Ronnie James Dio appreciation

[mojo pixy]

To save from totally derailing another thread, I decided to begin one dedicated to a singer whose recorded legacy is not vast, but whose influence on an entire genre of music is massive and continues to resonate years after his death. Wherever guitars get turned up to 11, wherever there are double kick drums and dustbin lids as cymbals, wherever there's a bass that makes your arse quake .. the singer will probably want to sound like this guy: I'm talking of course, of Ronnie James Dio.

He had a great voice (that voice, actually) and was a decent songwriter who collaborated well. People who worked with him always praised his work ethic, professionalism and good humour, and he was widely if not universally liked in the industry.

When he died, the Rolling Stone obituary began: It wasn't just his mighty pipes that made him Ronnie James Dio — it was his moral fervor. With Black Sabbath classics like "Heaven and Hell," or Eighties solo classics like "Holy Diver" and "The Last in Line," what always stood out was Dio's raging compassion for the lost rock & roll children in his audience, his fiercely anti-clerical religiosity, his hatred for the kings and queens who blind our eyes and steal our dreams.

But all of this, if I'm honest, is just an excuse to post the best "Rock and Roll!" in recorded music, about 6 seconds in, courtesy of a musical hero...

 

[Ming]

First gig i ever saw was Dio at the Liverpool Empire (with Queensryche supporting) on The Last In Line tour. Just amazing. And that voice...(i think he created the devil's horns hand sign).

 

[Spandex]

Holy Diver is one of the greatest metal albums of the 80s, and since the 80s were the greatest decade fror metal, that puts it up there. It's easily the equal of the first two Maiden albums (though it came out the same year as their third, which continues to overshadow it).

Of course, a few years later the big US thrash triumvirate of Master of Puppets, Reigning Blood and Peace Sells made the metal that had come before it sound like dorky dungeons & dragons music (which it totally was), the sound of chaotic-evil vanquishing the sound of chaotic good, making Dio sound like a 70s throwback. But early 80s metal will always have a special place in my heart, with melodies and epic tunes and it's blues rock roots still just about showing.

And the video for the title track is better than the totality of the last two series of Game of Thrones:



Holy Diver was one of my big albums as a teenager metaller. Even Mark, who sat next to me in maths and only listened to Smash Hits approved music, liked it.

Five stars, 11/10.

 

[Ming]

Holy Diver is one of the greatest metal albums of the 80s, and since the 80s were the greatest decade fror metal, that puts it up there. It's easily the equal of the first two Maiden albums (though it came out the same year as their third, which continues to overshadow it).

Of course, a few years later the big US thrash triumvirate of Master of Puppets, Reigning Blood and Peace Sells made the metal that had come before it sound like dorky dungeons & dragons music (which it totally was), the sound of chaotic-evil vanquishing the sound of chaotic good, making Dio sound like a 70s throwback. But early 80s metal will always have a special place in my heart, with melodies and epic tunes and it's blues rock roots still just about showing.

And the video for the title track is better than the totality of the last two series of Game of Thrones:



Holy Diver was one of my big albums as a teenager metaller. Even Mark, who sat next to me in maths and only listened to Smash Hits approved music, liked it.

Five stars, 11/10.

Yep! I had my teens in the 80's and as a life long metalhead it was the best decade. NWOBHM and then onto thrash.

 

[AverageJoe]

From his wiki

"In September 2003, he accidentally severed his thumb during a gardening accident when a heavy garden gnome fell onto it.[36] Dio was concerned he would no longer be able to do his signature "devil's" horns hand gesture, but a doctor managed to re-attach it."

Rock and Roll!! \m/

 

[mojo pixy]

Yep! I had my teens in the 80's and as a life long metalhead it was the best decade.

Personally it's

4. The early 90s except 1990
3. The 70s
2. The 80s till 1990
1. 1997-now

But there's a lot of crossover (and of course the best Metal ever is being made right now, but that's irrelevant )

On topic...

 

[High Voltage]

From his wiki

"In September 2003, he accidentally severed his thumb during a gardening accident when a heavy garden gnome fell onto it.[36] Dio was concerned he would no longer be able to do his signature "devil's" horns hand gesture, but a doctor managed to re-attach it."

Rock and Roll!! \m/

But why would he've needed his thumb?? - having one might've made the gesture a bit easier but it would not have been impossible sans thumb

 

[killer b]

As a not-lifelong metalhead, I reckon the early 90s, and the past decade or so are both better periods for metal than the 80s

 

[Siouxsie]

I still live in the late 80's onwards
I've seen Dio loads of times, never been let down by him....
Holy Diver - Last in line - Sacred Heart - Dream Evil

Donington '87 - what Bon Jovi must have been thinking, first Metallica pissed all over them and then Dio came on and it was game over
Cinderella > W.A.S.P > Anthrax > Metallica > Dio > Bon Jovi.......you don't get those line ups anymore

 

[Magnus McGinty]

Nah the 80s pisses on the rest. Besides, we all lost interest by the late 80s when we discovered raving.

