DIO
THE LAST IN LINE
Album Review
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Forty years ago this year (specifically, July 2, 1984), DIO (the man and the band) released THE LAST IN LINE, the follow up to their 1983 debut and the first album to feature full time keyboardist Claude Schnell. Forty years later, it still maintains its relevance throughout the realms of metal, especially when compared (relatively speaking) with music from 40 years prior to 1984!
Think about the music from 40 years before 1984. There is absolutely NO WAY anyone was listening to Bing Crosby ANYWHERE in 1984! Yet, in 2024, it is still a perfectly plausible concept and is totally socially acceptable to be blasting THE LAST IN LINE while riding around, “shooting hoops”, or annoying everyone while fueling up at the gas station.
THE LAST IN LINE
Released July 2nd 1984
Producer Ronnie James Dio
Ronnie James Dio – Vocals, Keyboards
Vinny Appice – Drums
Jimmy Bain – Bass
Vivian Campbell – Guitar
Claude Schnell – Keyboards
TRACKS
Side one
1 We Rock
2 The Last in Line
3 Breathless
4 I Speed at Night
5 One Night in the City
Side two
6 Evil Eyes
7 Mystery
8 Eat Your Heart Out
9 Egypt (The Chains Are On)
Remember that the investment in hibachi is always worth it (because it’s delicious) and everyone could use “a good tongue lashing” on their birthday. Discover “the sound of Murray” after he’s clocked out for the day, understand that “the gloves are off”, realize “you’d only feel guilty if they name checked you in the note” and get ready to “repurpose the DEA” when you JOIN US for a dive into some classic D&D metal with DIO: THE LAST IN LINE.
WE ROCK
Sort of a generic song title (relative to the album title anyway). The studio version is solid, but the best version is the music video that was shown on MTV’s Headbanger’s Ball.
That riff is has an early thrash/power metal sound to it.
“Ride out, stand and shout, carry on,
Saiil along, sing your song, carry on…”
THE LAST IN LINE
Such a sweet intro.
So innocent…poetic…calm…peaceful…
“We are coming…HOME!!!”
One of THE most metal songs to ever be played on 96 Rock in the Daytime (or Nighttime). This song is timeless and is just as awesome and powerful today (in 2024) as it was upon its release (in 1984).
Music video
"The Last in Line" on YouTube
RJD easily possesses the most poetically refined utility of metaphorical lyrical imagery in all of metal.
“We’re a ship without a storm,
We’re the cold inside the warm,
We’re a laugh without a tear,
We’re the far without the near…”
BREATHLESS
Use those headphones (and don’t panic! That’s just the intro…).
This album is the bridge between Holy Diver and Sacred Heart. Sort of an unorthodox riff but definitely aggressive.
Ahhh, the fade out…because it’s often just too difficult to just end a song without sounding cliché.
“Living inside your mind,
Who knows the things you’ll find,
There could be hell or rainbows…”
I SPEED AT NIGHT
Fire up those engines!
The faster Dio stuff was always more rocking, like a heavier, sped up Deep Purple crossed with a heavier, sped up Rainbow.
It’s possible this song could be about driving fast at night…or cocaine…or bolth.
(Let’s be real: it WAS the 80’s, y’know…)
“My demons, they seem to disappear,
No vision, I only see to hear,
Protection, I never needed none,
Direction, just nowhere near the sun…
ONE NIGHT IN THE CITY
Sort of has “Rock and Roll Children” vibes…definitely the power ballad for this album.
This song might have been a tad longer than it should have been. It’s definitely got the 80’s soundtrack vibes going on.
Also, it sounds like Murray does some backing vocals near the end. I guess when he’s not flexing like a badass on Dio’s album covers, he’s doing backup vocals.
“I’m the poor, I’m the sure,
I’m the holy, I’m the pure,
I can tell you tales you just might not believe…”
EVIL EYES
This is the first official Dio album with Claude Schnell as the keyboardist. This has that up tempo, Holy Diver feel to it. And the keyboards definitely give it that signature mid-80’s sound.
