Your first album with Dio on vocals

[bosk1]

So, I guess there are actualy two questions:  (1) The one in the poll (What era did your first album come from?); and (2) When did you buy it?  The answers may be different if, for example, you just really discovered Dio after hearing the news about his passing and went out and bought Last In Line, or something like that.

For me, I remember seeing the video on MTV for Rainbow in the Dark and then hearing Holy Diver on the radio when I was in 7th and 8th grade.  Had to go and buy that album back when it was new.  I remember our "senior picknic" just before 8th grade graduation.  This was in the era where people listened to music on "ghetto blasters"--those big portable stereos people would carry around on one shoulder.  This one kid brought one and was playing Holy Diver over and over and over.  That was a good time.  Not long after that, I dug back into the Sabbath albums as well.  But Holy Diver was the first.

Anyhow, I know there are quite a few old-school fans and quite a few newer ones as well, so I thought this poll would be fun.

[ehra]

Mob Rules was my first Dio album. I probably first listened to it when I was about 13? I had been digging through my dad's stuff and found it. Rocked my face off.

[Zydar]

I bought a Rainbow compilation CD about 10 years ago, so that's my first experience of Dio.

[King Postwhore]

My cousin had the first 3 rainbow albums so I would sit in his house and listen to them.  My first album I owned by Dio was the first album and like you bosk1 MTV had a huge influence on me buying it.

[lonestar]

I remember listening to Rainbow Rising on 8 track in my brothers Charger on the way to school. LOL I'm old.

[Dublagent66]

Dio - The Last in Line (cassette)

[PlaysLikeMyung]

Some Rainbow album my dad had

[lonestar]

Dio - The Last in Line (cassette)

Damn kids and their dang new devices!!!!

[Jakartabassplayer]

The album heaven and hell by Black Sabbath

I WAS BLOWN AWAY BY THE VOCALS
true story

i bought the cd about a year ago and the vinyl about a month ago.
I also own rainbow's long live rock 'n' roll and rising on vinyl

[TimmyHiggy]

I remember hearing a Dio-era sabbath song (not sure which one it was) when I was about 14 and thinking "That is EVIL!!!". Looked into him, did a bit of research, bought Rising and Heaven and Hell in same trip. Never looked back since!!

[Nick]

The first album I owned with Dio on vocals is The Last in Line I think. I actually don't own any of the Rainbow albums with him on them, or any of the original Sabbath albums with him. The strange thing about that is I have many of the Ozzy era Sabbath albums and two Joe Lynn Turner era Rainbow albums. However I do have the new Heaven and Hell live set and it was amazing what the man can still do.

For Bosk's 2nd question, I think I bought Last in Line at least 3-4 years ago, probably sometime in 2006 I'd say.

[MykeHavoc]

I think it was the Rhino Compilation of everything, featuring Elf, Rainbow, Sabbath and Dio tracks. I then filled in my collection from there. Still a little light (the guy has put out like 40 albums of music) but with time I will close the gap. I'm leaving Angry Machines for last

[Zantera]

I think i first heard Holy Diver on the radio, or if it was a "best rock songs"-cd or something like that.
However, i don't think i knew it was Dio until several years later.
I voted for Heaven & Hell, because it was just a few years ago when they released the live-album that i heard them, and Dio.

[Samsara]

My first Dio album was Black Sabbath's Dehumanizer. I bought it probably in 2006, as my first Sabbath record. I figured the time was right to do that, particularly since they had got together to be Sabbath again under the Heaven and Hell moniker.

I picked up all the Dio-era Sabbath (including H&H, which IS Sabbath) after that, and also The Very Beast of Dio to give me a rundown of his solo career.

Of course, "nu-Queensryche" wasted Dio's apperance on a shit song from Operation:Mindcrime II. And now, just in the past year I've picked up the Rainbow albums with him on them.

Such a travesty. I was hoping to see Dio solo in the next couple of years for the first time...

[LudwigVan]

I bought Last In Line when it first came out

I still have my vinyls of Heaven and Hell, Mob Rules, Holy Diver and Last in Line. More recently I picked up his Rainbow stuff. 

