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Dio is a legend of heavy metal. He has recorded with some of the greatest bands in the world including, of course, Black Sabbath and Rainbow. His solo albums are just as incredible. I can honestly say that I have been a fan since the beginning. I saw Dio in Philadelphia at a little theatre in Downtown Philly with Twisted Sister. A year later he sold out the Spectrum with Twisted Sister again opening the show. Ronnie also sang for Elf in the early to mid 1970's as well as did some vocals on Kerry Livegrin's first solo album.
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1. "Stand
Up and Shout" (3:15) |
 Ronnie James Dio |
One of the all-time greatest heavy metal discs. What makes this album such a masterpiece is that Dio bought the mystical lyrics and showmanship of Black Sabbath and fused it with Rainbow's high spirited rock'n'roll and sense of melody. Mix that with some 80's guitar crunch and Vivian Campbell's firey leads and you have yourself one fine album. There simply isn't a song on this disc that isn't great; from the up tempo opener "Stand Up and Shout," which was just meant to be a concert opener, to the classic mid-tempo title cut, to the classic hit "Rainbow in the Dark". This album was recorded at the Sound City studios in Los Angeles. All the keyboard work on the new project was done by Jimmy Bain, although rumor has it that Dio played some keyboard too. The album went platinum in the United States alone. This and the next three Dio CDs would feature the "classic" lineup of Ronnie James Dio with ex-Rainbow bassist Jimmy Bain, ex-Black Sabbath drummer Vinnie Appice and guitarist Vivian Campbell. Also on board was keyboardist Claude Schnell who had played behind the scenes with Black Sabbath. For some strange reason Claude was never listed as a member but would be with Ronnie for quite some time. Fortunately I was able to see the band on this tour in a small theater outside of Philadelphia with Twisted Sister opening. It was a great show. The success of this album pushed Ronnie to the big stadiums by the next year and when he came around again in '84, again with Twisted Sister, they sold out the Philadelphia Spectrum.
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1. "We
Rock" (4:35) |
 the classic DIO line-up: (L - R) Ronnie James, Vivian Campell, Vinnie Appice & Jimmy Bain |
It must have been hard to follow up an album as strong as "Holy Diver" but "Last in Line" is just as impressive, if not moreso. The title track is one of Dio's best and one of those timeless metal anthems. "I Speed at Night" is one of the faster Dio songs. "Breathless" is a bonified Dio classic.
Saw Dio again on this tour, again with Twisted Sister opening. Together they sold out the Philadelphia Spectrum.
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1.
"Stand Up and Shout" (4:40) |
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This was a very cool find, not only because it's a great show from a classic period in Dio's career, but because I actually attended this concert. I saw Dio the year before at a small club in Philadelphia with Twisted Sister. Only a year later Dio returned the King of Metal, selling out the Spectrum again with Twisted Sister. Every song on this disc is a classic. The sound quality of this boot is quite good, for the most part, as it came from a professionally recorded video. Vivian Campell's guitar solo is awesome and had me wondering why he would be happy just playing rhythm guitar in Def Leppard.
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1."King
of Rock and Roll" [live] (3:49) Hmmm...I suppose this was Ronnie's attempt at commercialism. Ronnie's popularity had grown to epic proportions over the past two albums and I would imagine that the record company was putting a lot of pressure on Ronnie to write some radio friendly stuff like "Rainbow in the Dark." There are a few choice jems on this disc, like "King of Rock and Roll" and "Another Lie." "Hungry for Heaven," a song that was also used in the movie "Vision Quest," was an obvious attempt at recreating "Rainbow in the Dark". Dio's stage show had become outrageous by this point with Ronnie even slaying a giant dragon on stage. He created a video from a show that I was at, "Live at the Spectrum" or something like that. "Shoot, Shoot" is one of the worst Dio songs ever. |
 Jimmy Bain |
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1."King of Rock and
Roll" [live] (3:41) |
 Vinnie Appice, Claude Schnell, Ronnie James, Craig Goldy & Jimmy Bain |
"Intermission" is a live EP that was harder than heck to find on cd. I use to own all Dio's 12" singles. All of them contained a live track on the b-side. I wish Warner Bros. would re-release this live EP with all those b-sides as bonus tracks. Now that would be a great disc. As it stands, this live disc is good, just too short. "Time to Burn" is a new studio track that was sandwiched between the live songs.
