Ronnie James Dio . . . Underrated?

[tobinentinc]

What do you guys think of Ronnie James Dio? I personally think he isn't given enough credit for his contributions to Heavy Metal. I am a Dio fan and becoming a Dio Fanatic by the day. So what do DLR fans think of this Metal Great??

[DR CHIP]

Ronnie is awesome as a singer and as a person

[Panamark]

I saw him Live back in the late 80's. Was a fantastic show, I actually think his voice sounded stronger live, than on record. (And thats saying a lot) Holy Diver is a classic album. Has anyone ever heard him sing "Love is all" (At the Butterfly Ball).. Or am the only person on earth ? Its not a metal song at all, I remember there was a cartoon clip that went along with it, I think there was a singing frog singing along with DIO's vocals.

[ashstralia]

yeah, mark i remember that.
the a.b.c.
used to play it.
i've got his best of, it fkn rox.

[Panamark]

Ash ! Thats right, they used to play it on the ABC now and then. Many moons ago. You must be as old as me ya bugger !
Did you catch him when he was in Oz 87 I think ? (Offthe top of my head). I saw him in Melbourne. It was a great gig..

[Panamark]

Just looked it up, it was 16.09.1986 Festival Hall Melbourne.
My memory wasnt far off. Thats disappointing.

I better drink more beer. My memory is still working far too good..

[Mr Badguy]

How many others have recorded three bona fide classic metal albums with three different bands?

Rainbow "Rising"
Black Sabbath "Heaven and hell" (better than anything with Ozzy)
Dio "Holy Diver"

I`m sure there aren`t many.

[High Life Man]

Originally posted by Mr Badguy
Black Sabbath "Heaven and hell" (better than anything with Ozzy)


This will probably start a jack-off-fest, but I agree with you on this Badguy. I love that album.

[Panamark]

NO!

Im a big DIO fan and yes, Heaven and Hell was fantastic, but nothing beats the original Black Sabbath. Thats like saying 5150 was better than the original Van Halen albums...
Original Sabbath was the best !!!

[Jano]

HOLY DIVER BABY!!!!
Ronnie is great!!!

[Seshmeister]

He's a horrible little dwarf, the Hagar of Sabbath.

He also looks exactly like Carla from

Cheers!

:gulp:

[GAR]

Ronnie "Poison Dwarf" Dio.

Perfectly heavy shit. Dio's the shit I tell you.

Rainbow "Rising" is a trip, one of my faves.. if you are into Dio its a must-have disc.

[Mr Badguy]

Originally posted by Panamark
NO!

Im a big DIO fan and yes, Heaven and Hell was fantastic, but nothing beats the original Black Sabbath.

Sorry Panamark, but I can`t agree.

Yes the original line up`s albums were highly influential but in terms of songs, production, performance and energy, it`s (in my opinion) their best LP.

I don`t think it`s fair to compare to 5150 as it was shit compared to Dave-era VH.

"Heaven and hell" was a total reinvention as Sabbath hadn`t made a decent LP since "Sabotage" where as VH had made one of their best in "1984".

Without Dio, I don`t think Sabbath would have made it past 1980.

One of the reasons why people have so much respect for Sabbath is that they`ve been around so long, longer without Ozzy than with and they made more consistantly good albums with Dio.

"Heaven and hell", "Mob rules" and "Dehumanizer" were all great.

"Technical ecstacy" and "Never say die" showed that Ozzy era Sabbath had nothing more to offer after their original cement mixer styled HM well ran dry.

Dio was the man who proved that there was life after Ozzy, the right guy at the right time.

Maybe the only guy that could have done it.

Dio era Sabbath should get more respect than it does.

[tobinentinc]

The DIO era Sabbath gets no respect nor credit. It's a shame. Dio should be given more credit for what he's done to heavy metal.

[alexpgrimes]

I loved his first couple of cds. I don't think he's been the same since Vivian Campbell left his band.

[Panamark]

Originally posted by Mr Badguy
Sorry Panamark, but I can`t agree.

Yes the original line up`s albums were highly influential but in terms of songs, production, performance and energy, it`s (in my opinion) their best LP.