[Mladen]

The first one was Rainbow Rising. Then I listened to his entire solo discography. Then I moved onto the three Black Sabbath albums, then the two remaining Rainbow studio albums, then Trying to burn the sun by Elf, and then The Devil you know.

Wow, that's quite a memory I've got there. 

[El Barto]

Dio - The Last in Line (cassette)

Damn kids and their dang new devices!!!!

LOL, I'm young. 

It took me a while to remember the answer.  I was just watching the Spectrum concert out in the shop and remember seeing the We Rock video and immediately buying the tape.  So the answer would be Last in Line around 84/85.

[Gadough]

Mine was Heaven and Hell, and I have to say that I'm surprised only two other people voted that so far.

I had gotten the Black Box and after listening to all the Ozzy stuff for a while I decided I wanted to branch out and was told Heaven and Hell was the best non-Ozzy Sabbath album. So I picked it up and loved it.

Neon Knights being my favorite song with Dio, his vocals are especially powerful there.  

Edit: I think I may have misunderstood the poll. Heh.

[wolfking]

I clicked Heaven and Hell but meant to pick Black Sabbath. 

[SPNKr]

^^ Damn.
Well for me I had Paranoid and maybe the debut, can't remember exactly, and this was back in early April last year. So I got more curious about the band and tried out Heaven And Hell, I liked it enough to get Mob Rules. I extended the amount I had of Sabbath at that time then The Devil You Know was soon to be released, and since Iommi is in the band there I got excited and bought it.
In short:
Heaven And Hell
Mob Rules
The Devil You Know (on CD)
Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow
Holy Diver
The Last In Line
Rising (CD)

Stargazer FTW!

[wolfking]

My first experience with Dio was when I was about 13 years old (I'm almost 26 now).  My new guitar teacher who I had for about a month was a total metal head, a true rocker.  I was starting to get into stuff like Malmsteen and Maiden and he made me a mix tape as I was the only one of his students that was showing so much interest in metal.  It had stuff like Motorhead, Maiden, Malmsteen, Jason Becker, Satriani, Vai, Judas Priest, Lizzy Borden etc.  It also had Computer God by Black Sabbath.  I listen to it over and over again, the tape was almost worn out, it was an amazing experience for me.  Tony's riffs and the sheer power of Dio's voice hooked me.  After saving up pocket money I bought Heaven and Hell and a copy of Dehumanizer, the rest is history.

[The Curious Orange]

I have an older cousin who was into metal, and she played me some Rainbow when I was a kid. I bought the "Best of Rainbow" compilation shortly after.

[TAC]

In the 7th grade, I convinced my parents to let me join the Columbia House Record & Tape club.
In that initial haul, I got the Heaven & Hell 8 track. I was familiar with Iron Man, and grabbed the first Black Sabbath title I saw. I thought, geez, who's thins singing, it doesn't sound like Iron Man, but it was the perfect album. I bought the follow up Mob Rules a year later.

In the summer of 82 (right before I started high school) I got my first Rainbow cassette. I traded my Zep II to my older cousin for On Stage.

The first time I saw Dio was 8/20/84, the Last In Line tour.

[CrimsonSunrise]

Rainbow Live on Stage.  Although, I had heard parts of Heaven and Hell when it came out.  The light in my head didn't quite register the ferocity of his vocals till I got into the Rainbow live album.

[Dublagent66]

Dio - The Last in Line (cassette)

Damn kids and their dang new devices!!!!

Yeah, no doubt.  What cassettes were back then, CD's are now.

[TAC]

..and what Walkmans were them, iPods are now!

[Jamesman42]

I don't really know how I should answer the questions in the OP.

I first heard Stargazer before any other Dio stuff. That song blew me away. Still does. It's timeless.

My friend burned me some H&H CD's and they rocked my face off.

I am very glad to say I saw H&H front row center a few years ago. One of my favorite concert experiences and Dio even looked and pointed at me as I took a picture of him doing so with my camera phone while singing one of their more popular songs. I lost the picture, though.

