Dio (2) – Holy Diver
Label: | Audio Fidelity (3) – AFZ 136 |
---|---|
Series: | 24K+ Gold CD Series |
Format: | CD, Album, Limited Edition, Numbered, Reissue, Remastered |
Country: | US |
Released: | |
Genre: | Rock |
Style: | Heavy Metal |
Tracklist
1 | Stand Up And Shout | 3:15 | |
2 | Holy Diver | 5:54 | |
3 | Gypsy | 3:39 | |
4 | Caught In The Middle | 4:15 | |
5 | Don't Talk To Strangers | 4:53 | |
6 | Straight Through The Heart | 4:32 | |
7 | Invisible | 5:26 | |
8 | Rainbow In The Dark | 4:15 | |
9 | Shame On The Night | 5:20 |
Companies, etc.
- Licensed From – Warner Bros. Records Inc.
- Marketed By – Audio Fidelity (3)
- Manufactured By – Rhino Entertainment Company
- Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Warner Bros. Records Inc.
- Copyright © – Warner Bros. Records Inc.
- Recorded At – Sound City Studios
- Mastered At – Stephen Marsh Mastering
- Pressed By – ODS Optical Disc Solutions (2)
Credits
- Art Direction, Design – Jeri McManus, Simon Levy
- Bass, Keyboards – Jimmy Bain
- Concept By [Original], Photography By, Management – Wendy Dio
- Coordinator [Production Coordinator For This CD] – Roberta Ballard
- Design [Graphic Design For This CD] – Bob Wynne Graphics
- Drums – Vinny Appice
- Engineer – Angelo Arcuri
- Engineer [Assistant] – Ray Leonard
- Guitar – Vivian Campbell
- Illustration – Randy Berrett
- Mastered By – Steve Hoffman
- Mastered By [Originally] – George Marino
- Photography By – Gene Kirkland, Mark Weiss (3), Rick Brackett, Sharon Weisz
- Vocals, Keyboards – Ronnie James Dio
- Written-By, Producer, Music By – Ronnie James Dio
Notes
24 KT + Gold limited, numbered edition compact disc
℗ © 1983 & 2012 Warner Bros. Records, Inc. Produced under license from Warner Bros. Records, Inc. Manufactured by Rhino Entertainment Company, a Warner Music Group company.
Marketed by Audio Fidelity, a division of Morada Music. Made in the U.S.A.
℗ © 1983 & 2012 Warner Bros. Records, Inc. Produced under license from Warner Bros. Records, Inc. Manufactured by Rhino Entertainment Company, a Warner Music Group company.
Marketed by Audio Fidelity, a division of Morada Music. Made in the U.S.A.
Barcode and Other Identifiers
- Barcode: 7 8001421362 6
- Matrix / Runout: $AFZ135 Z2120E
- Mastering SID Code: IFPI L533
- Mould SID Code: IFPI 9218
Other Versions (5 of 197)
View AllTitle (Format) | Label | Cat# | Country | Year | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Recently Edited | Holy Diver (LP, Album, Allied Pressing) | Warner Bros. Records, Warner Bros. Records | 1-23836, 9 23836-1 | US | 1983 | ||
Recently Edited | Holy Diver (Cassette, Album) | Phonogram | 811 021-4 | Netherlands | 1983 | ||
Recently Edited | Holy Diver (LP, Album, Stereo, With Copyright Control Labels) | Vertigo, Vertigo | VERS 5, 811 021-1 | UK | 1983 | ||
Holy Diver (LP, Album, Stereo) | Mercury | 811 021-1 | Netherlands | 1983 | |||
Recently Edited | Holy Diver (LP, Album) | Warner Bros. Records | 92 38361 | Canada | 1983 |
Recommendations
Reviews
- Barely an upgrade over the old "atomic" Mercury. Both are phenomenal discs, but this one has meatier bass.
