Dio-Live In London - Hammersmith Apollo 1993

Eagle Rock Entertainment
2014

With apologies to Eagle Rock Entertainment (or more specifically Carol from Kaos Productions Inc.) this review is past due. My intentions were sincere, the hope had been one week tops. And yet here I am dismayed that it has dragged on. The reason is simple enough (if no real compensation). How does one, a fan first/reviewer second, put into words how much a man like Ronnie James Dio meant? From "Holy Diver" (first secured on vinyl no less!) on his music worked it's way into my life. The thought that he is now gone is...painful. Yes, painful. No more will we have the chance to hear new music from this classic metal heavyweight, a singer whose shadow stood ten times taller then his actual statue might suggest. Instead we'll have to be consoled with his past accomplishments. But, when they are as magical as this 1993 live release is concerned then at least we can take comfort in knowing that his legacy will live for ages to come! Having witnessed this giant of a front-man myself I can honestly say that he was as captivating as the concert represented here suggests. And that is considering the fact that I saw him live some 10 plus years later! In a live setting his presence was unlike any other (Ronnie James Dio OWNED the live stage!) and for me this live release stands as a testament to his greatness while it is also a reminder of just how amazing he was under those stage lights! Available on DVD, SD Blu-ray (which is what I am referencing) and double CD this concert footage features the (then newly-reformed) Dio (Ronnie James Dio on lead vocals, Vinny Appice on drums, Jeff Pilson on bass, Scott Warren on keyboards and newcomer Tracy G  (ie: Tracy Grijalva, a guitarist who had played with Vinne Appice and Jeff Pilson in the band WWIII) on guitar. Next to Ronnie (naturally!) Tracy's playing is the highlight of this concert!) on the last night of their European tour in support of the group's sixth full-length studio album, the underrated "Strange Highways". Featuring six tracks from "Strange Highways" (the title cut, "Evilution" and "Jesus, Mary & The Holy Ghost" all coming off as instant classics live!), fan favorites like "Holy Diver" & "Rainbow In The Dark" (those two songs alone make Dio's 1983 album one of the greatest heavy metal releases of ALL TIME and yes, they SLAY live!) and a few choice cover's from Ronnie's impressive back catalog (the Black Sabbath track's "The Mob Rules", "Children of the Sea" and "Heaven And Hell" as well as Rainbow's "Man on the Silver Mountain"!) this concert was insane! Opening with the cool "Stand Up And Shout", which is the perfect choice of numbers to get a crowd pumped up(!), Dio and his band-mates worked their way through so many great tracks and, other then the so-so obligatory drum solo, knocked it all way out of the park! From the sound* (superb!) to the color (the picture quality of this 1993 show is so clear that you feel like you are right there on stage with the band!) this is one of the best concert performances I've ever had the pleasure to view! If you are a fan of Dio then "Live In London - Hammersmith Apollo 1993" is an absolute must-have (it's worth every penny just to see Dio captured live like this and again, between Ronnie's powerful performance and Tracy's guitar playing this one absolutely smokes!). As it stands now this is currently the best one (concert Video, DVD and/or Blu-Ray) that I have in my (vast) personal collection of band performances (from punk to rock to metal!) and it's highly doubtful that it will be knocked off of that top rung anytime soon! While Ronnie James Dio will be missed, everyday from here until time runs out, thankfully we can remember him for the man he was and what he meant to heavy metal with wonderful releases like this.



*The concert is presented in DTS Surround Sound, Dolby Digital 5.1 and Dolby Digital Stereo.

Dio-The very beast of vol. 2

Niji
2012

We all know about Ronnie James Dio's life and his death. He gave a lot for decades no matter what band he was working for at the time. In addition to the many studio and live albums that he was part there have also been numerous anthologies dedicated to his work over the years. This one is a follow-up to the 2001album which spotlighted the band Dio's work from 1983's Holy Diver through to 1993 "Strange Highways. So this volume covered from 1996's Angry Machines onward. Now anyone whose favorite Dio comes this later time period would definitely be in a majority. Clearly the better albums were the earlier ones including "Holy Diver", "The last in line" and in my opinion the frequently underrated "Dream Evil". There were some decent albums from this time period like "Magica" and "Killing the dragon", but even at his best from this time Dio was repeating what he had done better in the 80's. The collection presents some very likable songs from this period including "Push", "Better in the dark" and "Along came a spider". Unfortunately also included are "Fever dreams" and "Feed my head" which represent Dio at his most tedious and unimaginative. Those last types of songs didn't happen  much in Ronnie's long career, but when they did it was mostly on some his later albums. This disc also includes some rarities including "Electra" (which was previously part of the "Tournado" box set) as well as "Prisoner of paradise" and "Metal will never die". "Electra" is probably the most interesting selection from that batch. Ronnie James Dio was always one of the most powerful and consistent vocalist going so hearing him sing anything is always pleasing to some extent. There are some good tracks on this album, but there are some throwaway songs too. I love the album cover and was glad to listen to some of these that I have not listened to it a while. Really this collection is just for die hard fans.

Remembering Ronnie James Dio

When I first heard Ronnie James Dio had stomach cancer I knew it was going to be tough to beat and inevitably it was. However I am sure Dio fought it with all his might because he certainly lived his music career as a fighter. There were times in his long career where he struggled and bands folded or his music fell out of favor due to change in styles, but he always seemed to bounce back and find an opening with another act. He did great albums with multiple bands in different decades. He had a strong voice and was a highly consistent performer for decades. That's why he had the respect of fans, musicians and the press. My first exposure to Dio's voice was hearing "Rainbow in the dark" on the radio in late 1983 and his voice drew me in right away with it's power. Months later I bought "The last in line" on cassette and probably wore the copy out in a year or so. I remember many nights sitting in my room listening to this tape over and over and soaking in Ronnie's voice. I have spent many hours over the last 35+ years listening to the albums he did with his own band, Rainbow, ELF and Black Sabbath (Heaven and Hell) Jokes popped up over the years about his persistence of singing about dragons, wells and fantasy topics while other bands focused on current issues. However Dio had the kind of voice and presence that he could sing about whatever he wanted and people were still drawn to it. He stuck with what he knew and pushed hard and that's why he still had such a long career. He seemed to enjoy what he was doing and he brought that joy and that excitement to his fans and I thinks that's why he was as successful as was even though he did the same style for so long. When a musician dies many people seem to race to their collection and pull out a bunch of that artists music to play right away. Typically I don't do that, but I know that for Ronnie James Dio I will be listening to many of his albums this week because he was one of those rare performers in metal who could pull you in right away. He will surely be missed by the metal community.
R.I.P., Ronnie.

~Metal Mark