Some compilations do very well over time. For Dio, those are good sales figures. I don't think Dio ever had an album that sold over 500,000. I'm referring to Dio the band, of course.

Congrats, Ronnie.

Actually, this would be Gold album #4 for Dio the band. I know both Holy Diver and Last In Line went Platinum and Sacred Heart went Gold. They were big-time in the 80's. Ah, the glory years.

The first two must have gone platinum over the years. I think initially those albums plateaued at around 500,000 units. Of course, I could be wrong.

Yeah, back when Dio had an album out every year -- those were the glory years.

Not only that-it was every summer a Dio album would come out through "Dream Evil". But really, only those first two were awesomeness personified. As for the Platinum albums, those have been Platinum for decades.
Holy Diver was certified 3-21-89
Last In Line was certified 2-3-87

Oh yeah, I wanted to say this...Dio!

Yeah, but do you like him, IP?

Are we not men? We are Dio!

Hell, Ronnie is in my Top 25 vocalists ever, not just Metal. And he's such a good guy-no drugs or cheating on his wife, or any of that crap (that I know of).
I just sold my "Sacred Heart" tour shirt from 1985 on ebay-it ended last night at $36.00. Not too shabby. My Sabbath "Seventh Star" tour shirt from 1986 went for $51.00 last week. At least somebody has some money to spend out there-it sure isn't me.

If Dio did any drugs, he obviously didn't go overboard like other heavy metal vocalists. 67 years old and he can still tear it up. His voice has dropped a bit, but still has a lot of power. Looking forward to the new Sabb-- I mean, "Heaven & Hell."

I can't believe he's gonna be 67 . He still sounds fantastic.

There has been debate for years as to what Ronnie's actual age is. Right now he's between 63-67. I wish I could have an age gap too instead of an actual age!
His voice is no longer what it once was, but that only means he's amazing instead of incredible. The songs are so heavy, his voice still fits the material so well. I just wish they'd allows this to be called what it is-BLACK SABBATH. Screw Ozzy's feelings and Sharon's lawsuits (even though Tony Iommi owns the name and is the band).

Here's a question some Diophile might be able to answer.



On Dio's Intermission album, who plays guitar on the live tracks. Craig Goldy is pictured on the back cover band photo, but I've heard that it's actually Vivian Campbell who played on the live recordings. Vivian Campbell did play the first leg of the Sacred Heart tour before leaving the band, so it's possible he did play.

I've heard conflicting reports on this, so if anyone can clarify...please do.

Chris:
This has always been something of a mystery, largely through bad information being accepted by the masses. I bought this mini-LP on cassette right before we got out of school that year in June 1986 (I saw Dio later that month in Philly-the show that was filmed for "Scared Heart-The Video". I always assumed it was Campbell on guitar with the exception of the excellent studio cut "Time To Burn" which Craig Goldy played on (that song was added to the set for the '86 tour).
Over the years, people kept listing Goldy as guitarist on all tracks which I found odd. I thought that after all those years I guess I was wrong and it was all Goldy. Turns out, I, and anybody else who thought so were right.
Even Martin Popoff, who is a Metal fanatic and a good writer on the subject gets it wrong in his excellent book "Dio Light Beyond The Black" from 2006 when he states that Goldy joined in March 1986 "squealing his way through the Intermission tracks on July 25th in San Diego". This recording date would be AFTER "Intermission" came out. He mentions how Goldy "runs roughshod over Viv's parts, not in the least attempting to copy any of Viv's licks" on the album. Now, if he's wrong, he looks like an absolute moron stating this, as it's Campbell playing-not someone else. If he's right, then I'm the fool and anyone else who thought it was Viv. But I think he's wrong.
It's been years since I heard this album, so I'd have to listen again to be sure. I looked on Wikipedia and it states it is Campbell on all live tracks, thogh Goldy did overdub some rhythm tracks. Makes sense, as these tracks had to have been recorded before Goldy joined. The summer tour in '86 was to introduce Goldy to the fans as I recall.
Hope this clears up to a large degree this "mystery" (bad pun intended). This always drove me nuts!

Thanks for the info, IP. Your post also made me aware of the fact that there's a Dio book out there. Interesting.

What I'd like to see, though, is a documentary showing Dio's evolution over the years from his beginnings to his years in Elf, Rainbow, Sabbath and on his own.

That boxset from Rhino would've been nice and would've included all that stuff, plus possibly Ronnie's old singles from the 60s with Ronnie And The Blue Flames and the Electric Elves and a lot of rare stuff. But no-they instead gave us the crappy 2 CD best of anthology in 2003. What a shame. Maybe it will still happen now that Ronnie is hot again?

