Posts Tagged ‘rainbow’
Thanks Señor Dio.
Dio died yesterday.
Ronnie James Dio.
Dead. It still pains me to even think about.
Sure it sounds cheesy that the death of someone I had never met has saddened me so much, but it is what it is. Ronnie was legendary not only for his longevity in the business, the “devil horns salute,
an incredibly strong voice (even into his 60s) but also for being one of the nicest and classiest guys in the music business. He’s one of the few big stars that I always wanted to meet and never got the chance to. I’ve known several people through the years who did meet him and some who spent ample time with him on tour and they all said the exact same thing…’class act.’
Thanks to one of my older brothers, I got introduced to this voice in the late 1970s, probably ‘78 or ‘79 if I had to wager on it. I’m pretty sure it was Rainbow Rising. I just remember that I liked it a lot. Subsequently I remember him bringing home Long Live Rock and Roll and the first Rainbow (my guess is that he stole them – funny but true). I really liked that stuff but it was right around that time that Heaven and Hell came out and I was already a Black Sabbath fan thanks to my brother. But this Sabbath was different. A lot different. Pleasingly so. How could one not love this stuff? And Mob Rules? C’mon! Dio was really making his mark in the music world and I fucking loved it. I’m not never shy to say that I prefer the Dio era of Sabbath over Ozzy’s. Don’t get me wrong, that Ozzy stuff, most of it, was great, but there is something about Dio’s voice that suits me better. Even 15 years after Dehumanizer came out, I finally liked it. Quality record for sure.
But this blog isn’t about the Dio discography. After coming home from seeing some bands in the wee morning hours yesterday, I started seeing rumblings of “RIP RJD” posted on various social networking sites. Then I saw that rumor get squelched. Then yesterday afternoon around 2PM CST, I saw the official word from Dio’s page and the note from Wendy. Crushed. That’s how I felt yesterday; it’s how I still feel today. I honestly feel like a friend of mine just died…in some ways a friend did. Ronnie’s music, especially with Sabbath and the DIO (band) stuff was really important to me throughout my adolescent years. I spent hours upon hours playing drums to these records in the 80s, especially Last In Line. That is my favorite record of his over anything else he has ever done.
When I first saw the news about his death I just sat there for a few moments dumfounded. Really? He’s dead? Dio? Dio can’t die. He’s Dio! He’s going to live forever! Then the pit in my stomach came. I am not afraid to admit that I cried a little yesterday and am actually a little choked up writing this today. Music can be a very emotional thing for me and Dio’s music certainly moved me for most of my life.
I’m glad I did get to see him live a few times, even if the first time was c. 1998. In 2007 I went to Radio City Music Hall in NYC to attend the Heaven and Hell show, the same show that’s on the DVD. That was quite a special experience because I also got to see Iommi and Butler on stage together with Ronnie. I got a little verklempt when they hit the stage that night as well.
I remember my Dad saying to me years ago before he died (1997) that the older we get, those that we know and love in our lifetimes are going to die off. So true. Everyone dies sometime, eh? Coincidentally, my Dad and Dio were only 2 weeks difference in age, Dio just lasted longer.
Not to drag this on any further, but thank you Mr. Dio for making my world a little bit of a better place because of the quality music you have been creating for as long as I can remember. Much of the Dio catalog stays in steady rotation in my playlists, but I’ll surely be spinning a little more of it this week. There’s no such thing as too much, Dio, right? Whether you ended up in Heaven, Hell, Purgatory, a crematory or just a box in the ground, you touched the lives of many. Thanks again.
More rare concert shirts!
Iron Maiden, Saxon, Rush, Jefferson Starship, Triumph, Watchtower, SA Slayer, Wyzard, Warlock (texas), Blue Oyster Cult, Pat Travers, Van Halen, Cheap Trick, Raven, Rainbow, Blackfoot, Judas Priest, Def Leppard, Queensryche, Journey.
My Life With Lizzy Borden
“Hello suckers!” = Lizzy Borden
The first time I had seen or heard of Lizzy Borden was from a little photo and small article in Circus Magazine. It was a 
cool shot of the band in black and white standing on the roof of a building and Lizzy had a big axe proppoed on his toe. Would love to find that photo somewhere.
