DIO / The First In Line / 1CDR

DIO / The First In Line / 1CDR / Non label

Live at Pinkpop Festival, Geleen, Netherlands 11th June 1984 STEREO SBD

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DIO in 1984 entered the heyday of the masterpiece “THE LAST IN LINE” by sending it to the 23rd place in the United States, which is a career high. The traditional soundboard album that conveys the dawn is decided to be a gift release.
What is recorded in this work is “June 11, 1984 Hellen performance”. This is a stereo sound board recording when I performed at the famous Dutch music festival “PINKPOP FESTIVAL”. The previous “HOLY DIVER Tour” continued until January 1984, but here, let’s check the position of the show from the activity outline related to “THE LAST IN LINE” after that.

● 1984
・ June 11: PINKPOP FESTIVAL appearance ← ★ This work ★
“July 2nd” THE LAST IN LINE “released”
・ July 17-August 25: North America # 1 (32 performances) ← * Official A SPECIAL FROM THE SPECTRUM
・ August 30-October 30: Europe (44 performances)
・ November 4th-December 31st: North America # 2a (30 performances)
● 1985
・ January 2-27: North America # 2b (18 performances)

This is the whole picture of “THE LAST IN LINE Tour”. The symbol of this tour is the official video “A SPECIAL FROM THE SPECTRUM”, but the “PINKPOP FESTIVAL” performance of this work was two and a half months before that. It was also a warm-up stage that took place before the album was released.
Such a show is also called a festival and is broadcast on TV and radio. This work is an FM sound board recording that is longer than TV broadcasting. Bands / artists such as MARILLION, THE PRETENDERS, and BIG COUNTRY participated in “PINKPOP FESTIVAL” in 1984. Although it was on the verge of a big hit with “THE LAST IN LINE”, DIO was still in his second year of debut, and it was a high daytime appearance. The time allotted was short, but the performance was as energetic as the usual live performance. In particular, Ronnie’s belief that “do not cut corners live” is fully open here as well, and you can enjoy the full-length vocals that can only be done by him, such as a powerful and convincing mass.
Actually, it was officialized in the deluxe edition of “THE LAST IN LINE”, but it is said that it is also based on FM air check. This work is also an FM sound source, but it is the highest peak board that has been refined by meticulous mastering. In the original master, the treble was a little distorted, but it was carefully corrected. The live performance, which is unfolded with a clear outlook and powerful sound, has a wonderful listening response, and this sound source is one of the leading “THE LAST IN LINE Tour” at the premiere.
And, the unusual show is drawn with that sound because it is the first day and the premiere. Let’s organize the set here to explain its meaning.

● Last in line
・ One Night In The City / We Rock
● Holy Diver
・ Holy Diver / Rainbow In The Dark / Don’t Talk to Stranger
● Classics
・ Rainbow: Stargazer / Man On The Silver Mountain / Starstruck
・ Sabbath: Heaven And Hell

… And it looks like this. The most notable is the two new songs “One Night In The City” and “We Rock” that are performed in pole position. This stage is the premiere, and it’s a listening place from the sudden opening. It’s only this day that “One Night In The City” will start, and maybe the live performance hasn’t settled yet, especially “We Rock” is a mistake for the whole band. Ronnie also made a mistake in singing, but this is also unique to the premiere. As a matter of fact, maybe because it was the first stage in about 5 months after the studio, or because of the warm-up with an eye on the world tour, the classic songs such as “Holy Diver” and “Rainbow In The Dark” also confirmed each play. You can see the caution that you do. Another feature is that the colors of 1983 have been preserved since the middle of “HOLY DIVER Tour” and “THE LAST IN LINE Tour”. The suite arrangement of RAINBOW numbers that will not be heard in the future, such as “Stargazer” that is featured before “Heaven And Hell” and “Man On The Silver Mountain” that properly features “Starstruck”, is also a point.

The set was short due to the time on the day, and the standard “Stand Up And Shout” at that time could not be seen, so it may not be the whole show from the broadcast contents. However, the line sound source of the heyday of about 50 minutes is indispensable for the DIO collection. On the verge of “THE LAST IN LINE Tour”, where the band is more complete and matured, you can enjoy Ronnie, who has passed the dawn of the golden age, on a sound board directly connected to the brain. Please take this opportunity to enjoy yourself.

★ The stereo sound board recording of Pink Pop Festival, which was also the warm-up gig of “THE LAST IN LINE Tour” in its heyday, is released as a gift. You can also enjoy the extremely rare composition that starts at “One Night In The City” and the premiere of “We Rock” that is tattered with mistakes.

