Great Metal Albums of 1984: Dio- The Last in Line
No further evidence to support the fact that 1984 was the year of heavy metal is needed beyond the fact that Dio had two songs from their second album, “The Last in Line” played on commercial radio. When I first heard the title track played on my local commercial station, I wasted no time in cranking up the volume and breaking out the air guitar. I was working at a parking lot at the time but it didn’t matter one bit if I was the subject of people’s attention. To hear such a song on the radio was completely mind blowing at the time.
The video to the track, “The Last in Line” was cool in my view but it did come in for a lot of criticism at the time. In the eyes of the religious fanatics, scenes of people getting tortured by Satan’s minions was a major problem. Of course, if they bothered to watch the entire video, they would have seen that the protagonist in it does make his escape with the help of Ronnie himself. My conclusion was that it’s a cool video for a great song.
“Mystery” the second single, didn’t do quite as well but I love this song too and the video for it. The video is a more fantasy setting so no one gets tortured in it. After one showing of it on MTV, the vee-jay said “Mystery” was the closest thing to a ballad from Dio. Maybe so, it would be another twelve years before “Angry Machines” and the closer to it, which is a definite ballad. Still, I continue to love “Mystery.”
Now, let me go to the four tracks which some people consider to be filler. I don’t because I consider “Breathless,” “I Speed at Night,” “Evil Eyes” and “Eat Your Heart Out” to all be good tracks. Maybe the heavy breathing before “Breathless” is a little OTT but that intro and Ronnie’s “No No No No No” more than cancel it out. Coming home from visiting my children the other night, I realise that I do speed at night. In some cases, I discovered that I was doing 80 on the motorway, so that song is very true. “Eat Your Heart Out” has a cool intro as well and I love how “Evil Eyes” ends. So, in my mind, these songs aren’t filler.
As for the three songs I haven’t mentioned, well, they are better than the four I just mentioned. “We Rock” would have been used to open their shows on tour for “The Last in Line” had they not had a better show opener from the “Holy Diver ” album. “Stand Up and Shout” is one of the greatest show opening songs ever. But while it might not have opened the show, Dio still had the sense to play it on their next couple of tours. It is a cool song. “One Night in the City” is my hidden gem on the album. I have always loved Ronnie’s ability to tell stories behind the great music and on this one, it’s near perfect. The same can be said for the closer, “Egypt (The Chains are On.)” This too tells a great story behind what is some great music. I don’t quite rate it as good as “One Night in the City” but it does make an excellent closer for the album.
Most people can attest to the great vocals of Ronnie James Dio and he does a superb job on “The Last in Line.” However, the rest of the band needs their credit where due. Vivian Campbell lays down some brilliant guitar solos on here. Why some people call him overrated I’ll never under stand. Jimmy Bain and Vinnie Appice remain the tight rhythm section on this albums as much as they were on the last one. Then there’s the new addition on the album. It was here, keyboards player Claude Schnell joined the band and his contribution to the band is immense. All together, these five men work together and put out a fantastic album.
Track Listing:
- We Rock
- The Last in Line
- Breathless
- I Speed At Night
- On Night in the City
- Evil Eyes
- Mystery
- Eat Your Heart Out
- Egypt (The Chains are On)
Ronnie James Dio- vocals
Vivian Campbell- guitar
Jimmy Bain- bass
Claude Schnell- keyboards
Vinnie Appice- drums
The best concert I ever went to in my life happened on this tour. Dio, supported by Twisted Sister was a night I will take to my grave with me as one of the great highs. One of the main contributors to this ecstasy was the fact that it was “The Last in Line” album. Thinking back to when I wrote about this concert in “Rock and Roll Children,” I didn’t highlight just how magnificent a show it was.
Next Post: Helix- Walkin’ the Razor’s Edge
To get Rock and Roll Children, go to: https://book-fm.cf/print/free-download-rock-and-roll-children-by-michael-d-lefevre-pdf.html
This entry was posted on January 4, 2018 at 8:50 pm and is filed under 1980s, Heavy Metal, Heavy Metal and the 1980s, Music, Rock, Uncategorized with tags Classic Rock, Dio, hard rock, Heavy Metal, Heavy Rock, Holy Diver, Jimmy Bain, MTV, Rock And Roll Children, Ronnie James Dio, The 1980s, The Last in Line, Twisted Sister, videos. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
18 Responses to “Great Metal Albums of 1984: Dio- The Last in Line”
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January 4, 2018 at 9:07 pm
I love the whole album especially Evil Eyes.
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January 4, 2018 at 9:46 pm
Me too but I love all the songs.
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January 4, 2018 at 10:17 pm
No duds, all killer.
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January 4, 2018 at 10:53 pm
Definitely
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January 4, 2018 at 10:19 pm
Love this one, but that video for ‘Last in Line’ … my, oh, my that’s funny.
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January 4, 2018 at 10:53 pm
It is and what is funnier was how the religious right got their knickers in a twist all over it.
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January 5, 2018 at 8:35 am
I like this one, too. Can’t say that I actually dislike any of the Dio albums I have!
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January 5, 2018 at 2:00 pm
This is one of the best. “Lock Up the Wolves” wasn’t as good but had some highlights but I can’t fault the first four albums.
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January 5, 2018 at 4:17 pm
It’s the first four I have.
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January 7, 2018 at 9:43 am
Those ones are the best.
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January 5, 2018 at 10:42 am
Reblogged this on International Badass Activists.
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January 5, 2018 at 2:01 pm
Thanks as always.
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January 5, 2018 at 8:24 pm
Top album. Agree with you that Dio was one of my best concerts too. I saw them twice with Queensryche as support.
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January 7, 2018 at 9:43 am
Never saw them with Queensryche, I’m jealous.
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January 10, 2018 at 3:52 pm
Yes, it was September 84, first in Hanley Victoria Hall then Birmingham Odeon. I don’t think Queensryche were so well known then in the UK. I remember Geoff Tate throwing out some free teeshirts into the crowd and some got thrown back at him. Ha, cheeky lot the Brummie crowd that night. Me, I was hoping I’d catch one even if I didn’t know the band.
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January 10, 2018 at 5:40 pm
It was always cool to get a band’s t-shirt for free. Queensryche were still making their way in the States as well. They supported KISS there in that year. I do find the Brummie crowd very amusing.
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January 22, 2018 at 6:14 pm
I love this album.
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January 22, 2018 at 6:33 pm
It is a very good one. 😉
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