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By JASON PRICE
On October 22, 1995, Dio took the stage at the Astoria Theatre on London's Charing Cross Road. The results have just been released, more than a decade later, as Holy Diver Live.
The two-disc set features Dio at his rockin' best performing his classic Holy Diver album, along with a few other staples. Dio starts the performance with a spoken-word introduction that gives the listener a taste of what is to come before launching into a commanding performance of "Stand Up and Shout." From there, we go to the title track and the show really starts to pick up the pace. "Gypsy," featuring a lengthy drum solo and a theatrical instrumental section, is another highlight of disc one.
Dio's voice is obviously not "studio quality" at a live performance, but his band, featuring Doug Aldrich on guitar, Rudy Sarzo on bass, Simon Wright on drums and Scott Warren on keyboards, does not miss a beat and more than make up for anything that the vocal performance may lack. The group is firing on all cylinders as they rock the audience with the classic "Rainbow In The Dark," followed by an outstanding Aldrich solo "Shame on the Night." This leads into a long jam session before a reprise of "Holy Diver" to close out the first disc.
The second CD set takes the listener on a tour of Dio's impressive career, from Rainbow to Black Sabbath to more of his solo material. Dio pulls out all the stops on songs like "Tarot Woman," "Gates of Babylon," "Man on the Silver Mountain" and "Long Live Rock 'n' Roll" from his days of fronting Rainbow. Black Sabbath songs "Sign of the Southern Cross and "Heaven and Hell" are featured, as well as "One Night in the City" and "We Rock" from his Last in Line solo album.
There is no question that Ronnie James Dio is a master showman and perhaps this album would be better suited as a DVD release to capture the magic. Dio set the bar high with his last "live" release, Evil or Divine, and that is definitely hard to top. That being said, this album should still not be a disappointment for anyone who has seen one of Dio's masterful live performances. The vocals may be a bit weak at times (again this is not a studio recording so the vocals are not going to be perfect), but the band's musical performance more than makes up for it. Holy Diver Live provides another true documentation of what Dio is all about in a live concert setting. Although the record may have it's shortcomings, it is still a must have for any fan of the works of Ronnie James Dio.
Tracklisting:
01. Stand Up and Shout
02. Holy Diver
03. Gypsy
04. Caught In the Middle
05. Don't Talk to Strangers
06. Straight Through the Heart
07. Invisible
08. Rainbow In the Dark
09. Shame On the Night
10. Tarot Woman
11. Sign of the Southern Cross
12. One Night In the City
13. Gates of Babylon
14. Heaven and Hell
15. Man on the Silver Mountain
16. We Rock
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