Ronnie James Dio

May he rest in peace. 
There's nothing like driving 300 miles by yourself with a brutal hangover only to find out that a musical legend who helped define the sound and iconography of the music you love has passed away.
More importantly than his huge voice and incredible legacy, according to all accounts he was a genuinely solid and kind human being and we just can't afford to lose many more of those.

Some celebratory memories:
1. The fates work in strange ways.  I was putting together a mix CD for the drive I mentioned earlier, and the live version of "Children of the Sea" just jumped off the screen and onto the playlist even though the majority of the other tunes were non-metal (Joe Walsh, Dead Kennedys).   I'll admit that I was an Ozzy era-purist for the longest time as far as Sabbath is concerned.  Even though "Mob Rules" was carefully spray painted in areas where the older kids drank (a subliminal clue), and eventually my friends and I too.  I didn't give the Dio stuff a proper chance until 2005 when I bought a copy of Mob Rules at the world-renowned Jerry's Records and spent the rest of that summer drinking wine on my porch on Forward Avenue with it as the soundtrack.  "The Sign of the Southern Cross" is one of the best Sabbath jams from any era.  It's majesty made even more stark by the grinding title track right afterwards; a killer one-two punch.  It took a little longer for Heaven and Hell to sink in, but once it did...I haven't really stopped playing that stuff since.  But Dio made an impression on me way, way earlier than that with "The Last in Line" video.  A whole post could be written about the video and its interesting story and monumental production values.  The song blew my adolescent mind so much that I was moved to buy the first of many dubbed tapes from my friend Mark's fledgling tape dubbing enterprise.  I'll never forget this thing...he painstakingly drew and then colored the ornate Dio logo on the cover.  Mark's deal was 2 albums on a 90 minute cassette for 3 dollars.  He even had lists!  My first selection was Dio's The Last in Line with Motley's Shout at the Devil on the flipside.
Man, do I wish I still had that thing!  I can see that logo plain as day in my mind.  The point of this is even though I stubbornly overlooked RJD's work with Sabbath for far too long, I freakin' loved Holy Diver and The Last in Line.   I tuned out around Sacred Heart, because I was starting to get into heavier stuff at the time.

2. Even in his late 60's the man still had an astonishing ability to sing his songs at such an incredibly high level.  I was fortunate enough to see Heaven and Hell, with Judas Priest and Motorhead in 2008, and I was just stunned at how great Dio sounded and how commanding and sincere his stage presence was.  You could tell he cared about his songs and his fans and that those concerns wouldn't allow him to give a half-assed, phoned-in performance like many of his contemporaries.
And it's not like his vocals are easy to pull off.  They had to be so demanding for a man his age after so many years on the road and in the studio, yet there he was nailing "The Sign of the Southern Cross."
Look, when I see pictures or video of the Rolling Stones these days I seriously get fucking embarrassed.
The guys in Heaven and Hell are nearly as old, but still capable of crushing and inspired performances.  We raved about how great Tony Iommi played and how great RJD's vocals were at the show for weeks, man.   Also, The Devil You Know is a decent album (it gets bogged down in the middle).  The riffs are killer, Dio sounded great.  This band still could go, which is one reason his passing is so sad.

3. I picked up Rainbow Rising last summer after years of recommendations and I haven't been able to get into it just yet.  I don't think that's RJD's fault, though, as Ritchie Blackmore's playing and songwriting gets a little too overwrought for my ears sometimes (sorry Dave!)  Again it's a testament to Dio's legacy and longevity that there are eras of his career still to be discovered and celebrated even by a long-term fan such as myself.
You will be missed.


More soon....including thoughts on the very strange, very cool new Darkthrone album.