RIP Ronnie James Dio

Sad, sad Sunday. From Wendy Dio:

Today my heart is broken, Ronnie passed away at 7:45am 16th May. Many, many friends and family were able to say their private good-byes before he peacefully passed away. Ronnie knew how much he was loved by all. We so appreciate the love and support that you have all given us. Please give us a few days of privacy to deal with this terrible loss. Please know he loved you all and his music will live on forever.

Total bummer and a great loss. I will post some personal thoughts tomorrow night. Come back and mourn with me.

What In The (Heaven and) Hell?

Man, it's been a tough couple of months for Heaven and Hell. Just saw today that drummer Vinny Appice will be out of commission for five months after shoulder surgery that he'll have today (11/30).

But that's nothing compared to Ronnie James Dio, who is reportedly battling stomach cancer. Dio's Web site posted the following last week: "Ronnie has been diagnosed with the early stages of stomach cancer. We are starting treatment immediately at the Mayo Clinic. After he kills this dragon, Ronnie will be back on stage, where he belongs, doing what he loves best, performing for his fans."

Eeeks. Here's best wishes for speedy recoveries for both guys.

Ozzy the Dumb Ass Sues Tony Iommi

This has Sharon Osbourne written all over it. According to the Associated Press, Ozzy is suing Tony Iommi, who owns the Black Sabbath name, for 50 percent ownership of same name.

Check out Sharon's full statement:

“It is with great regret that I had to resort to legal action against my long term partner, Tony Iommi, but after three years of trying to resolve this issue amicably, I feel I have no other recourse. As of the mid-1990’s, after constant and numerous changes in band members, the brand of "Black Sabbath" was literally in the toilet and Tony Iommi (touring under the name Black Sabbath) was reduced to performing in clubs. Since 1997 when Geezer, Bill and myself rejoined the band, Black Sabbath has returned to its former glory as we headlined sold-out arenas and amphitheatres playing to upwards of 50,000 people at each show around the world. We worked collectively to restore credibility and bring dignity back to the name “Black Sabbath” which lead to the band being inducted into the UK and US Rock & Roll Hall of Fames in 2005 and 2006, respectively. Throughout the last 12 years, it was my management representatives who oversaw the marketing and quality control of the “Black Sabbath” brand through OZZFEST, touring, merchandising and album reissues. The name "Black Sabbath" now has a worldwide prestige and merchandising value that it would not have had by continuing on the road it was on prior to the 1997 reunion tour. Tony, I am so sorry it’s had to get to this point by me having to take this action against you. I don’t have the right to speak for Geezer and Bill, but I feel that morally and ethically the trademark should be owned by the four of us equally. I hope that by me taking this first step that it will ultimately end up that way. We’ve all worked too hard and long in our careers to allow you to sell merchandise that features all our faces, old Black Sabbath album covers and band logos, and then you tell us that you own the copyright. We’re all in our 60’s now. The Black Sabbath legacy should live on long after we have all gone. Please do the right thing.”

Ooops, I meant Ozzy's statement.

Here is my take - I agree that Ozzy injected new life into the band when the original four Sabbath members reunited. I am sure he was paid very well on those tours. But here's the thing. I saw Sabbath with Ozzy a few years ago and they sucked. Well, Ozzy sucked. I was even impressed with Bill Ward - but Ozzy couldn't hack it. They did the same old songs they had been doing the last bunch of tours. Ozzy's voice went out and he threw the mic to the ground and stormed offstage. It was sad, actually.

Fast forward a few years. The band is touring with Dio, who is singing better than ever. Not only did they write three strong songs for a Dio retrospective CD set, they have a brand new album, which is not the greatest but at least they have a brand new album! According to Iommi, had they been trying to do an album with Ozzy, they wouldn't even have written the first song yet.

The new album, which goes by the name Heaven and Hell, by the way - not Black Sabbath - debuted at number 8 on the Billboard charts.

