New DIO compilation

[JRA]

Honestly, this is almost the best Dio compilation tracklisting up to this point. I mean Stargazer, Gates of Babylon, All The Fools, Rock & Roll Children and Bible Black on the same comp? Yes please.

That being said, there are flaws. No Last In Line? Seriously? It would be so bad if it were all great tracks but Country Girl Push and One More For The Road aren't exactly fantastic tracks either. If they wanted some latter day tracks they should have put Killing The Dragon and Fever Dreams.

[ravenheart]

Originally Posted by JRA

If they wanted some latter day tracks they should have put Killing The Dragon and Fever Dreams.

This, plus, tracklist of the already-in-existence 'Stand Up And Shout: The Dio Anthology':

Disc: 1
1. Hoochie Koochie Lady
2. I'm Coming Back For You
3. Carolina Country Ball
4. Man On The Silver Mountain
5. Starstruck
6. Long Live Rock 'N' Roll
7. Neon Knights
8. Children Of The Sea
9. Heaven And Hell
10. Turn Up The Night
11. The Sign Of The Southern Cross
12. The Mob Rules
13. Computer God
14. Voodoo (Live, 1982)
15. Sacred Heart (Live, 1985)

Disc: 2
1. Stand Up And Shout
2. Holy Diver
3. Don't Talk To Strangers
4. Straight Through The Heart
5. Rainbow In The Dark
6. We Rock
7. The Last In Line
8. Egypt (The Chains Are On)
9. King Of Rock 'N' Roll
10. Hungry For Heaven
11. Dream Evil
12. All The Fools Sailed Away
13. Lock Up The Wolves
14. Strange Highways

Yeah, that came out too early for the later stuff, but it's a far better representation. All it's missing is 'Gates of Babylon' and 'I'.

[JRA]

Originally Posted by ravenheart

This, plus, tracklist of the already-in-existence 'Stand Up And Shout: The Dio Anthology':

Disc: 1
1. Hoochie Koochie Lady
2. I'm Coming Back For You
3. Carolina Country Ball
4. Man On The Silver Mountain
5. Starstruck
6. Long Live Rock 'N' Roll
7. Neon Knights
8. Children Of The Sea
9. Heaven And Hell
10. Turn Up The Night
11. The Sign Of The Southern Cross
12. The Mob Rules
13. Computer God
14. Voodoo (Live, 1982)
15. Sacred Heart (Live, 1985)

Disc: 2
1. Stand Up And Shout
2. Holy Diver
3. Don't Talk To Strangers
4. Straight Through The Heart
5. Rainbow In The Dark
6. We Rock
7. The Last In Line
8. Egypt (The Chains Are On)
9. King Of Rock 'N' Roll
10. Hungry For Heaven
11. Dream Evil
12. All The Fools Sailed Away
13. Lock Up The Wolves
14. Strange Highways

Yeah, that came out too early for the later stuff, but it's a far better representation. All it's missing is 'Gates of Babylon' and 'I'.

Except that list had bad flaws too. Hungry For Heaven is a terrible song and the fact that it was a single is all the more irritating. Lock Up The Wolves sucks too. Also Starstruck over Stargazer? Fail.

[ravenheart]

Originally Posted by JRA

Lock Up The Wolves sucks too

Wrong in all conceivable ways.

[EvilCheeseWedge]

Originally Posted by ravenheart

Wrong in all conceivable ways.

It's not terrible, but it doesn't belong on a Dio compilation where space is a premium and there are so many better cuts to choose from.

As for this compilation, I like the cover and track listing a lot. I still think Stand Up & Shout is superior though, simply because of the liner notes. It's fun reading Dio's track by track thoughts on the songs, and I'm sure that's more interesting than whatever "this dude had a legendary career" essay will almost certainly grace the liner notes of this release.

If the record companies really want to do something worthwhile, fucking remaster the shit out of Rainbow and Dio solo albums already. Please! I'd really love some quality remasters of stuff like Rising and Holy Diver. And if they wanted to throw in any demos or other shit that hasn't been heard, well, I wouldn't mind that...

[Sanitarium78]

Originally Posted by JRA

Except that list had bad flaws too. Hungry For Heaven is a terrible song and the fact that it was a single is all the more irritating. Lock Up The Wolves sucks too. Also Starstruck over Stargazer? Fail.

Hungry For Heaven was written specifically to be a single so why is it irritating that it was released as one? It seems i'm one of the few who likes that song on this board. The lyrics are classic Dio, it's just the song was a bit more commercial than his other stuff. That must be too much for some to handle. I know artists wanting to be successful and make money is frowned upon around here.

LUTW has some very underrated material. Everything up through the title track is solid stuff. After that I don't care for anything else except 'My Eyes'. It was a new decade and Dio wanted to try a new sound which there's nothing wrong with. As to what the fuck happened to Rowan Robertson after that album I haven't a clue. Seems like a waste to not go any further with your career after a big break like that at such a young age.

[ravenheart]

Originally Posted by Sanitarium78

LUTW has some very underrated material. Everything up through the title track is solid stuff. After that I don't care for anything else except 'My Eyes'. It was a new decade and Dio wanted to try a new sound which there's nothing wrong with.

I agree that the first half is better than the second half, but I still like every track in that second half.

Originally Posted by Sanitarium78

As to what the fuck happened to Rowan Robertson after that album I haven't a clue. Seems like a waste to not go any further with your career after a big break like that at such a young age.

He's in a new band... the name of which escapes me for the moment.

[ravenheart]

Originally Posted by EvilCheeseWedge

If the record companies really want to do something worthwhile, fucking remaster the shit out of Rainbow and Dio solo albums already. Please! I'd really love some quality remasters of stuff like Rising and Holy Diver. And if they wanted to throw in any demos or other shit that hasn't been heard, well, I wouldn't mind that...

More importantly, b-side/bonus tracks/rarities compilation (for fuck sakes).

Just the studio stuff that's already known to exist:

God Hates Heavy Metal
Evil Eyes (original version)
Hide In The Rainbow
Welcome To My Nightmare (Alice Cooper cover)
Annica
Dream On (Aerosmith cover)
Prisoners of Paradise
Elektra
Stars
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

Plus there are now-unavailable live versions of the following, which have either been b-sides of bonus tracks on out-of-print editions:

Stand Up And Shout ('83)
Straight Through The Heart ('83)
We Rock (Philly '84)
The Last In Line (Philly '84)
Like the Beat of A Heart (Philly '85)
Eat Your Heart Out (Spokane '85)
Don't Talk To Strangers (Spokane '85)
I ('98)
After All (The Dead) ('98)
Fever Dreams (with Deep Purple)
Rainbow In The Dark (with Deep Purple)
Lord of The Last Day (from Evil Or Divine DVD)

And there's bound to be a ton of live shit we haven't heard yet.

[JRA]

Originally Posted by EvilCheeseWedge

If the record companies really want to do something worthwhile, fucking remaster the shit out of Rainbow and Dio solo albums already. Please! I'd really love some quality remasters of stuff like Rising and Holy Diver. And if they wanted to throw in any demos or other shit that hasn't been heard, well, I wouldn't mind that...

The Rainbow albums were already remastered. About 8 years ago if I remember correctly. In fact those are the only copies I were able to find in stores. But I completely agree with the solo records. Those should have been remastered back in 1995.

And Dio's cover of Dream On is fucking amazing.

[EvilCheeseWedge]

Oh yeah, good point. I kinda forgot about all that stuff. And it'd be nice to have it in decent quality too. I'd really rather see a project like that then compilations or other easy cash-ins...