1226. Dio / Strange Highways. 1993. 4/5

From what could be assumed to be the absolute peak of Ronnie James Dio’s career, with his band Dio’s third studio album “Sacred Heart” in the mid-1980's, the band and his own fortunes had begun to plateau, and the road became a more rocky one than he had traversed in some time. After the band’s “Dream Evil” album in 1987, Dio had more or less fired the entire band and brought in new personnel for 1990’s “Lock Up the Wolves” album, one that didn’t gain the all encompassing love that the band’s previous four had brought. The change in tempo and mood caught fans unawares, and their popularity had begun to seep away somewhat. Then came the reformation of the Mark II lineup of Black Sabbath, and the album “Dehumanizer”, one that for a short period of time caught the imagination of the fans once again, with a revitalised heavy and modern sounding metal album from one of the great band lineups of all time. Of course, this then collapsed again with the decision by Iommi and Butler to open up for Ozzy Osbourne’s famous ‘last gig ever’, and once again both Dio and drummer Vinny Appice moved on from Black Sabbath in controversial circumstances. If ever there was a way to metaphorically shoot yourself in the foot, that four year period was one where Dio had done a pretty good job of it. And now, in a period of upheaval in the music world with the onset of the grunge movement, one of heavy metal’s greatest singers had to find a way to pick himself up off the carpet for the first time in a very long time.
And so, back to Dio the band it was. Appice, who had been dismissed during the writing session for “Lock Up the Wolves” in favour of former AC/DC drummer Simon Wright, was now back in the band, no doubt due to his locality and recent time together on that Black Sabbath album. Dio also decided to go for a whole new look with the band lineup. Guitarist Tracy Grijalva, better known as Tracy G, was brought in on guitar, Jeff Pilson, who had plied his trade with Dokken for several years, came in on bass guitar and keyboards, while Scott Warren who had been in Warrant would become the band’s keyboardist on tour.
Many wondered what this version of Dio could bring to the music world, given that by 1993 it had moved on from glam and hair metal and was hurtling into a new dimension. Could the band famous for dragons and rainbows find a way to still be relevant in the 1990’s decade? In many ways, the title of the new album, “Strange Highways”, was a metaphor for the journey the band was about to begin.

There is an interesting transition over the three-album spread between “Lock up the Wolves”, “Dehumanizer” and “Strange Highways”. The first of these albums saw the band’s sound slow the tempo from previous albums and have a slightly more serious tone about the lyrics, still delving into fantasy and other realms but in a different tone. “Dehumanizer” of course was a Black Sabbath album, with the attitude that that band always possesses. However, moving into “Strange Highways”, there’s little doubt that similar tones are being used for this album as well. It may not be Iommi and Butler here, but the music is what could be said to be an extension from that album. Is it too similar? Does it come across as a rip off of the “Dehumanizer” album? Some fans believe so, generally those that are not fans of this album. More accurately, I think this album mirrors what Dio’s writing was portraying at this stage of his career, and the previous two albums he had written progressed to this point and would further down the track with the follow up to this album. What it does is place itself at a destination far away from where the Dio band had started with “Holy Diver” some ten years earlier.
Ronnie’s vocals are more aggressive than any from the previous Dio albums, but less so than he gave us on “Dehumanizer”. Tracy G’s guitar does not copy what Iommi produced on the same album, but it is in a similar vein given the writing of the band. So, we have that same kind of heavy Sabbath-inspired songs here, which Ronnie attaches his heavier vocals to. In many ways this would be as a result of the appearance of the grunge bands and their sound. Whilst many hair metal bands tried to move to the grunge sound and failed, Dio here have moved in a heavier slower direction to combat that music trend, almost as if to say ‘this is heavy metal in the 1990’s, come follow us’.
Songs such as the opener “Jesus, Mary & the Holy Ghost”, the hardcore “Firehead”, "Hollywood Black” (which apparently had been demoed for the “Dehumanizer” album), “Evilution” and “Pain” all move in this newish direction that the new Dio has paved. Vinny’s drumwork has always appeared to be leading to this kind of work, the hard hitting, slow 2/4 tempo style that resonate through the speakers at you, and Tracy G seems happy to play the game. There’s no doubt that it takes some getting used to if you came into the band through the 1980’s.
The title track “Strange Highways” could have come straight off “Dehumanizer” - indeed, listen to “After All (the Dead)” from that album and then listen to this song, and you’ll know where the inspiration for the music and tone of the lyrics comes from. I couldn’t understand why I enjoyed this song so much when I first got the album, and then it clicked. And it’s the same reason people who don’t enjoy the Sabbath album also don’t enjoy this song. It was the real point at which one can tie the writing of this album to that previous album but the other band.
One thing that has disappeared almost completely is the lyrical mysticism that Dio had spent almost two decades weaving into his songs, in this band or his others. There are no rainbows, no dragons, no knights, no heaven and hell. Here the songs come at you with modern themes, social issues and darker elements throughout. This is apparent in songs in the back half of the album, such as “One Foot in the Grave”, “Give Her the Gun” and “Blood from a Stone”, with Ronnie passionately almost spitting the lyrics out with Tracy and Pilson pushing the hard core line musically. The album then ends almost cynically lyrically with “Here’s to You” and “Bring Down the Rain” bringing a slightly different tone to the conclusion.
As an album from this band, it is quite unique, and definitely not like anything they had done before. But it is done awfully well.

