7:40
08. Slipping Away – 3:18
09. Iron Man – 7:05
10. The Mob Rules – 3:33
11. Heaven And Hell – 14:24
12. Paranoid – 3:21
13. Voodoo – 5:44
14. Children Of The Grave – 5:03

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Black Sabbath, Geezer Butler, Live, Ronnie James Dio, Tony Iommi, Vinny Appice

Black Sabbath – Live Evil (1981-82) (@256)

23 Sep 2008

(Review from allmusic, wikipedia)

Black Sabbath’s first attempt at an official live album was the straw that broke the camel’s back; or rather, it split the band’s second lineup right down the middle. Band tensions were already at an all-time high but when founding members Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler accused singer Ronnie James Dio of sneaking into the studio to raise the volume on his vocals, the pint-sized warbler decided it was time to pursue a solo career, taking drummer Vinny Appice with him.

Accusations aside, 1982′s Live Evil benefits from a clear, “in your face” sound, and despite relying heavily on Dio-era material, the album effectively documents Black Sabbath’s tours in the early ’80s. Dio certainly has the vocal chops (if not the same innocent charm) to handle the Ozzy-era classics.

One of the most popular tracks on the album is a near 20-minute long medley that includes “Heaven And Hell” (with its extended break-down section and additional lyrics), “Sign of the Southern Cross”, a guitar solo, and finishing off the ending of “Heaven and Hell”.

Another favourite is an extended War Pigs which featured a drum solo from Appice whose playing more closely resembled John Bonham than original Sabbath drummer Bill Ward’s jazzier style.

Line-up:
- Tony Iommi / Lead Guitar
- Geezer Butler / Bass
- Ronnie James Dio / Vocals
- Vinny Appice / Drums
- Geoff Nicholls / Keyboards

Track List:
01. E5150 – 2:09
02. Neon Knights – 4:28
03. N.I.B – 5:09
04. Children of the Sea – 6:04
05. Voodoo – 5:23
06. Black Sabbath – 8:34
07. War Pigs – 9:17
08. Iron Man – 7:10
09. The Mob Rules – 3:18
10. Heaven and Hell – 11:57
11. The Sign of the Southern Cross / Heaven and Hell (continued) – 7:16
12. Paranoid – 3:25
13. Children of the Grave – 5:02
14. Fluff – 0:43

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Black Sabbath, Geezer Butler, Live, Ronnie James Dio, Tony Iommi, Vinny Appice

Black Sabbath – Heaven And Hell (1980) (@256)

22 Sep 2008

(Review from progarchives.com, allmusic, wikipedia)

Many had left Black Sabbath for dead at the dawn of the ’80s, and with good reason — the band’s last few albums were not even close to their early classics, and original singer Ozzy Osbourne had just split from the band.

Sharon Arden, (later Sharon Osbourne) daughter of Black Sabbath’s manager suggested former Rainbow vocalist Ronnie James Dio to replace Ozzy Osbourne in 1979. Dio officially joined in June and the band began writing their next album. With a notably different vocal style from Osbourne’s, Dio’s addition to the band marked a change in Black Sabbath’s sound. Dio came in with a different attitude, a different voice and a different musical approach, as far as vocals — Dio would sing across the riff, whereas Ozzy would follow the riff. This gave the band another angle on writing.

Produced by Martin Birch (but not wearing the usual Birch Purple-sound), Black Sabbath’s comeback album is one of the most impressive and influential albums of the 80s, as the group headed a heavy metal revival, with Judas Priest (British Steel) and Motorhead’s ascension to fame as well (Ace Of Spades), just in front of a wave of new groups that will be called New Wave Of British Heavy Metal. Having secured Dio on vocals (and bass), the group started rehearsing, with Geoff Nichols on bass (as well), because Geezer Butler was busy in his divorce case. Once the original bassist returned, Geoff Nichols remained with the group but concentrated on whatever keyboards sounds were needed. Dio’s new ideas mixed with Iommi’s writings created the new fresh approach on the album, and the album’s general ambiance is a huge part of its success.

Starting on the hit single Neon Knights (one of Sabbath’s most up-tempoed tracks ever), the group charged heavily on the dramatics, developing to goosebump levels on the longer “Children Of The Sea”, the “Heaven & Hell” title track and “Lonely Is the Word” tracks. With another two shorter tracks like the anthem “Die Young” and the abrupt “Wishing Well”, Heaven & Hell is a stunning metal album. Butler’s usual superb bass playing is still a very important feature.

