The first 3 deluxe Dio Remastered CDs are coming! Thoughts?

[usuakari]

From http://www.black-sabbath.com/2012/02/dio-deluxe-editions/

Dio Deluxe Editions
February 1, 2012 By Joe

Today I received a press release for the upcoming Deluxe Edition re-releases of the first three Dio studio albums, “Holy Diver”, “The Last in Line”, & “Sacred Heart”. These three (well, not the third as much) are generally regarded as classics of the genre. I’ve been waiting for a decent re-master of these albums, as my old 80′s prints of the CD’s lack a bit of punch to them. Even without the extras and the second discs, I was looking forward to the remastering.

That’s because the remastering work was handled by Andy Pearce. Andy handled all the Black Sabbath remasters in the Universal remaster series from 2009-2011. So that’s a good thing. There is of course, the “second discs” (details below), and an expanded booklet with new notes, photos, and all of that stuff you’ve come to expect from this series. The releases have been endorsed by Wendy Dio, as well.

A few administrative type notes, since I know I’m gonna get asked about this:

These are being released World wide, except for North America. That is because Warner Bros holds the rights to that material in the US/North America. Since these are being released by Universal, if you want ‘em in the states, you have to pay import prices, or order it from the UK or somewhere yourself. If you’re in the US, it’s actually cheaper to buy ‘em from Amazon UK and pay their shipping than it is to buy ‘em from the Amazon US store.
I asked if they were going to do more Dio studio albums after these, and was told “only these for now”, which I’m not entirely sure means they’re only planning these three, or the others are later or what. Either way, we should enjoy these.

For a lot of people, the big deal will be the bonus disc. Below I will detail the materials on each of the releases. Fans of the Dio EP Intermission will be pleased with this. Additionally, you can click on any of the cover art thumbnails for a much larger version.
Holy Diver
Ordering Links: [ Amazon US | Amazon UK ]

Disc 1

It’s the album we know, remastered by Andy Pearce. Same track listing as the original album.
Disc 2

Disc 2 has a ton of live tracks, and one studio track. Here’s the Holy Diver Disc 2 Track Listing:

Evil Eyes – studio recording, different than version Last in Line. Originally appeared on B-Side to Holy Diver single.
Stand Up & Shout – B-Side, Rainbow in the Dark
Straight Through the Heart - B-Side, Rainbow in the Dark
Stand Up & Shout – Live, King Biscuit Flower Hour – Oct 30, 1983
Shame on the Night - Live, King Biscuit Flower Hour – Oct 30, 1983
Children of the Sea - Live, King Biscuit Flower Hour – Oct 30, 1983
Holy Diver - Live, King Biscuit Flower Hour – Oct 30, 1983
Rainbow in the Dark - Live, King Biscuit Flower Hour – Oct 30, 1983
Man on the Silver Mountain - Live, King Biscuit Flower Hour – Oct 30, 1983

The Last in Line
Ordering Links: [ Amazon US | Amazon UK ]

Disc 1

It’s the album we know, remastered by Andy Pearce. Same track listing as the original.
Disc 2

Disc 2 is all live tracks, taken from B Sides and from a Festival appearance. The source of the various tracks are noted in the track listing below:

Stand Up & Shout – Live B-Side from Last in Line Single
Straight Through the Heart – Live B-Side from Last in Line Single
Eat Your Heart Out – Live from Mystery Single
Don’t Talk to Strangers- Live from Mystery Single
Holy Diver - Live B-Side from We Rock Single
Rainbow in the Dark – Live B-Side from We Rock Single
One Night in the City – Live, Pinkpop Festival, Geleen
We Rock – Live, Pinkpop Festival, Geleen
Holy Diver – Live, Pinkpop Festival, Geleen
Stargazer – Live, Pinkpop Festival, Geleen
Heaven & Hell – Live, Pinkpop Festival, Geleen
Rainbow in the Dark – Live, Pinkpop Festival, Geleen
Man on the Silver Mountain – Live, Pinkpop Festival, Geleen
Don’t Talk to Strangers – Live, Pinkpop Festival, Geleen

Sacred Heart
Ordering Links: [ Amazon US | Amazon UK ]

Disc 1

It’s the album we know, remastered by Andy Pearce. Same track listing as the original album.
Disc 2

