Nella Memoria Del Dio*

RIP, RJD
For those who don't know, Ronnie James Dio passed away yesterday from stomach cancer. He had been the voice behind several bands - Rainbow, Black Sabbath (once Ozzy left), Dio, and most recently, Heaven & Hell.

But this isn't going to be a blog post chock full of what Dio brought to music, how much he meant to the metal scene, or how the world will be less without his talent. People out there have said it already and with more flair than I possess in my baby toe.

This blog's actually for Hubby, who found out the news after a fun-filled day with yours truly. Hubby loves all things Dio and took the news hard.

This morning I asked Hubby to give me his all-time favorite Dio song. He came back with ten. (Hubby's explanations in italics.)

Hubby's 10 Favorite Dio-associated Songs

10. Walk Away by Black Sabbath: Self-explanatory. I'm going to get my pen and cape and lip-sync this with my foot up on a stool... (Reader, you'll get what he means if you watch this Henry Rollins bit.)

9. Sign of the Southern Cross by Black Sabbath: Great Sabbath song, it kind of encapsulates Dio-era Sabbath.

8. I Could Have Been a Dreamer by Dio: Nice slow pace, about as close to a ballad as Dio will get.

7. Stargazer by Rainbow: Got introduced to this last night while perusing videos. Love it, and will seek out more Rainbow.

6. Rock N' Roll Children by Dio:  Love to laugh at the lyrics and onomatopoeia (that's hard to spell), but it's a hell of a song.



5. Straight Through The Heart by Dio: Just a great, great song.

4. The Mob Rules by Black Sabbath: One of Sabbath's most straightforward heavy songs, also the first Sabbath song I was ever truly into. I saw Heavy Metal the movie, before I was really into metal, and this song featured prominently.



3. Rainbow in the Dark by Dio: The first song to make rainbows and happy keyboards truly metal.

2. Heaven and Hell by Black Sabbath: Great song, great album

1. Last in Line by Dio: This is the first time I have been able to definitely name a favorite of all time for anything. I absolutely love this song.





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Last.fm hit of the day: First Avenue by Elf (Another Ronnie James Dio band.)
*translation courtesy of Babelfish.