ITT: I bitch about Ronnie Jame Dio being snubbed by MSNBC.com....

[Phox]

Lack of charisma?  Ronnie James Dio?  He is, err was, very humble and unpretentious as rock stars go, but I wouldn't say he lacks, gah lacked, charisma. 

Still hard to remember he's gone.  For a little guy he had a huge presence in metal. 

I agree with this.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

OK... well, I guess then that he had a particular slightly awkward brand of charisma that didn't work for me or anyone else I know. But what was fascinating was that he made up for his  (in my view) lack of charisma with straight-up talent. His lyrics were unbelievably trite but his voice was incredible.

That, and he generated some of the most fabulously absolute worst music videos ever made.

[Phox]

That, and he generated some of the most fabulously absolute worst music videos ever made.

Oh. Yes. That is most definitely true. 

[The Good Reverend Roger]

That, and he generated some of the most fabulously absolute worst music videos ever made.

Topped only by Billy Squire.  Oh, and the Breakfast Club.

[AFK]

And Savatage.  Savatage are one of my all time favorite metal bands but they made some really horrific videos in the 80s.  I'm at work so the nanny filter won't let me post links to youtube.  But fire up your Youtube and search for "24 Hours Ago", "Hall of the Mountain King", and "Gutter Ballet".

All awesome metal songs, but the videos are awful.  The playing never really matches the audio and some of the imagery is just, well, it's just bad. 

[Triple Zero]

"Hall of the Mountain King"

Youtubing that. It can impossibly be non-awesome Probably my favourite piece by Grieg (also one of the catchiest)

...

ummm he doesn't actually play the theme tune*?

it's a cool song, powerful, but it's not Grieg's Hall of the Mountain King. All of his tracks are pretty cool like this btw. Might have to get more of it, only heard the entire CD once. Another really famous tune by him is Morgenstimmung (Morning Mood), pretty sure you must know that one.


(*probably better known by our Dutch members as the tune from the bad gabber track "Ruffneck rules the artcore scene")

[Nephew Twiddleton]

He also brought us the devil horns.  Though Gene Simmons claims he invented it. 

Ozzy-led Black Sabbath got the whole metal ball rolling.  But, for me, it was really Dio, Judas Priest, and Iron Maiden who really gave Metal its direction and I think they largely were responsible for defining the genre.  There are very few voices that were as iconically Metal as Dio's was.   

Jinx Dawson also claims to be the one who brought Devil Horns. Though she seems to be generally bitter that Sabbath eclipsed Coven's career. I don't see how a British heavy blues band stole any thunder from a couple of Satanic hippies.

[AFK]

"Hall of the Mountain King"

Youtubing that. It can impossibly be non-awesome Probably my favourite piece by Grieg (also one of the catchiest)

...

ummm he doesn't actually play the theme tune*?

it's a cool song, powerful, but it's not Grieg's Hall of the Mountain King. All of his tracks are pretty cool like this btw. Might have to get more of it, only heard the entire CD once. Another really famous tune by him is Morgenstimmung (Morning Mood), pretty sure you must know that one.


(*probably better known by our Dutch members as the tune from the bad gabber track "Ruffneck rules the artcore scene")

On the album this song comes from, the track is actually preceded by an instrumental that does use the Grieg piece.  Here, I'm at home so I can properly link you up:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KYtoPOxeOY

[Triple Zero]

Ahhhhh much better, thank you

[AFK]

Savatage has incorporated classical music on a few occassions:

Mozart and Madness (from Dead Winter Dead) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agU2R5u3df4
Memory (also from Dead Winter Dead) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yIHVQGdCrM&feature=related
*Well, and this is more of a Christmas carol but: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBcmVtSOb60
*Yes, this was a Savatage song before it was a Trans-Siberian Orchestra song.  In fact, it is the same damn recording on the TSO album.  But Savatage never gets any credit for it.  

[Roaring Biscuit!]

Dio is now number 31

[AFK]

Perhaps my "suggestion" helped. 

Okay, so now we bitch about the absence of Peter Steele. 

[Sir Squid Diddimus]

I love the whole Peer Gynt suite and I'm still laughing at Roger's "and remained short his entire life"

[Roaring Biscuit!]

Perhaps my "suggestion" helped. 

Okay, so now we bitch about the absence of Peter Steele. 

[Nephew Twiddleton]

Perhaps my "suggestion" helped. 

Okay, so now we bitch about the absence of Peter Steele. 

Makes "Red Water" particularly appropriate this Christmas.