OFF: Re: Heaven and Hell

[Carl Edlund Anderson]

On 08 Sep 2008, at 19:46 , gary shindler wrote:
> I thought "Holy Diver" was a good album. Vivian Campbell played  
> some amazing solos, Jimmy Bain played strong Geezer-like bass lines  
> and Dio's lyrics were good. "Last in Line" was a step down: I  
> remember a song called "Eat Your Heart Out" with really bad lyrics.  
> I faded out from there with Dio, Sabbath, Maiden, etc. Got out of  
> the metal scene into punk, alternative, etc.

On 09 Sep 2008, at 07:30 , Swartz, John A. wrote:
> Holy Diver rocks.   "Shame on the Night" has the definitive sound of
> 80s metal bass to me.



I'm not saying I don't _like_ Holy Diver at all :) just that (coming  
to this music decades later) that I like the high points of Dio- 
Sabbath better than I like most of _Holy Diver_.  Perhaps, had I  
"been there", I'd have different memories ... :)  It's OK, well  
enough; I just don't completely suss its iconic status.

Admittedly, Vivian Campbell is justifiably great on _Holy Diver_ ...  
which just makes it all the more irritating that he's just treading  
water with latter-day Def Leppard (instead of giving them the real  
kick in the arse they could use).

The 80s metal/hard-rock scene really passed me by back when it was  
happening (barring, perhaps, Metallica towards the end of the  
decade), and I certainly didn't really pay it much mind (barring, of  
course, Motorhead!) in the '90s.  Other than being too young to pick  
up on the early part of the decade, by the end of it there was just  
too much hair-spray trauma! ;)  It was really Bruce Dickinson's  
excellent solo album  _The Chemical Wedding_ towards the end of the  
'90s that made me prick up my ears and start thinking there was  
something to be heard in the classic power metal side of things -- I  
only started giving Iron Maiden and Dio-era Sabbath some personal  
auditions after that point.

Cheers,
Carl

--
Carl Edlund Anderson
http://www.carlaz.com/