Last in Line

Dio | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Warner Bros / Wea
• ASIN: B000002L61
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (63 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,012 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #18 in Music > Classic Rock > Glam
  • #89 in Music > Hard Rock & Metal > Pop Metal

Editorial Reviews

No Description Available
No Track Information Available
Media Type: CD
Artist: DIO
Title: LAST IN LINE
Street Release Date: 07/07/1987
Domestic
Genre: HEAVY METAL

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars As it should have been..., February 20, 2004

By 

Neon Knightmare "Guitar Geek" (Rapid City, SD USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Last In Line (Audio CD)

First and foremost, I am a longtime Dio fanatic, as I am sure you probably are if you're shopping for this album. This remaster is definitely worth the money; The Last in Line has always been a masterpiece marred my poor engineering. The 1984 issue of the album sounded great on tape, back when we didn't know any better. The CD version? Well, what was supposed to sound dark and epic came across as weak and tinny, with all the raucous gusto of a nasal bleat.

This Japanese remaster of The Last in Line captures all of the mix you could almost but not quite hear before, adding some much-needed low end punch to the mix. The opening chords of "We Rock" hit you with the sonic equivalent of a kick to the temple from a steel-toed work boot. You can hear all -- and I mean ALL -- of Vivian Campbell's nuances on the guitar, from harmonics to whammy bar divebombs that were previously lost to the drums. Jimmy Bain's bass playing comes forward in stunning clarity, yet doesn't drown out the rest of the mix. And, of course, Vinny Appice's drumming sounds better than ever; you can tell you're listening to cymbals and not recording hiss. Of course, bear in mind, the original tapes were done in 1983-84, and you can tell by Ronnie's vocals, but I feel that it adds a certain charm.

Overall, the remaster adds some badly needed air to the studio. If you listen closely during "Breathless," you can hear Vivian's amplifier hum. You can actually distinguish what he's playing now as well, which, for a guitarist such as myself, is nigh to a religious experience. This disc puts the spotlight back on the whole band, rather than just Ronnie. Give it a listen, and you can see why Vivian Campbell was one of the few men who could be considered Randy Rhoads' contemporary counterpart. A must for hardcore fans and collectors, and probably not a bad idea for a casual fan who doesn't already have the original.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dio at full strength, August 30, 2001

By 

Eden C. (Jerusalem, Israel.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Last in Line (Audio CD)

Holy Diver was an excellent debut from Dio, and this album, just a year later, continued to show
Dio at full glory. Still, I think most people would agree that it does fall a bit short of Holy Diver,
but still it ranks very high. The album kicks off with one of heavy metal's top ever openers - We Rock.
And indeed it rocks. This is the classic type of metal opener you'd imagine: fast, furious and it rocks!
Excellent. The title track is next, and is the highlight of the album. The Last In Line for me is one
of Dio's top-3 songs ever, along with Holy Diver and Rainbow In The Dark, both from the previous album.
Everything is perfect about this song, and I think it would be correct to categorize it as something
between Holy Diver and Rainbow In The Dark, great stuff! Breathless is next and is a good metal song,
quite fast, decent chorus, and strong solo's. I Speed At Night has some of metal's best solo's, and
has an extemely cool riff. One Night In The City is a mid-tempo song with some strong riffs, that would
best be compared to 'Shame On The Night' from the previous album (nothing to do with the 'night' though).
Evil Eyes is another short and fast rocker, sort of like Gypsy, with strong lines throughout, very good. Mystery is a ballad, with some good keyboard work by Ronnie himself. Its slow but manages to stay solid.
It reminds you a little of Rainbow In The Dark, but surely not of that caliber. Eat Your Heart Out
is a nice mid-tempo song, with nice solo's by Vivian Campbell, once again.
The closing song is Dio's best ballad - Egypt (The Chains Are On). Its a slow song, but has excellent
crunching riffs, great lyrics, and is a real classic. At the same year Iron Maiden released
'Powerslave' which also deals with the same subject, has roughly the same length, and is also an excellent
song, interesting. In conclusion this is a very solid metal album. Not as good as Holy Diver, because some of the tracks
are just missing that energy crunch that was vivid throughout almost all of Holy Diver.
But its still a must for all Dio fans for sure, and for all serious metallists as well.
Excellent musicanship, and Dio has never reached this level of music ever since.
Highly recommended.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pure, uncorrupted metal, May 9, 2003

By 

J. Wesley Townsend "westknife" (new york) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Last in Line (Audio CD)

THIS is EXACTLY what metal should sound like. Dio knows EXACTLY what he's doing. He truly is the metal God. Since I got this cd yesterday, I seriously have not stopped listening to it. I got in trouble for listening to it at work today. When I think "metal", I think DIO!!!

The opener "We Rock" is one of the best openers I have ever heard. It just takes hold of you and rocks the hell out of you. It is so cool because in the chorus, when he shouts "we rock!", you know he's so right!! The whole band is incredible, and when they play together, they truly do rock. The title track "The Last In Line" is incredible also. It has an epic kind of sound, and the main synth line is mind-blowing.

The intro to "Breathless" absolutely freaked the hell out of me. The breathing thing is insanely weird and freaky. Dio sings so well throughout the album too. Trading off with Vivian Campbell's awesome guitar soloing, they make one of the best vocalist-guitarist duos ever. Plus, the rhythm section is amazing too. Vinny Appice is one of my favorite drummers, and Jimmy Bain tears it up. The production is excellent, you can hear all the instruments perfectly at all times.

My favorite songs are "We Rock", "The Last In Line", "I Speed At Night" (a great fast rocker), "Mystery" (a really catchy single), and "Egypt (The Chains Are On)". This last song is one of the greatest album closers in metal history. Its main riff is totally awesome, and the whole song is an epic adventure in that slow-paced Dio kind of way.

What more can I say? Every single song is a winner, with the possible exception of "Eat Your Heart Out" which is kind of run-of-the-mill. But other than that one song, all the songs are top-notch metal. I couldn't have hoped for a better metal album. Dio typifies the perfect metal sound. He rocks, he knows it, and he sings about it.