RONNIE JAMES DIO Interview Page 2
from BW&BKIf you could pick one record to be remembered by...
"I'd pick 'Heaven And Hell," says Dio. "I loved being in that band at that time. I really enjoyed the people I played with so much. W e really bonded so well at that time. Obviously it doesn't seem as though we did later on, but we certainly did then. We came from the same space. We all came from working class families and we were all very dedicated to the music we made. They'd really fallen apart. The couple albums they made before 'Heaven And Hell' were miserable failures and they were really a laughing stock. When I came into the band I felt so blessed to be able to do whatever I wanted to, to finally be in a band where no one said 'Maybe you should do it this way', and to be in a band that was so heavy that I could be as heavy as I wanted to be, and more importantly to succeed and to put that band back where it deserved to be. Plus, the songs are great. It's a great album. But, again, it was an album that we did together. One of those magical things that happened. The Rainbow things are great and the Dio things are great, but from a life perspective, the joy that I had at that time, and the touring that we did and the bad and good things that happened - and that's all part and parcel of life. We really stuck together and persevered and we succeeded together. I only ever wanted to be part of band. I never wanted to be the man in the band. I didn't even want to be a singer. I wanted to be a bass player! But life dealt me those cards. That album was just spectacular. I've been lucky enough to be blessed with being part of three albums that defined three different generations. I think those are the ones that make me look back and say that no matter what happens I've been involved in three very special things and that's enough for me."