Posted by Dio Slave on 2/9/2012 to
Ronnie James Dio
Marshall Blonstein, president of Audio Fidelity, has set January 31st as the release date for the audiophile label's Gold CD reissue of Dio's Holy Diver. The album will be issued as a numbered, limited edition that will be retired after it has reached 5,000 units in sales. Holy Diver will be available through both online and brick-and-mortar retailers.
The album hails from 1983, a year when rock was reasserting its place on a music landscape then dominated by dance and pop records. Long acknowledged as a classic entry in the Dio catalog, Holy Diver represented a key turn in the career of Ronnie James Dio. The album enjoyed the longest tenure of any Dio set on Billboard's chart, with Holy Diver logging 38 weeks.
Ronnie James Dio had already achieved star status as the lead singer of Elf, Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow and Black Sabbath by the time he released Holy Diver, the first record of what would be a long and fruitful solo career. Joined by alumni of his former bands-- drummer Vinnie Appice (Black Sabbath) and bassist Jimmy Bain (Rainbow)-- and teenaged discovery, guitarist Vivian Campbell, Dio crafted a searing debut that won widespread pop acceptance without compromising an ounce of its power or heavy-metal principles. The group-composed "Rainbow in the Dark," as well as the Dio-penned title track, became mainstream-rock radio hits, and the Bain-Dio cuts "Straight Through the Heart" and "Stand Up and Shout" grew into fan favorite-- the latter featuring impressive, breakneck-speed soloing from Campbell.
Holy Diver peaked at No. 56 on Billboard's album chart (and reached 13 in the U.K.) and was certified Gold a year after its release and Platinum in 1989. The song "Holy Diver" retains considerable popularity almost three decades after it was first recorded, having been featured on TV's South Park and in the video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories. "Rainbow in the Dark" was featured in Rock Band 3. Dio himself appears in the opening musical performance of the 2006 comedy Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny starring Jack Black.
Audio Fidelity's reissue of Holy Diver includes a two-page spread reproducing the original vinyl LP's photo montage of images from Dio's time with Black Sabbath and Rainbow.
Dio- Holy Diver (Official Music Video)
1 Comments
shayne goldman
Date
11/21/2012
I want for freeeeeeeeeeeee