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Intermission

Dio - Intermission Audio CD

A fair review of the Dio "Intermission" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Dio reviews here, or go back to the Dio tabs.

Band: Dio
Title: Intermission
Rating:

Release Date: 1991-01-28
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: King of Rock and Roll 2: Rainbow in the Dark 3: Sacred Heart 4: Time to Burn 5: Rock 'n' Roll Children Medley: Long Live Rock 'n' Roll/Man on the Silve 6: We Rock

Good, but not totally Live!
He told me it's him on Rhythm (studio overdubs) and they kept Vivian's solo's. I asked Graig Goldy personally, because I couldn't tell on the live stuff if it was Viv or Him. Yes, that's right, most live albums aren't really totally live. Sorry to disappoint anyone.

And yes it's all Goldy on the studio track "Time to Burn".

Ciao,
Tonetherod.

dio at his prime
For me the biggest disappointment was that it was not a longer disc. I would like to state that after having seeing RJD first on the Heaven and Hell tour with the Sab and then many other subsequent live shows including this tour and the rare show Hear'N'Aid, RJD gave us a glimpse of what was happening on stage at that time with the band. I remember getting this when it first came out and I bought it on casette. The album was put together to give the band some time to let the band have a bit of a break during their almost constant touring AND to show people what the shows were all about. Dio at his prime with the most elaborate stage show was just a rockers dream come true. with regard to the music, judge for yourself, but dio was fantastic and the band tight. Time to Burn was a radio hit at that time and is still an excellent song. As an import it is pricey but for the diehard fan, i think this is a great addition to the collection. RJD has weathered decades of musical changes and has remained a vital part of rock and roll and has continued to stick to his guns and deliver music he believes in. This cd is a great opportunity to hear his voice during the early years in dio. as anyone who has sang professionally knows it is hard enough to hit notes dead on standing still yet RJD has no problem keeping his voice exactly where it needs to be while dancing and rocking out (fellow singers may agree). Another excellent choice to hear RJD give a great vocal concert is the live DVD at the spectrum. In a word, if you want to capture the magic of a time when Dio was at his peak, this is a must have. Rock the vote and Rock on!!!!!!!!!!! .

A forgotten classic, but too short!
It is a bit pricey for an EP with only 6 tracks (5 live and one new studio track), but in my opinion it is worth it. "Intermission" is an excellent EP that all true Dio fans will want to own.

The Live Tracks: The best track on this EP is a truly awesome live version of the song "Sacred Heart". Ronnie really pushes his vocals to the limit on this track, and the climax of the song, which incorporates a few bars of "The Last In Line", is stunning. You also get a great, high energy take on "We Rock" with Ronnie pushing his voice into the stratosphere. "Rock'n'Roll Children" is better than the studio version in my opinion, but unfortunately the Rainbow medley smack in the middle really kills the whole song for me. "Long Live Rock'n'Rol" and "Man on the Silver Mountain" are both played too fast, and just seem uninspired compared to other versions out there. "King of Rock and Roll" is pretty much identical to the version on the Sacred Heart album, and "Rainbow in the Dark" is also a pretty basic no-frills version. I've never honestly known for sure if it is Vivian Campbell or Craig Goldie playing on these live tracks, but if it is Goldie he sounds great and does an admirable job of recreating the guitar solos from the studio versions of these songs lick-for-lick. Overall, this could have been a five-star live album if they'd just included more tracks.

Then we have the new studio track, "Time To Burn". This was the first new Dio song with guitarist Craig Goldie, and while it is decent, it's really not anything to write home to mom about. If you are thinking about buying this EP just for the studio track, don't worry, you are not missing a classic or epic RJD track anywhere along the lines of "Heaven and Hell" or "Holy Diver". "Time to Burn" is very similar in style to "Mystery" or "Hungry For Heaven", but is slightly slower and less memorable in my opinion. The chorus and guitar solo are both strong, it's mainly the slow pace and average verse that drag this song down. It's actually very good for your typical major-key, '80s pop-metal track, but this would really just be filler on a regular Dio studio album. I also don't think this was a good track on which to introduce Craig Goldie to the fans. It's definitely not a shred-fest. If I were a Dio fan in 1986/1987, I would have been VERY WORRIED about where Dio was headed. Fortunately for all of us, Craig and Ronnie stepped up and delivered some real Dio-style metal on "Dream Evil".

Finally, the production and sound quality is great on both the live tracks and the new studio track. In fact, "Time to Burn" has a much better production quality than both the "Sacred Heart" and "Dream Evil" albums.

This is an EP that true Dio fans should have in their collection, and that casual Dio fans should think about picking up if they can get it for a reasonable price. .

For those Hungry For Heaven...
The songs are straight forward readings of the studio versions (with the exception of the medley) which is a sharp contrast to the days with Vivian who seemed to inject each performance with something distinctive for the audience of their shows. This is a great EP for those who love to hear Dio Live! The EP was released to introduce Dio's new guitarist Craig Goldy who joined after Vivian Campbell's departure from the band. Goldy plays the solos a bit differently due to the HUGE difference in styles between the two guitarists. While Vivian is definitely the better player/performer, Craig was a better writer for Ronnie's songs. Just listen to Time To Burn (a studio track included on the EP) and the CD's Dream Evil, Magica, and Master of the Moon. These are prime examples of the Dio formula! I'm not saying they are the best by any means, that distinction will always go to Dio's first two CD's: Holy Diver and The Last In Line! But Ronnie and Craig were more on the same wave length as far as style and vision than Ronnie and Viv were. Viv was all about the riff and the solo where as Craig was about the song as a whole. I gave this EP three stars only because we have to pay the price of a double CD for a six-song disc and more importantly, it was way too short, considering the following VHS release of the Sacred Heart concert (available on DVD now, pick it up it is awesome!) showed that their were alot more great performances that could have been culled into a full live release! But still it is a good listen and I was hoping WB would release it domestically so we didn't have to pay out the wazoo for an import! .

Dio - 'Intermission' (Universal)
An EP,with a running time of 34 minutes. Originally released in 1986 as one reason this lp was put out is to showcase new guitarist Craig Goldy on the cut "Time To Burn". Years ago,this would've been considered to be a full-length lp. I mean,it's nice to hear the live versions of "King Of Rock And Roll","Sacred Heart" and "Rock And Roll Children",but for some reason(s),this album never did much for me. It's okay. Pretty much for die-hards.

You can see a complete list of all Dio discography, or go back to the Dio tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.