Remembering Ronnie

[Josef_K]

I decided to honor my favorite musician of all time today by listening through a selection of songs (had to skip most of them due to time restrictions obviously) from all of his career. So far I've gone through:

Love Pains - Ronnie Dio and the Prophets
10 More Days to Brenda - Ronnie Dio and the Prophets
Walking in Different Circles - Ronnie Dio and the Prophets
Amber Velvet - The Elves
West Virginia - The Elves
Wakeup Sunshine - The Elves
Smile for me Lady - The Elves
Never More - ELF
Rainbow - ELF
Do the Same Thing - ELF
Blanche - ELF
Wonderworld - ELF
Self Portrait - Rainbow
Temple of the King - Rainbow
Stargazer - Rainbow
Light in the Black - Rainbow
Still I'm Sad (live) - Rainbow
L.A. Connection - Rainbow
Gates of Babylon - Rainbow
Wishing Well - Black Sabbath
Die Young - Black Sabbath
Falling off the Edge of the World - Black Sabbath
Over and Over - Black Sabbath

and I'm currently listening to Shame on the Night from the Holy Diver album. I will finish off with Breaking into Heaven sometime this evening, picking at least one song off each album, and probably listening throug the whole Magica album as well.

How do you honor this wonderful musician and person on this day?

[devstorm]

I've mentioned on this forum recently that I was first exposed to Dio thanks to Mob Rules. That was an important album for me and going forward from that point Dio would become a constant voice in my life between Rainbow, Sabbath, and Dio albums. Its times like this that I am particularly grateful for Iommi, Butler, and Dio burying the hatchet and taking their amazing body of work around the world in a way that I'd always wanted them to. I'll admit here, I got a little choked up watching songs like Edge of the World, and particularly Southern Cross, live for the first time; since at one point I thought I'd never get the chance to see those with the original band. In addition seeing him play Stargazer the last time I saw the band DIO live was just as awe inspiring.


Cheers Ronnie! And Thanks for so much amazing music. I have Holy Diver cue'd up on my Media player today as well as Rising, Mob Rules & TDYK. I plan to make it a Dio day at work.

[Damian]

Can't believe three years have gone by. I've been getting re-acquainted with Rainbow-Live in Munich and the 18 minute jam tracks on it. Ronnie's live-only lyrics to Still I'm Sad will be heard today!

[Charger]

I've been going through a lot of his material today...

It's hard indeed to believe it's been 3 years already...feels almost like yesterday I got the horrible news...


But Ronnie will live on in our hearts and souls forever and as long as we keep his music and memory alive he never really dies.

[Josef_K]

Can't believe three years have gone by. I've been getting re-acquainted with Rainbow-Live in Munich and the 18 minute jam tracks on it. Ronnie's live-only lyrics to Still I'm Sad will be heard today!

I love that version, also listened to it today (but I listened to the Düsseldorf gig which is audio-only on my mp3, I have the Munich gig on DVD as well though). Love that song and how they did it live with the keyboard and drum solos, really five musicians in their prime (well ok, Dio had several "primes" I guess but still).

As for my musical journey, I've just finished "This is Your Life" and will now proceed to the whole "Magica" album. It's been extremely rewarding to do this as I have moved on to focus on other bands it can take months before I revisit some of these albums, listenening to all of them at least partially on one day is probably the way I will be honoring this day in the future as well.

[MJD2013]

Ah, I knew the anniversary of RJD's passing was right around now but it got pushed to the back of my mind with one thing and another, so I only just saw this thread to remind me, but I played "The Dio Years" good and loud at work today anyway! I think it might be time for some more RJD now I'm home.

RIP RJD- I see a rainbow rising...

[A Sabbath Historian]

I've mentioned on this forum recently that I was first exposed to Dio thanks to Mob Rules. That was an important album for me and going forward from that point Dio would become a constant voice in my life between Rainbow, Sabbath, and Dio albums. Its times like this that I am particularly grateful for Iommi, Butler, and Dio burying the hatchet and taking their amazing body of work around the world in a way that I'd always wanted them to. I'll admit here, I got a little choked up watching songs like Edge of the World, and particularly Southern Cross, live for the first time; since at one point I thought I'd never get the chance to see those with the original band. In addition seeing him play Stargazer the last time I saw the band DIO live was just as awe inspiring.


Cheers Ronnie! And Thanks for so much amazing music. I have Holy Diver cue'd up on my Media player today as well as Rising, Mob Rules & TDYK. I plan to make it a Dio day at work.

Well said 'devstorm'. I'm incredibly proud and honored to have seen this lineup of Sabbath grace the stage once again in the last three years of Ronnie's life. I firmly believe he concluded his career with the people he wanted to: Tony, Geezer, and Vinny. Ronnie's passing clearly laid to rest perhaps the greatest "Mach II/III" lineup incarnation in the history of popular music. Long live Dio-era Black Sabbath. R.I.P. Ronnie.

[kamikazetom]

Tough to beleive it's been 3 years - I did break out my deluxe editions of the Dio CD's & listened to them today (as well as my other Cd's). RIP Ronnie & thanks for all the great music & shows over the years - you are missed.

[OzzyIsDio]

Ronnie James Dio, was a light in the black, he left us too soon, he will always be remembered and live on in our hearts and souls, true legends never die.

R.I.P. brother you are loved and thought of always and forever.

[Fenuxx]

I ended up watching the Radio City DVD with my fiance today to celebrate his life. Still a superb live set, and only makes it worse that he's gone. He still had so much left to do.

