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Straight Through/From The Heart: Dio Goes Deluxe From Universal, Audio Fidelity Preps Dio, Bryan Adams

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It’s 1983 all over again at Audio Fidelity.

The audiophile specialty label is readying two albums from that year touching on both the rock and pop ends of the musical spectrum.  Bryan Adams’ Cuts Like a Knife and Dio’s Holy Diver are both due in stores on February 14 as 24K Gold CDs playable on all CD players.

Cuts Like a Knife was Adams’ third effort, eschewing the stylistic presentation of his first two albums in favor of a melodic rock style that caught on with both listeners and radio programmers.  The album spawned hit singles in the form of the title song (No. 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 6 on the mainstream rock chart) plus “This Time” and the quintessential Adams ballad “Straight From the Heart.”   Adams co-produced the LP with Bob Clearmountain, who was also responsible for his previous LP, 1981’s You Want It, You Got It.  Clearmountain’s belief in Adams paid off when Cuts Like a Knife went Top Ten on the Billboard 200, racking up sales of over four million copies.  Audio Fidelity accurately sums up the album as “a great pop rock album to listen to - the songs are highly melodic and well-crafted and full of a lot of simple and genuine heart. “  Adams’ heart was again on its sleeve for the album’s follow-up, Reckless (1984) which delivered with “Summer of ’69,” “Heaven” and “Run to You” among its most beloved songs.  Audio Fidelity’s reissue of Cuts Like a Knife has been remastered by Kevin Gray.

It’s time for Holy Diver, plus a trio of deluxe Dio releases from Universal U.K.!   You'll find track listings, discography and details, all after the jump!

When the late Ronnie James Dio struck out on his own, after successful stints with both Rainbow and Black Sabbath, all eyes in the metal world were on him.  And Dio’s first effort under his own band name, Holy Diver, didn’t disappoint.  Dio, the band, included drummer and former Black Sabbath bandmate Vinny Appice (brother of Vanilla Fudge’s Carmine), bassist Jimmy Bain of Rainbow, plus guitarist Vivian Campbell.  Dio himself co-wrote and produced each of the album’s nine tracks including the thunderous “Stand Up and Shout” and early MTV favorite “Rainbow in the Dark.”  The anthemic “Straight Through the Heart” (not to be confused with Mr. Adams’ “Straight from the Heart,” mind you!) and “Don’t Talk to Strangers” soon became all-time favorites.  Critics and record buyers alike took to Dio’s debut, which was eventually certified platinum and remains one of the most significant albums in the metal canon.  Audio Fidelity’s reissue includes a two-page spread replica of the original photomontage included with the LP.  Steve Hoffman has handled the remastering duties.

But that's not all from the late, great Mr. Dio.  Universal U.K. has announced three expanded and remastered 2-CD Deluxe Editions of the first three albums from Dio, the band.  Holy Diver, in addition to the U.S. Hoffman remaster, will see a Deluxe Edition.  Joining it will be 1984's The Last in Line and 1985's Sacred Heart.  Live material is the primary attraction on all three of the bonus discs, with many tracks rescued from B-sides issued around the albums' original releases.  You can peruse the track listings just below!

Both Audio Fidelity titles arrive on Valentine’s Day, February 14!  All three of Universal's Dio Deluxe Editions are due on March 12 in the United Kingdom.  You'll find pre-order links below.

Bryan Adams, Cuts Like a Knife (A&M LP 4919, 1983 – reissued Audio Fidelity AFZ 127, 2012)

  1. The Only One
  2. Take Me Back
  3. This Time
  4. Straight From The Heart
  5. Cuts Like A Knife
  6. I'm Ready
  7. What's It Gonna Be
  8. Don't Leave Me Lonely
  9. Let Him Know
  10. The Best Was Yet To Come

Dio, Holy Diver (Warner Bros. LP 9 23836-2, 1983 – reissued Audio Fidelity, 2012)