“Heaven & Hell” certainly became an emblem of a new era for metal music.

Line-up:
- Tony Iommi / Lead Guitar
- Geezer Butler / Bass
- Ronnie James Dio / Vocals
- Bill Ward / Drums
- Geoff Nicholls / Keyboards

Track List:
01. Neon Knights – 3:53
02. Children Of The Sea – 5:34
03. Lady Evil – 4:22
04. Heaven And Hell – 6:55
05. Wishing Well – 4:07
06. Die Young – 4:45
07. Walk Away – 4:25
08. Lonely Is The Word – 5:46

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Bill Ward, Black Sabbath, Geezer Butler, Ronnie James Dio, Tony Iommi

Kerry Livgren – Seeds of Change (1980) (@320)

21 Aug 2007

4 comments

(Review from progarchives.com)

So much of why we choose to like, or to pan, an album is dependent on the context in which we encounter it. This was never truer than with Seeds of Change.

Livgren had always shown a spiritual side in his lyrics, dating from the early days of Kansas with songs like “The Pilgrimage”, “The Pinnacle”, and “Dust in the Wind”. His search for meaning in life had led him at various times to Zen and other forms of mysticism and Eastern philosophy. Pretty much the entire Monolith album spoke to his interest in Urantia in the latter part of the 1970s. During the 1979 tour to support that album, he converted to Christianity with the guidance of touring mate Jeff Pollard of Louisiana’s Le Roux, another American band with a progressive bent, albeit a southern-tinged one.

1980 was a transitional year for Kansas and Kerry Livgren. While band mate and lead vocalist/organist Steve Walsh was off doing his own solo project Kerry Livgren was recording this one — trying to explain his conversion to Christianity and doing something on his own. Unfortunately instead of Kansas taking the year off to refresh the creative juices they went full steam ahead with Audio Visions so now we have three albums in 1980 and not enough material for each.

The idea of solo works is usually to try music and work with musicians you couldn’t do in your band and not worry so much about sales as to make a statement about yourself. Livgren pronounces himself as a Christian and as a songwriter who has many layers to him; exploring the blues, pop and symphonic music on this collection.

Line-up:
- Kerry Livgren / guitar, drums, keyboards, vocals
with
- Phil Ehart / drums
- Barriemore Barlow / drums
- Rev. Johnny Thompson / drums
- Bobby Campo / percussion, horn
- Gary Gilbert / bass guitar
- Paul Goddard / bass guitar
- Darryl Kutz / harmonica
- Robby Steinhardt / violin
- Ronnie James Dio / vocals
- Vicky Livgren / vocals
- Mylon Lefevre / vocals
- Steve Walsh / vocals
- Brad Aaron / vocals
- John Fristoe / vocals
- Joey Jelf / vocals
- Davey Moire / vocals
- David Pack / vocals
- Jeff Pollard / vocals
- Steve Venezia / vocals
- Donna Williams / vocals

Track List:
01. Just One Way – 5:45
02. Mask of the Great Deceiver – 7:34
03. How Can You Live? – 4:12
04. Whiskey Seed – 5:33
05. To Live For the King – 4:56
06. Down to the Core – 5:18
07. Ground Zero – 8:33

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Kerry Livgren, Ronnie James Dio

Black Sabbath – Mob Rules (1981) (@256)

04 Aug 2007

(Review from allmusic.com, amazon, wikipedia)

1981′s Mob Rules was the second Black Sabbath album to feature vertically challenged singer Ronnie James Dio, whose powerful pipes and Dungeons and Dragons lyrics initially seemed like the perfect replacement for the recently departed and wildly popular Ozzy Osbourne. In fact, all the ingredients which had made their first outing, Heaven and Hell, so successful are re-utilized on this album, including legendary metal producer Martin Birch and supporting keyboard player Geoff Nichols.