I think I first heard them on one of the old Metal Blade Records compilations but it wasn’t really until 1986 that I got into them via a former friend from high school. I remember going to his house and he had the Give ‘Em The Axe EP on vinyl. I was hooked. In subsequent years we all got into Love You To Pieces and the Muderess Metal Roadshow thanks to the VHS they put out, Good times! That former friend from high school and I did Give “em The Axe for our junior year air band contest. I think we won because everyone else was a bit scared.
Sure Lizzy and the band always looked a bit silly and even more so now, but they’ve never really done a bad record. I finally got to see them play at the NORVA in Norfolk, VA back in 2004 opening for Yngwie, not long before their guitarist, Alex Nelson, was killed in a car wreck. He was a killer player. They were all very cool folks. I couldn’t believe they didn’t play Give ‘Em the Axe though! I felt cheated!
So, here’s the review that you’ve so anxiously been waiting for.
Give ‘Em The Axe EP – 1984
This was a cool EP. The title tracks rules. No Time to Lose and Kiss of Death are cool. I never liked their cover of Long Live Rock and Roll (Rainbow). 7/10
Love You To Pieces – 1985
Oh man. This album rules. There’s not a bad track on it but the highlights ae Warfare, American Metal, Rod of Iron and Red Rum. I listened to this tape so much. No telling how many copies I went through over the years. 10/10
Menace To Society – 1986
Another fantastic record by Lizzy Borden but it suffered severely from poor production. It was very tinny and I don’t really know that a bass was used on it. I’m one of the few Lizzy fans who actually thinks this one is as good as the previews album. My faves are Notorious, Ursa Minor and Love Kills. 10/10
Terror Rising EP – 1987
Ugh. This really was a bit of a waste of petroleum based materials. Catch Your Death was a cool tune but the cover version of the Tubes’ Don’t Touch Me There with Betsy from Bitch, the title track and the god awful cover of White Rabbit makes me with I could get my $5.98 back from the Music Man. 2/10
Visual Lies – 1987
Another Lizzy album that I love but it’s a lot different than their previous albums. It’s a little more polished in production terms and a little more palatable for the MTV crowd. They had a video for Me Against the World and the song was featured in the terrible movie Black Roses. I dig the album though. There are some really great tracks like Lord of the Flies, Shock Treatment, the title track and Eyes of a Stranger. Worthwhile listening for sure. By the way, this featured Joe Holmes on guitar who was in Ozzy for a brief time. 9/10
Master of Disguise – 1989
This is where started losing me a bit. While it’s not a bad album, it was missing something. I could never put my finger on it. I think that this was supposed a solo album by Lizzy…allegedly. I haven’t listened to this one in years and years. I won’t anytime soon! 1/10
Deal With the Devil – 2000
This was a good comeback album for the guys. I like this one a lot and still spin it a few times a year. There Will Be Blood Tonight is a good track. Their cover of Alice Cooper’s Generation Landslide was pretty decent too. I really dig Zanzibar and The World Is Mine. 7/10
Appointment With Death – 2007
I haven’t listened to this one since it came out but I don’t remember it striking me like the previous album did. Can’t really even name any songs off of it…so there you go. 0/10
So, as it stands, I always recommend Love You to Pieces, Menace to Society and Visual Lies to everyone.
DC4 and Warrior – 11/7/09 – Whisky A-Go-Go
When I was still in high school there was this dude that everyone called Big Bill. He was the other metalhead in the Catholic school that I was stuck in for 4 years. That dude and I were the best of friends, inseparable for the 2 years he went there and for the few years after we graduated. We traded a lot of music over those years and he really turned me on to quite a bit of metal that I probably wouldn’t have heard. I’m thankful for those years. As mentioned previously, Bill turned me on to Odin. I in turn “discovered” Warrior. Both Odin’s debut and Warrior’s debut stayed in heavy rotation throughout the late 80s. Both of them still get played quite often around here.
Earlier this year during the South By Southwest Festival in Austin, TX I had the pure pleasure of playing tour guide, roadie, chauffeur etc for LA’s DC4. This band is comprised of Jeff Duncan (Odin, Armored Saint), Shawn Duncan (Odin), Matt Duncan (Odin) and Rowan Robertson (DIO). They were the coolest dudes and we had a blast for the few days they were here. Shawn and I have been in contact on and off for a few years and I was glad to offer them assistance while they were in my wonderful city.
