Ronnie James Dio

[GitGuy513]

a) Who's songs are still being played frequently on AOR radio?
b) Who's songs are being covered currently by large stadium acts such as Pink?
c) Who had a full length movie made about him?
d) Who's song is the most streamed?
e) Who's song is still widely played at major sporting events?

I had to chuckle at this list. If this was just a general set of criteria (Freddie Mercury aside) I would consider it a perfect list for “it probably sucks”. Especially item (b & e).

I know one thing, Mercury gets no points from me as a human being. He was a careless, narcissistic type with many nasty character flaws. Admittedly a common trait among many famous people. Although he seemed to have a goaI to excel at these negative traits. I view Dio as a much nicer person in general and specifically. Most of all he was a damn good singer very much in league with someone like Mercury.

The Heaven and Hell Live Recording is excellent.

 

[Stonetone]

R.J.D, G.O.A.T
End of story!

Cheers

 

[pauly]

Working with Blackmore means you’ll be screwed over at some stage.

It's quite ironic that he got similarly screwed over by Blackmore and then Iommi... And the movie points this out. Whether or not that was because of Wendy I couldn't say...

Although his career was still going pretty strong even after that... Mostly he was done in my "grunge death", I think.

Even as I fan during those days I definitely stopped following him after Lock Up The Wolves.

I liked the first album with Craig Goldy as much as anything with Vivian.

 

[DJD100]

Not joking at all when comparing their entire catalogs of published works...

RJD was an awesome Singer, one of the best ever no doubt, and I never denied that fact (saw him with Blackmore's Rainbow).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronnie_James_Dio

FM however was much more than a singer! FM was also a classically trained Pianist, a Producer (FM was the force behind the production of Bohemian Rhapsody with Roy Thomas Baker engineering, which is considered one of, if not the, greatest rock recordings of all time (done with mid 1970's technology remember!). FM was also an awesome Writer and Lyricist (FM wrote 10 of the 17 songs on Queen's Greatest Hits album for example), Performer and Front man (one who could hold 180,000 plus people in the palm of his hand at the biggest concerts of his era), and last but not least, FM was also an awesome Singer.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bohemian_Rhapsody

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freddie_Mercury

Saw Queen and FM too, including Queen's initial press only US show for BGP (Bill Graham Presents), and everyone walked out of the Fillmore West that night thinking that Queen was simply going to be globally huge.

When you compare their entire published works they're simply in different leagues, which is simply a fact and not mere fandom, and in no way is it disparaging or dismissive of RJD or anyone else. It's simply the historical record.

RIP both RJD and FM, two of the greats who are sorely missed...

FINI (ignoring thread)

 

[duzie]

Not joking at all when comparing their entire catalogs of published works...

RJD was an awesome Singer, one of the best ever no doubt, and I never denied that fact (saw him with Blackmore's Rainbow).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronnie_James_Dio

FM however was much more than a singer! FM was also a classically trained Pianist, a Producer (FM the force behind the production of Bohemian Rhapsody with Roy Thomas Baker engineering, which is considered one of, if not the, greatest rock recordings of all time (done with mid 1970's technology remember!). FM was also an awesome Writer and Lyricist (FM wrote 10 of the 17 songs on Queen's Greatest Hits album for example), Performer and Front man (one who could hold 180,000 plus people in the palm of his hand at the biggest concerts of his era), and last but not least, FM was also an awesome Singer.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bohemian_Rhapsody

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freddie_Mercury

Saw Queen and FM too, including Queen's initial press only US show for BGP (Bill Graham Presents), and everyone walked out of the Fillmore West that night thinking that Queen was simply going to be globally huge.

When you compare their entire published works they're simply in different leagues, which is simply a fact and not mere fandom, and in no way is it disparaging or dismissive of RJD or anyone else. It's simply the historical record.

RIP both RJD and FM, two of the greats who are sorely missed...

FINI (ignoring thread)

Opinion not fact

 

[sprint]

RJD / FM = Apples + Oranges imo, both awesome in so many ways but the musical context and styles are totally different for me. I feel lucky to have experienced Queen in early days as relative unknowns with lots of buzz / chatter but only amoung music nerds who huddled around then obscure FM radio or a turntable spinning Q2, and later being blown away by a reenvigorated Black Sabbath when Heaven and Hell / Mob Rules hit the streets in the 80s with the powerful voice I vaguely knew from Rainbow (never was a huge DP / Rainbow fan at the time so that whole lineage passed me by mostly).

 

[sprint]

Speaking of great and timeless voices - great to hear that Ozzy will be inducted into the RRHoF as a solo artist - despite the ups / downs / antics, he's had an amazing career.

 

[ElectricPhase]

I miss RJD. A lot! I found him before Bruce Dickinson and Maiden during my formative musical years, and it was his voice that made me finally take metal, not hard rock but metal, seriously. (Never liked Ozzy’s singing….that’s a whole different kettle of fish. )

Only saw Dio once, with Tracy G at one of the shows during which ‘Inferno: Last in Live’ was recorded. Also snuck in for the sound check. Crazy show, and the singing was near perfect per usual.