Ronnie James Dio is a metal icon. Setting aside his stints as the lead singer of Rainbow, Black Sabbath, and Dio, he is credited with popularizing the devil horns in rock -- mimicking his Italian grandmother, who used the gesture to ward off the evil eyes (or, in Italian, malocchio). Small in stature and large in vocal power, Dio formed his eponymous band in 1982, after leaving Black Sabbath. The group also featured his former Rainbow bandmate Jimmy Bain on bass and former Sabbath (and collaborator extraordinaire) Vinny Appice on drums. On guitar, Jake E. Lee was originally slated, but he bolted before Dio recorded anything to be Ozzy Osbourne's guitarist after Randy Rhoads died. Enter Vivian Campbell, then of NWOBHM band Sweet Savage, and later of Whitesnake and Def Leppard (where he has been since 1992).
The "classic" Dio lineup released some fantastic hard rock and metal in the early to mid '80s. You've likely heard "Rainbow In The Dark" or "Holy Diver" on your classic rock or hard rock station. I certainly wouldn't classify everything the band did as falling within the hair band genre, although I think "Mystery" from 1984's The Last in Line album probably does. It was one of the band's more successful songs on the charts, getting to #34 on the UK pop chart and #20 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, and helping the album go platinum in the U.S. I think it's a great song. Campbell has a nice solo just after the two-minute mark, and there is one line in the first verse that has always rung true for me: "And is the wise man always right? / No, he can play the fool." The video is your typical ridiculous mid '80s metal video. Enjoy.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment