Ronnie James Dio... what's the big deal?

[defpearlpilot]

Granted, I only have a surface knowledge of Dio songs. But why is this guy always mentioned as one of the greats? Point me to something that has him shine.

 

[Jakem]

Granted, I only have a surface knowledge of Dio songs. But why is this guy always mentioned as one of the greats? Point me to something that has him shine.

The guy's like 253 years old and he still sings his ass off with that great voice...

 

[jonny toetags]

Granted, I only have a surface knowledge of Dio songs. But why is this guy always mentioned as one of the greats? Point me to something that has him shine.

The guy's like 253 years old and he still sings his ass off with the great voice of his...

+100!

 

[drucifer]

That, and he'll kick your ass from the waste down!

 

[crwnedblasphemy]

I feel it is important to find DIO by yourself. HE IS THE BEST at what he does, and is passionate in every musical note.

A great starting point is HEAVEN AND HELL or MOB RULES by Sabbath. If you aren't swayed after hearing those, then there is no point.

 

[amiller]

Check out his classic Rainbow song, "Man on The Silver Mountain."

Or check out the Holy Diver CD!

 

[AmpliFIRE]

He has a great voice for sure, but I get tired of it real fast

 

[amiller]

He has a great voice for sure, but I get tired of it real fast

Ya know, I was thinking the same thing. It's like his voice is so powerful that it just wears me down after awhile. Strange, but I get the same thing from AlterBridge's singer...too much after awhile.

 

[defpearlpilot]

I feel it is important to find DIO by yourself. HE IS THE BEST at what he does, and is passionate in every musical note.

A great starting point is HEAVEN AND HELL or MOB RULES by Sabbath. If you aren't swayed after hearing those, then there is no point.

Thanks. I'm checking them out. I'm definitely impressed with how his voice is holding up. But I was wondering if people were impressed with his range/technique or what have you.

 

[blackba]

I would much rather have a singer like Dio in my band, than one of those guys doing the cookie monster vocals. Dio is great in my book, like a 'Rainbow in the Dark'

 

[Gainfreak]

The big deal is that he can sing really well in a specific style and he has lasted 30+ years in a business that chews people up and spits them out. The other thing about Dio is that he has a unique voice which you cannot say about 99.9% of most singers. You can tell when Dio is singing just by hearing a few notes of his voice.

 

[jonny toetags]

I would much rather have a singer like Dio in my band, than one of those guys doing the cookie monster vocals. Dio is great in my book, like a 'Rainbow in the Dark'

Probably my favorite song, followed by Gypsy.

 

[thiswaythatway]

Dio was really big in the mid 80's. Holy Diver and Last In Line were big metal albums at the time. He played to sold out arenas, i think i saw Last In Line tour at the Meadowlands in NJ. There's been plenty of bands over the years that were considered big acts that can't pull off a national headlining tour and sell out the big arenas.

Although, i think Dio was slightly overshadowed by Maiden, Priest, and Ozzy in the 80's. And the Dungeons and Dragons style of metal was quickly losing steam after 1987-88. Once Metallica and GNR got big that killed off the popularity of the British metal bands a lot in the states. PLus, the LA hair/sleeze scene was getting big.

Dio is still a legendary metal figure in my book.

 

[Anonymous]

Granted, I only have a surface knowledge of Dio songs. But why is this guy always mentioned as one of the greats? Point me to something that has him shine.

I'd have trouble pointing you to something that he doesn't shine in. Amazing, powerful, unique voice and still going strong. I saw him 3 years ago and it could have been '82...

Steve

 

[Bob Savage]

Granted, I only have a surface knowledge of Dio songs. But why is this guy always mentioned as one of the greats? Point me to something that has him shine.

If somebody has to point out his great stuff, it's likely that you just don't like his style. I find Dio to be one of the greats because of his range, timbre, power, sense of melody, sense of harmony, song arrangement sensibility, ability to choose the right players for his band and overall professionalism and longevity of both his vocal ability and industry status.

 

[70strathead]

going back to early Rainbow/Sabbath which is the period I enjoyed the most. Everything Gainfreak said and I would also add a metal genius in co-songwriting and melodies...Rainbows Eyes, Catch the Rainbow, Gates of Babylon and Heaven and Hell , Children of the Sea are good examples of his innovative/lyrical approach.



DIO kicks ass!
Ant

 

[CharFace]

I saw him 3 or 4 months ago - kickin' ass as always - at reportedly 65 yrs old

A great front man, song crafter, vocalist, businessman, all-around institution

 

[mrp5150]

Rainbow Rising is my favorite album that Dio is on.

 

[defpearlpilot]

Granted, I only have a surface knowledge of Dio songs. But why is this guy always mentioned as one of the greats? Point me to something that has him shine.

If somebody has to point out his great stuff, it's likely that you just don't like his style. I find Dio to be one of the greats because of his range, timbre, power, sense of melody, sense of harmony, song arrangement sensibility, ability to choose the right players for his band and overall professionalism and longevity of both his vocal ability and industry status.

Yeah, you're probably right about this. It could be that I'm just not into his stuff. But I definitely think that how his voice has held up is a "big deal."

 

[DrThunder]

I love Dio, and I love Sabbath...but I didn't like the two together I don't know why, I just like Sabbath with Ozzy WAY more, and I still rock out to "Holy Diver' at least once a week, lol and the video is just awesome "Long Live Dio"

DT