DIO – The Last In Line [Japan remastered SHM-CD] [LTD Deluxe Edition]

Yesterday, May 16, six years have passed since the great, irreplaceable Ronnie James DIO left us. This remastered, Japanese Limited Deluxe Edition on SHM-CD of one of Dio’s most acclaimed works, “The Last In Line“, it’s the homage from this blog to the tremendous vocalist & musician.

Energized by the huge success of the brilliant debut Holy Diver, the band released a marvelous sophomore effort that kept the style and virtues of its predecessor (e.g., the dynamic drumming of Vinny Appice and the fierce, demonic guitar playing of Vivian Campbell), as well as the brilliant and complex metaphoric compositions done by the creative mastermind and virtuous songwriter Ronnie James Dio.

What catches the ear, at least for me, is that “The Last In Line” is not as aggressive and raw-ish as Holy Diver was. The guitar harmonies are still mighty magnificent, Ronnie’s voice is as powerful as ever, and the bluesy solos are technical as always, but the whole atmosphere is more melodic, the guitars are softer all-around and the songs are less quirky.
Even the production is a lot more polished on this record. With that though, comes a bonus – the bass is audible. The enjoyable slow bass lines in “One Night In The City”, the slightly pummeling bass in “Eat Your Heart Out”, or the smooth, picked lines in the single “Mystery” add a great deal to the overall quality of the songs.

The main attraction are, of course, Mr. Dio’s soaring, dramatic and powerful vocals. There’s no question about it; the man and his voice are legends. Confidently, his voice flows from track through track, heading towards the glorious end of the album.
Instrumental side of “The Last In Line” is great as expected. The bluesy solos are top notch and technical, and while the verses are mostly infested with rather simple chords with small progression, they still work/are pleasantly overshadowed by Ronnie’s vocals.
The fluid drum patterns courtesy of skilled Vinny Appice and the solid bass of veteran Jimmy Bain provide a strong foundation, while the excellent keyboard lines of newcomer Claude Schnell (ex Rough Cutt) embellish the whole thing.

In general terms, the album meets the groove of Black Sabbath (from Dio years) and some melodic arrangements from Rainbow. Dio opens the album with an explosive song that seems to be a tribute to rock ‘n’ roll, that is the hit ‘We Rock’. Its catchy chorus and intense, harsh riffs evoke in the listener a desire of shouting and rocking together with the crowd.
Title track ‘The Last In Line’ the most epic cut in the album. But this feel does not stop here. There are other more intense numbers like ‘One Night In the City’ and ‘Egypt (The Chains are On)’, which were filled with an atmosphere that recall a day walking on the streets in the Ancient Egypt era.

For more straight hard rock – and pretty catchy – you have the underrated ‘Breathless’, the kicking ‘I Speed At Night’, the pumping ‘Evil Eyes’, and the Rainbow-esque ‘Eat Your Heart Out’.
And there’s that little gem called ‘Mystery’, which mean Dio going AOR. Or melodic hard rock if you prefer. Many resisted this track for its commercialism, but approached the band to new audiences. And I love it.

This “The Last In Line” Deluxe Edition features improvements in sound and it’s loaded with extra content, a bonus disc with B-sides as well as a terrific concert from the Pinkpop Festival in 1984.
While the 2-CD release has been released world-wide, this Japanese Limited Edition on SHM-CD sounds far superior, more defined.
A Classic.

Universal Japan ~ UICY-94771/2 【ＬＴＤ ＳＨＭ－ＣＤ】
Ｄ Ｉ Ｏ 『 Ｔ Ｈ Ｅ Ｌ Ａ Ｓ Ｔ Ｉ Ｎ Ｌ Ｉ Ｎ Ｅ 』

CD 1 : The Last In Line remastered
01 – We Rock
02 – The Last In Line
03 – Breathless
04 – I Speed At Night
05 – One Night In The City
06 – Evil Eyes
07 – Mystery
08 – Eat Your Heart Out
09 – Egypt (The Chains Are On)

CD 2 : extra disc
01 – Eat Your Heart Out (Live B-Side / Mystery 12” single)
02 – Don’t Talk To Strangers (Live B-Side / Mystery 12” single)
03 – Holy Diver (Live) (B-Side / We Rock 7” single)
04 – Rainbow In The Dark (Live B-Side / We Rock 12” single)
Live at the Pink Pop Festival, Geleen, NL, 1984:
05 – One Night In The City
06 – We Rock
07 – Holy Diver
08 – Stargazer
09 – Heaven And Hell
10 – Rainbow In The Dark
11 – Man On The Silver Mountain
12 – Don’t Talk To Strangers

Ronnie James Dio – lead vocals
Vivian Campbell – guitar
Jimmy Bain – bass
Claude Schnell – keyboards
Vinny Appice – drums, percussion

BUY IT !
www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/UICY-94771
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