So of course Sharon is bitter and wants a piece of the pie. From reading Rudy Sarzo's book, she has always been this way, trying to get Ozzy to put out Speak of the Devil - a live album of Sabbath covers - before the real Sabbath could put out the Dio-fronted Live Evil.

Just get back to your reality shows, Sharon, and quit trying to roll Ozzy out on more tours. Let the man rest. And give credit where credit is due. I contend that if Iommi had skipped the Ozzy reunion and went right back to working with Dio in 1997, they'd be as big as ever.

New Heaven and Hell Album Art Revealed

OK, here is a nice little image to get your week off to a positive start. Heaven and Hell (Dio-era Black Sabbath) will release its new album The Devil You Know on on April 28.

According to recent news reports, guitarist Tony Iommi said, "It was good to play [the new songs] live in the studio. It keeps you on edge." Bassist Geezer Butler added, "We've learned from the past that you can kill a song doing it over and over. The first Sabbath albums were done in two or three days. Technically they weren't great, but vibe-wise they were great. If you capture that feeling, that's all you need."

The album cover makes Mob Rules look like an image from a children's book. Behold! And have a nice day...

New Heaven and Hell Album Announced

Billboard reports that the new Heaven and Hell album will be out on April 28 and will be called The Devil You Know. This is the first full album of new material from the Dio-led version of Sabbath since 1992's Dehumanizer, although the group did record three heavy new tracks that were included on The Dio Years, which was released in 2007.

The band played those three new songs on its tour the same year. I reviewed that show here and it was one of the best shows I saw that year. So needless to say, I am very excited to check out this disc.

Classic Rock Magazine got an exclusive sneak listen to some of the new tracks on the last day of the band laying down basic tracks at Rockfield Studios in Wales. Classic Rock wrote:

The songs we heard were a moody, thuddingly malevolent number called Rock ’N’ Roll Jesus, the pacier and more anthemic Neverwhere, and a slice of sloth-like majesty that’s likely to be titled Breaking Into Heaven. Other tracks expected to appear include Bible Black, Double Pain and Atom + Evil.

“Each of us submitted a CD of our ideas, and we narrowed it down from there,” explains Iommi. “In some ways it was like picking up where we’d left off with Dehumanizer, which was also done at Rockfield.”

“I never thought this band would get back together, but here we are,” marvels Appice. “Everyone’s more mature, and when we play together it’s just a monster.”

I felt the same way about the live show. Let's hope the band keeps on this roll with the new album.

Reunion Roulette

Classic Rock Magazine posted a short article in response to the on-again off-again Zeppelin reunion rumor mill, stating that in the UK, a Zeppelin reunion isn't even that deeply sought after by music fans.

In this short post, the publication says:

Ticket company Viagogo recently compiled top ten of bands people would love to see reform, with the chart running as follows:

1. ABBA
2. The Smiths
3. Take That (with Robbie Williams)
4. Stone Roses
5. Guns N’ Roses (with Slash)
6. Pink Floyd
7. Talking Heads
8. The Faces
9. Wham!
10. Jackson Five

Now, I am not sure if Viagogo put this list together scientifically or what, but Wham!? Really?

I feel very fortunate that over the last few years, a lot of the reunions I had been dying to see (and frankly thought would never, never happen) already took place, even if they were just for one show. The two that come to mind first are Floyd and Zeppelin (yeah, not an official reunion with one member deceased, but Jason did very very well). And also The Police. And the original KISS lineup.

And Heaven and Hell (Sabbath with Dio), for God's sake. That one is more than a reunion - that is a re-birth with all the new material forthcoming and recent live DVD.

My rule is to stick with what is actually possible, so I am not going to pine for any more Pink Floyd reunions, with one (two?) of the key members deceased. Nor will I hope for a Beatles reunion or anything that would require a time machine to make a reality.

But having said that, what are some bands you would still love to see re-form before key members truck off to the great gig in the sky?

Nice Day and Random Grumble

I am in the Bay Area for business. I get here about once every five or six weeks and stay three or four days. I have been lucky enough to hit the area, very randomly, when some of my favorite bands have rolled through town.

In fact, I saw Heaven and Hell and Roger Waters on two separate trips down here last year.

So I should have known better. Turns out Asia played last night in San Francisco. Their last gig of the US tour, and who knows when/if they'll ever be back. Just found out tonight, and of course it was my only free night and I totally could have gone!

I had tickets for Portland last year but one of 'em needed open heart surgery so they cancelled my gig. I guess I forgive them.

Anyway, I am not going to complain. The weather is great and it's always nice to be here, even when it's raining!

A Little Bit of This and That

What to report, what to report? A couple of small things:

It's all over the news but Jimmy Page broke a finger so the Led Zeppelin reunion show has been postponed to December 10. The most exciting thing for me on this front is that I found out my friend Al Toribio was able to get a ticket - his wife submitted their email (along with me and a million other people) and were one of the 20,000 selected to buy tickets. Talk about winning the lotto! So they are off to London next month and I hope to get some first hand scoop from Al to post here after he gets back.

Also, Dio in a recent interview with Komodo Rock dropped the news that the Heaven and Hell version of Sabbath will indeed record a new album next year, after some time off after the current kick ass tour that is about to wrap up. That is really good news, because I feel like that band is firing on all thrusters and it would be a shame if they stopped now.

I will leave you with something totally unrelated. A YouTube video of The Who playing Eminence Front at a sound check. This was the MTV video I used to drool over in 1982 and I have been looking for the audio of this for years but alas it remains unreleased as far as I can tell. Despite the tacky 80s garb, Pete's leads in the front of the song are tasty indeed and pretty flipping raw! This looks like the footage they used to make the video before it was edited, too.



And to contrast that with the good old Who I loved so much:



And flash forward to the recent past where they are still loud and obnoxious!

CD and DVD Review - Heaven and Hell at Radio City

Anyone who read my posting of the Heaven and Hell show earlier this year knows what I think of the Dio-led version of Sabbath. For those who need a reminder, I think it's one of the best hard rock lineups to ever grace the earth. Forget the Ozzy led Sabbath. Just forget it. That version is a whole other thing, great in its own way, and yes, OK they co-founded heavy metal. But the Dio era Sabbath built on those roots and just sledge hammered it out of the park.

The Mob Rules. Heaven and Hell. Children of the Sea. Falling Off the Edge of the World. The Sign of the Southern Cross. Die Young. Neon Knights. Need I go on? Forget about it!

In terms of the show I saw earlier this year, these guys were in fine form, clearly pleased as a cup of Jesus Juice to be playing these classic heavy duty tunes. Not to rest on their laurels, they also played three songs from their 1992 overlooked reunion album Dehumanizer and two of the three brand new songs recorded for the Dio Years compilation CD. Much to my amazement these non-classic numbers fit in with the classics like a hand in a well broken-in studded leather glove.

Now the band's performance at Radio City Music Hall from this tour is out on CD and DVD and needless to say I bought both and whole heartedly recommend that anyone with even a cursory interest in Sabbath or hard rock go out and buy them right now.

I started with the CD. It's excellent. The same set list I saw, plus Lonely Is the Word. Nothing really to say about the CD except it is an accurate sonic snapshot of the kick ass tour. Dio's voice is soaring and powerful, he hits all the notes and just delivers. Iommi and Butler are playing better then ever. It's all there.

These guys sound like they have something to prove and are out to convert the masses, when really they could have just trotted out and farted through it all. They didn't. Oh, and Dio's scream at the start of The Mob Rules made the hair stand up on my arms. I'm not kidding. I actually laughed at how killer some of this stuff was. Iommi plays a LOT of guitar on this tour and the CD performances are blistering. And I am still amazed at how good Geezer is on this stuff.

The DVD is a must have as well. Same audio, obviously, but the company that filmed the thing really understands how to do it right. From a musician's standpoint, you can't beat it. There are loads and loads of close ups of Geezer, Iommi and Appice actually playing. For example, I am thinking, "Here comes that killer Geezer Butler bass fill at the end of the verse in Die Young," and bang, the camera is on his fretboard and you see him do it. Very nice.

I am so sick of DVDs that don't show the band PLAYING. Paul McCartney is the worst offender. His live DVDs are shot after shot of the audience singing along. Kill me now, man.

No, we get to see the prosthetic tips of Iommi's fingers blaze through the riff in Falling Off The Edge of The World. We get to see how fast poor Geezer has to play for all 5 minutes of Neon Knights. We get to see Appice trot out his fills in the new songs. Lots and lots of close ups.

Now if you don't care about this crap, there are loads of shots of the stage from all angles, and plenty of Dio devil horns. That's the one thing - he didn't hold back on his use of the 'horns' and at some points he is a little bit campy. Heavy metal, but campy. Heavy metal campy!

It's the one area where I have a critique of the band. Dio is a little bit on the edge of Spinal Tap with some of his antics and his overall look. My buddy Dave said it best when he said "The whole wispy hair elfin thing just isn't really doing it for me." But, hell, it's Dio. What are ya gonna do? He's always been true to himself, so good for him. I'll accept it.

Side note: You know how Johnny Depp based his character in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies on Keith Richards? I think they based Gollum in the Lord of the Rings on Dio. I'm just saying...

Back to the DVD. The audio is great. Geezer is mainly in the left speaker and Iommi is to the right. If you unplug one of your speakers you can hear the other guy shine. I suggest you unplug Iommi's side and bask in the insane talent that is Geezer Butler.

But you will also note when you take Iommi's side out of the mix that there are a lot of keyboards and even some guitar in the background that is being supplied by someone offstage to help fill in the sound. We actually meet this guy in the bonus material. His name is Scott Warren and he's been playing with Dio for years.

The bonus material is pretty good. You get the story of how they got back together and how much they love this music. Iommi says about five times that he was sick of playing the same 10 songs with Ozzy for eight years, and even notes that when the Ozzy reunion started, the shows were two hours but slowly whittled down to an hour or less. He clearly savors this version of Sabbath.

Which makes me wonder what is next? They could easily crank out another album. Or maybe they will let it go for a few more years. For sure there is no bad blood between these four. One can hope they'll do another tour at some point. I'll be there. In the meantime, we have the DVD!

Dio Speaks!

This is from Blabbermouth.net, copied in its entirety. But these quotes are so informative for those who care about Dio and Sabbath (and who doesn't!), I thought they bore repurposing:

David Glessner of the Express-News spoke with legendary vocalist Ronnie James Dio (Black Sabbath (Heaven And Hell), Dio, Rainbow). A few excerpts follow:

Discussing his universally recognized forked-fingers devil-horn salute:

"You see it at Britney Spears concerts now and that's when you know you've lost it. I certainly didn't invent it, but I've become synonymous with it. It's cool to do a show and not (flash the horns) for a while, because everyone in the audience is just waiting and waiting for it."

Talking about comparisons to the Ozzy-fronted version of Sabbath:

"As you said, I think (both versions of Black Sabbath) are two distinct entities. In listening to 'Heaven and Hell,' I find very few flaws in it. If you've got a great band playing great songs that defined an era, you've got something really special. Some of the people who discovered Sabbath at that point didn't even know there had been a Sabbath with Ozzy. This is not a me-versus-Ozzy thing. Sabbath with Ozzy invented heavy metal. They deserve the credit they've been given. I just brought something different, because I came from a more musical place. We kept the integrity of the heaviness, but musically, there were a lot more places for Tony and Geezer to go."

Chatting about Dio's original departure from Sabbath after the 1982 live album, "Live Evil," parts of which were recorded in San Antonio:

"There were too many people whispering behind too many other peoples' backs. Truth be told, Vinny and I were waiting for Tony and Geezer to come to the studio and they never did. Things got blown out of proportion."