Dio - Dream Evil (Warner Bros.) 1987
1."Night People"
(4:06)
2."Dream Evil" (4:26)
3."Sunset Superman" (5:45)
4."All the Fools Sailed Away" (7:10)
5."Naked in the Rain" (5:09)
6."Overlove" (3:26)
7."I Could Have Been a Dreamer" (4:42)
8."Faces in the Window" (3:53)
9."When a Woman Cries" (4:43)
A return to form for Dio, in my opinion. "Dream Evil" is much heavier than "Sacred Heart." The songs have better hooks as well. "Sunset Superman," "Night People" and "All the Fools Sailed Away" are some standout cuts. "Naked in the Rain" is a cool song as well. When I saw Dio in April 2000, he played a few of these songs and they sounded as good as all the older classics. This was about the time Ronnie started to play musical chairs with musicians. Vivian Campbell left, or was kicked out, and went on to play with Whitesnake then on to Def Leppard. The cover art on this album is very cheesy.
Dio - Lock Up the Wolves (Reprise) 1990
| 1."Wild
One" (4:02) 2."Born on the Sun" (5:39) 3."Hey Angel" (4:59) 4."Between Two Hearts" (6:27) 5."Night Music" (5:05) 6."Lock Up the Wolves" (8:30) 7."Evil on Queen Street" (6:01) 8."Walk on Water" (3:42) 9."Twisted" (4:44) 10."Why Are They Watching Me" (5:00) 11."My Eyes" (6:34) |
 Rowan Robertson signature guitar pick. |
"Lock Up the Wolves" features an entirely new line-up: guitarist Rowan Robertson (from England, who was only 17 at the time) , Simon Wright of AC/DC fame and ex-Malmsteen keyboardist Jens Johanssen. Jens would eventually go on to be with Stratovarious. (I'll bet if someone made one of those family trees for Dio, it would be quite large but very interesting.) This disc, despite having one of the coolest covers ever, is just not up to par with all of Dio's past albums. I dunno, itís just sort of forgettable. Without having the CD on, I can only pick out one song that I can even remember, "Hey Angel."
Dio - Diamonds-The Best of Dio (Vertigo) 1992
1."Holy Diver"
(5:51)
2."Rainbow in the Dark" (4:15)
3."Don't Talk to Strangers" (4:53)
4."We Rock" (4:32)
5."The Last in Line" (5:44)
6."Evil Eyes" (3:36)
7."Rock 'N' Roll Children" (4:31)
8."Sacred Heart" (6:24)
9."Hungry for Heaven" (4:09)
10."Hide in the Rainbow" (4:04)
11."Dream Evil" (4:24)
12."Wild One" (4:01)
13."Lock Up the Wolves" (8:30)
I own this cd for one reason; "Hide in the Rainbow" the song from the "Iron Eagle" soundtrack, which I have never seen. Some copies of this disc have a misprint on the back where "Sacred Heart" is listed as "Sacred Children." Well at least they didn't make the same mistake with "Hungry for Children." There is also a cd with similar track listing called "Dio-Anthology."
Dio - Strange Highways (Reprise) 1993
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"Jesus, Mary & The Holy Ghost" (4:13) 2. " Firehead" (4:06) 3. "Strange Highways" (6:54) 4. "Hollywood Black" (5:10) 5. "Evilution" (5:37) 6. "Pain" (4:14) 7. "One Foot in the Grave" (4:01) 8. "Give Her the Gun" (5:58) 9. "Blood from a Stone" (4:14) 10. "Here's to You" (3:24) 11. "Bring Down the Rain" (5:45) |
 Jeff Pilson signature bass pick |
Another new guitarist, Tracy G, who manages to stay with Dio for the next few albums. "Strange Highways" also maked the return of Vinnie Appice. I'm not sure what the deal is, but Dio's studio stuff just isn't what it use to be. The songs are just not as memorable. The one thing I give Dio credit of is that he at least stayed true to himself and didn't sell out to grunge or some other crappy trend when his popularity disintegrated. I am so glad that Dio never did a MTV unplugged album. Anyhow, another killer cover, but the songs are just not his best although this album is slightly better than "Lock Up the Wolves."
I use to own an cd by a band called 8 Ball Cholos called "Satan's Whore" which also featued Tracy G, but I never listened to it, so I traded it off.
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 Ronnie James Dio & Tracy G |
"Angry Machines" is a far better record than I had first given it credit for. The sound here is a bit heavier and darker than earlier Dio albums. There are several standout cuts on this album including the dark, heavy album opener "Institutional Man", as well as cuts like "Hunter of the Heart", "Black" and "Double Monday." Also, album closer "This Is Your Life" is a splendid piano ballad.
