Next month will see the release of yet another Dio deluxe reissue from Universal's U.K. arm. This time, it's Dream Evil, originally released in 1987.
Dream Evil marked the start of a slightly different era for Ronnie James Dio's melodic metal band. Previous album Sacred Heart (1985) was the last to feature guitarist Vivian Campbell, who would join Whitesnake briefly before becoming a member of Def Leppard in 1992. In his place stepped Craig Goldy, former guitarist for L.A. metal band Rough Cutt. (Dio's keyboardist, Claude Schnell, was also a member of the same band, though both men were not members at the same time.)
The album was a Top 10 success in the U.K., the band's third and final LP to peak within those parameters. Dream Evil also spawned Dio's final Mainstream Rock hit single in the U.S., "I Could Have Been a Dreamer," which peaked at No. 33 on that chart. After Dream Evil, Dio completely reorganized his ensemble, including longtime drummer Vinny Appice (who had drummed with Dio since his days in Black Sabbath), and spent the rest of his career with a rotating cast of sidemen. (Appice and Goldy would separately come back into the fold later in the '90s and '00s.)
For this deluxe edition, out March 4 in the U.K., Universal has included a bonus disc of live and studio material. None of it is new to Dio fans: studio bonuses include "Hide in the Rainbow," which appeared on The Dio E.P. in 1986, and a single edit of "I Could Have Been a Dreamer"; the remainder of the disc features Dio's 1987 at the Monsters of Rock Festival at Castle Donington, which was included as part of a two-disc set released after Ronnie James Dio's passing in 2010. But it's certainly an optimal edition to buy if you're a fan who has yet to add this album to your collection.
After the jump, check out the full track list and pre-order links from both sides of the Atlantic.
Dream Evil: Deluxe Edition (Universal (U.K.), 2013)
Disc 1: Original LP (released as Warner Bros. 25612 (U.S.)/Vertigo VERH 46 (U.K.), 1987)
- Night People
- Dream Evil
- Sunset Superman
- All the Fools Sailed Away
- Naked in the Rain
- Overlove
- I Could Have Been a Dreamer
- Faces in a Window
- When a Woman Cries
Disc 2: Bonus material
- Hide in the Rainbow (from Dio E.P. - Vertigo DIO 712 (U.K.), 1986)
- I Could Have Been a Dreamer (Single Edit) (single A-side - Vertigo DIO 8 (U.K.)/Warner Bros. 28255 (U.S.), 1987)
- Dream Evil
- Neon Knights
- Naked in the Rain
- Rock 'n' Roll Children
- Long Live Rock 'n' Roll
- The Last in Line
- Holy Diver
- Heaven and Hell
- Man on the Silver Mountain
- All the Fools Sailed Away
- The Last in Line (Reprise)
- Rainbow in the Dark
Tracks 3-14 recorded live at the Monsters of Rock Festival, Castle Donington, Leicestershire – 8/22/1987. Previously released on Dio At Donington 1983 & 1987 (Niji Entertainment Group NEG001, 2010)
I'm a huge Dio fan and have bought most if not all the Deluxe Editions related to Rainbow, Sabbath and Dio. This is a great dissappointment! To repeat the Donnington concert is ridiculous. Even if it were exactly the same set, do you mean to tell me there was not a single other date they could have used?! Or instead, maybe they could have put demos. Who is going to buy this stuff? Dio fans who almost certainly have the Donnington Cd already. Not really doing the fans a service here in my opinion.
I'm a huge Dio fan too and I concur with Daniel. Why repeat the second disc of Dio At Donnington and repeat Hide In The Rainbow which has already appeared on the Sacred Heart Deluxe Edition? The only real bonus here aside from the single mix of I Could Have Been A Dreamer is to have Dream Evil get a good remaster treatment like the first 3 Dio sets as well as recent Sabbath and Rainbow deluxe editions.
Not a very well thought-out deluxe this. Only worth it for the remaster and the single mix. And the Donington set is missing "Children of the Sea" too!