  1. Stand Up and Shout
  2. Holy Diver
  3. Gypsy
  4. Caught in the Middle
  5. Don't Talk to Strangers
  6. Straight Through the Heart
  7. Invisible
  8. Rainbow in the Dark
  9. Shame on the Night

Dio, Holy Diver (Warner Bros. LP 9 23836-2, 1983 – reissued Universal U.K., 2012)

CD 1

  1. Stand Up and Shout
  2. Holy Diver
  3. Gypsy
  4. Caught in the Middle
  5. Don’t Talk to Strangers
  6. Straight Through the Heart
  7. Invisible
  8. Rainbow in the Dark
  9. Shame on the Night

CD 2

  1. Evil Eyes (Studio Recording) (fromVertigo single DIO 1-B, 1983)
  2. Stand Up and Shout
  3. Straight Through the Heart
  4. Stand Up and Shout
  5. Shame on the Night
  6. Children of the Sea
  7. Holy Diver
  8. Rainbow in the Dark
  9. Man on the Silver Mountain

All other tracks are live recordings with origins TBD.

Dio, The Last in Line: Deluxe Edition (Universal U.K., 2012)

CD 1: The Original Album (Warner Bros. LP W1-25100/Vertigo (U.K.) LP VERL16, 1984)

  1. We Rock
  2. Last in Line
  3. Breathless
  4. I Speed at Night
  5. One Night in the City
  6. Evil Eyes
  7. Mystery
  8. Eat Your Heart Out
  9. Egypt (The Chains Are On)

CD 2

  1. Stand Up And Shout (Live B-Side) (from Vertigo single DIO 2-B, 1984)
  2. Straight Through The Heart (Live B-Side) (from Vertigo single DIO 212, 1983)
  3. Eat Your Heart Out (Live) (from Vertigo single DIO 4-B, 1984)
  4. Don’t Talk To Strangers (Live) (from Vertigo single DIO 412, 1984)
  5. Holy Diver (Live B-Side)  (from Vertigo single DIO 3-B, 1984)
  6. Rainbow In The Dark (Live B-Side) (from Vertigo single 880 675-7, 1985)
  7. One Night In The City (Live Pinkpop Festival)
  8. We Rock (Live Pinkpop Festival)
  9. Holy Diver (Live Pinkpop Festival)
  10. Stargazer (Live Pinkpop Festival)
  11. Heaven And Hell (Live Pinkpop Festival)
  12. Rainbow In The Dark (Live Pinkpop Festival)
  13. Don’t Talk To Strangers (Live Pinkpop Festival)

Tracks 7-13 recorded at Pinkpop Festival, Landgraaf, Netherlands, 1984

Dio, Sacred Heart: Deluxe Edition (Universal U.K., 2012)

CD 1: The Original Album (Warner Bros. 9 25292-1/Vertigo (U.K.) VERH30, 1985)

  1. King Of Rock And Roll
  2. Sacred Heart
  3. Another Lie
  4. Rock 'N' Roll Children
  5. Hungry For Heaven
  6. Like The Beat Of The Heart
  7. Just Another Day
  8. Fallen Angels
  9. Shoot Shoot

CD 2: Bonus Tracks plus Intermission (Live At The Sports Arena in San Diego, CA on December 6, 1985)

  1. Hide In The Rainbow (from The DIO EP, Vertigo DIOEP7, 1986)
  2. We Rock (Live B-Side) (from Vertigo single DIO512, 1985)
  3. Last In Line (Live B-Side) (from Vertigo single DIO512, 1985)
  4. Like The Beat Of A Heart (Live B-Side)  (from Vertigo single DIO612, 1985)
  5. King Of Rock N Roll
  6. Rainbow In The Dark
  7. Sacred Heart
  8. Rock 'N' Roll Children
  9. Long Live Rock N Roll
  10. Man On The Silver Mountain
  11. We Rock

Tracks 5-8, 11 from Intermission (Warner Bros. 1-25443, 1986/Vertigo (U.K.) VERB40, 1986)
Tracks 9-10 origin TBD

