DIO - Great Box (1991, 4CD)

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DIO - Great Box (1991, 4CD)

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Rare 1991 Japanese-only 38-track 4-CD boxed set including the albums 'Holy Diver', 'The Last In Line', 'Sacred Heart' & the exclusive 'Live Tracks', each in their own case with picture sleeve. Comes housed in an outer picture slipcase box with a 60-page Japanese/lyric booklet & original wraparound obi-strip

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DIO - Great Box (1991, 4CD)

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After successful stints as the singer of Rainbow and Black Sabbath, Ronnie James Dio decided to form his own musical outfit. The result was this album: a heavy metal masterpiece which stands strong to this day. It seems that nearly every album Dio sang on between 1975-1990 is considered a classic and for good reason. Whether it be Dio, Black Sabbath, or Rainbow, Ronnie was surrounded by grade A musicians to accompany his powerful voice no matter what. From the opening track “Stand Up and Shout” and onwards, we are given a no nonsense, straight up metal record. Ronnie James Dio's vocals shine as always and are the centerpiece of this album much like every album he's ever sang on. It seemed though that on every RJD release, there was a guitarist that equally shared the spotlight with Ronnie. With Rainbow it was Ritchie Blackmore and his neoclassical soloing. With Black Sabbath it was Tony Iommi, the king of riffs. On Holy Diver, this is no exception as Ronnie introduces us to an at the time unknown Vivian Campbell who delivers classic 80s metal riffs and shredding solos all throughout the record. These parts, such as the riff to the title track or the guitar solo on “Rainbow in the Dark” are air guitared in middle of nowhere bars when blasted on the jukebox to this day. But there's more than just the hits! The album cuts stand out just as much in musical quality. “Caught in the Middle” is a heavy tune, yet melodic enough to possibly get airplay on AOR radio. “Don't Talk to Strangers” features Ronnie giving his "soft vocals" which we hear on previous songs such as “Sign of the Southern Cross” and “Rainbow Eyes”. It then kicks in to a heavy riff that was actually conceived by original Dio guitarist and later Ozzy guitarist Jake E. Lee as a riff that would "back Ronnie's vocals but not dominate them". My favorite "deep track" on this album though would have to be “Straight Through the Heart”. Powerful and pounding, it would make just as good of a wrestling entrance as the title track. This definitely isn't Ronnie's finest release and I'm not even sure if I could say it's his best with his own band, but its influence on metal as a whole is undeniable. Also, there isn't a single dud on the entire record. However, when you have the voice of Ronnie James Dio, it's pretty hard to release a "dud".

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DIO - Great Box (1991, 4CD)

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Many consider Sacred Heart to be a step down from The Last in Line but I conclude the opposite. The Last in Line while having better standouts than Sacred Heart doesn’t have as good of an overall cohesive structure. Like Sacred Heart The Last in Line is more speed metal based than Dio’s debut album Holy Diver. The Last in line is less repetitive considering more focus on changing riffs than chorus based songs. The songs range from mid-tempo traditional/power metal songs to the more speed metal numbers like We Rock. The choruses are strong as usual but like on Sacred Heart most of the songs are more lead and riff based than on Holy Diver. The Last in Line is a bit heavier than Dio’s debut and on ever future release the albums would continue to get heavier. This time around The Last in Line epic number is the awesome Egypt (The Chains Are On) being easily one of Dio’s most melodic and greatest songwriting accomplishments of his long career. Ronnie James Dio’s voice shines the most on the title track and Egypt (The Chains Are On). His performances on the rest of the songs are average for him but nothing special. Vivian Campbell guitar work is the highlight of the album and really shows his abilities to draw you in on his leads and solos. Jimmy Bain hasn’t changed since Holy Diver his bass guitar is still audible and his performance is solid. Vinny Appice’s drum work is more solid here than on Holy Diver unfortunately he doesn’t really bring much attention to himself. A new member is present in Claude Schnell he shows that he is much better at providing keyboard atmosphere than Dio was. The Last in Line unfortunately has its fair share of weaknesses as well. A few filler songs are present which really brings down the albums effectiveness. While the album standouts are pretty good they aren’t as entertaining as on Holy Diver. Finally Dio’s lyrics are easily some of his corniest yet and make many of the songs funnier than they are entertaining. The Last in line isn’t as good as Holy Diver but is certainly a solid follow up. Best songs are We Rock, I Speed at Night, Evil Eyes, and the album standout Egypt (The Chains Are On). I recommend this album to Ronnie James Dio aficionados and any fan of classic power metal.
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DIO - Great Box (1991, 4CD)