傑作『THE LAST IN LINE』をキャリア・ハイとなる全米23位に送り込み、一大全盛期に突入した1984年のDIO。その幕開けを伝える伝統サウンドボード・アルバムがギフト・リリース決定です。
そんな本作に記録されているのは「1984年6月11日ヘレーン公演」。オランダの有名音楽祭“PINKPOP FESTIVAL”に出演した際のステレオ・サウンドボード録音です。1つ前の“HOLY DIVER Tour”は1984年1月まで続いたわけですが、ここではその後の『THE LAST IN LINE』にまつわる活動概要からショウのポジションを確認してみましょう。

●1984年
・6月11日:PINKPOP FESTIVAL出演 ←★本作★
《7月2日『THE LAST IN LINE』発売》
・7月17日-8月25日:北米#1(32公演)←※公式A SPECIAL FROM THE SPECTRUM
・8月30日-10月30日:欧州(44公演)
・11月4日-12月31日:北米#2a(30公演)
●1985年
・1月2日-27日:北米#2b(18公演)

これが“THE LAST IN LINE Tour”の全体像。このツアーの象徴と言えば公式映像『A SPECIAL FROM THE SPECTRUM』なわけですが、本作の“PINKPOP FESTIVAL”公演は、その2ヶ月半前。アルバム発売前に行われたウォームアップ的なステージでもありました。
そんなショウはフェスと言うこともあってテレビやラジオでも放送。本作は、TV放送よりも長尺なFMサウンドボード録音です。1984年の“PINKPOP FESTIVAL”は、MARILLIONやTHE PRETENDERS、BIG COUNTRYなどといったバンド/アーティストが参加。『THE LAST IN LINE』の大ヒット寸前とは言え、DIOはまだデビュー2年目でもあり、日の高い昼間の出演でした。割り当てられた持ち時間も短めでしたが、その演奏は普段のライヴと何ら変わらない気迫溢れる内容です。特に「ライヴで手抜きをしない」ロニーの信条はここでも全開で、パワフルで説得力の塊のような、彼以外ではあり得ないヴォーカルを全編で楽しめます。
実のところ、『THE LAST IN LINE』のデラックス・エディションで公式化されてもいるわけですが、そちらもFMエアチェックが元になっていると言われています。本作もFM音源ではありますが、細心マスタリングで磨き込んだ最高峰盤。元となったマスターでは高音がやや歪み気味でしたが、リ丁寧に補正。クリアな見通しとパワフルなサウンドで迫力満点に繰り広げられるライヴは素晴らしい聴き応えがあり、本音源は初演にして“THE LAST IN LINE Tour”有数の一本ともなっています。
そして、そのサウンドで描かれるのは初日・初演だからこその一風変わったショウ。その意味をご説明するためにもここでセットを整理しておきましょう。

●ラスト・イン・ライン
・One Night In The City/We Rock
●ホーリィ・ダイヴァー
・Holy Diver/Rainbow In The Dark/Don’t Talk to Stranger
●クラシックス
・レインボー:Stargazer/Man On The Silver Mountain/Starstruck
・サバス:Heaven And Hell

……と、このようになっています。一番の注目はポールポジションで演奏される2連発の新曲「One Night In The City」「We Rock」。このステージが初演であり、いきなりのオープニングから聴き所。「One Night In The City」で開演するのはこの日だけですし、まだライヴでのパフォーマンスが固まっていないのか、特に「We Rock」はバンド全体でミス。ロニーも歌い出しを誤っていますが、これも初演ならでは。実際のところ、スタジオ明けで約5ヶ月ぶりのステージなせいか、ワールド・ツアーを見据えたウォームアップのせいか、「Holy Diver」や「Rainbow In The Dark」といった定番曲も、プレイのひとつひとつを確認するような慎重さが見られます。また“HOLY DIVER Tour”と“THE LAST IN LINE Tour”の中間という時期から、1983年の色合いを残しているのも特徴。「Heaven And Hell」の前に取り上げられる「Stargazer」や、「Starstruck」をきちんとフィーチャーした「Man On The Silver Mountain」など、この先は聴けなくなるRAINBOWナンバーの組曲アレンジもポイントです。

当日の持ち時間の都合もあってセットは短めで、さらに当時の定番「Stand Up And Shout」が見られない等、放送された内容からしてショウ全部ではないかも知れません。しかし、約50分間に及ぶ全盛期のライン音源はDIOコレクションに欠かせません。バンドがより完成・熟成された“THE LAST IN LINE Tour”の寸前であり、黄金時代の幕開けに経っていたロニーを脳みそド直結サウンドボードで楽しめる1枚。どうぞ、この機会にじっくりとお楽しみください。

★一大全盛期“THE LAST IN LINE Tour”のウォームアップ・ギグでもあったピンクポップ・フェスのステレオ・サウンドボード録音がギフト・リリース。「One Night In The City」で開演する激レアな構成やミスってボロボロな「We Rock」の初演も楽しめます。

(48:53)
1. One Night In The City
2. We Rock
3. Holy Diver
4. Stargazer
5. Heaven And Hell
6. Rainbow In The Dark
7. Man On The Silver Mountain
8. Starstruck
9. Man On The Silver Mountain(reprise)
10. Don’t Talk to Stranger

STEREO SOUNDBOARD RECORDING

Ronnie James Dio – Vocals
Vivian Campbell – Guitar
Jimmy Bain – Bass
Vinny Appice – Drums
Claude Schnell – Keyboards

 

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