Disc 2 has probably (for me, anyway) the most interesting extras. First off, there’s an addtl studio track here. Second, the whole of the Intermission EP is on here, too. Intermission was the next release after Sacred Heart originally, and was a live EP with one studio track. The studio track on there was done so that new guitarist Craig Goldy would have something of his own on there. So here goes with the Disc 2 track listing:

Hide in the Rainbow – Studio track, originally on the soundtrack to the movie “Iron Eagle“.
We Rock – Live B-Side from Rock N Roll Children Single
The Last in Line – Live B-Side from Rock N Roll Children Single
Like the Beat of a Heart – Live B-Side from Hungry For Heaven Single
King of Rock & Roll – Taken from Live Intermission EP
Rainbow in the Dark – Taken from Live Intermission EP
Sacred Heart – Taken from Live Intermission EP
Time to Burn – Studio Track taken from Intermission EP
Rock N Roll Children – Taken from Live Intermission EP
Long Live Rock N Roll – Taken from Live Intermission EP
Man on the Silver Mountain - Taken from Live Intermission EP
We Rock – Taken from Live Intermission EP

That’s it for the track listings here. These are all being released on March 19, 2012. I have updated the various discography pages on my site with info on these, as well as ordering links both here and on those pages. While it’s the weakest of the three albums, I think Sacred Heart’s extras are the best because of the inclusion of Intermission as well as two studio tracks. However, Holy Diver remains the best studio album of all the Dio releases, IMO. I am partial to Dream Evil, I hope we get a Deluxe Edition of that somewhere down the road.

Make sure and buy ‘em! Links above.

Press Release

Here is the official press release from Universal for these albums.

‘Holy Diver / Last In Line / Sacred Heart” Deluxe Editions
Release Date: 19th March 2012

In May 2010 the world of Hard Rock and Heavy Metal had lost one of its most gifted and fervent ambassadors, with the passing of Ronnie James Dio. In his position as lead vocalist for Rock giants such as Rainbow and Black Sabbath, as well as fronting his own eponymous band for nearly three decades, Dio created some of the genres most defining and respected works. Albums such as ‘Holy Diver’, ‘Sacred Heart’ and ‘Last in Line’ all stand as towering monuments of sheer class and brilliance in the Rock pantheon. Dio was also to pave the way in regards to performing live, as few equaled him. With his incredible vocal range, Dio was to preside over countless memorable rock shows, enthralling his millions of fans worldwide. As well as the original CD being re-mastered, these reissues each feature a bonus CD containing an expanded booklet with notes from Malcolm Dome and has been endorsed by Ronnie’s widow Wendy Dio.

‘Holy Diver’ was the debut album from Dio, released 25th May, 1983. It was hailed by critics as some of his best work and in January 1986 it was awarded silver certification. The upbeat sounding ‘Rainbow in the Dark’ was to catch MTV’s attention, with the title track also standing out.

‘The Last in Line’ was the second Dio studio album. It was released on 13th July, 1984 and was the first album from Dio to reach platinum status as well as number 4 in the UK charts. This new album showcased the anthemic tracks ‘We Rock’ and ‘I Speed at Night’ as well as the seven-minute epic, ‘Egypt ( The Chains are On)’.

Released in October 1985 ‘Sacred Heart’ was released as the third studio album from Dio. The album reached number 4 in the UK charts and was to go on to be certified Gold. This was to become a much loved Dio album, and contained the tracks ‘Rock N’ Roll Children’ and ‘Hungry for Heaven’. The stage show that was to accompany this album was hailed as a spectacle, involving a mechanized dragon as well as lasers. Ronnie and his band were to refer to the dragon as Denzil. This was the last studio album to be released by Dio that included guitarist Vivian Campbell.