I don`t think it`s fair to compare to 5150 as it was shit compared to Dave-era VH.

"Heaven and hell" was a total reinvention as Sabbath hadn`t made a decent LP since "Sabotage" where as VH had made one of their best in "1984".

Without Dio, I don`t think Sabbath would have made it past 1980.

One of the reasons why people have so much respect for Sabbath is that they`ve been around so long, longer without Ozzy than with and they made more consistantly good albums with Dio.

"Heaven and hell", "Mob rules" and "Dehumanizer" were all great.

"Technical ecstacy" and "Never say die" showed that Ozzy era Sabbath had nothing more to offer after their original cement mixer styled HM well ran dry.

Dio was the man who proved that there was life after Ozzy, the right guy at the right time.

Maybe the only guy that could have done it.

Dio era Sabbath should get more respect than it does.


I agree with most of what you say, except personally I feel original Sabbath were a better band. It does draws some Hagar-esque parallels as DIO Sabbath and Ozzy Sabbath were different. As was Van Hagar and Van Halen.

My deciding factor is the "chill factor". Songs that have that extra something special about them that give you the chills. I listen to Ozzy songs like Spiral City Architect, Back Street Kids, Sabbath Bloody Sabbath and War Pigs and that chil factor is there bigtime.
Much like Ozzy's albums with Randy. There was something special going on. Much like Dave and Van Halen. DIO sabbath was fookin great ! But I didnt gets the chills, like I do with original Sabbath with Ozzy. But Im not denying the greatness of DIO. Hell, personal musical interpretation is a very unique thing.

[Mr Badguy]

I thought "Mob rules" was more of an attempt to get back to the "horror" style of early Sabbath, while "Heaven and hell" was more mainstream.

There are some real dark songs on there like "Voodoo", "Sign of the southern cross" and "Falling off the edge of the world".

And "E5150" is real wierd.

If Dio had stayed with Sabbath, I think they would have continued to make excellent albums instead of the much of the dross they released in the mid 80`s.

He fused Iommi`s brutal riffs into memorable songs, I think, better than anyone else.

[ashstralia]

sorry, mark, i just got back to this thread.
um, no, i didn't see rjd in '86, and i don't know why.
cause i was livin in sydney, and all my mates an' me were little
metal grom's; same like you.
i saw a vid of him + viv once.... pretty cool.

[Panamark]

The Sydney show was meant to be really good from what I was told. Ya missed out !!

[tobinentinc]

Do you guys Remember Hear 'N Aid?? He wrote Stars?? What do you think??

[cwsmith17]

No.

[BigBadBrian]

Originally posted by Panamark
NO!

Im a big DIO fan and yes, Heaven and Hell was fantastic, but nothing beats the original Black Sabbath. Thats like saying 5150 was better than the original Van Halen albums...
Original Sabbath was the best !!!

Yup. :gulp:

[Panamark]

Originally posted by tobinentinc
Do you guys Remember Hear 'N Aid?? He wrote Stars?? What do you think??

No shit, Ive got the original VHS release of this. Actually its kinda cool as they assembled all these metal guitarists and vocalists at the time. The extended version of the song featured the extended lead solo where all the guitarists did their own little solo. I reckon its pretty interesting and a good record of that time in metal. As for the song ? It sounds a lot like Rainbow in the Dark. But its cool.

The metal equivalent at the time to Bob Geldofs Feed Africa effort.

[ALMOSTsaved]

Except for "Rainbow In The Dark" and "Holy Diver" I was never a big Dio fan.

[weesfreewheelin]

Anybody ever check out Dio's Strange Highway? Hard rockin album

[ALinChainz]

Like his Sabbath work a lot. Like his first 2 solo albums, but what followed never measured up in my opinion. Like Ozzy, seemed to go through guitarists a lot and the could never recapture the sound.

Overall, though, liked him. Good show live.

[Mezro]

Ozzy, Dio, Ozzy, Dio, Ozzy, Dio....we all know that "Born Again" with Ian Gillian was the best Sabbath ever.