“The Mob Rules” is a magnificent record, with the only serious problem being the sequencing of the material, which mirrors “Heaven and Hell” almost to a tee. In that light, one can’t help but compare otherwise compelling tracks like “Turn Up the Night” and “Voodoo” to their more impressive Heaven and Hell counterparts, “Neon Knights” and “Children of the Sea”. This unhappy streak is finally snapped by the unconventional “E5150,” a synthesizer-driven instrumental. Then, the unbelievably heavy, seven-minute epic “The Sign of the Southern Cross” delivers one of the album’s best moments before unleashing the roaring title track. When the band slows things down in the middle of the otherwise heavy “Country Girl”, you can’t help but be impressed. Out of the last three songs, “Falling Off the Edge of the World” stands out with its dark lyrics — it is perhaps the most overlooked secret gem to come from the Dio era.

Line-up:
* Ronnie James Dio – vocals
* Tony Iommi – guitar
* Geezer Butler – bass guitar
* Vinny Appice – drums
* Geoff Nicholls – keyboards

Track List:
01. Turn Up the Night – 3:42
02. Voodoo – 4:32
03. The Sign of the Southern Cross – 7:46
04. E5150 – 2:54
05. The Mob Rules – 3:14
06. Country Girl – 4:02
07. Slipping Away – 3:45
08. Falling Off the Edge of the World – 5:02
09. Over and Over – 5:28

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Black Sabbath, Geezer Butler, Ronnie James Dio, Tony Iommi, Vinny Appice

Rainbow – Live in Munich (1977) (@Video)

01 Aug 2007

9 comments

(Review from progarchives.com)

This concert was recorded in Munich on October 20, 1977, at Rainbow’s 1977 European tour, a few months prior to the release of their third studio album, “Long Live Rock n’ Roll”. It was originally filmed to air on the German TV “Rockpalast” show.

This video captures the mindblowing spirit of Rainbow in those days: the powerful voice and enthousiastic performance by Ronnie James Dio (the ultimate hardrock singer), the great and varied guitarwork by the former Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, the powerhouse rhythm-section and the exciting extra dimension to Rainbow their sound by David Stone on his wide range of vintage keyboards, the sensational huge illuminated rainbow on stage and the filming of the band and the members, very tasteful and captivating. We can watch a lot of exciting shots on Ritchie Blackmore playing on his Fender Stratocaster, often near his huge Marshall amplifier, sometimes with soft blue light, at other moments in a sea of coloured lights. The highlights on the video include: great vocals and a long and compelling solo with subtle use of the tremolo-arm in the bluesy “Mistreated”, fragile Bach-inspired guitarplay during the intro of “Sixteenth Century Greenslaves”, a bluesy guitar solo in the final part of “Man On The Silver Mountain” (close to the early Deep Purple sound), a sensational drumsolo by Cozy Powell, in the closing section accompanied by bombastic classical orchestrations in “Still I’m Sad” and a biting guitarsolo in the final concert track “Do You Close Your Eyes”. But one gets really carried away by keyboard player David Stone’s performance during Still I’m Sad: the intro delivers stunning work on Hammond (church organ sound) and Mellotron (majestic choir-section), halfway this composition he got a solo spot in which he plays sensational pitchbend-driven flights on two Minimoogs, it sounds like ‘Seventies’ Rick Wakeman meets ‘Pulstar’ Vangelis, goose bumps!

This video is close to the heavy magic of 70s Deep Purple and Uriah Heep, what a power and skills, a 70s rock document!

Video : Xvid, 704×480, 29.97 fps
Audio : AC3, Stereo, 48000 Hz, 256.0 kbit/s
Total Runtime : 113 min

Line-up:
* Ritchie Blackmore – Guitar
* Ronnie James Dio – Vocals
* Cozy Powell – Drums
* Bob Daisley – Bass
* David Stone – Keyboards

Track List:
01. Intro – 1:44
02. Kill the King – 4:42
03. Mistreated – 11:49
04. Sixteenth Century Greensleeves – 8:52
05. Catch the Rainbow – 18:44
06. Long Live Rock ‘n’ Roll – 8:01
07. Man on the Silver Mountain – 16:25
08. Still I’m Sad – 27:33
09. Do You Close Your Eyes? – 15:40

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Bob Daisley, Cozy Powell, Rainbow, Ritchie Blackmore, Ronnie James Dio, Video

Rainbow – Finyl Vinyl (1978-84) (@256)

30 Jul 2007

(Review from wikipedia, amazon)

By April 1984, Blackmore and Glover had reformed the Deep Purple “Mark II” line-up and Rainbow was disbanded. A final Rainbow album, Finyl Vinyl, was pieced together from live tracks and B-sides of singles. The album contained the instrumental Weiss Heim, widely available for the first time.

