Lista de Bandas Heavy Metal Dio (USA) At Donington UK: Live 1983 & 1987

The first release of Niji Entertainment Group, the label created by Ronnie James & Wendy Dio, is a double digipack containing two Dio concerts, both of which took place at Donington festival in 1983 and 1987 respectively. The whole thing comes in a rather nice packaging including two « All Access » laminate passes from these two concerts.

The first CD, recorded on August 20, 1983, shows the band at the very beginning of their career, and it is full of energy (« Stand Up And Shout »). The first album has only been released two months before, but the 4 tracks from it played that day are very well received, just like those who come from Ronnie James Dio's long career, reminiscences from Rainbow and Black Sabbath. We have here a very dynamic live concert, Ronnie James Dio's voice is – as always – top notch, and the musicians that he chose for his new band are obviously worth it. Vivian Campbell (guitar) and Vinny Appice (drums) are given the opportunity to shine a bit more during solos that they are granted during the 45-ish minutes that the concert lasts.

The second CD, which was recorded on August 22, 1987, presents a somehow different band. Vivian Campbell has parted ways with Dio after Sacred Heart, and it is with Craig Goldy that the new album, Dream Evil, has been recorded. It seems obvious that in 4 years, the band has evolved, has matured, is more « professional », but it has not lost any energy (see the super speed version « Long Live Rock'n'Roll », on which the audience participates loudly). Claude Schnell's keyboards seem more present (the epic « All the Fools Sailed Away »), without invading all the musical spectrum though. Craig Goldy has inherited the heavy duty of succeeding Vivian Campbell (and, although in a lesser way, Tony Iommi and Ritchie Blackmore), but he manages to do a great job on these tracks that he did not write.

One must also notice the excellent quality of the sound of these two discs. The concerts are from the archives of the BBC, and they have been remastered by Ronnie James Dio himself and Wyn Davis, a long time collaborator. For « technical reasons » (namely the fact that I'm barely 20), I could not attend either one or the other of these concerts, but when listening to these discs, I have the feeling to « be there », for real, in the middle of the audience, witnessing one of those lessons of magic and rock'n'roll that only Dio could provide.

In the long history of heavy metal there has been only one man, who managed to reach the rainbow, to catch it and to be a part of it. This man had taled us great stories about kings and queens, dragons, kingdoms, wizards and elfs through his magnificent voice, a voice that is not easy to be imitated and apart from that I do not think so that threre will be some other who will be able to sing these words on the way that Dio did! Ronnie James Dio is not with us anymore, he went to find his place among the other stars, but all the legacy he left us will remind us forever his big talent, his studio albums and mostly his live albums like this one at Donington.


This live album contains two concerts at the same place, the first in 1983 and the second in 1987. In both concerts apart from his band there are songs from Rainbow and Black Sabbath too, songs which he wrote and they will remain in our hearts for many more years. In the first concert just listen to "Heaven and hell" the extra lyrics that Dio put in and how well he cooperated with the crowd in singing the refrain. The songs "Stargazer" and "Starstruck" are the smallest tracks in last, but it doesn't matter so much. What exists in the first CD and not in the second is the guitar and drum solos.

In the second concert Dio played more songs from his own band than from the other two and in here too in the song "The Last in Line" he put in the begining the first lyrics from the Rainbow song "The temple of the king". Dio's best interpretations are the songs "Naked in the rain" and "All the fools saild away".

The sound of this live is great and there are not any drawbacks, Dio is heard clearly and the other musicians too. In 1983 Vivian Campel showed how lucky he had been when Dio chose him and his talent was obvious and in 1987 another guitar player named Craig Goldy was the proof that Dio had always been constituted by talented musicians. What counts more among those clues in this live is that voice which offers pleasure, especially when you hear the word 'Alwright' and the only that we can say is: Thank's Man!!


I know that after Dio's death many companies will release many compilations, vinyls, demos and live albums and the true is that all these may be exaggerated, but this live at Donington according to me is the best live and commemorative album so to remember how big musician Dio has been! Some composers say that one's gift is not obvious through the studio albums, but on stage and Dio is a preacher in this!

R.I.P. Ronnie (Man Of The Silver Rainbow)!!