Dio - Dream Evil Deluxe Version Album Review

 

We live in a world where the terms ‘World Class’, for sportspersons such as Nadal, Vettel and Messi are common place and sometimes overused; ‘Blue Chip’ for companies such as BP, DuPont etc are the norm; but it's a rare thing indeed for a musician to be named in such a similar manner. However, the relative ‘giant’ of a vocalist called Ronnie James Dio, the term 'World Class' was destined to be used to describe this Metal God.

Many bands have one great album, a small few have more than one, yet a certain Ronnie James Padavona, has made what I feel are 4 (maybe more) World Class Albums in 3 different guises in bands such as Rainbow, Sabbath, and Dio (Rising, LLRNR, Heaven and Hell, and Holy Diver).

Dream Evil is Dio's fourth album, released on July 21, 1987. It features former Rough Cutt members Craig Goldy and Claude Schnell, and includes the singles "All The Fools Sailed Away" and "I Could Have Been a Dreamer". Dream Evil was Dio's last album to feature drummer Vinny Appice

This new 2-cd deluxe edition comes with a bonus disc containing amounts other tracks the bands triumphant gig at Monsters of Rock. An expanded booklet with notes by Malcolm Dome endorsed by Ronnie’s widow Wendy makes this the next in line of ultimate Dio reissues.

It was for me a bit of a forgotten masterpiece, as during the late 80s I was getting a bit disillusioned with the great man himself (How dare I !). Anyway, in the recent years since his untimely passing I have been rediscovering some of his extensive output. The more I think of it, 'Dream Evil' is one of his forgotten greats. It follows the same formula as the first two Dio albums....

....Rip roaring opener? ('Night People'), Check! Second track = Album Title, Check! Epic Ballad ('All The Fools Sailed Away'), double check! And so on, putting 'Dream Evil' into my Top 5 Dio/Rainbow/Sabbath albums. It didn’t just stop with these few songs either. 'Sunset Superman' and 'I Could Have Been A Dreamer' proved that there was life after Vivian Campbell, as Craig Goldy’s riffs and playing are probably the finest of his career. It was the third Dio album in a row to make the UK Top Ten (how 'Holy Diver' never did is a travesty).

With the Deluxe version, Universal once again have come up trumps – a couple of bonus tracks, and the Dio set from 1987’s Monsters Of Rock at Donnington where Dio was in his element, playing live with a voice that was powered by a blast furnace

If you’ve not come across this great man before, 'Dream Evil' will whet the appetite. For existing fans, its another great reason to buy the Deluxe version. So, there you have it, Ronnie James Dio, often imitated, never, ever bettered!!

90/100

Tracklisting

Disc One

Night People

Dream Evil

Sunset Superman

All The Fools Sailed Away

Naked In The Rain

Overlove

I Could Have Been A Dreamer

Faces In A Window

When A Woman Cries  

  

Disc Two                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Hide In The Rainbow (Dio EP)

I Could Have Been A Dreamer (Single Edit)

Dream Evil (Donnington - 22/08/87

Neon Nights                                                                                      

Naked In The Rain                                                                          

Rock N Roll Children                                                                        

Long Live Rock N Roll                                                                     

The Last In Line                                                                                

Holy Diver                                                                                          

Heaven And Hell                                                                             

Man On The Silver Mountain                                                     

All The Fools Sailed Away                                                              

The Last In Line (Reprise)                                                             

Rainbow In The Dark