[Orbert]

I voted for "Black Sabbath (not Heaven & Hell)" but I'm not even sure what that means.  I have Heaven & Hell on vinyl, and it was the first album I bought with Dio on vocals.

[Zydar]

"Black Sabbath (not Heaven & Hell)" means the BS albums Heaven And Hell, Mob Rules, and Dehumanizer. The other H & H option is the band that released The Devil You Know under the Heaven And Hell name (Iommi, Dio, Butler, Appice).

[El Barto]

I am very glad to say I saw H&H front row center a few years ago. One of my favorite concert experiences and Dio even looked and pointed at me as I took a picture of him doing so with my camera phone while singing one of their more popular songs. I lost the picture, though.

During the Sacred Heart tour, my young self was hanging on to the barricade and taking pictures whenever the FoH security guys weren't looking.  At one point, in between songs, he walked right up to me and did the click-click motion for me to take a picture.  He did the classic pose with the hunched up shoulders and the two horns and I took the pictures.  I was so fucking stunned and unprepared that I neglected to turn off the telephoto, so what came out when the roll was developed was a picture of about 12% of his face, with one enormous bloodshot eye in the middle.    Sadly, that picture is gone, but I took the one that now adorns my sig at the same time, and it's a pretty nice pose, as well.

[ShadowWalker]

I picked Black Sabbath because the first album I ever purchased with Dio on it was Black Sabbath - The Dio Years. But would that be considered part of the Heaven & Hell era?

I think the poll question needed a bit more refinement.

[Orbert]

"Black Sabbath (not Heaven & Hell)" means the BS albums Heaven And Hell, Mob Rules, and Dehumanizer. The other H & H option is the band that released The Devil You Know under the Heaven And Hell name (Iommi, Dio, Butler, Appice).

Ah, that makes sense.  But it probably would've been fine without the parentheses.  I think of the Black Sabbath lineup with Dio as "the Dio lineup" or maybe "the Heaven & Hell lineup" but either way, it was a legitimate Black Sabbath lineup so that would've been okay as a poll choice.

I thought it was pretty cool when they reformed as Heaven and Hell.  It made perfect sense, and they didn't have to deal with any shit they might get by calling it Black Sabbath ("It ain't real Sabbath without Ozzy, man!")

[TAC]

"Black Sabbath (not Heaven & Hell)" means the BS albums Heaven And Hell, Mob Rules, and Dehumanizer. The other H & H option is the band that released The Devil You Know under the Heaven And Hell name (Iommi, Dio, Butler, Appice).

Ah, that makes sense.  But it probably would've been fine without the parentheses.  I think of the Black Sabbath lineup with Dio as "the Dio lineup" or maybe "the Heaven & Hell lineup" but either way, it was a legitimate Black Sabbath lineup so that would've been okay as a poll choice.

I thought it was pretty cool when they reformed as Heaven and Hell.  It made perfect sense, and they didn't have to deal with any shit they might get by calling it Black Sabbath ("It ain't real Sabbath without Ozzy, man!")

Plus they could do things like Falling Off The Edge Of The World and Die Young instead od Iron Man and Paranoid.

[Orbert]

Ha ha, true!  They really were a different band.

[Jamesman42]

I am very glad to say I saw H&H front row center a few years ago. One of my favorite concert experiences and Dio even looked and pointed at me as I took a picture of him doing so with my camera phone while singing one of their more popular songs. I lost the picture, though.

During the Sacred Heart tour, my young self was hanging on to the barricade and taking pictures whenever the FoH security guys weren't looking.  At one point, in between songs, he walked right up to me and did the click-click motion for me to take a picture.  He did the classic pose with the hunched up shoulders and the two horns and I took the pictures.  I was so fucking stunned and unprepared that I neglected to turn off the telephoto, so what came out when the roll was developed was a picture of about 12% of his face, with one enormous bloodshot eye in the middle.    Sadly, that picture is gone, but I took the one that now adorns my sig at the same time, and it's a pretty nice pose, as well.

That's amazing. Dio is such a cool guy. I like the pic.