COREY TAYLOR On RONNIE JAMES DIO - "He Was Able To Elevate The Music To Another Level"

April 13, 2014, 10 years ago

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RONNIE JAMES DIO's treasured musical life with DIO, BLACK SABBATH, RAINBOW and HEAVEN & HELL is being celebrated on the This Is Your Life tribute album, released via Rhino on April 1st. To celebrate one of rock’s most powerful voices, an all-star group of his friends and fans recorded 13 of their favorite tracks for a tribute album that will raise funds for the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund (Diocancerfund.org). Produced by his longtime manager and wife Wendy Dio, the album includes contributions by such metal heavyweights as METALLICA, Motörhead, SCORPIONS, ANTHRAX, and ROB HALFORD, as well as appearances by many of the musicians who performed with Dio over the years.

MediaMikes.com recently caught up with vocalist COREY TAYLOR (STONE SOUR, SLIPKNOT) to discuss his participation in the project:

Q: What was your first exposure to Dio?

Corey Taylor: "I got in to Dio when I was still quite young. I remember seeing the video for 'Rainbow in the Dark' on MTV. That was my first taste of Dio. It wasn’t until years later that I realized he had this whole career with Rainbow and Black Sabbath and even going back to ELF. When I saw that video it instantly became one of my favorite songs. There was just so much power and clarity in Ronnie’s voice. It was like he could sing anything. When I went back years later and really explored his catalog I found his voice to be just so vibrant and he really became one of my favorite singers."

Q: What do you feel is the biggest factor in Ronnie’s ongoing appeal?

Corey Taylor: "I think it’s a lot of different things. He was so good at fitting in with ever who he was playing with. He had his own style but I think he was able to elevate the music to another level. Ronnie’s material has a natural life to it which is something a lot of music from that same time period is missing. Not to say that some of those bands aren’t great but Ronnie had this consistency to take things to that next level and put it over. I think that’s why people keep coming back and rediscovering Ronnie’s work. I don’t think we will ever see an end to his legacy."

Go to this location for the complete interview.

BraveWords is streaming the classic Dio song 'Rainbow In The Dark' featuring Taylor, Roy Mayorga, Satchel, Christian Martucci and Jason Christopher below:

Although the songs featured on the album touch on the different eras of Dio’s career, several spotlight his time with Rainbow, including Metallica’s epic, nine-minute 'Ronnie Rising Medley', which combines the Rainbow songs 'A Light In The Black', 'Tarot Woman', 'Stargazer', and 'Kill The King'. Scorpions add a scorching take on 'The Temple Of The King' while Motörhead is joined by Biff Byford from Saxon on 'Starstruck'. Rob Halford teams with frequent Dio collaborators Vinny Appice, Doug Aldrich, Jeff Pilson, and Scott Warren for 'The Man On The Silver Mountain'. The final lineup of Dio’s solo band - Simon Wright, Craig Goldy, Rudy Sarzo and Scott Warren - are joined by GLENN HUGHES (DEEP PURPLE, Black Sabbath) for 'Catch The Rainbow', a track from Rainbow’s 1975 debut.

Anthrax and ADRENALINE MOB honor Dio’s memorable stint with Black Sabbath with their takes on 'Neon Knights' and 'The Mob Rules' respectively, as does a group, led by Oni Logan on vocals along with Jimmy Bain, Rowan Robertson, and Brian Tichy, which performs 'I' from Dehumanizer.

This Is Your LIfe also includes songs from Dio’s back-to-back platinum albums Holy Diver (1983) and The Last In Line (1984), with DORO’s take on 'Egypt (The Chains Are On)', HALESTORM tackling 'Straight Through The Heart' and TENACIOUS D (Jack Black and Kyle Glass) putting their signature spin on 'The Last In Line'. KILLSWITCH ENGAGE’s cover of 'Holy Diver', a hit in its own right when released in 2006, is also included here.

Fittingly, Ronnie James Dio provides the finale (and the album’s title) with his moving performance of 'This Is Your Life'. Originally released on Angry Machines (1996), the song’s lyrics explore mortality and are backed by a stark and beautiful arrangement that features Dio accompanied only by his longtime keyboardist Scott Warren on piano. The song serves as a poignant reminder that we will never hear a voice like Dio’s again.

The Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund, co-founded by Wendy Dio, is a non-profit 501(c)(3) charitable fund dedicated to supporting cancer-prevention research, raising awareness and educating the public about the vital importance of early detection and prevention when dealing with this deadly disease.

This Is Your Life tracklisting:

'Neon Knights' - ANTHRAX*

'The Last In Line' - TENACIOUS D*

'The Mob Rules' - ADRENALINE MOB

'Rainbow In The Dark' - Corey Taylor, Roy Mayorga, Satchel, Christian Martucci, Jason Christopher*

'Straight Through The Heart' - HALESTORM*

'Starstruck' - MOTÖRHEAD with Biff Byford*

'The Temple Of The King' - SCORPIONS*

'Egypt (The Chains Are On)' - DORO

'Holy Diver' - KILLSWITCH ENGAGE

'Catch The Rainbow' - Glenn Hughes, Simon Wright, Craig Goldy, Rudy Sarzo, Scott Warren*

'I' - Oni Logan, Jimmy Bain, Rowan Robertson, Brian Tichy*

'Man On The Silver Mountain' - Rob Halford, Vinny Appice, Doug Aldrich, Jeff Pilson, Scott Warren*

Ronnie Rising Medley (Featuring 'A Light In The Black', 'Tarot Woman', 'Stargazer', 'Kill The King') - METALLICA*

'This Is Your Life' - DIO

Digital Bonus Track:

'Buried Alive' - JASTA *

Japan Bonus Tracks:

'Heaven And Hell' - STRYPER

'Stand Up And Shout' - DIO DISCIPLES

* Previously unreleased


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