Discussing the "Dehumanizer" album, which Dio describes as "one of the great, underrated albums of the metal genre":

"About a week into the American tour, I was told we were going to be the opening act for Ozzy for two shows. I said, 'No, I won't do that.' At that point, so much dirty water had gone under the bridge and I knew Sabbath was going to reunite with Ozzy anyway, so I just refused. They got Rob Halford as a late replacement for me to do those two shows. I did what I believed in and I still think it was right."

On Dio's determination to make sure the gates of Heaven And Hell will be locked before the legacy is pillaged:

"Had I been bright enough, I would have used your exact last words. If you get into the cycle of an album and a tour, and then another and another, at some point you're forced to do something you don't want to do. We all have other commitments and the guys are going to have their 40th anniversary with Sabbath next year, so I'm sure they'll do something with Ozzy."

Heaven and Hell Concert Review

Caught the Heaven and Hell show last night in Man Jose at the HP Pavilion. Overall, they did not disappoint. My buddy Kevin and I showed up just after 8:30 and we caught Megadeath saying goodnight. Which was perfect because I didn’t give a rat’s ass about seeing Megadeath or the other opener.

Quick set change and the mighty Dio-led Sabbath took the stage. They were fricking great. Exceeded all of my expectations. Dio was the stand out. His voice is still so powerful. It is clear that he has taken very good care of himself. Kevin and I had seen Dio play solo twice in the 80s (Holy Diver and Last In Line tours) and we agreed he sounded even better last night.

The guy also has the best attitude. He smiled all night, interacted with the front general admission layers of people. He took items fans had made for him, held them up and put them aside for later. He even tried to do a between song autograph but no one had a pen. Iommi came to rescue with a handful of picks. But you could just tell that Dio was having a blast singing these songs, with this band.

Tony Iommi was also a stand out. I had seen Sabbath at the last Ozzfest (more on that in a second), so I knew he was still at the top of his game as a player. But he really shines on the Dio-era songs. He ripped some of the most kick ass guitar solos – ranging from moody and dark to so blazingly fast I thought his prosthetic fingertips would burst into flame. Lots of smiles from Tony, too.

The guy who surprised me was Geezer Butler. I knew he was good, but I wasn’t sure if live he was sort of a slop hound. But he played the shit out of that bass. Fast and precise, melodic. Lots of cool wah-wah effects in Sign of the Southern Cross (funny, I always thought that was guitar on the album). The surprise of the night.

Drummer Vinny Appice was fine in the songs – really good, actually. But he wrecked it by doing the most Spinal Tap, bogus, crappy drum solo I have seen in years. Iommi must have needed a smoke break or something, because Appice had no business doing a drum solo. Boring, cliché and uninspired.

The set list was a dream. Sure, they skipped some Heaven and Hell and Mob Rules tunes in favor of new material or stuff from Dehumanizer, but I thought it worked overall. In fact, the three Dehumanizer tunes they did (After All, I, Computer God) were much, much better than their studio counterparts. It made me realize that the trouble with that album was the way it was produced – not the songwriting. These songs fit right in with the classic stuff.

They did two brand new songs that were recorded for the new Dio Years compilation. One (The Devil Cried) was very forgettable, but Shadow of The Wind was pretty killer – good vocal melody and very heavy riff.

Of course I am saving the best for last. They treated us to the classic Dio era Sabbath, doing Mob Rules, Lady Evil, Children of the Sea, Falling Off the Edge of the World, Sign of the Southern Cross, Voodoo, and the three standouts by far – Die Young, Heaven and Hell and a blistering encore of Neon Knights. Actually, I pretty much got my money’s worth with Children of the Sea. Epic.

The stage was gothic but not too Spinal Tap. No video screens thank God. I felt like this show would be so great in a little club. Just super heavy ass music played by talented hard rock legends.