Mezro...yeah, that and fucking "headless cross"

[FORD]

Just like Van Hagar, Sabbath w/Dio should be thought of as a completely separate band from the real Black Sabbath.

Unlike Van Hagar though, they weren't a complete fucking embarrassment to the legacy of the original group. Heaven & Hell, Mob Rules, and Dehumanizer were kickass albums.

[FORD]

Originally posted by Mezro
Ozzy, Dio, Ozzy, Dio, Ozzy, Dio....we all know that "Born Again" with Ian Gillian was the best Sabbath ever.

Mezro...yeah, that and fucking "headless cross"

Purple Sabbath didn't stay around long enough to get the recognition they deserved, but let's face it, the only Black Sabbath albums after that were "Dehumanizer" and "Reunion".

Those Tony Iommi solo albums were not even remotely Black Sabbath.

[tobinentinc]

Originally posted by FORD
Just like Van Hagar, Sabbath w/Dio should be thought of as a completely separate band from the real Black Sabbath.

Unlike Van Hagar though, they weren't a complete fucking embarrassment to the legacy of the original group. Heaven & Hell, Mob Rules, and Dehumanizer were kickass albums.

Couldn't agree with you more.

[Mezro]

Originally posted by FORD
Purple Sabbath didn't stay around long enough to get the recognition they deserved, but let's face it, the only Black Sabbath albums after that were "Dehumanizer" and "Reunion".

Those Tony Iommi solo albums were not even remotely Black Sabbath.

Yeah, that Seventh Star thing (with Glen Hughes) was a bag of warm feces.

Purple Sabbath rocked and I wish they would have put out some more stuff.

Mezro..who does like the Dio Sabbath just a bit more than with Ozzy

[mightyjar]

I loved Sabbath with Ronnie James at the helm. Mob Rules and Heaven and Hell were fantastic.
In my opinion the heaviest album Sabbath put out was Born Again with Ian Gillan on vocals. This was one of the best shows I ever saw.
Digital Bitch, Trashed and Zero the Hero are awesome tunes from that album. I wish they had stayed together a little longer for a couple more albums.

[SNIPER]

my band opened for Ronnie once. Met him, very nice guy.

[FORD]

Diaper has a band??

[SNIPER]

Yes, played with Motley Crue, Saliva, Drowning Pool, Seven Dust, Tesla. And alot more. playing two dates with Queensryche in October.

[Ozzy Fudd]

Originally posted by tobinentinc
The DIO era Sabbath gets no respect nor credit. It's a shame. Dio should be given more credit for what he's done to heavy metal.

I had all the albums that dio done But never seen him in concert he is a Master of his craft.:killer:

[tobinentinc]

Dio's new album comes out the 30th. I think it's worth a checkout.

[Panamark]

Yeah, I 'll probably give it a listen...

[vhfan010]

I heard that Dio was the one that made the rock on sign popular

[conmee]

Dio kicks ass... especially the solo stuff... I was listening to Holy Diver just the other night, matter of fact.... 1981-1984 were the best years for metal bands and some good guitarists... last time I saw Dio was in San Jose about 5 years ago I believe... still had some good vocal chops... want to talk about "range" and "singing" this is the man...


Sorry I had to admit something in common with Panamark... consider this my contribution to the circle jerk... lmao ;)


Icon.

[conmee]

And you could always count on Dio and Ozzy to put the religious right in a tizzy with their blasphemous and irreverent album art... I saw Dio for both the Holy Diver and Last In Line tours, and I think that big assed Satan backdrop converted me to Satanism for a few years there in my teen years... lmao

Icon.

[conmee]

"... If your circle stays unbroken, then you're a lucky man, cuz it never never never has for me... in the palace of the virigin, lies the chalice of the soul, and it's likely you might find the answer there......"

Invisible.

Icon.

[conmee]

"You've got desire, so let it out! You've got the power, Stand Up And Shout!!!!!"

...guitar solo shredding... V.C.


Goddam... where's my stash... time to light one up and fookin' rock out!!!!!

Icon.

[cjmarsicano]

Originally posted by Panamark
NO!