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Dio was at the peak of his popularity with the release of "Sacred Heart". Both of his first two LPs had gone platinum in the U.S. (1,000,000 + in sales) and were successful across the globe. Some sort of backlash was inevitable. Many were quick to pounce on the album for being inferior to "Holy Diver" & "The Last In Line". This is true. Whereas, those other albums had no filler "Sacred Heart" had it's share of mediocrity ("Shoot Shoot", "Fallen Angels", etc..). Additionally, the production is slicker and it's obvious the band was gunning for a hit. Most likely it was record company pressure. The Dio band's first two LPs were big sellers- going Gold within a year and eventually certified platinum as already mentioned- so likely record execs though if they could get a mainstream radio hit they could better the numbers. At the time it was in the insipid, sappy power ballad. Well, Dio wasn't going there thank goodness. I wonder if they tried to get him to write one? The pop metal "Hungry For Heaven" had appeared on a movie soundtrack ("Vision Quest") and achieved heavy airplay on Rock radio. If ever there was a Dio song (along with "Rainbow In The Dark") that should've made the Billboard Pop chart it was this but no dice. It's just appalling that utter crap like Twisted Sister could get a pop hit but Dio couldn't. Actually, it's to Dio's credit- he was just too metal and history now looks back with disdain on TS and bands like Quiet Riot while the Dio albums still get respect. That's the U.S. In The U.K., Dio was charting but it was a different single, "Rock And Roll Children", that was the hit. It managed a #26 placing on the pop chart. So, yeah, "Sacred Heart" and the following album "Dream Evil" were the closest Dio ever came to the cliche' "selling out". So perhaps there was more keyboard and more melody but that is not selling out. Just think of how nauseating Poison was/is and you'll release that Dio never strayed that far from his signature sound. He always had a sense of melody, not just songs with memorable guitar riffs (like the overly-esteemed "Iron Man" from Ozzy/Sabbath days) Initially, this slightly more polished strategy worked as this became Dio's biggest selling album worldwide. But, for some reason Dio's fanbase began to dwindle shortly after it exited the charts. It wasn't grunge, which killed metal's popularity years later. It wasn't that Dio's songwriting skills wen't bankrupt ("Dream Evil" was a step up from this album). It's true the EP, "Intermission", wasn't well received but that's not it. What was it then? MTV's parade of photogenic Hair Band "Rock" bands plain and simple. Crappy bands like Poison, Winger, Warrant, Europe took up all the air space until Nirvana put an end to glam metal the way punk crushed disco.

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DIO - Great Box (1991, 4CD)

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Although for the most part Dio’s 3rd LP “Sacred Heart” was a somewhat watered down follow up to “The Last In Line”, there were many positive elements at play in the album. This was even true with regards to one of the more commercial/radio oriented singles from the album “Rock And Roll Children”, though mostly from a lyrical standpoint. The riff material is extremely simple, even by the standards set by songs such as “Mystery” and “Rainbow In The Dark”. There are very few fills thrown in to vary the riffs, the keyboards have a strong enough presence to soften the punch of the guitars and the rhythm section, and all attention essentially focuses on Ronnie’s vocal performance and lyrics. Although more descriptive than metaphorical, the universal message of overcoming society and rediscovering love for those who identify with your way of life is powerfully presented here, and even more so in the music video this spawned despite the obvious campiness of the 80s sound that both the song and the video embody The b-side here is taken from one of the later gigs that the band played with Vivian still in the fold, and the performance that he puts on for this Philadelphia Spectrum show (a frequent stop for this band) is among his better moments. He doesn’t cut loose as much or take as many liberties with the solo as most of the ones who would fill his shoes do, but his performance is expressive and to the point in comparison to the original studio version he put together. Likewise, the consistent quality of Dio live performances by all in the band is very well maintained, though I think the keyboards are just a tiny bit too prominent on this version, though not nearly as much so as would be the case on the 1998 version that the band did with Tracey G on the guitar. In much the opposite respect as the more pop oriented single that preceded this “Hungry For Heaven”, the title song has a cliché message which is presented in such a masterful and vocative way that it comes off fresh every time I hear it. I wouldn’t quite put it above the title song on “Sacred Heart” in terms of its musical content, which is definitely in tune with the formulaic minor key progressions of the time; the lyrical message is just a tiny bit stronger because of how universal it is. Not everyone can identify with a D&D take on overcoming hardships in life and taking chances, but I think that pretty much anyone can easily identify with the feeling of being an outcast.

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