As you may know, I grew up during the heyday of grunge, but that style of music never spoke to me at all. (Actually, I was so utterly alienated by grunge that I spent years unable to understand what it was that made people hardcore fans of any band.) I picked up an album here and there over the years as a song caught my fancy, but it wasn’t until I bought that copy of Cross Road that everything started to come together for me to really become a fan of rock music.
Posts Tagged ‘Dio’
Ultimate Valentine’s Day Playlist of the Unlucky
Monday, February 14th, 2011For those of us less lucky in love, I present my personal list of the Top 5 best ‘love sucks’ songs…
Random Song: Strange Highways
Monday, February 7th, 2011Artist: Dio
Album: Strange Highways
This is probably one of the heaviest songs that I’ve done a Random Song post for. That being said, I love this particular song for exactly that reason.
Random Song: The Last In Line
Friday, September 10th, 2010Artist: Dio
Album: The Last In Line
There are many things that made Ronnie James Dio such a legend, but one of the most prominent was his voice. That man had a voice that could make anyone and everyone sit up and take notice. It certainly got my attention; Dio was one of the first heavy metal artists that I discovered, and he played a large role in introducing me to the genre.
Full Album Concerts during The Circle Tour?
Friday, February 5th, 2010Awhile ago, I discussed the possibility of Bon Jovi doing some full album concerts. At the time, I didn’t think that it was likely, because I really didn’t think that Bon Jovi has had any of the sort of albums that work well in this format. They are a band that are (justly or not) mostly known for their singles.
Now it seems (at least according to Billboard) that Jon and the boys may be considering doing this.
I still stand by my earlier assessment–the best candidate for this treatment is New Jersey, as it has the best balance of well-known singles with a strong overall album. Yes, Slippery When Wet has more of their well-known singles, but as I’ve said before, the rest of the album isn’t anywhere near as strong as the Big Three singles from it that made Bon Jovi famous. New Jersey has more Top 10 hits than Slippery, and even the filler is stronger on that album.
Unfortunately, the two albums mentioned are Slippery When Wet and Lost Highway. While Slippery When Wet wouldn’t be a bad choice, I personally think that doing a complete performance of Lost Highway is a terrible idea. While Lost Highway does have Make a Memory, which is the best ballad that the band has made since This Ain’t A Love Song, the rest of the album isn’t all that great. Plus, with that being the “country” album, I think a lot of folks turning up for a show on The Circle tour would be really disappointed if they got treated to an evening of the back tracks off Lost Highway.
I suppose that if I did get stuck at a show where the band decided to do a complete album, I’d much rather have Slippery than Lost Highway. For one, I’m really not a country girl at all. Don’t like it. And I really didn’t care that much for Lost Highway, other than Make a Memory. Also, the song that originally introduced me to Bon Jovi–Wanted Dead or Alive–is from Slippery When Wet. Granted, you get to hear Wanted at pretty much every Bon Jovi concert, so it’s not like that’s a big incentive to hear them do the entire album live. But even the lesser songs from Slippery When Wet beat Lost Highway hands down.
All told, I really think that if they’re going to do this, they should do something like the Holy Diver live CD that I have. It’s actually a two-disc set, and the concert includes all of Holy Diver–but Dio also throws in a smattering of songs from his days in Black Sabbath (Heaven and Hell) and Rainbow (Man on the Silver Mountain) to break it up. If Bon Jovi could pull off a show like that–Slippery When Wet spiced up with a few songs from The Circle and maybe a few of the covers that Richie mentions in the article–that would be awesome.
Random Song: Rainbow In The Dark
Wednesday, July 29th, 2009Artist: Dio
Album: Holy Diver
I can’t really remember how I got into Dio. I seem to remember that it was kind of similar to how I found Bon Jovi–through Deadliest Catch. As I recall, it was because I had heard Edgar Hansen talking about Rainbow In The Dark, and once again I got curious. (That is one terrible picture of Edgar.)
The thing that I love most about Rainbow In The Dark is the wonderful hook that it has. It stands up, slaps you in the face and declares that you are about to experience metal. You can’t do anything else but headbang when you hear this song.
The lyrics are also a battle cry for anyone who’s feeling abandoned. The song embodies a relationship that has drifted apart or fallen apart, without descending into maudlin glop like pop music. Only heavy metal can take a subject as emotionally weighted as an unraveling relationship and turn it into something gloriously dark.
The lyric “do your demons, do they ever let you go” is an unflinching confrontation of the personal issues that destroy so many relationships. The song doesn’t gloss over what the demons did to the relationship. There’s anger about the failure of the relationship, and it’s angry at the other person for letting their demons win.
The open way that metal songs, like this one, unflinchingly explore and even revel in the darker emotions is part of what drew me to the genre in the first place. Pop songs about failed relationships are inevitably dreary and sad. Metal introduced me to music that shone a light on feelings that other songs hadn’t explored.
The guitars in this song are also spectacular. Yes, it does use synthesizers, but it’s the guitar work in this song that shines as only heavy metal guitar can. The technical skill required to play a guitar like that is awe-inspiring.
This kind of song is what helped me appreciate the depth and breadth of what music could be, after having grown up during the unfortunate Age of Grunge.