Primarily culled from the Joe Lynn Turner era but also featuring selections with Ronnie James Dio and Graham Bonnet, Finyl Vinyl offers a haphazard alternate history designed for hardcore fans. For those fans, the album is actually quite a treat. Rainbow always sounded better on stage than they did on the studio — rawer, harder, alive — and songs that sounded half-baked in the studio, such as selections from Difficult to Cure, sound right here. That’s not to say that it’s a perfect album — the outtakes are interesting, but not particularly remarkable, the sequencing doesn’t make sense. But it rocks harder and more convincingly than many latter-day Rainbow releases. For the devoted, it’s a welcome addition to the band’s canon and it’s a nice way to close a career.

Line-up:
* Vocals: Joe Lynn Turner (1-5,9,10) , Graham Bonnet (6,7), Ronnie James Dio (11,12)
* Guitar: Ritchie Blackmore
* Bass: Roger Glover (all except 11,12), Bob Daisley (11,12)
* Drums: Chuck Burgi (1,2,3,8), Bobby Rondinelli (4,5,9,10), Cozy Powell (6,7,11,12,13)
* Keyboards: David Rosenthal (1,2,3,8,9,10), Don Airey (4,5,6,7,13), David Stone (11,12)

Track List:
01. Spotlight Kid (Live Tokyo 1984)
02. I Surrender (Live Tokyo 1984)
03. Miss Mistreated (Live Tokyo 1984)
04. Jealous Lover (1981/B-side of Can’t Happen Here Single)
05. Can’t Happen Here (Live Boston 1981)
06. Since You’ve Been Gone (Live Monsters Of Rock Festival, Castle Donington, England 1980)
07. Bad Girl (Outtake/B-side of Since You’ve Been Gone Single)
08. Difficult to Cure (Live Tokyo 1984)
09. Stone Cold (Live San Antonio 1982)
10. Power (Live San Antonio 1982)
11. Man on the Silver Mountain (Live Atlanta 1978)
12. Long Live Rock’n'Roll (Live Atlanta 1978)
13. Weiss Heim (Outtake/B-side of All Night Long Single)

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Bob Daisley, Bobby Rondinelli, Cozy Powell, David Rosenthal, Don Airey, Joe Lynn Turner, Rainbow, Ritchie Blackmore, Roger Glover, Ronnie James Dio

Rainbow – Long Live Rock 'n' Roll (1978) (@256)

27 Jul 2007

(Review from amazon, wikipedia)

The line-up for Rainbow was never a stable one, with Ritchie Blackmore being the one constant. After firing Bain and Carey, Blackmore had difficulty finding replacements he liked. Blackmore originally chose Mark Clarke from the band Tempest, but once in the studio Blackmore disliked his playing so much that he fired Clarke on the spot and played bass himself on all but three songs on this album. For these tracks he finally settled on Australian Bob Daisley (of later Ozzy fame).

The title track is a fan favourite and one of the strongest tunes from this era–a heavy rock tune written for arenas. As for Lady Of The Lake – here the band goes for an ultra-melodic rock assault on the senses, which speaks of the devil being personified as a woman. L.A. Connection is more of a straight-up kind of rock and roll song, featuring the piano tinglings of keyboardist David Stone. “Gates of Babylon” is a mammoth track featuring the Bavarian String Ensemble,as synthesizer and strings combine for a symphonic big-rocksound.

The second side kicks off with “Kill The King”, which was already a staple part of the tour setlists, opening Rainbow concerts since mid-1976. It first appeared on the live album On Stage in 1977, this was the first time it was done in the studio. Blackmore opens the thunderous “The Shed (Subtle)” with a fluid, effects-laden bluesy solo. With this track the band gives us a mid-fast hard rocker with a slightly more “raw” sound than the other tracks featured here. “Sensitive To Light” is one of the most interesting tracks on the album because, while it is obviously a straight-up power rocker, Dio’s vocal style hints back at the work he did in Elf, this fusion of styles only makes this track better. The album closes with “Rainbow Eyes” — a seven-minute epic that features a string quartet, flute, and Dio’s euphonic balladry.