When I first got this album, which was pretty close to the release date, I really wasn’t sure what I was in for. “Lock Up the Wolves” had been a bit of a barrier to many of my friends in regards to Dio albums, with the musical changes involved there having them look in another direction. I had found enough to like and love about that album, but sonically it was very different. Then “Dehumanizer” had reinvigorated Dio’s mettle once again, and his stocks rose. The Sabbath separation again left the Dio band at a new crossroads, and I really didn’t know what to expect. And, as it turned out, I had some trouble reconciling what I heard when I initially listened to this album. Why? Well, looking back now, I think what made it difficult for me was that I was expecting to hear the band Dio that I knew, the band that produced those first three amazing scintillating albums, and hearing that energy and buzz and awesomeness. And what I got instead was this album – just not what I was expecting. So I was less than excited, but I kept listening to it, because something about it did click with me. And it wasn’t for some time (probably longer than it should have been) that I realised that this album was far more similar to the album Dio and Vinny had done with Sabbath the previous year than to anything they had done in the 1980’s. And that (eventual) realisation was what unlocked the love of this album for me. And once I had ignored what I had wanted the tempo to be, and just listened to it for what it is, I really did come to enjoy this album immensely.
Is it affected by the time it was released? I think so, but I also think it was written as a statement of the times, and that for many Dio fans, that isn’t what they were after. They wanted more dragons and night people and being hungry for heaven, when the reality was that Dio wanted something else, something that mightn't move with the times but set the agenda. It’s just that the times didn’t agree, and were actually looking for something different.
I listen to this album now, and I still find most of it thoroughly enjoyable. It needs to be in the right environment, and it needs to be LOUD to get the full impact of what the band plays here. And even 30 years on, it has an impact. It mightn’t be from Dio’s classic era, and it might be from a time when Dio’s form of classic heavy metal was on the ropes, but he still delivers vocally as he always did, and his commentary on social issues on this album, which was not something he made a lot of time doing, it still as biting as it was on its release.
The fact is that “Strange Highways” will never rate as one of the great albums, or the essential albums of all time. Asked to choose the best five albums from the band Dio, this probably won’t make your list. Those who were slightly younger than me when this was released tens to rate it much more highly than those of my generation. Perhaps that is its best light – it spoke to a generation that came next from the one he originally touched back in 1983. As a musician, to be able to do that in any age, is a pretty worthwhile achievement.