R.I.P. Ronnie James Dio. You'll be missed every day.

[Headless Idol]

"God is dead" & much missed.

[-E5150 StarWanderer-]

It's so hard to believe that three years have passed by since the greatest voice ever was silenced.

I'm planning on celebrating the man and his music today by listening to his most classic albums: The three Rainbow discs, H&H, Mob Rules, Holy Diver and The Last In Line. And I'm going to finish it with his final gift to this world, the brilliant The Devil You Know.

This video still drives me on the brink of tearing up. And it's not an easy task to make me tear up, although I am an emotional person.



R.I.P. Ronnie, you are sorely missed

[OzzyIsDio]

It's so hard to believe that three years have passed by since the greatest voice ever was silenced.

I'm planning on celebrating the man and his music today by listening to his most classic albums: The three Rainbow discs, H&H, Mob Rules, Holy Diver and The Last In Line. And I'm going to finish it with his final gift to this world, the brilliant The Devil You Know.

This video still drives me on the brink of tearing up. And it's not an easy task to make me tear up, although I am an emotional person.



R.I.P. Ronnie, you are sorely missed

Great video there brother, made me all teary eyed as well.

[DARKEST LIGHT]

It's so hard to believe that three years have passed by since the greatest voice ever was silenced.

I'm planning on celebrating the man and his music today by listening to his most classic albums: The three Rainbow discs, H&H, Mob Rules, Holy Diver and The Last In Line. And I'm going to finish it with his final gift to this world, the brilliant The Devil You Know.

This video still drives me on the brink of tearing up. And it's not an easy task to make me tear up, although I am an emotional person.



R.I.P. Ronnie, you are sorely missed

Life is a strange occurrence to say the absolute least. There he is singing on records and videos (amazingly as usual) but he's not really there. Sigh. I guess I take comfort in knowing that he knew the impact he had on so many people. My two musical heroes are gone, Ronnie James Dio and Freddie Mercury and I'm only 43. That bites...hard.

[-E5150 StarWanderer-]

I can't get over how powerful this performance is. The whole band is on fire, but RJD's performance is just mind blowing. The power, the vibrato, the emotion...Live Evil is a prime example of his phrasing and ad libbing abilities. Every performance was a little different from the previous one.

[Josef_K]

I can't get over how powerful this performance is. The whole band is on fire, but RJD's performance is just mind blowing. The power, the vibrato, the emotion...Live Evil is a prime example of his phrasing and ad libbing abilities. Every performance was a little different from the previous one.

Yeah I completely agree with you, that version of "Voodoo" is really 100% what I mean when I say that a band is "on fire". Dio's ad libbing is not only fitting in melody and timing, but also in the words he uses which are just so right for the song. Sure there's nothing poetic about "there's evil there, somewhere" at all, but he says it in such a way that he really means it, similar to what I was getting at in another thread on Ozzy's ability to pull off the song "Black Sabbath".

As for Children of the Sea, that version was the first one I heard (off the Dio Years album) and I still have some issues listening to the studio version haha :D This one is simply superior in every way, Live Evil could have been a really big record if they had wanted to stay together.

[The_Wolf]

In case anyone missed it, Geezer visited RJD's grave on May 16th (from his facebook official page) .

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...type=1&theater

[A Sabbath Historian]

Four years ago today. I remember hearing the news on 93.3 KDKB while driving. Stunned to say the least. As I write this I'm listening to 'Eddie Trunk Rocks' on Q104.3. 'Man On the Silver Mountain', 'Neon Knights', and 'Stand Up And Shout' are played back-to-back. Gone but NEVER forgotten! Ronnie James Dio: R.I.P. ...

[OzzyIsDio]

R.I.P. Ronnie, you are gone only in the physical sense, not in the musica and joy you conveyed, that will always live on forever in our hearts and souls.

You were and always will be the King Of Rock-N-Roll!!!

[Thelemech]

R.I.P. Ronnie - your music will last forever

[scorpio 2000]

Yeah I completely agree with you, that version of "Voodoo" is really 100% what I mean when I say that a band is "on fire". Dio's ad libbing is not only fitting in melody and timing, but also in the words he uses which are just so right for the song. Sure there's nothing poetic about "there's evil there, somewhere" at all, but he says it in such a way that he really means it, similar to what I was getting at in another thread on Ozzy's ability to pull off the song "Black Sabbath".

As for Children of the Sea, that version was the first one I heard (off the Dio Years album) and I still have some issues listening to the studio version haha :D This one is simply superior in every way, Live Evil could have been a really big record if they had wanted to stay together.

Very true! Live Evil, H&H and Mob Rules would have kept on selling had this lineup not broken up so soon. The video would have been released too.

[Sabbathman]

8 years have gone since the Man went back to the Silver Mountain...

This playlist is compiled from 20 releases and shows why Dio will always be one of the greatest titans of rock & metal...

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...8xoh-VbpiEhVzc

[tsimisde]

Of course the day is dedicated to our beloved vocalist and i will make and hear a mix from his Rainbow, Sabbath and solo career days.

Dio is one of my favorite artists and i really like his work. The albums which did with Rainbow and Black Sabbath, belong in my favorite albums of all time. H&H, Mob rules, did the 1-2 punch for me. It is remarkable that the same lineup (except the drummer), gave us two astonishing albums the one after the other and those two albums are splendid.

Both of these albums are full of gems but the most definitive for me which shows the peak of everyone in the band back then, is this: