From the WTF file: Viv Campbell reboots original Dio lineup

[KingsGene]

I may be mistaken, but I certainly recall Vivian slagging his stint in Dio multiple times in the press. Thoughts?

From http://www.classicrockmagazine.com/news/viv-campbell-reboots-original-dio/ :

"Former Dio guitarist Vivian Campbell has revealed plans to reboot the original lineup of Dio with new singer Andy Freeman, who he vows will “do justice” to the fallen frontman’s legacy. The Def Leppard and Thin Lizzy axeman had a rocky relationship with the former Black Sabbath frontman, who passed away in 2010. Dio once said of Campbell: “I hope he fucking dies. He’s a fucking asshole.”
But the guitarist has always insisted he was proud of the work he did on the first three Dio albums.
Now he’s confirmed a reunion with drummer Vinny Appice, bassist Jimmy Bain and keyboardist Claude Schnell, two months after they jammed together. That was brought about when Campbell jammed Rainbow in the Dark with Steel Panther in January.
He says: “I met up with the original Dio band guys again. Now that I’ve brushed up on how to play those solos again, we’re planning to jam some more and plan to do some gigs too.
Campbell describes Freeman, a past member of Hurricane and Bulletboys, as “a great singer who can really do justice to Ronnie’s parts.”
Bain says: “We’ve had a couple of rehearsals and it sounds great. Listening to Vivian playing those songs again has been amazing. He’s just so into doing this and his enthusiasm has rubbed off on the rest of us.
“Andy isn’t Ronnie. How could he be? But what he does bring is his own twist on the vocals.
“Our aim is to do some shows around November, concentrating on the first two albums. It’s gonna be great getting back onstage with these guys for the first time in so long.”
Last year Campbell revealed he’d been “numb” to the iconic singer’s death, saying: “We never had a very strong relationship beyond music. That was what brought us together. I found it difficult to communicate with him and he found it difficult to communicate with me. I didn’t have any reason to contact him after he fired me.”"

 

[AngraRULES]

How many more people/projects/bands are going to do "Dio tribute" bands? Isn't it enough already!?!?

 

[mloanna]

This is very interesting. They say time heals. Also it can't settle to good with his soul that he wished someone dead. I wonder what Wendy Dio has to say but at the same time if this is going to keep Dio's memory and music alive it can't be bad. Problem is when is thie "reunion" suppose to happen? Vinny is getting ready to tour with Kill Devil Hill? This could also be just a one off show. At some point Viv has to acknowledge that he is only known because of those first 3 excellent Dio records. I was just listening to THE LAST IN LINE last night and that album still kicks. RJD Forever.

 

[J. Golden]

What a douche, yet people will buy into it.
And why don't these people just dig him up a put the body on display already? All these people are doing nothing but exploiting Dio, Wendy included. It is godamn disrespectful and it amazes me that not only Dio fans but ANYONE would support these grave robbers.
Further more this nonsense does not have to happen to keep Dio's music and memory "alive", that will never die regardless if there are glorified cover bands, autograph stamped baseballs, "found" over priced old tour shirts, Rhino infomercials on That Metal Show or whatever. The man was not a cartoon character or a whore so he should not be pimped out as one. And certainly not under the false idea it is "keeping his memory alive".

 

[AngraRULES]

What a douche, yet people will buy into it.
And why don't these people just dig him up a put the body on display already? All these people are doing nothing but exploiting Dio, Wendy included. It is godamn disrespectful and it amazes me that not only Dio fans but ANYONE would support these grave robbers.

These days they do holograms...

 

[J. Golden]

These days they do holograms...

I'm sure that is on the way.

 

[Met-Al]

Though this could certainly be a cash grab on Vivian's part, I wonder if it's just his conscience getting the best of him. After all, he may have never reached the level of success that he's had in life without Dio. Besides, Def Leppard has his bills covered for the rest of his life.


Stay metal. Never rust.
Albert

 

[TribunalRecords]

i find what all the OTHER Dio tribute bands doing offensive. But these guys actually WROTE the songs with Dio that all those other jokers are doing, so this isn't really a tribute band any less than any other band carrying on when the singer is gone or fired (aka JUDAS PRIEST, etc). This is DIO (the band) that Ronnie James was a part of. I'd be game for seeing it, but I did see them in 84 and 85.

also the GROUP was known as DIO. It was not a solo project, it was a group.

 

[J. Golden]

i find what all the OTHER Dio tribute bands doing offensive. But these guys actually WROTE the songs with Dio that all those other jokers are doing, so this isn't really a tribute band any less than any other band carrying on when the singer is gone or fired (aka JUDAS PRIEST, etc). This is DIO (the band) that Ronnie James was a part of. I'd be game for seeing it, but I did see them in 84 and 85.

also the GROUP was known as DIO. It was not a solo project, it was a group.

Sorry bro but not this time. Dio was more in that band than just the singer. This is the same thing as Sykes' Lizzy, it is just not right and it should be left alone.
Now maybe a oneshot sure, but a tour...

 

[Imagikafan]

Vivian Campbell is a complete douchebag.