Goodbye, Ronnie. You will be missed.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/art ... QD9FO8HV82

Metal legend Ronnie James Dio dead at 67
By WAYNE PARRY (AP) – 26 minutes ago


FILE - In this July 7, 2007 file photo, Ronnie James Dio performs with British heavy metal group "Heaven and Hell" during the 41st Montreux Jazz Festival in Montreux, Switzerland. Dio, the metal god who replaced Ozzy Osbourne in Black Sabbath and later piloted the bands Heaven & Hell and Dio, died Sunday, May 16, 2010, according to his wife and manager. He was 67. (AP Photo/Keystone, Sandro Campardo, File)

Ronnie James Dio, whose soaring vocals, poetic lyrics and mythic tales of a never-ending struggle between good and evil broke new ground in heavy metal, died Sunday, according to a statement from his wife and manager. He was 67.

Dio revealed last summer that he was suffering from stomach cancer shortly after wrapping up a tour in Atlantic City, N.J., with the latest incarnation of Black Sabbath, under the name Heaven And Hell.

"Today my heart is broken," Wendy Dio wrote on the singer's site, adding he died at 7:45 a.m. "Many, many friends and family were able to say their private goodbyes before he peacefully passed away.

"Ronnie knew how much he was loved by all," Wendy Dio continued. "We so appreciate the love and support that you have all given us ... Please know he loved you all and his music will live on forever."

The statement was confirmed by publicist Maureen O'Connor, who said Dio died in Los Angeles. He had been treated at a Houston hospital, according to his site.

Though Dio had recently undergone his seventh chemotherapy treatment, he was hopeful to perform again. Earlier this month, Heaven And Hell canceled its summer tour, but Dio did not view being sidelined as a permanent thing.

"Wendy, my doctors and I have worked so hard to make it happen for all of you, the ones we care so much about, that this setback could be devastating, but we will not let it be," he said in a statement. "With your continued love and support, we ... will carry on and thrive. There will be other tours, more music, more life and much more magic."

Dio rose to fame in 1975 as the first lead singer of Rainbow, the heavy metal band put together by guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, who had just quit Deep Purple.

Dio then replaced legendary vocalist Ozzy Osbourne in Black Sabbath in 1980 with the critically acclaimed album "Heaven And Hell," considered by many critics to be one of the finest heavy metal albums of all time. His on-again, off-again tenure with Black Sabbath touched off an intense debate among fans as to which singer was the true essence of the band — a discussion that lasted until his death.

He also enjoyed a successful solo career with his self-titled band, Dio, in between his three stints with Black Sabbath (1980-82; 1992; and 2007-2009, when the band toured as Heaven And Hell, to differentiate it from Osbourne-led versions of Sabbath).

Many of his most memorable songs revolved around the struggle between good and evil, including his signature tune "Heaven And Hell." He also drew heavily on medieval imagery in songs like "Neon Knights," "Killing The Dragon" and "Stargazer."

"He possessed one of the greatest voices in all of heavy metal, and had a heart to match it," said Twisted Sister guitarist Jay Jay French, whose band toured with Dio since 1983, and was to do so again this summer at European rock festivals. "He was the nicest, classiest person you would ever want to meet."

Dio organized an all-star charity collaboration in 1986 called "Hear N' Aid" to raise money for famine relief in Africa, styled on the successful "We Are The World" campaign of a few years earlier.

His solo hits included "Rainbow In The Dark," "The Last In Line" and "Holy Diver."

In addition to his wife, Dio is survived by son Daniel; grandchildren Julie and Joey; and father Pat.

___

AP Music Writer Nekesa Mumbi Moody contributed to this story.

___

Online:

http://www.ronniejamesdio.com

Elf:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQF9MgFlN0s[/youtube]

Rainbow:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9nfVrusSMg[/youtube]

Black Sabbath:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUJH7y1yK_E[/youtube]

Dio:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yaQCfn8q3M[/youtube]

Heaven And Hell:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL9SmCogR1I[/youtube]

That's sad his father outlived him. And I didn't know he had a son named Daniel!

It's been said many, many times that it's among the saddest things, for a parent to bury a child no matter what age. A friend of my father's was killed in a motorcycle accident in his 30s or 40s, and it was heartbreaking at the funeral home to see his parents sitting there. His mother just kept saying, "It's not right. It's not right - he should be burying me."

Alan

A found a true rarity -- Dio from Japan in 1985 performing "King Of Rock And Roll" with Vivian Campbell on guitar:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxBUWWRZN1Y[/youtube]

Ronnie Dio And The Prophets:





[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQ3OjffJ1w0&NR=1[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlRJJ65sqbI&feature=related[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nZcezjz8_8&feature=related[/youtube]

Ronnie & The Red Caps:



[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmbuHKuyDRc[/youtube]

Link to an ad for Elf's second album in Billboard, 1974:

http://books.google.com/books?id=dwkEAA ... 974&f=true

From facebook:

The Official Ronnie James Dio Fan Page The Amazon.com FREE Download of the day for July 8th is the live version of "Stand Up And Shout" from Dio! Just go to http://www.amazon.com and search the Free Download of the day!