1225. Whitesnake / Trouble. 1978. 3/5

By 1976, Deep Purple had finally collapsed in on itself and ceased to exist after ten years of amazing albums and several personnel changes. One of those had been lead vocalist David Coverdale, who had presided over the final three albums the band had released. Following their demise, Coverdale went out and immediately got to work on his own solo work, releasing his first solo album titled “White Snake” in 1977, and then “Northwinds” in early 1978. In an effort to distance himself from the hard rock sound that had been synonymous with Deep Purple, his solo work combined elements of blues, soul and funk to give it a different sound, and also characteristics that suited his vocals well. Long term friend, guitarist Micky Moody, had played on both albums, and when Coverdale started to assemble a backing band for his project he was the first to join. It was Moody who suggested the group needed a second guitarist, and through this they found Bernie Marsden who had started out as a member of UFO. Marsden then facilitated the recruitment of bass guitarist Neil Murray as they had recently played in another band together. Drummer Dave Doyle and keyboardist Pete Solley also came in to round out the initial group, which at the time was dubbed David Coverdale’s Whitesnake. Coverdale had not wanted his name attached to the band’s name, but record company interest was only fanned if it could be promoted in such a way.
The band were offered the chance to record for EMI, but only an EP rather than a full album. The four track was released in June 1978 (which included a cover of the song “Ain’t No Love in the Heart of the City” which became an unofficial fan anthem of the band) and the reaction was so positive that Whitesnake was offered the chance to record their full length debut soon after.
During this recording, keyboardist Pete Solley’s contributions were re-recorded by a man who had been chased and coaxed for some time by Coverdale to join the band. After much back and forth, his former Deep Purple bandmate Jon Lord agreed to come on board and provide his ample talents to the band. Thus came together the first outing for the band Whitesnake, and the debut album titled “Trouble”.

“Take Me With You” is a jaunty opening number, with a great bassline that is the mainstay throughout. It is a real rollicking rock song with a bluesy underbase, and immediately sets itself apart from what Coverdale’s previous band had been producing. This then moves into Coverdale’s slower paced “Love to Keep You Warm”, dominated by his smooth vocals and the more soul and funk sound that had come from his solo albums. These two tracks typified the direction of the music that this album brought to the table, and where the band would go over the next couple of albums as well. This is followed by “Lie Down (A Modern Love Song)” that is dominated by Jon Lord’s piano, an upbeat song that is a great counterpoint to the genre, with Micky Moody and Bernie Marsden combining perfectly to draw attention in the middle of the song, and finishing off in style.
It’s a brave move at any stage by any band to take on covering a Beatles song, and this is no different. “Day Tripper” is the one that gets the Whitesnake treatment here, and on first impressions you feel as though it doesn’t work. The energy and great vibe of the track is extricated on this version and replaced with a staccato and bluesier version of the original. Once you get used to it (after several dozen listens to be honest) it comes across better, but compared to the other tracks on the album it is a little out of place musically. “Nighthawk (Vampire Blues)” lifts the action again, with a great blues playoff between Marsden and Lord on guitar and keys respectively, and a rollicking pace throughout as Coverdale’s vocals play great games in a fun atmosphere.
“The Time is Right for Love” is a familiar tune and theme to any Whitesnake fan with a great drum beat setting the scene from David Dowle and super rumbling bass line again from the amazing Neil Murray that is the base of the song again. The secret to the enjoyment of this track is the tempo it is played at. It would have been destroyed if it was a slower paced ballad, but here as the excellently written up-tempo blues-based track, it is a beauty. On the other side of the coin, the title track “Trouble” IS that midtempo track, slowed back from the previous song, and with Coverdale crooning rather than belting, and the rest of the band dialling everything back. Another example of the two sides of Whitesnake on this, and to be honest, most of their albums.
“Belgian Tom’s Hat Trick” is a terrific instrumental where everyone has their moment, but it is the trade off between Marsden and Moody again that is the star of the show. Once again the faster tempo of the track is what brings it all to life, and as per usual whenever Jon Lord’s keyboards come to the fore it is a fun and frantic time. “Free Flight” finds that mid tempo again, before the closing track “Don’t Mess With Me” moves forward again and finishes the album on a high note.
The album tends to mix up the tempo of the songs throughout, which perhaps could have been altered slightly in order to keep the energy up in different spots, but the overall flow of the album is excellent still to this day.