I saw a few months ago where DC4 was playing with Warrior at the famous Whisky in Hollywood. It was a weekend show and I decided that I might as well go. Why not? I totally dig DC4′s music and of course I love Warrior. Shawn was gracious enough to open his home to me for the quick weekend trip.
I hadn’t been to LA since 1997 and had a blast. I was looking to move there and even had 2 job offers from the 2 biggest metal labels in the area. Unfortunately with 2 days left on my trip, I received a call from my Mom saying that my Dad had cancer again and that I needed to get back home. Unfortunately Pops died a few months later and my thought of moving to LA went away as I figured I needed to stick around town. I ended up sticking around until 2006!
I took Friday off from work to get ready for my 2PM flight. I got to LA (Burbank) around 5PM Cali time and grabbed my rental car and headed north to Monrovia. The sun had already gone down and I didn’t get to see any of the scenery on the drive. With traffic I got to Shawn’s around 6:30. After hanging out for a bit and waiting for his significant other to get home from work, we ll went to downtown Monrovia for sushi. I swear it was some of the best I have ever had. We went back to the house, jibber jabbered for a while then I hit the sack. I was beat from the trip.
The next morning I went up the street to get some Diet Mt Dew. When I walked out of the 7-11 all I saw was a mountain…literally…a mountain. It was gorgeous with the sun shining on it. Shawn and I ran some errands and I got to see and remember how beautiful California can be. We went by the Santa Anita Raceway. It was busy there for the Breeder’s Cup. I only saw the outside of the place but it was gorgeous.
After returning back to the house, we got the drums packed up and loaded into his truck. He had a wedding to attend that afternoon and I offered my services to get his gear to the Whisky. It was a gorgeous drive into Hollywood and I saw many familiar sites from my last trip there. Rolling up on the Whisky I got parking right out front and got the gear loaded in. It was a bit brutal as I had to lug it upstairs. Damn! No worries, got it done.
After load-in, I mulled around Sunset for a while. I met up with an old pal of mine who had just moved back to LA. It was awesome seeing him. We went to the Rainbow for some pizza and I got to hang out with some of his LA crowd. Good times. I was in there earlier that evening for a few beers and played on Lemmy’s video game machine. That dude has the high score on every game. It was funny. It was getting closer to showtime so I walked back down to the Whisky. My dogs were tired so I just found a spot upstairs and rested for a bit until DC4 showed up to the club. It was great seeing the dudes in the band before they went on. I sat with Rowan and friends for a while. He’s such a cool dude. Great guitar player as well. Jeff was pretty happy to see me as well. We talked outside for quite a while. New Armored Saint album is finished!
The opening bands for the show were all pretty awful. Seriously. Awful. It was DC4′s turn to hit the stage so we got the drums down the stairs and on the riser ASAP. shortly thereafter they started up. Because of some rockstar BS their set got cut by about 4 songs. Didn’t matter. They kicked ass and the crowd was really into it. It was a pleasure to see.
By the time that Warrior was about to hit the stage we had just finished packing the drums back up and loading th em in the truck. I was getting really tired but wanted to catch some of Warrior’s set. Fortunately I got to hear 3 songs, the last being my favorite from their debut, Mind Over Matter. McCarty’s voice sound GREAT and Joe Floyd was playing very well. I was fading fast though. It was already 12:30 Cali time, 2:30 my time and I had been running around all day. Shawn’s fiance was going to leave so I left with her. Said goodbye to some of my pals there and headed back to Monrovia. I had to be up early for my flight out as well.
All in all it was a great trip albeit brief. After the first of the year I think I’ll make another venture out there and have a few more days to screw around.
On my flights there and back, I got to see some parts of the country that I really hadn’t seen from the air. The Grand Canyon, Monument Valley and the beautiful deserts between Texas and California really took my breath away. We really take for granted how pretty this place is. I will also say that California has some of the most beautiful scenery on earth. I will also add that LA has some of the most fake people I have ever come across. I noticed it in 97 as well. I also met some really great people as well. I guess both types are everywhere.
Looking back I really am glad I didn’t end up out there although I know I would have made my way just fine. Austin is incredible and I think we have much better looking Latinas here!
Already I am looking forward to my next trip out there.
