Last In Line [Deluxe Edition, Extra tracks, Original recording remastered]

cliched, yes. dated, yes but so have "Dark Side..", "Stairway " and "Sgt. pepper" and noone cares about that, lyrics about dragons, yes. Brilliant, erm, yes as well.

Ronnie James Dio had learnt from his tenure in Rainbow how to write great songs then allow the musicians to stamp their own identity on it. This album, like its predecessor "Holy Diver" overflows with great riffs, guitar solos, and drum fills, with Dio's powerful vocals always standing tall, even if he didn't.

"From the machine gun drumming and great riff that introduces "We Rock", this is a classic. Guitarist Vivian Campbell, having paid his dues in unknown Irish rockers "Sweet Savage", grabs his chance like a caged tiger finally on the loose, riffing as though his life depended on it and producing blistering solo after blistering solo, particularly fluent on tracks such as "One Night in The City" and "I Speed at Night", whilst blending ferocious riffing with fluent playing on the likes of the awesome title track.

As a footnote, if his playing whets your appetite don't bother investigating further as Campbell seemingly burnt himself out here, now content to tread water with the similarly burnt out Def Leppard. Sell out ? As if.

If you like hard rock, BUY THIS ALBUM.

A lot of people cite Holy Diver as Dio's post Sabbath masterstroke, and I can kind of understand why. With something to prove, following the acrimonious departure from the Sabbath ranks, it was stunning because it was bright, fresh and brash - devoid of corporate rock baggage, it was not Sabbath, it was not Rainbow - it was simply Dio. However to these ears, at least, it was more of a product of the late 70s than the pop laden early 80's and so enter the Last In Line.

Frenetic opener `We Rock' sets Dio's new agenda for the new decade. Driving drums, a stabbing choppy riff and a simple radio friendly hook - Dio had his first radio single for the 80s - this is a straight forward bona fide and enduring classic, picking up exactly where Stand Up And Shout left off on the previous album.

But this is not an album of radio friendly singles - the grandiose and soaring title track `The Last In line' is next up with its rather pompous religious theme (reflected in the cover art) and this possibly stands as Dio's best solo title track - streets ahead of the rather plodding and traded pale imitations of Sacred Heart and Dream Evil that follow it.

Breathless is possibly the throwaway track on the album (which is probably nit picking) but the stunningly fast and emphatic `I Speed At Night' puts the ship firmly back on course. I cannot emphasise the influence that Vinnie Appice seems to have on this album (and notably on this track). He is simply on fire - he hits everything that's around him - he is an indefatigable pounding rhythm section that is breathtaking in finessed power and innovation (Full marks also go to Vivian Cambell's technically astonishing guitar work).

`One Night in the City' that follows is another example of how Dio can bring a song to life with a dramatic and flesh tingling melody and impassioned vocal delivery. And so it goes on - 'Evil Eyes' has Appice hitting drums I didn't know existed, in an order that defies the laws of nature, 'Mystery' arguably is a rework of Rainbow In the Dark' (not a bad thing) and 'Eat Your Heart Out' sees Dio in bitter, vitriolic mood. And to the finale, which is The Chains (Are On). With its Egyptian melodies, it is a nod towards Stargazer from the Rainbow era and it represents a perfect, atmospheric, finale to one of the 80's best metal albums.

I cannot rate this album highly enough. This is not rose tinted nostalgia at play. This is, in my view, Dio's best post Sabbath moment (only surpassed in consistency prior to this by the Behemoth that is Heaven and Hell and the stunning aforementioned Stargazer) - Turn the lights out, crank it up to the maximum that the HiFi and the Neighbours can stomach, have a glass of wine and indulge in 80's metal at its absolute best.

This edition of The Last In Line is remastered by Andy Pearce as are the other Dio 2012 deluxe releases, which means, unlike other Deluxe Editions out there, this one isn't simply a volume bloated re-release. Very fine, clean and detailed sound, but just a tad bright. Disc 2 has some wonderful rare goodies that alone make this worthy of the purchase. The packaging is your standard for these editions, a wonderful foldout digipak and an informative booklet stuffed into one of the open flaps. Highly recommended edition if you have the cash. Tracklist below.

Disc 1 (Original newly remastered album)

01. We Rock
02. The Last In Line
03. Breathless
04. I Speed at Night
05. One Night In The City
06. Evil Eyes
07. Mystery
08. Eat Your Heart Out
09. Egypt (The Chains Are On)

Disc 2

01. Eat Your Heart Out (Live B-Side of Mystery)
02. Don't Talk To Strangers (Live B-Side of Mystery)
03. Holy Diver (Live B-Side We Rock)
04. Rainbow In The Dark (Live B-Side We Rock)

Live At The Pinkpop Festival 1984:
05. One Night In The City
06. We Rock
07. Holy Diver
08. Stargazer
09. Heaven And Hell
10. Rainbow In The Dark
11. Man On The Silver Mountain
12. Don't Talk To Strangers