Being in high school through the mid-1980's, it probably isn’t hard for you to believe that my first initiation to Whitesnake was their multi-million selling album ‘1987’, or self-titled, whichever way you know it to be called. That album is still such a massive part of my life and is so tied to that time of my life it is a difficult thing to get past. The other part of that is that ‘1987’ is such a different album musically than the band’s first albums were, but I didn’t discover that for a few years down the track, when I began to go back and find the albums of bands that I loved that I just hadn’t discovered. So you can probably imagine just how I felt the first time I heard this album, given how different every part of it is to those albums I knew of the band from the late 1980’s. This album is amazingly different, so much so that it was a real shock and something I didn’t process well on that initial discovery. Indeed, this album went away to collect dust for some time after that initial foray.
Thankfully though, I grew older, and more open to the changing musical styles of bands and the times they were recorded, and I went back to Whitesnake's “Trouble” for a second time. And this time around, I discovered exactly what I had missed that first time around. Because this is a very underestimated album, even within the Whitesnake catalogue. Most people know “Ready n Willing”, and “Saints n Sinners” and “Come an Get It”, and “Slide it In”, but how many people of my generation and younger have really appreciated the early Whitesnake albums? And “Trouble” in particular?
In my early twenties I was incredulous that there were fans out there who claimed that the early albums were so much better than the band’s later albums, that Coverdale had sold his soul to conquer America, and that Marsden and Moody outweighed anything that Vandeburg and Sykes and Vai had done in the latter years. I laughed. And then I really began listening to the albums of this era, and discovered that, even though I still love the albums from my era, that those people were right. That this band lineup is superb, their writing and playing is magnificent, and that they deserve to be on that pedestal as well. And this album Is a major part of that. In particular, Neil Murray on bass is just superb, in his element really in this genre of music. His bottom end to support the guitars of Marsden and Moody, and the leys of Jon Lord, is magnificent. And of course there is Coverdale himself, with those amazing vocal chords that are the star attraction of what the band does.
It took me a long time to get around to giving this album the time of day, and the time it deserved, to discover how good it is. And though there are a lot of years there that I have wasted due to not appreciating it sooner, the time since has been well spent. “Trouble” may not get the accolades of other great albums in the Whitesnake discography, but in my opinion it deserves them as much as any of those other albums.

1224. Black Sabbath / Reunion. 1998. 5/5

For almost 20 years from 1979, when Ozzy Osbourne finally parted ways with Black Sabbath, the fan base constantly speculated about the possibility of a reunion of the original foursome to not only tour but to record a new album. No matter how good other lineups of the band happened to be, or how enjoyable the albums that they released were, there was a somewhat morbid anticipation of what might occur should the individuals Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, Bill Ward and Ozzy Osbourne ever get on the same stage again, and then the studio.
There were some close calls along the way that tried to amount to something but eventually fell short. The four did get on stage together to play a three song set at Live Aid in 1985, but it was a far cry from an outstanding success. Up against the biggest bands of the era, they failed to show the same energy that came from many of the other acts, and they all went their separate ways once again. Then there was the ill-fated appearance at what was to be Ozzy’s final touring performance when Iommi, Butler and Ward agreed to support Ozzy at that gig, and then come out at the end as the original quartet to play a couple of songs. It resulted in that current formation of Black Sabbath, with Ronnie Dio and Vinny Appice, collapsing on the spot. From here there was an attempt for these four to get together and compose some new material, but old scars and wounds seemed to reopen, and the venture once again fell apart as they all moved on again.
Eventually in 1997, for Ozzy’s own Ozzfest festival, Ozzy, Tony and Geezer came together to play as Black Sabbath, with Mike Bordin from Faith No More filling in for an absent Ward on drums, and played a set of classic songs to a rousing reception. This led to yet another bout of ‘will they-won't they’ discussion on a possible reunion. Following the success of these gigs, the four got together, and managed to agree on playing two nights in their home city of Birmingham in November 1997, which they would record to release as a live album under the name Black Sabbath. This was despite their still being concerns over Bill Ward’s ability to play two gigs given his health problems. Another former Sabbath drummer in Vinny Appice was on hand to step in if required, which fortunately did not eventuate. And so, the fans finally got what they were after, a true Black Sabbath reunion, even if it was only on stage. Or so everyone was led to believe.

