Dio at Donington UK: Live 1983 & 1987 CD

Dio at Donington UK: Live 1983 & 1987 buy CD music This concert from their European tour in 1977 features the line up responsible for the Long Live Rock 'n' Roll album released later that year including vocalist Ronnie James Dio and drummer Cozy Powell. Extras include 3 original promo videos, interviews, photo gallery, and audio commentary.

Dio at Donington UK: Live 1983 & 1987 CD music A devastating head-on collision between American and British rock influences -- a true supergroup that delivers a titanic rock experience greater than the sum of its supremely talented parts. The brainchild of producer Kevin Shirley, the band combines the rock lineage and forces of legendary frontman and bass guitarist Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Trapeze), master blues-rock guitarist Joe Bonamassa, powerhouse drummer Jason Bonham (Led Zeppelin, Foreigner) and keyboardist Derek Sherinian (Dream Theater, Billy Idol, Alice Cooper). Named after the industrial area in Britain where both Hughes and Bonham were born and raised, Recording information: Germano Studios, NY; Shangri-La Studios, Mailbu, CA; The Cave, Malibu, CA. Editor: Brett Diaz. Illustrator: Dennis Friel. Photographers: Christie Goodwin; Marty Temme; Rick Gould; Chris Callaway. Supergroup fever: catch it! 2009 was an especially kind year for these ego-busting entities, spawning Them Crooked Vultures (Josh Homme, John Paul Jones, Dave Grohl) and Chickenfoot (Sammy Hagar, Joe Satriani, Michael Anthony, and Chad Smith) in the hard rock category alone. So it was no surprise when 2010 brought us Black Country Communion (courtesy of mega-producer and matchmaker to the stars, Kevin Shirley), which blended the legendary talents of bassist/vocalist Glenn Hughes, guitarist Joe Bonamassa, drummer Jason Bonham, and keyboardist Derek Sherinian. Not surprisingly, the quartet's eponymous debut album was generally drooled over upon delivery, but for once, the media hype was largely justified by the music, which successfully set out to modernize the vintage Deep Purple template on the strength of former Mark III member Hughes' signature power-soul voice and the necessary Hammond organ sound replicated here by Sherinian. OK, so listeners who were unaware of bluesman Bonamassa's longtime affinity for `70s rock dinosaurs of Purple's ilk (look up his debut album for a devastating cover of Jethro Tull's "A New Day Yesterday") couldn't have known how well suited he too was to the task at hand; but it goes without saying that Bonham's unimpeachable classic rock DNA would provide a perfect foundation for all this. So with all of the ingredients set, the only thing that could possibly derail this coal-burning iron horse of a band was that all-too-common supergroup affliction: no songs -- never mind enough chemistry -- for the whole to equal the sum of its parts. But Black Country Communion actually delivers the goods for much of this album, including the infectious one-two punch of "Black Country" (a threat) and "One Last Soul" (a promise), the believably desperate "Down Again" (featuring a hair-raising vocal from Hughes), and the best of many epics, "Song of Yesterday," which contrasts a soft instrumental touch against Led Zeppelin-sized bombast. Elsewhere, a cover of Trapeze's "Medusa" brings it all back to the beginning for Hughes; the overcast mid-section of "The Revolution in Me" gives Sherinian some room to roam; and Bonamassa's solos show equal doses of tasteful restraint ("The Great Divide") and boastful abandon ("Beggerman") throughout, leaving just a few songs lost in the shuffle (even though the out-of-sorts, AC/DC-gone-Sunset Strip of "Sista Jane" is impossible to ignore). In short, to the relief of fans of all four participants, Black Country Communion's debut takes the dread out of the supergroup equation, at least until 2011 mints the next strain of virulent celebrity get-togethers, once again testing the wisdom behind this recurring phenomenon. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia Personnel: Joe Bonamassa (vocals, guitar); Patrick D'Arcy (whistle, Uilleann pipe); Derek Sherinian (keyboards); Jason Bonham (drums). Audio Mixer: Kevin Shirley.

Dio at Donington UK: Live 1983 & 1987 songs Some things are immune to trends, and Ronnie James Dio's golden voice is one of them. The alleged inventor of the devil-horns symbol (as it pertains to metal) had a memorable stint as the singer of Black Sabbath after St. Ozzy's departure, leaving behind two classic albums in MOB RULES and HEAVEN AND HELL. Though the rest of Sabbath has mainly focused on working with Ozzy in the 2000s, a 2007 tour with Dio whetted their appetites for a fresh collaboration as Heaven & Hell. The result, THE DEVIL YOU KNOW, stands proudly beside the band's prime material. Like anything associated with Dio, the music is unapologetically operatic, with almost every song clocking in at around or over five minutes. The singer wails his tales of darkness and mystical evil over Tony Iommi's trademark doom-inflected chords, heavy as a marble tomb and churning like a witch's cauldron. Recording information: Rockfield Studios, Monmouth, Wales. Photographer: Chapman Baehler. Personnel: Ronnie James Dio (vocals); Tony Iommi (guitar); Vinny Appice (drums). Audio Mixer: Wyn Davis.