After the release and extensive world tour in 1977–78, Blackmore decided that he wanted to take the band in a new commercial direction away from the “sword and sorcery” theme. Dio did not agree with this change and left Rainbow. He would go to replace Ozzy Osbourne as the lead singer in Black Sabbath. Dio would later form his own self-titled band.

Line-up:
* Ronnie James Dio – vocals
* Ritchie Blackmore – guitar/bass
* David Stone – keyboard
* Bob Daisley – bass
* Cozy Powell – drums

Track List:
01. Long Live Rock ‘n’ Roll – 4:21
02. Lady of the Lake – 3:39
03. L.A. Connection – 5:02
04. Gates of Babylon – 6:49
05. Kill the King – 4:29
06. The Shed (Subtle) – 4:47
07. Sensitive to Light – 3:07
08. Rainbow Eyes – 7:11

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Bob Daisley, Cozy Powell, Rainbow, Ritchie Blackmore, Ronnie James Dio

Rainbow – Live in Germany (1976) (@256)

26 Jul 2007

(Review from seaoftranquility.org, amazon)

For most die-hard Rainbow fans, “On Stage” is the definitive live Rainbow album. “Live in Germany” album is a great companion piece to the “On Stage” record recorded from the same tour, although that recording was taken mostly from shows in Japan.

The set lists from the two albums are fairly similar, but this one is more complete, and contains lengthier jams. Many thought the omission of the legendary “Stargazer” from the On Stage album to be sheer blasphemy, but thankfully this set has it, as well as “Do You Close Your Eyes”. The rest of the set list is the same. Here, songs like “Mistreated”, “Catch the Rainbow”, and “Man on a Silver Mountain” take on even more epic proportions (take one look at the bloated song lengths below!) , with lengthy guitar jams from Blackmore, lots of keyboard noodling from Carey, as well as pyrotechnic drum explorations from Powell. Dio of course, was the man back then as well no matter how you look at it.

So, if you want to hear a band just discovering the peak of their powers, definitely check this set out, even if you already have Rainbow’s On Stage. The only downside is that this live album isn’t as well produced as “On Stage”. Sadly, this line-up would change after this tour, with both Carey and Bain getting the boot from the band.

Line-up:
* Ritchie Blackmore – Guitar
* Tony Carey – Keyboards
* Jimmy Bain – Bass
* Ronnie James Dio – Vocals
* Cozy Powell – Drums

Track List:
CD1
01. Kill the King – 5:25
02. Mistreated – 16:00
03. Sixteenth Century Greensleeves – 7:50
04. Catch the Rainbow – 14:50
CD2
01. Man on the Silver Mountain – 13:37
02. Stargazer – 17:10
03. Still I’m Sad – 15:00
04. Do You Close Your Eyes – 9:45

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Cozy Powell, Jimmy Bain, Live, Rainbow, Ritchie Blackmore, Ronnie James Dio

Rainbow – On Stage (1976) (@256)

25 Jul 2007

(Review from progarchives.com)

This is how a live album, indeed a live performance should be. It was perhaps a fortunate quirk of fate that with an at the time very limited repertoire to chose from, Blackmore and his new colleagues decided to significantly elongate the tracks they selected for live rendition.

Most of the material here is taken from the first album when the band was called Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow. Once the marketing people had ensured their public was aware of the legendary guitarist’s prime place in the band, the name was quickly abbreviated.

The highlight of the set is the 15+ minute version of “Catch the Rainbow”, which affords Blackmore space to extend his input to the track significantly. To his credit, he does not attempt to add blistering licks, but maintains the integrity of this beautifully melodic piece. Ronnie James Dio takes to opportunity to encourage some crowd participation, but even this is done tastefully.

Blackmore also lays claim to the Coverdale/Hughes era Deep Purple song “Mistreated” from the “Burn” album. Once again, the song is significantly extended to 13 minutes. The piece suits Dio’s vocal style well, while Blackmore develops what was in any case one of his finest solos while a member of DP.

Both “Sixteenth Century Greensleeves” and the cover of Jeff Beck and the Yardbirds’ “Still I’m sad” are considerably longer than their studio counterparts. The latter also regains the vocal refrain omitted from the first Rainbow album.

There have been further live offerings from Rainbow since this early release, and while they are of a consistently high standard, none has managed to recapture the power and excitement of “On Stage”.

