The Ronnie James DIO thread

[chaossystem]

I did some searching, and am somewhat surprised that this doesn't already exist.

There is some mention of his work on the Rainbow and Black Sabbath threads, and while I have no problem with discussing his over-all body of work,
even going back to the Elf days, I would like to request that we mainly focus on the period of time from 1983 (Holy Diver), to just before his death (Neon Nights: 30 Years of Heaven & Hell)

Also if any of have stories about having met him, gotten to know him, or making-of stories about any of the projects he was involved with.

We can also do critiques of his albums, DVDs, or just individual songs, Pro or con. Good or bad.

I just think he had one of the greatest voices in music, and was a very gifted lyricist, as well as having worked with some of the world's most talented musicians.

Not everything he did was perfect, or even great, but I think that every time he "jumped the shark" he pretty much always found a way to bounce back.

I hope this thread generates enough interest to be around for a while.

[jjrock88]

I'm interested in this thread; Dio rules!!

[bl5150]

There's been plenty of Dio discussion on DTF , including the Hard Rock/Classic Metal thread but you're right..........if anyone deserves his own thread on a metal site it's RJD.

[Mladen]

One of my all time favorite singers. His work in Sabbath is fantastic, I love some of the Rainbow stuff, and as far as his solo career goes, there are a lot of really classic metal tunes in there. Just yesterday I gave a spin to some songs from The Devil you know, it's a fantastic swan song of an album. I've been meaning to return to Strange highways for a while now, something tells me I'd probably enjoy it more now than I did years ago.

[jjrock88]

If someone was looking for the defining metal albums, I don't you could go wrong with H&H, Mob Rules, Rising, Holy Diver or LIL. Just classics of the genre.

Dio lost me a bit with Angry Machines & Magica. Still decent albums but I never understood the glowing reviews for Magica

[Bertielee]

Didn't follow him in recent years, but he sang on so many good songs that I have difficulty remembering them. What pipes he had! He used to be my favorite singer for a long time.

B.Lee

[TAC]

Well, it took over 700 of them, but we finally have a post from chaossystem that makes sense!

j/k

Awesome OP!

[Evermind]

Yeah, both Heaven And Hell and Rising made my Top 10, and I had Holy Diver in my Top 50 too. I love Dio's voice. Some of his solo stuff is a bit of miss for me, but he was brilliant with both Rainbow and Sabbath, and The Devil You Know rocks too.

Great idea for a thread.

[jjrock88]

The Devil You Know is a fantastic release

[Calvin6s]

Favorite Dio era is probably the 1st Craig Goldy era, but I haven't really tried to get into the last few Dio albums (the 2nd or 3rd Goldy era).

Never met RJ Dio, but I got to know Craig Goldy really well in the 90s.  Goldy loved the crap out of Dio.  Almost every Craig Goldy story (in person at least) about his relationship with RJD began "so I was over at Ronnie's house, smoking his pot, when ..."  (and I didn't betray a confidence there.  He says this with massive pride.)  Dio was more or less his father figure.

Not to go too far off track, but DT fans would probably get a kick out of Goldy's solo albums.  But don't get the first one:  Craig Goldy's Ritual.  When he heard I bought that one, he said "sorry about that one.  Don't judge me by that one."  But Insufficient Therapy, Better Late than Never and the unofficial 13th floor are some of my all time favorite albums.

BTW, anybody ever watch Vivian Campbell's 1980s guitar instructional video?  This was right after he left Dio but before Def Leppard.  So he was showing off his licks from Dio albums and saying "back when I was in Dio" and he said it so much that you felt like you could read his mind thinking "Why the heck did I leave Dio?  Get me a time machine, please."

[TAC]

Favorite Dio era is probably the 1st Craig Goldy era,

That's a pretty short era!
One album and a tour and a half.

I love Dream Evil, but I found Goldy so vanilla after Vivian. Goldy just does not stand out to me in any way. There's just nothing memorable about his playing.

Now I would've loved to hear another album with Rowan Robertson. They made a great team on Lock Up The Wolves, which has aged so incredibly well.

The Devil You Know is a fantastic release

Yeah it is. I'm not in love with every song, but Dio sounds so great on this as he did on that final tour. I was happy for him because vocally he seemed to have been struggling for a few years. It was as if God gave his voice its power back for one more go 'round.

And Neon Knights: Live In Europe is one of my favorite live albums. What a great document of that tour.

[jjrock88]

Favorite Dio era is probably the 1st Craig Goldy era,

That's a pretty short era!
One album and a tour and a half.

I love Dream Evil, but I found Goldy so vanilla after Vivian. Goldy just does not stand out to me in any way. There's just nothing memorable about his playing.

Now I would've loved to hear another album with Rowan Robertson. They made a great team on Lock Up The Wolves, which has aged so incredibly well.

