Dio/Pre-FM Master Collection 1983 Upgrade

A rare singer: Ronnie James Dio. A super-excellent soundboard set from 1983, a “special year” in his life, is here. This work contains three performances. “October 5, 1983 San Jose”, “October 7, 1983 Santa Monica”, and “December 28, 1983 Fresno”. All of them are California live performances that have been known for their long-standing radio broadcasts, but this work is a three-disc set that permanently preserves such famous soundboards with the ultimate sound of pre-FM broadcast masters. Some people may think “What?” here. Yes, these three performances have already been released in the masterpiece “CALIFORNIA TRILOGY”. However, this work is neither a copy nor a remastered reissue. All are upgraded versions by newly excavated masters. The biggest point of this work is the wonderful “1983 Ronnie”, but first let’s take a closer look at the differences from the previous releases. [Disc 1: October 5th San Jose Performance] First up is the San Jose performance. This soundboard was also used in the deluxe edition of the official “HOLY DIVER”, but this work is a longer excavated pre-FM master than the official version and FM broadcast. It is a long soundboard that once appeared as the Power Gate label’s “HOLLY COLLECTION”, and it also includes “Straight Through The Heart”, “Stargazer”, “Heaven And Hell”, gee solo, and drum solo, which could not be heard on the broadcast (even on the official version). This disc is a polished version of that definitive soundboard with the latest and meticulous remastered version. Originally, this excavated soundboard boasts official-class quality, but “1983” was a bumper year for superb soundboards. Compared to other masterpieces, the sound was a bit flat and mushy. Therefore, in “CALIFORNIA TRILOGY”, we aimed to create a “best take collection” by combining it with a short FM broadcast. That was great in itself, but the mixes of the “pre-FM version” and the “broadcast version” were different. Therefore, when listening to it as a single live album, the sound changed subtly depending on the song, and there was a sense of incongruity, such as the sudden appearance of loud cheers from the FM broadcast. Unlike such “CALIFORNIA TRILOGY”, this work is an attempt to improve the “pre-FM version” that penetrates all at once with the latest remastering. The effect is outstanding! When listening with headphones, the stereo feeling is significantly increased, and even a single snare can be heard to be in the correct position and direction as it should be. Of course, the sound has also been vividly reborn, making it a completely official sound that is comparable to other masterpieces, and it is a definitive board with zero sense of incongruity when switching masters. [Disc 2: Santa Monica performance on October 7th] The following Santa Monica performance is the best super upgrade! In fact, two air check recordings of this live performance have been known for many years. One is a long broadcast but covered in noise, and the other is a short broadcast with good sound quality. “CALIFORNIA TRILOGY” aimed to be a “best take collection” that combined both. However, after that, the master broadcast of the long version was unearthed. Moreover, it was a complete version that included a DJ that only people who listened to the broadcast at that time knew. This work contains the complete version remastered. Although it is called a remaster, it only removes the very slight needle cracks and gives a sense of unity with discs 1 and 3. This excavation master was so amazing that it was enough. In fact, the quality easily surpasses many previous releases. Even in the highest peak “CALIFORNIA TRILOGY” to date, noise erupted depending on the song because the best takes of various broadcasts were patched together, but there was no noise at all. Whether it is a sense of unity or a momentary maximum value, it overwhelms all previous releases. It is exactly the official class … no, more than that. In fact, DIO is not very particular about quality because Wendy is not very particular about quality, so even if it is an official excavation, it is not uncommon for it to be boot-class. It’s so great that it can easily dismiss such a frustrating official. [Disc 3: Fresno performance on December 28th] The last performance is the highly acclaimed Fresno performance, the “longest broadcast in 1986”. This is a super-excellent sound board that includes “Don’t Talk To Strangers” and a long version of “Heaven And Hell”, which are not available on other broadcasts. This was also directly digitized from the unused pre-FM broadcast master unearthed after “CALIFORNIA TRILOGY”. This broadcast is not as upgraded as the Santa Monica performance, as the existing air checks were also of super high quality, but it is definitely the “top” as it is a master recording. There is no more. However, even though it was a decided broadcast, there was a flaw in the broadcast itself. That was the reprise part of “Heaven And Hell”. The broadcasting station was roughly edited so that it was suddenly cut off. Although that is the truth of the broadcast, I would like to bring it to a perfect game if possible, as there have been no-hitters with no runs up to this point. In this work, the broadcast station’s cut-off edits were seamlessly connected to create a perfect live album. [The too special “Ronnie in 1983”] The “Ronnie in 1983” is drawn with such a “top” quality transcendental soundboard. At that time, Ronnie was confident in his music, but he did not get support from the record company, and he double mortgaged his house to raise the tour expenses. He was in a desperate situation, saying that if he failed, there would be no back. His determination to die is also clearly visible in his vocalization, which is just intense. He roars, roars, and roars with his career-high intense singing voice, while also exuding first-class romanticism! Roars!! A true “singing demon”. Of course, since it is Ronnie, you can enjoy plenty of dripping emotion, but at the same time, he is full of spirit. This singing voice is different from the successful “THE LAST IN LINE TOUR” and after. After his success, Ronnie showed the composure of a winner, but this “1983” is a challenger. It is a singing voice that challenges the world with all his heart and soul. “Ronnie in 1983” was more intense than the glossy romantic RAINBOW era, sharper than the heavy and solemn BLACK SABBATH era, and had a naked competitive spirit. This is the “top” of the highest peak sound board, upgraded to pre-FM. Even in the life of a rare singer, this is the culmination of a live album that is too special. Civic Auditorium, San Jose, CA. USA 5th October 1983 STEREO SBD Civic Center, Santa Monica, CA. USA 7th October 1983 STEREO SBD Selland Arena, Fresno, CA. USA 28th December 1983 STEREO SBD Disc 1 (65:27) Live at Civic Auditorium, San Jose, CA. USA 5th October 1983 1. Intro. 2. Stand Up And Sh out 3. Straight Through The Heart 4. Shame On the Night 5. Children Of The Sea 6. Holy Diver 7. Drum Solo 8. Stargazer 9. Guitar Solo 10. Heaven And Hell 11. Rainbow In The Dark 12. Man On The Silver Mountain 13. Starstruck / Man On The Silver Mountain(reprise) Disc 2 (50:16) Live at Civic Center, Santa Monica, CA. USA 7th October 1983 1. Intro. 2. Stand Up And Shout 3. Straight Through The Night 4. Shame On The Night 5. Stargazer 6. Guitar Solo 7. Heaven And Hell(reprise) 8. Holy Diver 9. Rainbow In The Dark 10. Man On The Silver Mountain11. Starstruck / Man On The Silver Mountain(reprise) 12. DJ Outro. Disc 3 (71:16) Live at Selland Arena, Fresno, CA. USA 28th December 1983 1. Intro. 2. Stand Up And Shout 3. Straight Through The Heart 4. Shame On The Night 5. Children Of The Sea 6. Holy Diver 7. Drum Solo 8. Rainbow In The Dark 9. Heaven And Hell 10. Guitar Solo 11. Heaven And Hell(reprise) 12. Don’t Talk To Strangers 13. Man On The Silver Mountain　14. Starstruck / Man On The Silver Mountain(reprise)　 Ronnie James Dio – Vocals Vivian Campbell – Guitars Jimmy Bain – Bass Vinny Appice – Drums Claude Schnell – Keyboards