On "Angry Machines" guitarist Tracy G manages to grab a few writing credits. Unfortunately many Dio fans felt that guitarist Tracy G didn't quite fit the Dio bill, having a much more "modern" sound than any other guitarist Ronnie had worked with in the past. Perhaps this is true. I know when this CD first came out I wasn't overly impressed with it either. However, with time I've come to enjoy it quite a bit.
This album features another cool CD cover. This would be an album I would like to own on vinyl, for the cover if for nothing else. It's also noteworthy to mention that longtime Dio drummer Vinnie Appice and on-again/off-again Dokken bassist Jeff Pilson fill out the remainder of the Dio line-up for this album.
Dio - Anthology (Polygram) 1997
1. "Holy Diver"
(5:52)
2. "Rainbow In The Dark" (4:14)
3. "Stand Up And Shout" (3:18)
4. "Straight Through The Heart" (4:34)
5. "Last In Line" (5:47)
6. "One Night In The City" (5:16)
7. "We Rock" (4:36)
8. "Egypt (The Chains Are On)" (6:58)
9. "Shoot Shoot" (4:17)
10. "Time To Burn" (4:26)
11. "All The Fools Sailed Away" (7:13)
12. "I Could Have Been A Dreamer" (4:46)
13. "Sunset Superman" (5:46)
14. "Shame On The Night" (5:19)
Yet another Dio 'best of' compilation. "Anthology" is a European import. I picked up this CD in a cut out bin, still sealed for $3. This CD is far from being an extensive anthology of Dio. While the song selection for this compilation is pretty good, almost 1/3 of this CD is made up of tracks from "Holy Diver" and another 1/3 being from "Last in Line". The remaining tracks are taken from "Sacred Heart" and "Dream Evil", which totally ignores anything from the Rowan Robertson or Tracy G years. Also, whoever chose the tracks for this CD missed great songs like "Hungry For Heaven", "Rock and Roll Children" from "Sacred Heart" while managing to include perhaps the worst song Dio ever wrote, "Shoot Shoot". For the most part, with the exception of track 14, the songs are in chronological order. A part two to this anthology was released in 2001 and includes the rest of the tracks from "Holy Diver".
Dio-Inferno: Last in Live (Mayhem) 1998
| DISC
ONE 1."Intro" (1:36) 2."Jesus, Mary & Holy Ghost" (3:27) 3."Straight Through the Heart" (5:47) 4."Don't Talk to Strangers" (6:02) 5."Holy Diver" (4:59) 6."Drum Solo" (4:01) 7."Heaven and Hell" (7:29) 8."Double Monday" (3:18) 9."Stand Up and Shout" (4:08) 10."Hunter of the Heart" (5:15) |
DISC
2 1."Mistreated/Catch the Rainbow" (10:11) 2."Tracy G-Guitar Solo" (3:38) 3."The Last in Line" (6:54) 4."Rainbow in the Dark" (4:56) 5."The Mob Rules" (3:37) 6."Man on the Silver Mountain" (2:11) 7."Long Live Rock and Roll" (4:14) 8."We Rock" (5:40) |
 Larry Dennison signature bass pick. |
Obviously Ronnie knows what his fans want to hear as his live set comprises almost completely of early material. Dio delivers five songs from "Holy Diver," two from "Last in Line," plus a few classics from Black Sabbath and Rainbow . I sort of wish he would have included some material from "Dream Evil" rather than Deep Purple's "Mistreated." Also, Vinnie Appice's drum solo is rather simple. For some reason, I remember him doing a better drum solo than this. In any case, this is a good live album. While Dio's recent studio efforts have not been his best work, there is no question that he is still a stellar live performer.
Dio - Magica (Spitfire) 2000
1. "Discovery"
(:54)
2. "Magica Theme" [instrumental] (1:16)
3. "Lord of the Last Day" (4:04)
4. "Fever Dreams" (4:37)
5. "Turn to Stone" (5:19)
6. "Feed My Head" (5:39)
7. "Ebeil" (7:22)
8. "Challis" (4:01)
9. "As Long as It's Not About Love" (6:28)
10. "Losing My Insanity" (5:04)
11. "Otherworld" (4:56)
12. "Magica" [reprise] (1:53)
13. "Lord of the Last Day" [reprise] (1:44)
14. "Magica Story" (18:21)
I dunno, maybe it's nastalgia, maybe it's that I'm a Dio diehard, but I love this disc. Bought it new the day it came out. Listened to it over and over again as I had a ticket to see Dio at a local bar and I wanted to be familiar with the new disc. Good thing I did as he played the ENTIRE DISC from start to finish. Thankfully, it did not included track #14 which is Dio telling the story of Magica. Never have made it all the way through it. Magica is the first Dio concept disc and is a sci-fi tale of good (Blessing) vs. evil (Evilsyde). "Magica" marked the return of bassist Jimmy Bain as well as guitarist Craig Gouldy and ex-AC/DC drummer Simon Wright . Tracy G apparently was asked to play second guitarist to Craig, but refused and stepped down. Hmm, probably was a wise decision. Check out the Tribute section for the Dio tribute.