Line-up:
* Ronnie James Dio – Vocals
* Ritchie Blackmore – Guitar
* Tony Carey – Keyboards
* Jimmy Bain – Bass
* Cozy Powell – Drums

Track List:
01. Kill the King – 5:32
02. Medley: Man On The Silver Mountain/Blues/Starstruck – 11:12
03. Catch The Rainbow – 15:35
04. Mistreated – 13:03
05. Sixteenth Century Greensleeves – 7:36
06. Still I’m Sad – 11:01

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Cozy Powell, Jimmy Bain, Live, Rainbow, Ritchie Blackmore, Ronnie James Dio

Rainbow – Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow (1975) (@256)

24 Jul 2007

(Review from wikipedia, amazon)

In 1974 Blackmore became infuriated at the funk/soul elements being introduced to Deep Purple by David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes as well as with the rejection from his bandmates of his suggestion to record a cover for inclusion in Stormbringer, and originally intended to record “Black Sheep of the Family”, a song written and recorded by the band Quatermass, as a solo single to express his ideas that were being suppressed in Deep Purple.

During recent US tours, Deep Purple’s support band had been Elf and Blackmore had been impressed by Elf’s singer, one Ronnie James Dio. Blackmore and Dio found they had such a creative rapport that a full album’s worth of music was soon composed and they recorded it with Elf as a session band. Emboldened by the experience, Blackmore decided to leave Deep Purple and form his own band around Elf, effectively taking it over minus their guitarist and renaming it Rainbow. The name of the band was inspired by the Hollywood Bar and Grill called the Rainbow which catered to rock stars, groupies and rock enthusiasts.

Rainbow’s music was different from Deep Purple’s. The music was more directly inspired by classical music and Dio wrote lyrics about medieval themes. Dio possessed a versatile vocal range capable of singing both hard rock and lighter ballads. Although Dio never played a musical instrument on any Rainbow album, he is credited with writing and arranging the music with Blackmore in addition to writing all the lyrics himself.

While a classic rock power album, their debut’s much more bluesy than their later material. This is because this is essentialy “an Elf album with Blackmore”.

The opener, Man On The Silver Mountain, is a solid classic hard rocker that would go on to become one of the band’s biggest hits, as well as a fan favorite. “If You Don’t Like Rock ‘N’ Roll” is the most bluesy track on the album. Another one of the excellent bluesy tunes here is “Black Sheep Of The Family”. And, of course, who could forget the gloomy yet melodic stylings of songs like “Self Portrait” and “Catch The Rainbow”? These are underrated classic rock masterpieces. “The Temple Of The King” and “Sixteenth Century Greensleeves” hint at a medieval sound, something that fascinated Blackmore. A short but sweet instrumental Yardbirds cover, “Still I’m Sad” finishes off the album.

Line-up:
- Ronnie James Dio – vocals
- Ritchie Blackmore – guitar
- Micky Lee Soule – keyboard
- Craig Gruber – bass
- Gary Driscoll – drums

Track List:
01. Man on the Silver Mountain – 4:42
02. Self Portrait – 3:17
03. Black Sheep of the Family (Steve Hammond) – 3:22
04. Catch the Rainbow – 6:27
05. Snake Charmer – 4:33
06. The Temple of the King – 4:45
07. If You Don’t Like Rock ‘n’ Roll – 2:38
08. Sixteenth Century Greensleeves – 3:31
09. Still I’m Sad – 3:51

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Rainbow, Ritchie Blackmore, Ronnie James Dio

Elf – Trying to Burn the Sun (1975) (@192)

22 Jul 2007

6 comments

(Review from allmusic)

Recorded while the band was evolving slowly into the Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow, Trying to Burn the Sun is the third and final release from Elf. After writing and recording a few singles for Blackmore, Dio and Elf were solidly moving in a heavier musical direction, no doubt influenced by Deep Purple and the British supergroup’s lead guitarist. Standout cuts include “Wonderworld” and “Streetwalker”, two cuts that were somehow placed at the tail end of the record, despite their strong melodies and musicianship. Because the Rainbow debut was released during the same year, this record was slightly overlooked, even though the band had established a small amount of momentum in Europe and Japan especially.