Overall, it was very clear they were enjoying playing this music that they haven’t done in more than 15 or 20 years. Like I said, I had seen the Ozzy fronted Sabbath at the last Ozzfest and they just struggled. Ozzy lost his voice half way through, everyone was looking at the ground, and you just got the sense that they were so far past their prime it was kind of embarrassing. With Dio, it’s a whole different band. Tight, powerful, passionate, heavy, and really into what they are doing. I wish I could see them again, but I hear there is a DVD from this tour coming, so I will just have to get that instead!

Oh yeah, and Dio still says “Hell,” “Devil” and “Fire” the way only Dio can say “Hell,” “Devil” and “Fire.”

Set list:
E5150
After All (The Dead)
The Mob Rules
Children of The Sea
Lady Evil
I
The Sign of The Southern Cross
Voodoo
The Devil Cried
Vinny Appice Solo
Computer God
Falling Off The Edge of The World
Shadow of The Wind
Die Young
Heaven and Hell
Neon Knights

I Broke the Ticketmaster Code!

So, I was able to get a work related trip to the Bay Area arranged for the week of April 23, which puts me there in time to see the Heaven and Hell show on April 24 at the HP Pavilion in Man Jose. Ticketmaster offered tickets today via an Internet pre-sale and not knowing if the show was smoking hot or not, I wanted to get my ticket ASAP. It took me three tries to hit upon the correct pre-sale password. I tried "Hell" and "Black" before nailing it with "Sabbath." How very clever. I felt like a big time hacker. Yee hoo. Anyway, I found out that the whole floor is general admission anyway, so it didn't really matter. But I still felt like I beat the system, so I win for the day.

Heaven and Hell Dates Revealed

Well, folks, Eddie Trunk posted an entry laying out the U.S. dates for Heaven and Hell, the Dio-led Sabbath reunion. And OF COURSE they are not coming anywhere near the Northwest. Not even Seattle. Yeah, I could go to Vancouver B.C. this Sunday but that ain't gonna happen. They ARE however, playing in San Jose on Tuesday April 24, and I could parlay that date into a trip to the Bay Area for work. So, maybe we'll make this happen after all...Stay tuned, people.

Dio and The Pole

Since I've been chatting about Dio lately and how classic he is, paired with how kind of funny he is, I dug up this old story on Dio from an article that came out last year. This is from an Austin360 story on rock club The Back Room in Austin, Texas that closed doors last year after 33 years in the business. Bands, managers, bartenders, etc, were telling their best Back Room memories and one guy had this to say about Dio. I think the story shows how totally cool he is:

As told by Mark Olivarez, former Back Room manager: "Dio performed here around 1990, when the stage was still in the corner. He hated that stage. He hated the shape, position and an infamous pole on the stage-left triangle corner. After the show, he didn't mince words to me about the conditions of the performing environment. Fast-forward a couple years later, and Dio announced another tour. The agent called and said Dio distinctly remembered our room and he'd rather not deal with that . . . pole. I said, "He won't have to deal with that pole, because we've moved the stage." Of course, I neglected the small detail of an all-new pole that was in the front and center of our beautiful new stage. Dio stayed in his room until minutes before the show. I met him at the back door and handed him his wireless mike. He smiled, walked up the stage and stopped dead in his tracks as he noticed the black-painted pole. He turned around and looked at me, laughed and winked. Then in the most Dio-like metal wail, he screamed 'Pooooooooooooooole!' and launched into 'Holy Diver.'"

Hell's Sabbath Elves

OK, so here is a (I am sure copyrighted) Black Sabbath - excuse me - Heaven and Hell reunion photo from bassist Geezer Butler's site. I am certain that they are supposed to look scary and menacing, standing in front of huge stained glass windows and all, dressed in black coats and leather. But don't they kind of look like little elves? Having seen Dio live, I KNOW he is 5 feet and some change. These guys look like they all failed the Lord of the Rings screen test, got huge chips on their shoulders and decided to form a band instead! And what the hell is in Tony Iommi's mouth? Is he smoking a little cigar? Blowing a devil bubble? No clue.

Will I go see them if they come to Portland or Seattle? HELL YEAH! Long live the demon dwarves!