Dio at Donington UK: Live 1983 & 1987 album for sale The last time there was a new studio album from German headbangers Accept, it was 1996, and heavy metal was quite possibly at an all-time low -- completely ignored by MTV (Headbanger's Ball was off the air), and forget about radio. But the album in question, Predator, did include longtime members Udo Dirkschneider, guitarist Wolf Hoffman, and bassist Peter Baltes. Fast forward ten years, and vintage metal was in a much healthier and happier state, with bands from the '80s experiencing an undeniable resurgence in popularity. So what better time for Accept to dust off their Flying V's and rock once more? Only one catch -- Udo declined the reunion this time around. Undeterred, Hoffman and Baltes decided to soldier on, re-enlisting former Accept guitarist Herman Frank (who left the group in 1984), drummer Stefan Schwarzmann, and former T.T. Quick singer Mark Tornillo. The "new look Accept" issued their first studio album in 14 years in 2010, Blood of the Nations, and musically, the group has created an album that certainly measures up well to their early- and mid-'80s glory days. Vocally, hearing anyone besides Udo in Accept will take some time to get used to -- especially for long-time fans -- but hang in there, and you'll discover that Tornillo is certainly a worthy replacement. "Tough and heavy" is a straight-to-the-point description of such tunes as the ass-kicking album-opener "Beat the Bastards," as well as "Teutonic Terror" and the heavy duty title track. Producer Andy Sneap (known for working with the heaviest of heavy metal bands) successfully brings Accept sonically back to the metallic roar of their glory days throughout Blood of the Nations, resulting in an impressive return of Germany's second best-known heavy metal export of all time. ~ Greg Prato Lyricists: Mark Tornillo; Peter Baltes; Wolf Hoffmann . Personnel: Mark Tornillo (vocals); Herman Frank, Wolf Hoffmann (guitar); Stefan Schwarzmann (drums). Audio Mixer: Andy Sneap. Photographer: Wolf Hoffmann .

Dio at Donington UK: Live 1983 & 1987 CD music This 2009 set by Heaven & Hell from the Wacken Festival includes renditions of "Children of the Sea," "Falling off the Edge of the World," "Follow the Tears," and "Neon Knights." On Thursday July 30th 2009 Heaven & Hell took to the stage at the famous Wacken Festival in Germany as part of the tour in support of their album "The Devil You Know", released earlier in the year. Although nobody knew at the time, it was to be Ronnie James Dio's last filmed concert appearance before his death in May 2010 from stomach cancer. Heaven & Hell were on fantastic form and played a set blending tracks from the newly released album with classics from their Black Sabbath days. This is a truly fitting tribute to one of the legendary voices of rock. HEAVEN & HELL IS: Ronnie James Dio: Vocals, Tony Iommi: Guitar, Geezer Butler: Bass, Vinny Appice: Drums.

Dio at Donington UK: Live 1983 & 1987 buy CD music When Heaven & Hell took the stage on the evening of July 30, 2009 at the Wacken Open Air Festival, it was incomprehensible that this was to be the group's final tour. The band had just issued a brand-new studio album, The Devil You Know, that had hit the U.S. Top Ten, and fans were flocking to stadium-sized festival performances by the band. However, this did indeed prove to be the group's last-ever tour, as Ronnie James Dio would pass away from stomach cancer in May 2010. A little over a year from when the aforementioned show took place comes a live CD that documents this very same performance, entitled Neon Nights. Also issued as a DVD, the Neon Nights CD includes two fewer tracks than the DVD (one of which is just a prerecorded bit, "E5150," while the other is the rarely performed "Country Girl"). And from the sound of the band, it's clear that Heaven & Hell were in fine form right up until the end. Wisely, the majority of the track listing here is comprised of renditions of songs from Black Sabbath's first two classic albums with Dio (1980's Heaven and Hell and 1981's The Mob Rules), including "Mob Rules," the oft-overlooked "Falling Off the Edge of the World," a nearly 20-minute (!) version of "Heaven and Hell," and "Neon Knights." And rounding out the set are renditions of songs from the 1992 Dio-Sabbath release Dehumanizer ("I") and the aforementioned The Devil You Know ("Bible Black"). Without a doubt, both the CD and DVD versions of Neon Nights are fitting farewells to one of the greatest heavy metal lineups of all time. ~ Greg Prato Personnel: Ronnie James Dio (vocals); Tony Iommi (guitar); Scott Warren (keyboards); Vinny Appice (drums). Liner Note Author: Malcolm Dome.