Dio has also appeared on the Aersomith tribute cd, "Not the Same Old Song & Dance" singing "Dream On" with Yngwie Malmsteen on guitar.
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 Ronnie James Dio 2002 (hey did he borrow that shirt from Alice Cooper?) |
I was anxious to get this new disc after thoroughly enjoying Dio's last studio disc "Magica." However, as good as that disc was, "Killing the Dragon" is without a doubt his best disc since "Dream Evil." I'd even be so bold as to say that "Killing the Dragon" is Dio's best disc since "Holy Diver". Yes, it's that good! The writing team of Ronnie James Dio and Jimmy Bain back in place. "Killing the Dragon" is full of galloping, gothic heavy metal with Dio's signature voice wailing along. Every song on this disc is as good as the next, a feat that Dio has not accomplished since those early days after Black Sabbath. The first three tracks alone had me wanting to replay this disc over and over within the first few weeks of owning it. "Scream" sounds like it could easily have been written for "Holy Diver" yet at the same time sounds fresh and new. "Better in the Dark", "Rock 'n Roll", "Guilty", "Along Comes the Spider" and the album's first single "Push" are all excellent Dio compositions. "Rock 'n Roll" in particular seems to have a quality to it that reminds me of "Last in Line" or even some of the better material from "Sacred Heart." Overall, the music is heavy and catchy, Ronnie's voice is strong and his vocal melodies are parallel to his best work with Sabbath, Rainbow or Dio, which is saying alot. I suppose some will accuse Dio of just reinventing the wheel or living in the past. However, I could care less whether Ronnie is on the cutting edge of modern music or not. I'd much rather hear Ronnie do what he does best, and he certainly does that on ""Killing the Dragon."
One thing I found odd about this disc was the absence of guitarist Craig Gouldy, who I had thought was still with Dio and who had recorded on "Magica". While Gouldy does have some writing credits on "Killing the Dragon" new guitarist Doug Aldrich is credited with all the guitar work and takes some of the songwriting credits as well. Doug pulls of some fine guitar solos on this disc. Drummer Simon Wright is back for another go however, along with legendary bassist Jimmy Bain. Dio is touring the U.S. opening for Deep Purple and the Scorpions to promote this disc. I would love to see him build his audience back up again and return as the reigning dragon slayer he was in the 80's.
Dio - Master of the Moon (Sanctuary) 2004 1. "One More For The Road" (3:17) 2. "Master Of The Moon" (4:19) 3. "The End Of The World" (4:39) 4. "Shivers" (4:16) 5. "The Man Who Would Be King" (4:59) 6. "The Eyes" (6:27) 7. "Living The Lie" (4:26) 8. "I Am" (5:00) 9. "Death By Love" (4:22) 10. "In Dreams" (4:26) |
 Ronnie James 2004 |
Dio returns in 2004 with yet another metal monster, and a good follow-up the the equally monsterous "Killing the Dragon". The difference, however, is that "Master of the Moon" returns to the slower, doomier style present on "Magica." Instead of being more upbeat like "Push" the material present here is all of slower tempo. This will probably put some people off, especially those who seem to feel that it's not metal unless it's played 100mph. As for me, I tend to think metal is far more diverse than this rigid definition. Besides, Dio is the very definition of metal. Album lead-off track "One More For the Road" is one of the more upbeat tracks, and sounds like the perfect track for the opening of the Master of the Moon Tour! This song is typical of Dio, with is heavy riffs, haunting vocals and Craig Goldy's shredding leads. There are a couple of songs like "The Man Who Would Be King" and "The Eyes" that are much slower than anything I remember Dio doing in the past. These songs are more typical of doom metal with their slow, crunching riffs. Honestly, I could see these two songs fitting on a Black Sabbath album. Even the title track has a slow, eerie feel to it. The majority of the material, however is of the mid-paced variety with Dio's signature elf wail layered on top. Several songs features the keyboards very prominently, although never so that the guitar riffs is lost. Rather the keys are used more as effects, not unlike how the keys were used in Dio's timeless hit "Rainbow in the Dark." This works so well in tracks like "Shiver" where the keys really add to the emotion of the song. Likewise, "The Eyes" has a cool guitar effect in it that adds to the overall feel of the song. I must confess that unlike previous Dio efforts, this one is a grower. While the doomier feel threw me for a loop with the first listen, I found myself listening over and over again and enjoying it more and more with each listen. It's also worth mentioning that once again, this album features one of Ronnie James Dio's finest line-ups, including Craig Goldy - guitars, Jeff Pilson - bass, Scott Warren - keyboards and Simon Wright - drums.