The Devil You Know is a fantastic release

Yeah it is. I'm not in love with every song, but Dio sounds so great on this as he did on that final tour. I was happy for him because vocally he seemed to have been struggling for a few years. It was as if God gave his voice its power back for one more go 'round.

And Neon Knights: Live In Europe is one of my favorite live albums. What a great document of that tour.

Live in Europe and the New York DVD/CD are two of my favorites

[TAC]

The NY one is very cool, but his vocals aren't in the same league as the Europe show. And the boots for each tour bear it out too. I just think there was something Special at play there.

[chaossystem]

Yeah, both Heaven And Hell and Rising made my Top 10, and I had Holy Diver in my Top 50 too. I love Dio's voice. Some of his solo stuff is a bit of miss for me, but he was brilliant with both Rainbow and Sabbath, and The Devil You Know rocks too.

Great idea for a thread.

I'm surprised no one beat me to it.

I think part of the problem might have been that in Rainbow and Sabbath they had really good composers (music writers) that just weren't there with the Dio band.

And sometimes the musicianship wasn't quite there, either.

But I still think the Dio band put out some of the best music that existed during that period of time. Especially those first few albums.

[TAC]

Great idea for a thread.

I'm surprised no one beat me to it.

I'm almost positive we had a Dio thread a few years ago, but it's great to have an active one.

I think part of the problem might have been that in Rainbow and Sabbath they had really good composers (music writers) that just weren't there with the Dio band.

And sometimes the musicianship wasn't quite there, either.

Yeah, that's a couple of great points.

Just look at the guitarists he's associated with in his solo band. Goldy and Aldrich are both so unmemorable in their playing. Tracy G at least had a style. It sucked, but he was at least recognizable. And Like I said before, Rowan had a great style that really seemed to fit with Dio.

[chaossystem]

Favorite Dio era is probably the 1st Craig Goldy era,

That's a pretty short era!
One album and a tour and a half.

I love Dream Evil, but I found Goldy so vanilla after Vivian. Goldy just does not stand out to me in any way. There's just nothing memorable about his playing.

Now I would've loved to hear another album with Rowan Robertson. They made a great team on Lock Up The Wolves, which has aged so incredibly well.

The Devil You Know is a fantastic release

Yeah it is. I'm not in love with every song, but Dio sounds so great on this as he did on that final tour. I was happy for him because vocally he seemed to have been struggling for a few years. It was as if God gave his voice its power back for one more go 'round.

And Neon Knights: Live In Europe is one of my favorite live albums. What a great document of that tour.

There are some good songs on Dream Evil, But I agree that Craig Goldy's playing is a little bland compared to Campbell's.

I also really like Tracy G., especially on Strange Highways.

Never really got to know Rowen Robertson, outside of the "Wolves" album.

Not that there weren't some great songs on those first few Sabbath albums with Ozzy, but I think most people would have to agree that Ronnie had, by far, the better voice. He pretty much saved that band, and he never lost that voice, right up until the end.

[TAC]

I don't think anyone got to know Rowan outside of Wolves. Too bad, I thought he was awesome. The last great Dio album.

Strange Highways isn't that bad. But I remember after Wolves, Dio Dehumanized for a couple of years and then Strange Highways suddenly appeared, but was only available as an Import.
I didn't think it was worth the wait at the time, but it has aged pretty well. WTF happened with Angry Machines?? Horrible!

[chaossystem]

BTW, anybody ever watch Vivian Campbell's 1980s guitar instructional video?  This was right after he left Dio but before Def Leppard.  So he was showing off his licks from Dio albums and saying "back when I was in Dio" and he said it so much that you felt like you could read his mind thinking "Why the heck did I leave Dio?  Get me a time machine, please."

There's a video of Ronnie on Youtube, where I think he was signing autographs, and someone asked him about Vivian Campbell. He said pretty much the same thing I would have said, but since I'm sure there are some Def Leppard fans on here, I'm not going to repeat it.

[TAC]

BTW, anybody ever watch Vivian Campbell's 1980s guitar instructional video?  This was right after he left Dio but before Def Leppard.  So he was showing off his licks from Dio albums and saying "back when I was in Dio" and he said it so much that you felt like you could read his mind thinking "Why the heck did I leave Dio?  Get me a time machine, please."

There's a video of Ronnie on Youtube, where I think he was signing autographs, and someone asked him about Vivian Campbell. He said pretty much the same thing I would have said, but since I'm sure there are some Def Leppard fans on here, I'm not going to repeat it.

That video is a classic!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOwZBo8FQvo

[chaossystem]

I don't think anyone got to know Rowan outside of Wolves. Too bad, I thought he was awesome. The last great Dio album.