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Joe Marchese

JOE MARCHESE (Editor) joined The Second Disc shortly after its launch in early 2010, and has since penned daily news and reviews about classic music of all genres. In 2015, Joe formed the Second Disc Records label. Celebrating the great songwriters, producers and artists who created the sound of American popular song, Second Disc Records, in conjunction with Real Gone Music, has released newly-curated collections produced by Joe from iconic artists such as Johnny Mathis, Bobby Darin, Laura Nyro, Melissa Manchester, Chet Atkins, and many others. He has contributed liner notes to reissues from a diverse array of artists, among them Nat "King" Cole, Paul Williams, Lesley Gore, Dusty Springfield, B.J. Thomas, The 5th Dimension, Burt Bacharach, The Mamas and the Papas, Carpenters, Perry Como, Rod McKuen, Doris Day, Jackie DeShannon, and Andy Williams, and has compiled releases for talents including Robert Goulet and Keith Allison of Paul Revere and the Raiders. Over the past two decades, Joe has also worked in a variety of capacities on and off Broadway as well as at some of the premier theatres in the U.S., including Lincoln Center Theater, George Street Playhouse, Paper Mill Playhouse, Long Wharf Theatre, and the York Theatre Company. He has felt privileged to work on productions alongside artists such as the late Jack Klugman, Eli Wallach, Arthur Laurents, Betty Comden and Adolph Green. In 2009, Joe began contributing theatre and music reviews to the print publication The Sondheim Review, and in 2012, he joined the staff of The Digital Bits as a regular contributor writing about film and television on DVD and Blu-ray. Joe currently resides in the suburbs of New York City.

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Comments

  1. The Dio deluxe sets look great and it is nice to see HIde In The Rainbow included on Sacred Heart. But the Intermission album included a studio track called Time To Burn that doesn't appear on the track listing here. Could anyone find out if it will be included? Other than that I am preordering these!

    Reply

  2. No problem Joe! It is nice to see Dio's first 3 albums in deluxe editions with a lot of extra tracks like Hide In the Rainbow and Time to Burn as well as a TON of live B sides. Amazon.co.uk will have a huge order for me when I get these as well as the latest 2 Thin Lizzy deluxe editions all on March 12th! I am really excited to get these. I might also get the Mobile Fidelity version of Holy Diver, but it should be noted that Rock Candy with Universal had reissued Holy Diver back in 2006 which has phenomenal sound. It will be interesting to compare the forthcoming remaster to the Rock Candy version because I think it will be tough to beat!

    Reply

  4. Most of Dio's solo albums are on Warner Brothers in the US and WB through Rhino has only released The Very Beast Of Dio and Stand Up and Shout anthology which are good collections. But worldwide, Universal has the Dio catalog and since Rhino doesn't do a lot of reissues like they used to 10 years ago, I guess Universal takes up the slack to do deluxe reissues.

    Reply

    • Ah, that would explain why the UK branch has been handling the Deluxe Edition for these and the Kinks reissues (which I don't believe have even appeared here in the U.S. as well). Thanks for the explanation. Sad to know it's come down to "rights" issues, but oh well, it's a good thing we live in a global age today.

      Reply

      • It is what it is but at least Universal is on the right path to some very cool deluxe edition albums. The job they have done with the Black Sabbath, Thin Lizzy, Rainbow and Queen Deluxe Editions over the past year or so has been amazing. I also have to get the Big Country Deluxe Edition as well.

        There are other deluxe editions planned like KISS Destroyer, Rainbow's Long Live Rock and Roll and Deep Purple's Perfect Strangers. I don't think Destroyer will be only available as only an import, but the Rainbow and Purple sets will probably be import only. But the upside about ordering these Deluxe Edition directly from Amazon.co.uk is that it is cheaper (with shipping) than getting them as imports domestically. The only real downside I can see is that you have to wait about a week before they arrive. But in the end, it is worth it.

        Reply

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