“It’s the call of the city,
The way that black’s pretty to the purest heart,
It’s places of pleasure,
They promise you treasure if you fly,
And then there goes the soul of you and I…”
MYSTERY
This is definitely the non-ballady power ballad on the album. Or maybe it’s a power metal infused non-ballady ballad.
No…It’s a power metal infused ballad for Dungeons & Dragons nerds who just want to find love like everyone else.
“Silver linings can disappear, but they always shine…”
That’s totally D&D metal right there. Check out the music video. Not sure it was ever played on Headbanger’s Ball, but in the early days of MTV (back when it was good and they ACTUALLY showed music videos all the time), I’m sure it was played quite a bit, especially during the daytime.
“When there’s thunder, there should be rain,
But it don’t always follow the rule,
And is the wise man always right?
NO! He can play the fool…”
EAT YOUR HEART OUT
Killer, heavy, ballsy riff.
Just straight up Dio goodness with a generous helping of clean tigers and shiny diamonds thrown in for good measure.
“And all the promises of springtime turned to lies, so cold,
But I’m stronger than you know,
And I’ve come to let you go…”
EGYPT (THE CHAINS ARE ON)
Creepy desert winds in the background with creepier sounding middle eastern themed keyboards. (Maybe Murray helped build the pyramids…)
Probably the heaviest song on the album, like Heaven and Hell meets Shame on the Night.
There’s a lot of vocal, lyrical imagery at the end. Dio really had a gift for presenting his ideas through the repetitive use of descriptive metaphors to really drive the point home.
“You’ve seen them walking on the water,
You’ve seen them flying through the sky,
They were fighting in the darkness,
They had rainbows in their eyes,
Oh, the chains are on…”
Show Notes:
(00:01): “I think the #BunkerpoonGhost made an appearance…”/ “Oooh, that was wet, bro…”/ #hibachi / “It’s so fucking expensive…”/ #RussellsReflectionsHibachiEdition / “It keeps the brown moving…”/ “Now this is the funny part…”/ “Did your pubes feel gray?”/ #hyperinflation / “Here we go…whoops!”/ #whoareyou? / ***WARNING: #listenerdiscretionisadvised *** / ***WELCOME BACK TO THE METAL NERDERY PODCAST AND THE HOLIDAY SEASON!!!*** / “Lots of winning going on…”/ #groundzero / “I wanna smash fish with rocks…”/ #thisepisodesbeeroftheepisode
BEER OF THE EPISODE
Mexican Hot Chocolate Milk Stout
#LeftHandBrewingCompany #StVrain #MexicanHotChocolate #sixpercentABV #TheVerdict / ***IF YOU WANNA SKIP THE NONSENSE, GO TO #THEDOCKET IN THE SHOWNOTES!!!*** / #shownotes
(10:25): #RussellsReflectionsMovieEdition / “It’s kinda cheesy, kinda campy…but totally metal…”/ “Is it grisly?”/ #allegedlygrisly / #Hysteria / “That’s the next #Patreon dude…”/ #Californication / “A writer…not a rider…”/ “Dude, it’s a respectable metal album…”/ “Black Sabbath…and shame on you…”/ #SpeakingInTongues / “Yesterday was my wife’s birthday…she got a good #tonguelashing …”/ #herewego / “Everyone dressed like 1989 but they talked like 2024…”/ “Normies was not a word we used…”/ #DEI / “They need to repurpose the #DEA #DrugEnforcementAdministration …”/ “When you run out of shit to watch…watch this…”
(18:53): PATREON SHOUT OUT!!! / #MetalNerderyCalendar #MetalNerderyLoinclothes / “Perfect timing!”/ “We apologize for making #EmptyPromises to #EmberingEffigy …”/ #TheBowlRoller / “He shoots ropes!”/ #DoomsicleASMR / “I’m thinking a #Venom song would be fun…”/ ***COME CHECK US OUT ON #YOUTUBE AND #INSTAGRAM AND #FACEBOOK AT #METALNERDERYPODCAST AND EMAIL US AT METALNERDERY@GMAIL.COM AND GIVE US A CALL AND LEAVE US A VOICEMAIL AT 980-666-8182!!!*** / “We were just making sure that the voicemail wasn’t full…or empty…”/ #theglovesareoff / “I feel like all those bass player jokes…was it my fault?” / “You’d only feel guilty if they name checked you in the note…”/ “For all the bass player hate I’ve given you…that’s more than fair…”