Holy Diver

Disc one

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

Disc two

Evil Eyes
Stand Up And Shout
Straight Through The Heart
Stand Up And Shout
Shame On The Night
Children Of The Sea
Holy Diver
Rainbow In The Dark
Man On The Silver Mountain

Last In Line

Disc one

We Rock
The Last In Line
Breathless
I Speed at Night
One Night In The City
Evil Eyes
Mystery
Eat Your Heart Out
Egypt (The Chains Are On)

Disc two

Stand Up And Shout – Live – B-Side Last In Line
Straight Through The Heart – Live – B-Side Last In Line
Eat Your Heart Out – Live – Mystery
Don’t Talk To Strangers – Live – Mystery
Holy Diver - Live – B-Side We Rock
Rainbow In The Dark - Live – B-Side We Rock
One Night In The City – Pinkpop Festival, Geleen
We Rock – Pinkpop Festival, Geleen
Holy Diver – Pinkpop Festival, Geleen
Stargazer – Pinkpop Festival, Geleen
Heaven And Hell – Pinkpop Festival, Geleen
Rainbow In The Dark – Pinkpop Festival, Geleen
Man On The Silver Mountain – Pinkpop Festival, Geleen
Don’t Talk To Strangers – Pinkpop Festival, Geleen

Sacred Heart

Disc one

King Of Rock N Roll
Sacred Heart
Another Lie
Rock N Roll Children
Hungry For Heaven
Like the Beat Of A Heart
Just Another Day
Fallen Angels
Shoot Shoot

Disc two

Hide In The Rainbow – Dio EP
We Rock – Live – B-Side Rock N Roll Children
Last In Line – Live – B-Side Rock N Roll Children
Like the Beat Of A Heart – Live – B-Side Hungry For Heaven
King Of Rock N Roll – Intermission
Rainbow In The Dark – Intermission
Sacred Heart – Intermission
Time To Burn – Intermission
Rock N Roll Children – Intermission
Long Live Rock N Roll – Intermission
Man On The Silver Mountain – Intermission
We Rock – Intermission
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[usuakari]

BTW, as they are NOT being released in North America except as imports....
<grabs credit card>
It's much cheaper to order them direct from amazon.uk than to spend $40 each getting them as imports through amazon.com or .ca..
I was right: through amazon.uk: £29.97+Postage & Packing:£5.06=£35.03/ $55 Cdn. So $18 each, as opposed to $40 each. Which is to say: F*kken ORDERED. Less than you'd pay in a record store for new local 2-disc cd sets.
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[dioesque]

Absolutely brilliant news, can't wait! Again though I have to ask, where the hell is the Deluxe Long Live R'n'R.....!?

[usuakari]

[NK Osaka 07]

Ordered mine last week! I can't wait and I hope they do Dream Evil And Lock Up The Wolves next.
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Psalms 91

[PinkLedRushDio]

[RobbyD]

I recived the DeLuxe Editions og HD, TLiL and SH earlier this week. And Wooow!! The Discs are packed with stuff that really documents the era for each album to the full. The packing is beautiful on all three releases. I have been listening to these gems non stop for the last few days, and I have to say I am stunned by how good it all sounds.
The original albums re-mastered are sounding brilliant! The "bonus" tracks are as good sounding as they can be. Very listenable and make makes each re-release very complete in my opinion.

My fav Dio album is The Last in Line, always has been, and still is. The Pink Pop festival concert is brilliant.

Which one to buy? Don't be cheap - Buy 'em all!, They ROCK!!!

All the best to ya!
DioDahl

[usuakari]

Mine came in last week too, and they're just f**kin' wonderful, both in sound quality, choice of bonus disc materials, and the art/booklets. Just the ultimate editions of Dio's first 3 albums! Andy Pearce did a fantastic job, IMHO.
Now, I just hope they sell well enough to justify some more! I know Dream Evil is the last Warner album of Dio's (before Reprise, etc) and I'm sure Universal has the UK and/or European rights to Dream Evil, but what about Lock Up the Wolves and Strange Highways? Ideally of course I'd like to see ALL 10 albums, including Angry Machines, Magica (I know they're planning an expanded US release, maybe they could coordinate), Killing the Dragon, & Master of the Moon, get the exact same treatment--perhaps switching to dvd visual bonus material- videos and the old live vhs concerts- if they run short on audio stuff for the bonus discs. At least those extra Japanese tracks could be included (Annica, Electra, God Hates Heavy Metal, etc). With all the live albums being divvied up amongst the bonus discs, though, like Intermission and the Dio EP are included in the first 3 sets, we could possibly end up having Inferno: Last in Live, Evil or Divine - Live in New York City, Holy Diver- Live, etc., all bundled in).
Then a custom slip case to hold all ten and I'm good for life!
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