On Ronnie James Dio
I came to know Ronnie James Dio through his involvement with Black Sabbath, as most did. “Heaven And Hell” was an album that was almost pure perfection, coming after the messy end with Ozzy, produced by Martin Birch to a crisp audio brilliance, and songs which all made sense individually and as a package.
That album got me through some tough times, that’s for sure.
I also knew him from:
a home video I once rented of a live gig he gave in a small venue somewhere in Europe, with a cardboard cutout set and Vivian Campbell on guitar, and he kicked absolute ass
the horns - those ever-present horns \m/
his appearance on one “issue” of Hard N’ Heavy, a monthly ‘videozine’ from the 80s which was years ahead of the curve, in which he presented himself intelligently, fluently, and totally departed from the typical view of a heavy metal vocalist.
All in all, his vocals were always spot-on, powerful, and took a song beyond some imaginary boundary that most other singers couldn’t cross. His range, his style, and his lyrical phrasing. Fucking Dio, man.
So, now he’s gone after a battle with stomach cancer, which he carried himself through with dignity.
I wish I’d been able to see him live; but I guess it’s good enough that I was aware of his work and had a chance to enjoy it for years.
