Lost your password?

He may be gone but he’ll never be forgotten and this year sees the Ronnie James Dio legacy celebrated in some style with his solo back catalogue given the deluxe treatment.

The Wendy Dio-approved expanded editions of Holy Diver, Last In Line and Sacred Heart include sleeve notes by leading rock scribe Malcolm Dome and a whole host of bonus tracks.

And following the runaway success of the Dio-era Black Sabbath reissues we’re confident these remastered classics will appeal to RJD completionists and casual fans alike.

It is almost two years since the world of hard rock and heavy metal lost one of its most gifted and fervent ambassadors with the passing of Dio.

In his position as lead vocalist for giants such as Rainbow and Sabbath, as well as fronting his own band for nearly three decades, Dio created some of the genre’s most defining and respected works.

Holy Diver, Sacred Heart and Last In Line all stand as towering monuments of sheer class and brilliance

With his incredible vocal range, Dio was to preside over countless memorable rock shows, enthralling his millions of fans worldwide. As well as the original CDs being re-mastered, these reissues each feature a bonus CD containing an expanded booklet with notes from Dome.

Holy Diver was the debut album from Dio, released on May 25, 1983. It was hailed by critics as one of his best works and in January 1986 it was awarded Silver certification – the upbeat Rainbow In The Dark was to catch MTV’s attention.

The Last in Line was the second Dio studio album released on July 13, 1984 and was the first solo album to reach Platinum status as well as number four in the UK charts. This new record showcased the anthemic  tracks We Rock and I Speed At Night as well as the seven-minute epic Egypt ( The Chains are On).

Released in October 1985 Sacred Heart was Dio’s third studio album. The record matched its predecessor by reaching number four in the UK charts and was to go on to be certified Gold. This was to become Dio’s most well known album and contained the tracks Rock N’ Roll Children and Hungry for Heaven.

The stage show that was to accompany this album was hailed as a spectacle, involving a mechanised dragon as well as lasers. Ronnie and his band were to refer to the dragon as Denzil. This was the last studio album to be released by Dio that included future Whitesnake and Def Leppard guitarist Vivian Campbell.

Details on the deluxe editions of Dio’s first three solo albums are as follows:

Holy Diver

Disc one

  • Stand Up And Shout
  • Holy Diver
  • Gypsy
  • Caught In The Middle
  • Don’t Talk To Strangers
  • Straight Through The Heart
  • Invisible
  • Rainbow In The Dark
  • Shame On The Night

Disc two

  • Evil Eyes
  • Stand Up And Shout
  • Straight Through The Heart
  • Stand Up And Shout
  • Shame On The Night
  • Children Of The Sea
  • Holy Diver
  • Rainbow In The Dark
  • Man On The Silver Mountain

Last In Line

Disc one

  • We Rock
  • The Last In Line
  • Breathless
  • I Speed at Night
  • One Night In The City
  • Evil Eyes
  • Mystery
  • Eat Your Heart Out
  • Egypt (The Chains Are On)

Disc two

  • Stand Up And Shout – Live – B-Side Last In Line
  • Straight Through The Heart – Live – B-Side Last In Line
  • Eat Your Heart Out  – Live – Mystery
  • Don’t Talk To Strangers – Live – Mystery
  • Holy Diver – Live – B-Side We Rock
  • Rainbow In The Dark – Live – B-Side We Rock
  • One Night In The City – Pinkpop Festival, Geleen
  • We Rock – Pinkpop Festival, Geleen
  • Holy Diver – Pinkpop Festival, Geleen
  • Stargazer – Pinkpop Festival, Geleen
  • Heaven And Hell – Pinkpop Festival, Geleen
  • Rainbow In The Dark – Pinkpop Festival, Geleen
  • Man On The Silver Mountain – Pinkpop Festival, Geleen
  • Don’t Talk To Strangers – Pinkpop Festival, Geleen

Sacred Heart

Disc one

  • King Of Rock N Roll
  • Sacred Heart
  • Another Lie
  • Rock N Roll Children
  • Hungry For Heaven
  • Like the Beat Of A Heart
  • Just Another Day
  • Fallen Angels
  • Shoot Shoot

Disc two

  • Hide In The Rainbow – Dio EP
  • We Rock – Live – B-Side Rock N Roll Children
  • Last In Line – Live – B-Side Rock N Roll Children
  • Like the Beat Of A Heart   – Live – B-Side Hungry For Heaven
  • King Of Rock N Roll – Intermission
  • Rainbow In The Dark – Intermission
  • Sacred Heart   – Intermission
  • Time To Burn – Intermission
  • Rock N Roll Children   – Intermission
  • Long Live Rock N Roll – Intermission
  • Man On The Silver Mountain – Intermission
  • We Rock – Intermission