So what we have here is a two CD set, unless you have just purchased the brand new anniversary release on 3LP’s, that contains a great mix of songs from Black Sabbath’s era of 1970 to 1978, the era of the band that many hard core fans believe is the ONLY era of the band. And, looking back now, it’s probably a little hard to believe that these guys were still amazingly young. They were all under 50 years of age when this was recorded, well within the prime of their playing existence. And it comes across here beautifully. All of the songs played are classics, and while the versions may not be as fast of energetic as they were back when the band was in its prime in the 1970’s, they sound magnificent on this album. The production and recording of the two nights is done perfectly, and the result is a fantastic live album.
You get the songs you expect. The opening battle cry of “War Pigs”, the psychedelic ramblings of “Fairies Wear Boots”, the drug anthemic lines of “Sweet Leaf” and “Snowblind”. The majesty of “Black Sabbath” and “Iron Man”, the heaviest riff ever written in “Children of the Grave” and the afterthought of “Paranoid”. All are performed here exactly as you would expect, and their impact is significant. There are the other great tracks you would expect to hear as well, such as “N.I.B” (complete with a stage intruder at the end of the song proclaiming his love of Ozzy and the band before being dragged off) and the fantastic “Electric Funeral”, the power doom of “Into the Void” and “Lord of This World”. Each of them is terrific.
There are a couple of surprises, but none of them is a disappointment. In fact for me they are a highlight. Who would have expected “Spiral Architect” to make the cut, and yet it is a brilliant version of this classic song. I’m not sure anyone was expecting “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath”, if only for the reason that there is no way Ozzy could have sung this song in its original pitch, even at that stage of his career. But play it they did, and Ozzy’s subtle change in the way he sings it just gives it a different character that is fun to hear. And the wonderful version of “Dirty Women” from “Technical Ecstasy” is perfect, and great to have a song this far into their catalogue get a run for this album.
Perhaps the biggest talking point at the time of this album’s release was the addition of two new studio tracks, “Psycho Man” and “Selling My Soul”, both written by Ozzy and Tony. These were done in Aril and May of 1998, when there was a concerted effort to try and write for a new album. The sessions went slowly however, and eventually these two songs were all that eventuated from them. The differences in their styles are obvious, and given where each of the four members were at in their careers at that point in time, perhaps it is not difficult to understand how it would hard to write together again.

And we’re back with my overly typical comment – and if you are listening to these episodes in release order you’ll know exactly what I mean, as this is the third live album in a row I have podcasted on – in that a live album should ALWAYS be a 5/5 experience, because you have the band’s best songs in their best environment. And with “Reunion”, you absolutely have that. The return of the original line up of Black Sabbath, playing a bunch of their greatest ever tracks in front of an ecstatic audience, and having the time of their lives.
This truly is a terrific live album. Sabbath to this point had not done many live albums, and had barely taken the chance to do so when this line up was together. It is only in recent years, with the re-release of deluxe versions of those classic albums, that they have included rare and unreleased recordings of concerts from those grand old days, and they are all quite brilliant. But for the most part, despite the hurriedly released “Live at Last” album, this line up hadn’t had a proper live release. And this absolutely does the band justice. Bill’s drumming mightn’t be anything like he did in the day but it still fits the bill (pun intended). The ‘wall of noise’ known as Geezer and Tony is simply superb, both still supreme on their instruments, while Ozzy’s vocals are still amazingly good throughout.
I bought this within a few days of its release and loved it immediately. It was one of the highlights of my music purchases of 1998. My best memory of listening to this album was being at a get together at a mates house in my home town of Kiama, where he was renting a house that looked down the local beach into town. We had this album cranking during the BBQ and beers that went into the night, and it was brilliant singing along and air guitaring to each song as it came on. I highly recommend listening to the album this way.
The quartet tried again to write a new album in 2002, but they just couldn’t find a way to make it work, which Iommi always regretted as he believed that the songs they did produce were top shelf. Eventually, following the Heaven and Hell project and then Dio’s sad demise, Iommi, Butler and Osbourne did write and record a final Black Sabbath album titled “13”... but that story is for another day.