Dio - Evil or Divine: Live in New York City (Spitfire Records) 2005
1. "Killing the Dragon"
(5:06)
2. "Egypt/Children of the Sea" (7:56)
3. "Push" (3:53)
4. "Stand Up and Shout" (3:36)
5. "Rock and Roll" (5:11)
6. "Don't Talk to Strangers" (5:48)
7. "Man on the Silver Mountain" (2:24)
8. "Guitar Solo" (9:06)
9. "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)
I am very glad that Spitfire decided to release this DVD on CD. While live videos are cool, I tend to watch them only once in a blue moon, whereas I listen to CDs over and over again. I saw Dio on this tour, and just about every tour he's done. Dio is spectacular live. He has never let me down, and this CD is a testament to that fact. Both the newer tracks, as well as the old fan favorites are all performed with Dio's usual, robust, energy. The band is tight, including shredder Doug Aldrich. His guitar solo is quite good. Ronnie's band this time around was longtime bassist Jimmy Bain, guitarist Doug Aldrich, drummer Simon Wright and Scott Warren on keyboards. Nothing more to really add, except to mention that the production is good as well and this concert was recorded live on 12/13/02 at the Roseland Ballroom in NYC. This is a disc any Dio die-hard shouldn't be without.
Dio - Holy Diver Live (Eagle) 2006
DISC ONE
1. "Stand Up And Shout" (4:33)
2. "Holy Diver" (4:46)
3. "Gypsy/drum solo" (9:46)
4. "Caught In The Middle" (4:51)
5. "Don't Talk To Strangers" (5:11)
6. "Straight Through The Heart" (4:37)
7. "Invisible" (5:17)
8. "Rainbow In The Dark" (4:46)
9. "Shame On The Night/guitar solo" (16:52)
DISC TWO
1. "Tarot Woman" (6:53)
2. "Sign Of The Southern Cross" (3:21)
3. "One Night In The City" (6:10)
4. "The Gates Of Babylon" (8:23)
5. "Heaven And Hell" (11:25)
6. "Man On The Silver Mountain" (4:14)
7. "Long Live Rock 'N' Roll" ( 6:14)
8. "We Rock" (6:21)
I'm a sucker for live recordings. They capture a raw magic that a studio recording cannot capture. Perhaps this is a product of growing up in the 1970's when live albums were very popular. "Holy Diver Live" captures Dio and his band live in front of a sold-out crowd at London's Astoria in 2005. For this show Dio played the entire "Holy Diver" album in it's entirety. I would have loved to have been at this show. I had seen Dio in 2000 when he played the entire "Magica" album in it's entirety and I love it. This show is no different. Unfortunately Dio's vocals on this album sound a bit tired. I had read reviews on-line that stated things like, "At 64 years old RJD is showing his age" and "RJD just can't sing anymore". This is just false. These people obviously have not experienced Dio live in recent years. Dio has lost none of his power with age. Rather, I think this CD captures Dio on a night where he was tired or not feeling well. He doesn't sound terrible, but I also know this CD doesn't represent what Ronnie can sound like live. Still, this CD captures a moment in time. Raw, edgy and heavy! This is Dio live and as a fan, I can't ask for more than that.
Related
Collections:
Elf | Rainbow
| Black Sabbath | Tributes
| Kerry Livegrin
Dio - The Last in Line (Warner Bros.) 1984
Dio - A Special from the Spectrum (CDR bootleg)
Dio - Sacred Heart (Warner Bros.) 1985
Dio - Intermission (Warner Bros.) 1986
Dio - Angry Machines (Mayhem) 1996
Dio - Killing the Dragon (Spitfire) 2002