Im a big DIO fan and yes, Heaven and Hell was fantastic, but nothing beats the original Black Sabbath. Thats like saying 5150 was better than the original Van Halen albums...
Original Sabbath was the best !!!

I'd rather Sabbath with Dio than VH with Samantha Hagar.

Sabbath's lone album with Ian Gilliam wasn't bad either. :)

[Wayne L.]

I think RJD is one of the greatest rock vocalist of all time who is highly overrated in hard rock while my favorite song by him is Voodoo during his Black Sabbath days which is an underrated rock classic.

[DavidLeeNatra]

great voice but awful lyrics, stage shows and videos...and a lot of little man syndrome I guess...

does anybody have the pic of him and ozzy (with the 80'ies mullet)...somebody undertitled it with: "hey ronnie, we hang a dwarf every night on stage, you want the job?" I was pissing my pants :D

and I like the story when the roadies were so pissed of dio that they put the mike stand to normal height and put a box on stage that dio could reach it...

[DavidLeeNatra]

here it is:

"hey ronnie, we hang a dwarf every night on stage, you want the job?"

[bueno bob]

Here's my take of it.

Ronnie James Dio can be single-handedly credited for saving Black Sabbath not just once (1979-1982), but twice (1991-1992). Sabbath was churning out utter SHIT with Ozzy after Sabotage and that band was dead in the water (the fact that a little band out of California was kicking their ass all over the stage in 1978 didn't bode well for them either). Sabbath was nothing but a virtual joke in 1979.

Ronnie came aboard and breathed new life into that dying outfit, and he took what Geezer, Bill and Tony were capable of and actually USED it - which was not like it was with Ozzy, who was an inept musician and had no idea which way to turn when it came to working with musicians and making the most of their talents.

Don't get me wrong - Ozzy deserves the ULTIMATE in respect. If it had not been for him, Sabbath's appeal...well, it just wouldn't have been there and, while I've no doubt AT ALL that Tony Iommi would have done something of great import (even if it was a full time gig with Jethro Tull and onto a solo career or something), Sabbath on it's own without Ozzy in 1969-1979 wouldn't have amounted to very much...a minor footnote. Ozzy might not have been the greatest ingredient to throw into the mix with Geezer, Bill and Tony, but he was the RIGHT ingredient - Sabbath with, say, Dio in 1969 would not have worked.

But, equal credit needs to be given. Heaven and Hell was a supreme effort and a wonderful comeback album after four years of crap. Dio's contributions to that CANNOT be ignored - finally, Sabbath actually had a real LYRICIST (with Ozzy, Geezer had to handle the bulk of that). And even at a time when Bill was falling apart because he no longer had contact with his friend, Geezer was wishy-washy about the whole thing himself (Craig Gruber stepped in for studio work that didn't work), well, Ronnie stepped up to the plate, getting those guys actually motivated to do something OTHER than coke. Ronnie himself took over bass responsibilites at one point just to take some of the weight off of Tony's back.

And not only did Heaven and Hell re-establish them during a great time for metal (1980), but Mob Rules did even better (I personally feel that Mob Rules is the dominant of all Dio albums, the very best in song structure and performance).

Sabbath were GREAT riffmasters with Ozzy, but they weren't really great MUSICIANS. And therein is what Ronnie contributed - his own actual music knowledge and Sabbath turned it up more than a notch.

In between Ozzy and Ronnie...Ozzy has a particular style, a particular flair and an inert ability to just motivate the crowd...Ronnie has a bit of something different, more imagery and fascination that his lyrics provide...more mysticism, more intelligence. Ronnie, without a doubt, has the superior voice. Ozzy has the better stage presence, but solely by accident, not talent.

As far as Ronnie, as a person, is concerned - you could NOT hope to meet a friendlier, more down-to-earth guy. A story for you - I got to meet him at a meet and greet before his concert here in Portland back in 1996, was the "last in line" too (I love that adage!). Anyway, his concert was due to start in AN HOUR and not only did he take the time to get to me and my buddy, and sign our CDs, but our photo didn't turn out right the first time (my buddy was slow getting his \,,/ up in time). He suggested actually taking more photos just for "prosperity", thanked us and invited us to try and get up to the front of the stage - just because we were "cool guys"! And, of course, backstage passes were scored just as easily.