 

[AverageJoe]

I still live in the late 80's onwards
I've seen Dio loads of times, never been let down by him....
Holy Diver - Last in line - Sacred Heart - Dream Evil

Donington '87 - what Bon Jovi must have been thinking, first Metallica pissed all over them and then Dio came on and it was game over
Cinderella > W.A.S.P > Anthrax > Metallica > Dio > Bon Jovi.......you don't get those line ups anymore

Cinderella were the fucking bomb. Falling Apart at the Seams is still one of my favourite songs. Shame that they released their debut and then Nirvana turned up and noone wanted Glam Blues Metal any more

 

[AverageJoe]

I went to 1988.

Helloween - Guns N Roses (first UK show) - Megadeth - Dave Lee Roth - Kiss - Iron Maiden

 

[Siouxsie]

Cinderella were the fucking bomb. Falling Apart at the Seams is still one of my favourite songs. Shame that they released their debut and then Nirvana turned up and noone wanted Glam Blues Metal any more

I can't sit down whenever Gypsy Road comes on, I just have to dance .......I love Tom Keifer, he has the sexiest lips

I went to 1988.

Helloween - Guns N Roses (first UK show) - Megadeth - Dave Lee Roth - Kiss - Iron Maiden

So did I....Guns n Roses that low down....people don't believe me when I tell them.

 

[AverageJoe]

Ah it was brilliant.

Everyone who hired minibuses had a massive race through the camp site, huge fires built in the night before. I lost my mate in the first five minutes of the gig, had a bottle of piss hit me, but it was the most awesome time.

You'd never get away with any of that these days

wipes nostalgic tear from eye

 

[WouldBe]

If anyone needs a big up thread it's Dio.

 

[Magnus McGinty]

We should just have a Metal Mega Thread as discussing any one part of it just leads to discussing other parts also.

 

[Ming]

Ah it was brilliant.

Everyone who hired minibuses had a massive race through the camp site, huge fires built in the night before. I lost my mate in the first five minutes of the gig, had a bottle of piss hit me, but it was the most awesome time.

You'd never get away with any of that these days

wipes nostalgic tear from eye

Ahhh yes. Being down the front at a metal festival and dodging bottles of airborne piss. Memories…

 

[killer b]

Nah the 80s pisses on the rest. Besides, we all lost interest by the late 80s when we discovered raving.

So what you're saying is you were into metal when you were a teenager, and you haven't been paying much attention to what's come since? Gotcha.

 

[mentalchik]

Saw him sing with Black Sabbath......wicked voice

 

[Crispy]

Such a versatile singer across so many styles.

Proof:



and



and

 

[Magnus McGinty]

So what you're saying is you were into metal when you were a teenager, and you haven't been paying much attention to what's come since? Gotcha.

Pretty much. Didn’t realise anything had. Slipknot?

 

[friedaweed]

Pretty much. Didn’t realise anything had. Slipknot?

Have you got one of these Maggers?

 

[Magnus McGinty]

Have you got one of these Maggers?

View attachment 333521

Nah but I do recall some ridiculous fashion choices.

 

[maomao]

Have you got one of these Maggers?

View attachment 333521

Who are the band with the not quite swastikas in their logo underneath Iron Maiden?

I had a lucky escape from hair metal when I went to A-level college and fell in with the indie kids.

 

[Magnus McGinty]

Who are the band with the not quite swastikas in their logo underneath Iron Maiden?

The Michael Schenker Group.

 

[Siouxsie]

Who are the band with the not quite swastikas in their logo underneath Iron Maiden?

MSG - the Michael Schenker Group
Oooo now there is a guitarist!

Snap Magnus McGinty

 

[Siouxsie]

Have you got one of these Maggers?

View attachment 333521

Mr S has got one it's still in the attic, rammy as hell and stinking of God knows what, it's even got a piece of old donington turf in the pocket I've threatened to throw it out countless times - I wouldn't really, I just love to see him go up like a bottle of pop

 

[mojo pixy]

Pretty much. Didn’t realise anything had. Slipknot?

Iron Maiden and Judas Priest both had albums out within the last 5 years so .. fair enough

 

[Siouxsie]

Ah it was brilliant.

Everyone who hired minibuses had a massive race through the camp site, huge fires built in the night before. I lost my mate in the first five minutes of the gig, had a bottle of piss hit me, but it was the most awesome time.

You'd never get away with any of that these days

wipes nostalgic tear from eye

I posted this on another thread a while back ....

I've been making a scrapbook for Mr S, scanning in the tickets and stuff....this thread came to mind,
The Donington one was so scary..if you fell down in that crowd, you were not going to get back up....sadly a few didn't

The Maine Road one .....Axl made us wait 6 days, a record for even him.
View attachment 306891View attachment 306892

 

[Magnus McGinty]

Iron Maiden and Judas Priest both had albums out within the last 5 years so .. fair enough

They also existed in the 80s so don’t count.