Line-up:
* Ronnie James Dio – Vocals
* Steve Edwards – Guitar
* Gary Driscoll – Drums
* Mark Nauseef – Percussion
* Craig Gruber – Bass
* Mickey Lee Soule – Piano

Track List:
01. Black Swampy Water – 3:43
02. Prentice Wood – 4:37
03. When She Smiles – 4:54
04. Good Time Music – 4:30
05. Liberty Road – 3:22
06. Shotgun Boogie – 3:07
07. Wonderworld – 5:03
08. Streetwalker – 7:07

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Elf, Ronnie James Dio

Elf – Carolina County Ball (1974) (@192)

22 Jul 2007

(Review from amazon)

Although Elf’s debut album didn’t get them any major recognition, since the band began touring with Deep Purple as an opening act, which caused them to gain some slightly increased popularity.

The group’s second album featured the inclusion of a new, separate bass player (Dio played bass and did vocals on the first album), as well as the replacement of Dio’s cousin, guitarist David Feinstein. The group released their second album circa 1974. In America the album was called L.A. 59, in other countries it was called Carolina County Ball.

The band serves up more of the same blues rock that was on their debut, but this time around, the band’s sound is considerably more polished. The second album improves on the formula of its predecessor in practically every way imaginable. Every song on this album is good, even if the songs never really got any recognition. If you liked the first album, you’re going to like this one even more. Most bands go their entire career trying to find their sound and fail terribly every time, but Elf found it on their second album, which is remarkable.

If you’re going to listen to one Elf album, make it this one. No other release captures the band in their prime the way this one does.

Line-up:
* Ronnie James Dio – Vocals
* Steve Edwards – Guitar
* Gary Driscoll – Drums
* Craig Gruber – Bass
* Mickey Lee Soule – Piano

Track List:
01. Carolina County Ball – 4:46
02. L.A.59 – 4:21
03. Ain’t It All Amusing – 5:01
04. Happy – 5:28
05. Annie New Orleans – 3:01
06. Rocking Chair Rock ‘n’ Roll Blues – 5:36
07. Rainbow – 4:00
08. Do the Same Thing – 3:10
09. Blanche – 2:31

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Elf, Ronnie James Dio

Elf – Elf (1972) (@256)

21 Jul 2007

5 comments

(Review from allmusic, wikipedia, amazon)

Ronnie James Dio had accumulated an extensive rock & roll résumé (longer than he’d like to admit, actually) performing with a number of groups, ranging from doo-wop in the late ’50s to psychedelic rock in the ’60s. But it wasn’t until Elf, he took his first tentative steps toward hard rock.

Elf was founded in 1967 by singer Ronnie James Dio, keyboardist Doug Thaler, drummer Gary Driscoll, and guitarists Nick Pantas and David Feinstein. The band was originally called The Electric Elves, but was shortened to The Elves and finally Elf in early 1970s.

Elf’s self-titled debut album was produced by Deep Purple members Roger Glover and Ian Paice, who happened to see Elf auditioning in 1972. For the next few years, the band enjoyed mild success as an opening act for Deep Purple.

If you’re looking for hard rock in the vain of Dio’s solo, Rainbow, or Black Sabbath material, you’re not going to find it here. This isn’t hard rock, it’s bluesy rock.

The honky tonk piano playing of Mickey Lee Soule dominates most if the songs. In fact, tracks like “Hoochie Koochie Lady”, “First Avenue” and “Sit Down Honey” sound more like the Rolling Stones than Black Sabbath, and it’s only occasionally (“I’m Coming Back to You,” “Gambler Gambler”) that the band produces truly stripped-down, gritty hard rock. “Never More” is perhaps the album’s most interesting track, starting with lilting piano and a dramatic delivery from Dio before launching into a driving hard rock riff in the vein of his work with Rainbow and Sabbath in later years.

Line-up:
* Ronnie James Dio – lead vocals, bass
* David Feinstein – lead & rhythm guitars
* Micky Lee Soule – keyboards
* Gary Driscoll – drums

Track List:
01. Hoochie Koochie Lady
02. First Avenue
03. Never More
04. I’m Coming Back For You
05. Sit Down Honey
06. Dixie Lee Junction
07. Love Me Like A Woman
08. Gambler, Gambler

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Elf, Ronnie James Dio

Dio – Holy Diver (1983) (@320)

24 Jun 2007