The Very Beast of Dio

Dio

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 3, 2000)
• Original Release Date: October 3, 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Rhino / Wea
• ASIN: B00004YLGU
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (64 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #19,068 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
No Description Available
No Track Information Available
Media Type: CD
Artist: DIO
Title: VERY BEAST OF DIO
Street Release Date: 10/03/2000
Domestic
Genre: HEAVY METAL

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great introduction to Dio (but 2 discs are really needed here), January 23, 2001

By	R. Gorham "RCG2" - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

THE BAND (over the years): Ronnie James Dio (vocals, keyboards), Vivian Campbell (guitar), Tracy Grijalva (guitar), Craig Goldie (guitar), Rowan Robertson (guitar), Jimmy Bain (bass), Jeff Pilson (bass), Teddy Cook (bass), Claude Schnell (keyboards), Jens Johansson (keyboards), Vinny Appice (drums), Simon Wright (drums).

THE DISC: (2000) 16 tracks in chronological order clocking in at approximately 78 minutes. Included with the disc is an 18-page booklet containing a 15-page band intro with numerous photos, song titles/credits, what songs came from which albums, and original album cover artwork of each of Dio's releases over the years. This compilation covers the Dio solo years from 1983-94. Digitally remastered sound. Label - Warner Bros / Rhino.

ALBUM REPRESENTATION: Holy Diver (4 songs), Last In Line (3), Sacred Heart (4), Intermission (1 - live), Dream Evil (2), Lock Up The Wolves (1), Strange Highways (1).

COMMENTS: A great compilation here, though far from complete. A double-disc would have been better suited to cover these solo albums (there is a double-disc collection called "Stand Up & Shout - The Dio Anthology" 2003 with 29 tracks - but, it covers his entire career including Elf and Black Sabbath). Every track on "Beast" is deserving... except perhaps "Man On A Silver Mountain" which is a song written by Dio when he was with Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow (a great song, but just seems oddly out of place here)... but at only two-and-a-half minutes long, it's forgivable. I noticed three questionable calls here, in 1. - no songs from "Angry Machines" (1996) or "Magica" (2000). "The Beast Of Dio" was released in October of 2000, and "Magica" was released in March of 2000... so it was possible to include something from "Magica" here. As bad or weird as these two albums might have been, at least one song from each should have been included; 2. - the generous selections from "Sacred Heart" (4)... one or two songs too many in my opinion; and 3. - glaring omissions of some classic Dio tracks - i.e. "Egypt (The Chains Are On)", "Wild One", "One Night In The City", "Don't Talk To Strangers", "Jesus, Mary & The Holy Ghost", and perhaps one of my all-time favorites of his "Evilution". Maybe Dio will get another chance to make a 'Best Of' double-disc featuring ALL his solo works - including "Angry Machines", "Magica", and his more recent "Killing The Dragon" (2002) and "Master Of The Moon" (2004). As for "Beast" - not a weak tune on the disc. 7 of the songs here are from "Holy Diver" and "Last In Line" - early Dio's masterpieces. The original line up of guitarist Vivian Campbell, bassist Jimmy Bain, and drummer Vinny Appice have proved to be both classic and timeless. "Beast" is a nice intro to Ronnie James Dio, though far from complete (4.5 stars).

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A worthy Compilation, January 6, 2001

By	Alain Fournier "wubby" (Hamilton, Pembroke Bermuda) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

A very good compilation by Rhino records. Gives a good overview of Ronnie James Dio solo career. The emphasis of the compilation is on his first 3 solo albums, Holy Diver, Last in Line and Sacred Heart which contribute 11 of the 16 tracks. Would have been nice to have a bit more songs from the latter studio albums to give a better view of Dio's progression during the years. Some very good songs from the latter years have been excluded but this compilation gives newcomer to Dio a very good indication of what the fuss is all about. There is not one week track on this album. Its starts of with a blast with Stand Up and Shout and never lets go till the last note on Strange Highways the last song of the album. Its nice to see Dio's comeback. He deserves all the success he gets. If you new to Dio start with this album or Holy Diver. You'll be hooked.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars One of rock's finest vocalists unleashes a "Beast", March 11, 2005

By	Tim Brough "author and music buff" (Springfield, PA United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Ronnie James Dio was recently given an entitlement all his own in a heavy metal magazine, when they were profiling genres of 80's metal. They christened Dio with the phrase "Dragon Rock" and praised his solo debut "Holy Diver" as an album worthy of a category all its own. When listening to this collection of Ronnie James Dio's namesake band, it's easy to hear why he rates such a plaudit. His voice is so completely unique in rock, that it deserves to be mentioned along with such other perfect metal/rock voices like Ozzy Osbourne, Robert Plant and Rob Halford.

It made those first two Dio albums, "Holy Diver" and "Last In Line" 80's must haves. After splitting from latter day Black Sabbath once he'd given them a commercial shot in the arm, Dio teamed up with axe-hero Vivian Campbell and mustered two albums worth of anthemic, dark rock. His band also contained one of the all time great drummers, Vinnie Appice. It made for powerful sounding music, which found the core band in peak form through the first three albums and such classics as "Hungry For Heaven" and "Rainbow In The Dark," and also those three albums' title tracks.

Unfortunately, after Campbell's departure, the albums became a little spotty, and with the advent of hair metal and (by the time of 1994's "Strange Highways") grunge, dated sounding. Several of the better cuts make up "The Beast's" final four, though I would have wished for "Lock Up The Wolves'" titular song. But for 16 tracks of some of the best singing and playing the 80's had to offer, Ronnie James Dio and "The Beast Of Dio" deliver some of the genre's finest.