Strange Highways isn't that bad. But I remember after Wolves, Dio Dehumanized for a couple of years and then Strange Highways suddenly appeared, but was only available as an Import.
I didn't think it was worth the wait at the time, but it has aged pretty well. WTF happened with Angry Machines?? Horrible!

"Dehumanized." That's funny.

He had said many times in  interviews that he wanted to finish his career with Black Sabbath. But that second time in the early '90s there was a huge problem with Iommi and Butler wanting to reunite with Ozzy, or wanting Dio/Sabbath to open for Ozzy's band, and nobody wanting to do what anybody else wanted, which resulted in a huge fluster-cuck that I think Ronnie was probably right to walk away from.

I didn't know that Strange Highways was originally only available as an import.

I really like Hunter of the Heart, and a couple of other songs from Angry Machines, but other than that I would have to agree that it is his worst album.

[jjrock88]

Angry Machines is for sure his worst album, not really Dio sounding

[TAC]

I like Don't Tell The Kids, Dying In America, and This Is Your Life.

[chaossystem]

There's a video of Ronnie on Youtube, where I think he was signing autographs, and someone asked him about Vivian Campbell. He said pretty much the same thing I would have said, but since I'm sure there are some Def Leppard fans on here, I'm not going to repeat it.

Yep.

That's the one.

Wow!

I didn't remember it being that HARSH.

I would like to know what happened to cause such burning anger and hatred.

That video is a classic!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOwZBo8FQvo

[Calvin6s]

Damn.  Dio unleashed.

[Calvin6s]

Craig Goldy's playing bland?  Have you heard Goldy's song Final Solution?  It is borderline progressive.

I also like Tracy G.  I absolutely love Jesus, Mary and the Holy Ghost.  And I liked him on WWIII

[TAC]

I also like Tracy G.  I absolutely love Jesus, Mary and the Holy Ghost. 

GREAT tune!

Craig Goldy's playing bland? 

Yes! In Dio? Yes!

Have you heard Goldy's song Final Solution?  It is borderline progressive.

Will check out.

[Jaq]

Craig Goldy's playing in Giuffria was better than anything he did for Dio.

I know, them's fighting words 

[bl5150]

I don't mind Goldy and I find Aldrich very easily recognisable...........that doesn't make him memorable.   I think he's a ridiculously strong player who tend to fall back on the same legato runs over an over.  I prefer his playing on the Lion and Bad Moon Rising stuff.

Lock Up The Wolves is the Dio album I grew up with and so I tend to rate it higher than most.  Half of it is Black Sabbathy plodders which I can take or leave but the more regular paced songs..........whew.......Rowan slays it and they're some of my fave Dio songs.  Walk On Water,Wild One, Hey Angel, WHy Are They Watching Me etc...

[Calvin6s]

Craig Goldy's playing in Giuffria was better than anything he did for Dio.

I know, them's fighting words 

blech Giuffria.  One of the biggest piece of crap bands I've ever heard.

For the record, I was a mild Dio fan at best pre-Goldy.  Goldy more or less made me give Dio a second shot.  It wasn't that I didn't like Dio, I just didn't find it all that ground breaking save a few songs.  We Rock's rhythm is pretty awesome.  But the whole "ride the tiger" lyrics always made me cringe.

[chaossystem]

I said that I thought Craig Goldy's playing was a LITTLE bland, but only by way of comparison to what Campbell did on those first few albums.

I didn't say I thought he SUCKED.

But I do think it's strange that someone would more or less overlook that period of time and be more focused on the "post-Campbell" period, not that Dream Evil didn't also have some good songs on it.

But we all have differing tastes and opinions.

I also remember, during that period of time reading an interview that Dio did for some rock magazine, where he referred to Vivian Campbell as being "an extra in Whitesnake." Almost like he was dismissing them with contempt.

Apparently he didn't like either of those two bands any more than I do.

Another example of differences would be that if you are on the previously mentioned interview, and you link over to the one that says "brutally honest," towards the end of it, he refers to side 2 of Rainbow Rising (Stargazer and A Light in the Black) as being '"a self-indulgent piece of shit."
Now I don't agree with that. I like both of those songs.

[bl5150]

Stargazer is the only song I love on Rising - that song IS Rising for me 

[jjrock88]

Stargazer is the only song I love on Rising - that song IS Rising for me 

I love everything on Rising

[chaossystem]

I really like Tarot Woman and Run with the Wolf, as well.

[jjrock88]

I really like Tarot Woman and Run with the Wolf, as well.

I would say "Lady of the Lake" is my favorite Dio era Rainbow tune

[bl5150]

I would say "Lady of the Lake" is my favorite Dio era Rainbow tune

I do like that one    - one of the few albums from the 70's that stands up for me.  Like almost everything from that period it sounds like it was recorded in the 60's compared to Van Halen 1 though