- Edited 2 years agoAfter displaying the full extent of his ear-shredding vocal powers during two-album stints co-governing Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow and Black Sabbath respectively, Ronnie James Dio was well-equipped and sufficiently approved by the hard rock fraternity to initiate a solo vehicle, hence the use of his moniker as the highly marketable name for the band. Dio was able to take his fantasy fascinations and headbanging appeal to new heights. Upon cursorily examining the allusive title and menacing yet magical cover art, “Holy Diver” quite obviously owes a debt to his previous accomplishments with Rainbow and Sabbath, but much of the content stands on its own. Owing to its release in 1983, at which point the genre had entered the mainstream and LPs sold as well as singles, the album was guaranteed an enthusiastic army of heavy metal buffs ready and willing to shell out for it as well as the ensuing tour. Also around this time, the long-standing table top role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons was starting to make its mark on popular culture, further widening Dio's fan base. Inevitably, the album went platinum in the US, spawning popular MTV videos and two hit singles. From the instant classic title track, metal anthems "Straight Through the Heart," "Invisible", more radio-friendly offerings "Gypsy," "Caught in the Middle," "Rainbow in the Dark” to the eerie, explicitly mythical "Shame on the Night", Dio proved his versatility, fully capable of adopting any style within the hard rock framework and adapting it seamlessly to fit his esoteric lyrical predilections, an ability that would stand him in good stead further down the line as times and tastes changed.
“Holy Diver” is replete with heroic adventure elements and medieval themes, albeit with a slightly more gothic slant than any of Dio’s prior material, and the strong melodic base of the traditional heavy metal backdrop keeps it all surprisingly comprehensible despite the unearthly nature of the subject matter. Dio’s delivers every colossal chorus with a soaring bellow, honing in on hooky lines and emphasizing them for maximum impact, ensuring even the most extraordinary, illogical lyric is either completely absorbed by devotees or at least superficially heeded by a less discerning listener. As an album experience, Dio’s magnetic, well-drawn world is easy to be immersed in and emerge from wanting more. Alas, “Holy Diver” was assembled and formed as exclusively and favourably as Dio’s bandmates, and the result is his definitive record. On consecutive albums, Dio was deprived of the original and best line-up, robbing him of crucial power and speed. Frankly, the doom-laden, grandiose notions and energetic hard rock framework did not come together as auspiciously or fluently when performed by other musicians. On the face of it, Dio having the creative freedom to promulgate his specialist interests was something he had awaited patiently, having previously avoided being his authentic self for fear of upsetting his more dominant bandmates. Immediately after scoring a hit album, his wife and manager encouraged him to be more literal and commercial with his songcraft in order to conform to the pop variant of metal. Dio ceased being an outlet for his sword and sorcery partiality, and what was once a fierce musical unit became a concert attraction with a rotating set of faceless, unremarkable musicians on fixed salaries playing rather than contributing. Regretfully, the obligation to write new material extemporaneously rather than a derivation of cogitations meant that the resulting contents were satisfying and more than adequate, but not as fantastic, cohesive and outstanding as herein. "Holy Diver" captured him at his prime, before his output became inordinately streamlined.
Dio may have formed out of the ashes of the underrated Black Sabbath MK II, a move that arose from internal conflicts. Dio and Appice's enriching new project provided them the opportunity to self-govern and stretch out. Fatefully, the full expansion and realization of Dio's distinct style and substance would by extension bring his versatile vocal range and potent, enchanting compositions to the fore. "Holy Diver" proved that Dio could stand on his own and prosper, ably aided by a trio of impeccable instrumentalists who serve to accentuate his focused lyricism and do so brilliantly. It is a classic album that succeeds not only in its execution, richness and resonance, but also in terms of pure listenability. Quite simply, there are very few occult-themed heavy metal records cogent enough to transcend their genre trappings and outlandishness. Unequivocally, Dio's debut is among them.
Rating: 5/5
Release
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