~HOLY DIVER~Discussion

[Holymagica]

Released May 25, 1983
Cd Track Listing
Stand Up And Shout
Holy Diver
Gypsy
Caught In The Middle
Don't Talk To Strangers
Straight Through The Heart
Invisible
Rainbow In The Dark
Shame On The Night

Band
Ronnie James Dio – vocals, keyboards
Vivian Campbell – guitar
Jimmy Bain – bass, keyboards
Vinny Appice – drums

[Holymagica]

I have loads of copies of this album in some many formats but I was listening to this today, not the music but Ronnie James Dio interview on the Remastered version.
WOW is all I can say to hear Ronnie James Dio talking about this cd again.

[DioInfinitum]

Interesting, I'd love to hear that interview. I may pick up that cd.

Mine is autographed and I am protective of it, so I wind up always being too afraid to take it to the car to hear for fear of losing it.

Thanks for the tip.

[fiddlequeen07]

What can we really say but "Classic"?

This was the first DIO album I owned...it was a Christmas gift from my parents in 2007. History began then for me. My mother was appalled by the cover art; it has taken me almost two and a half years to convert her into a true fan.

Anyway, classic sound...and it will always be special to me because it is the one that started it all. I will never forget the day I learned to play Holy Diver at a guitar lesson. I had only an acoustic, and I had only been playing about 2 months. But I learned that song because I loved it...solo and all. It was a great day.

This is not my personal favorite DIO album, but I admit it is almost impossible to beat. And certainly no one but DIO will ever beat this one.

Favorite Tracks: Well I was going to list them but it would probably be all the tracks. So never mind.
_________________
"You'll never make me be like you. I'm Master of the Moon!"

[Opaque0ne]

This was my first Dio album too. Right, what can one say? I think it was all in balance here: the guitar tones, the drums, bass, the keyboards, the epic lyrics, and of course, the VOICE. Production here seems much cleaner, crisper, stronger than on the next 3 Dio discs, even if material on them is arguably close to Holy Diver.

Of course, nostalgia is impossible to separate from the art itself because one remembers the initial impact, but I love every single song on this album. I cannot find a weak moment on it!

[adiszul]

Rising- The best hard rock album ever.... but H&H, MOb Rules, Holy Diver, The Last in Line are all in top ten list of heavy metal albums


favourite tracks: Holy Diver, Shame on the night
_________________
So live for today
Tomorrow never comes

[PinkLedRushDio]

Absolutely brilliant album, every song is spot on. My least favorite is Caught in the Middle, even though it is a good song. I shed a few tears today after listening to Shame on the Night. Love that song to bits.
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So if a stranger sees you
Don't look in his eyes, 'cause he's

Voodoo!

[DioInfinitum]

My understanding is that 'Shame on the Night' is about Jesus Christ. Am I wrong?

I have always found it to be an incredible song.

Any comments on the meaning?
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"Too many flames, with too much to burn, and life's only made of paper." - RJD

[LindaJeanne]

[DioInfinitum]

There's a line in there, it's either

'shame on the sun'

or

'shame on the son' ->this is what I thought might be a reference to jesus christ

'i saw the sky and I never wanna die' - I take this as a reference to immortality

Also, he says 'oh lord, just go away the way you came again' ->This seems like a line in specific reference to christ coming back to life...am I wrong?

Now, when I just read the lyrics I saw that it's not 'son,' and upon reading, I find that this may just be a song about the dark, but a couple lines still make me wonder about the Christ tie.

Hmmm....interesting.
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"Too many flames, with too much to burn, and life's only made of paper." - RJD

[LindaJeanne]

Part of my bias comes from the fact that as a teen, I (for whatever reason) tried to interpret just about every song I possibly could in terms of religion. With sufficient success that once I got over it, and saw the degree to which I had been (quite successfully) overdoing it , I became quite suspicious of how easy it is to read religious overtones into anything sufficiently vague and interpretive.

So yes, I can definitely see how the song can be interpreted that way. And I don't think a song has to mean the same thing to everyone who hears it. (Bible Black, for instance, reminds me enough of about an incredibly freaky nightmare I had once that for me, the song is "about" that dream. Though of course, Ronnie couldn't have had my dream in mind when he wrote it)

But, (in part because of my previous tendency to overdo it), I need something stronger before I'm convinced that an artist intentionally put the religious references there. ("All the Fools Sailed Away" is a counter-example that I DO see as being about organized religion: damned, lion-and-lamb, sin, miracle: ALL of these words/phrases/images appearing in the same song counts as "something stronger".)

[Mysterioman]

There is one weird thing about this album - that it starts with "Stand Up And Shout" and not with "Holy Diver" which would have a great intro for the whole album. Why not put "Stand Up And Shout" to the starter of the side 2 of the vinyl and let "Holy Diver" be the starter of the whole album? Would be much better to ME.


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Come on and dance for The Lord Of The Last Day...

[olivious the drummer]

Ronnie always likes to start albums with a fast paced tune to set the mood........SUAS is my fav Dio song of the lot so I am very happy its the album opener.......what a way to introduce Dio the band to the world!
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Stand up and Shout!!!!!

[Rimax]

Holy Diver is one of the best hard rock / metal albums ever made...

I still remember the chills i got when I listened to it the first time way back in '83.. already very familiar with his work in Sabbath I was really looking forward to this release.. And it did not disappoint...

This album is right up there on the top alongside Led Zep - IV, Sabbath - Paranoid, Sabbath - Heaven And Hell, Rainbow - Rising, Iron Maiden - Killers, Iron Maiden - The Number Of The Beast, Motorhead - Ace Of Spades, Motorhead - Iron Fist, Def Leppard -Pyromania, Def Leppard - Hysteria, Whitesnake - Love Hunter, Deep Purple - Machine Head, Saxon - Strong Arm Of The Law and more...

In my opinion it's only topped by Heaven And Hell and Rising...

My favourite three tracks from the album: Holy Diver, Don't Talk To Strangers and Gypsy

A definite 10 out 0f 10.

[PowerKnight]

Holy Diver does take some beating and it`s my second all time Dio album without a doubt, along with most tracks I like the slightly different songs such as Gypsy and Caught In The Middle.
A fine debut album, PowerKnight
_________________
Joust With Thee
For I The PowerKnight Hath Taken
Escaped From The Castle
A Damsel Distressed Unto Thee
The PowerKnight Legacy
A Dio Disciple And A Blackmore Knight