(26:44): #TheDocket METAL NERDERY PODCAST PRESENTS: DIO – THE LAST IN LINE / “Bunch of chicken fuckers…”/ “I feel like he was 42 for 15 years…”/ “This WAS on #96RockInTheDaytime back in the day…”/ “It’s the roof, Ronnie, and his teeth…that’s the whole video…”/ Released July 2, 1984 / “Think about when we were that age…think about 40 years before THAT!” / “Think about the music from 1944…”/ PISTOL PACKIN’ MAMA #BingCrosby #AlDexter and #TheAndrewSisters / “The boys just got back from the war…”/ Remember the #musicvideo? / “It’s the fist and the hair, you can’t see the teeth, but they’re there…”/ WE ROCK / “That laser costs $1 Million Dollars…”/ “That’s an intense look on that dude…”
(38:03): “You almost have to hear it to the next part…when you’re off to the witch for the 2nd time…”/ THE LAST IN LINE / “We are coming…HOME!!!” / “When they played this on the radio it was a special treat…”/ “Oh you’re THAT guy…”/ #getoffmylawn / “Pussy lickin’ mother fucker…”/ #urbanpoetryASMR / “That’s where there’s a double standard…”/ “Here’s the biggest shame of it all…”/ #MilliVanilli / “Was that only for poon?”/ “If I owned the #poonwagon this is what I would sound like…”/ #studiowrittenhit (just like Paranoid and Primal Concrete Sledge) / #asthmaASMR / BREATHLESS / “That’s a rhythm section…that almost rivals Rex & Vinnie…”
(48:40): “I think the next one is almost early thrash…or #speedmetal …”/ I SPEED AT NIGHT / “This album was so fucking metal when it came out…”/ “Oh, btw, first album with a keyboard player…”/ #ClaudeSchnell / “No, Vinny was always the drummer for #DIO …” / “Linguini? You want angel hair, what do you want?”/ #albumcover / “What’s his name? Isn’t it Murray?” / “#thesoundofmurray / “Here’s the kind of question that is: (it’s not even sexual, bro…) It’s like comparing the first Black Sabbath to Paranoid…” / ONE NIGHT IN THE CITY / “Hey stop! That’s fair…and also, fuck you.”/ #LarsUlrichDrumParody / “Sacred Heart had more of that…Dream Evil had more of that…”/ “We might revolutionize podcasts…but instead of showing us their tits, they’ll show us their vaginas…or buttholes…”/ #OnlyFans (“It’s not just for buttholes anymore…”)
(58:07): Side 2 #killeropener / EVIL EYES / “Keyboardists need poon too, dude…”/ “Do they? They’re sensitive?” / “Okay…if you buy dinner, you can show your tits…”/ MYSTERY (“This is on a soundtrack…”) / “No, dude, this is #Survivor…”/ “I’m sorry, what was that? What was the LAST thing you said?” / “Think about how much metal changed from #DiaryOfAMadman up to this…”/ “This or #BarkAtTheMoon?”/ “Is this Dio’s Bark At The Moon?”/ “This is the connector between Holy Diver and Sacred Heart…”/ “When we do that one…do you think we should combine those two?” / #upcomingepisode / EAT YOUR HEART OUT #bitter / “Here’s my question for you…”/ #writinghits / “You can’t throw up down here, we’ve got nothing to clean it up with…”/ The difference between “writing hits” versus “artistic authenticity” (and the analogy of the record company, the producer, and the recording artist) / “That’s like going into business because you want to be rich versus doing it out of passion…”/ “That’s the key to success…you’ve got to shit on everything…”/ #microphoneASMR / EGYPT (THE CHAINS ARE ON) #killercloser / “That’s like Sabbath and Rainbow…”/ “I think that’s a grower and a #deepcut for sure…”/ “Every band has some kind of formula…”/ “It did not age as well as #HolyDiver…”/ THANK YOU FOR JOINING US!!! / #outroreel