Plus there's the whole "Stars" thing, saving Ritchie Blackmore's career after Deep Purple went tits up...his contributions to the industry have been beyond reproach.

My suggestion to anyone who thinks he's lost his touch with the music is to go out and beg, borrow or steal copies of "Magica", "Killing the Dragon" and his upcoming release, "Master of the Moon" - those three albums prove beyond any doubt that Dio is still Dio and he's lost NOTHING over the years, either in writing style or vocal ability.

So far as Dio's concerned, make fun of his heighth all you like, but that man will forever be larger than life with the heart and soul of a giant.

Was that long enough? Somebody better give me a fuckin' vote after all that effort, lol.

[DavidLeeNatra]

ok bueno...I respect your props for dio...but I can't stand that dragon and rainbow stuff...

[bueno bob]

Originally posted by DavidLeeNatra
...but I can't stand that dragon and rainbow stuff...

That's fair. I'm probably the biggest Dio fan I know of, personally, and it even wears thin on me after a while...I still can't stand listening to "All the Fools Sailed Away" because it's such a stereotypical dio song!

[BARE BONE]

Heaven and Hell and Mob Rules are great albums. The only thing is Dio doesn't sound good singing Ozzy's songs just like Spammy sounds like shit singing Dave's songs.

[BruinJer]

Originally posted by DavidLeeNatra
ok bueno...I respect your props for dio...but I can't stand that dragon and rainbow stuff...


I don't like all that wizard & dragon stuff either... it's very cheesy and 80-ish.

[rustoffa]

He's a great singer.....what a set of pipes.
It's too bad about that stool he carries around to help him reach doorknobs.

[HELLVIS]

Originally posted by Panamark
I agree with most of what you say, except personally I feel original Sabbath were a better band. It does draws some Hagar-esque parallels as DIO Sabbath and Ozzy Sabbath were different. As was Van Hagar and Van Halen.

My deciding factor is the "chill factor". Songs that have that extra something special about them that give you the chills. I listen to Ozzy songs like Spiral City Architect, Back Street Kids, Sabbath Bloody Sabbath and War Pigs and that chil factor is there bigtime.
Much like Ozzy's albums with Randy. There was something special going on. Much like Dave and Van Halen. DIO sabbath was fookin great ! But I didnt gets the chills, like I do with original Sabbath with Ozzy. But Im not denying the greatness of DIO. Hell, personal musical interpretation is a very unique thing.

Hey Panamark, that's what I'm talkin' 'bout. Good to see that we can agree on something again. I knew it was only a matter of time. You have, without a doubt, hit the nail right on the head...................WITH A FUCKING SLEDGE HAMMER!

[HELLVIS]

I once saw him play a bowling alley in wisconsin. Stange I know, but he did sound great.

[Panamark]

Originally posted by HELLVIS
Hey Panamark, that's what I'm talkin' 'bout. Good to see that we can agree on something again. I knew it was only a matter of time. You have, without a doubt, hit the nail right on the head...................WITH A FUCKING SLEDGE HAMMER!

Never had a prob with your posts mate !
Those old Sab songs are the shit, huh !

I have to agree that Heaven and Hell (DIO) and
Born Again (Gillan) were both stellar albums..
But nothing beats the original, ever.

From whence the magic was born, so shall it always be.

[High Life Man]

Originally posted by HELLVIS
I once saw him play a bowling alley in wisconsin. Stange I know, but he did sound great.

Where was that?

I've seen him at the Rave twice.

[BruinJer]

Originally posted by tobinentinc
Dio's new album comes out the 30th. I think it's worth a checkout.

I heard clips of the new album.... eh, not all that great!

[bueno bob]

Originally posted by BruinJer
I heard clips of the new album.... eh, not all that great!

Actually, I have the whole thing...it's different, I'll say that...try and give it a few listens, it'll grow on you. At first, about the only thing I liked was Death by Love, but after a few rotations, the whole things grown on me (save for the last track...)

[tobinentinc]

I still have to get it. I heard the clips and they kick ass.