[FONT='lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif]‎

"The real irony of that is I actually don't like hard rock music," Campbell said. "I know it's a strange thing to say, but I don't really care about my past contributions. Even now I still get these guys coming up to me going 'Duuuuuuuude!', giving me the DIO devil sign and yelling 'Holy Diver!!' and 'Rainbow In The Dark, whoo hoo!!' and it's cool that they remember it, but that music never mattered to me — and still doesn't."[/font]​

 

[AngraRULES]

i find what all the OTHER Dio tribute bands doing offensive. But these guys actually WROTE the songs with Dio that all those other jokers are doing, so this isn't really a tribute band any less than any other band carrying on when the singer is gone or fired (aka JUDAS PRIEST, etc). This is DIO (the band) that Ronnie James was a part of. I'd be game for seeing it, but I did see them in 84 and 85.

also the GROUP was known as DIO. It was not a solo project, it was a group.

Sorry Matt. Read the quote below (by Campbell talking about his "love" for rock and metal), and then tell me he isn't doing this for a few extra bucks..

 

[espz]

I don't know. Read the article. And on the assumption that Def Leppard pays his bills, this really can't be just for the money. These aren't going to be stadium dates or anything from what we can read between the lines, this is strictly clubs. Maybe he and the REST of the band got along just fine. He's not the only one who's ever had a problem with RJD, I understand he's canonized now and we're not supposed to talk bad about him....but that doesn't change history. And Campbell will be coming off a the huge Rock of Ages tour and Vinny will be coming off the KDH/Mob tour. This could just be old friends hanging out until their next recording session. Dunno. Just my two cents.

 

[Imagikafan]

I don't know. Read the article. And on the assumption that Def Leppard pays his bills, this really can't be just for the money. These aren't going to be stadium dates or anything from what we can read between the lines, this is strictly clubs. Maybe he and the REST of the band got along just fine. He's not the only one who's ever had a problem with RJD, I understand he's canonized now and we're not supposed to talk bad about him....but that doesn't change history. And Campbell will be coming off a the huge Rock of Ages tour and Vinny will be coming off the KDH/Mob tour. This could just be old friends hanging out until their next recording session. Dunno. Just my two cents.

Read this article:

http://legacy.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=16317

 

[espz]

I've seen that. Bummer that the original and FULL interview is gone from the link. I'm wary of things like that out of context. It was some straight up troll bait for sure! And I'm not saying he's good or bad. I have no clue. I did get to see Dio back in the 80's and it was a great show. I can see why some people want to relive the "good ole days". I'm also bummed that I missed the last Heaven and Hell tour. I could've gone...but chose not to. DOH!

 

[1000 Faces]

Maybe he and the REST of the band got along just fine. He's not the only one who's ever had a problem with RJD, I understand he's canonized now and we're not supposed to talk bad about him....but that doesn't change history.

Yeah, it's not exactly a secret that he was extremely difficult to work with, and he fell out with a ton of musicians during his career (all of these guys included, if memory serves). This seems to me to be a relatively genuine tribute to the music, if not the man.

 

[TribunalRecords]

Sorry Matt. Read the quote below (by Campbell talking about his "love" for rock and metal), and then tell me he isn't doing this for a few extra bucks..

if you notice i never commented either way about their motivation simply the fact that people are calling the reformation of 4/5 of DIO the group a cover band, which they wouldn't be in my eyes. because if you use the logic of "well the singer's gone, it's not the real group" then hmmm... bands like Kamelot and Nightwish, etc are all cover bands.

Of course they are doing this for money, who does anything NOT for money these days? i figured it's a bit redundant to say they are doing it for the money. That was the assumption on my end.

Also, not defending VC being a douche. Again, i saw them on the Last In Line and Sacred Heart tours so it's not really an issue for me because they will never top the real thing but just as in i love Journey i didn't stop loving them when Douche Perry decided to play all his games with them. He quit, they moved on and i still get to enjoy all the classics. Why should the music die out in the live form when Ronnie passed? Those dudes wrote the music they have every right to pick up the torch and carry on. Don't like? Don't buy a ticket and go spin your Holy Diver CD.

 

[AngraRULES]

if you notice i never commented either way about their motivation simply the fact that people are calling the reformation of 4/5 of DIO the group a cover band, which they wouldn't be in my eyes.

i dont think anyone said it was a cover band either, but ok... All I said was enough Dio tribute crap already.

because if you use the logic of "well the singer's gone, it's not the real group" then hmmm... bands like Kamelot and Nightwish, etc are all cover bands.

Ummm... No.

The band was called Dio. Dont tell me it wasn't Ronnie's solo band.

Of course they are doing this for money, who does anything NOT for money these days? i figured it's a bit redundant to say they are doing it for the money. That was the assumption on my end.

Fair enough.

Also, not defending VC being a douche. Again, i saw them on the Last In Line and Sacred Heart tours so it's not really an issue for me because they will never top the real thing but just as in i love Journey i didn't stop loving them when Douche Perry decided to play all his games with them. He quit, they moved on and i still get to enjoy all the classics. Why should the music die out in the live form when Ronnie passed? Those dudes wrote the music they have every right to pick up the torch and carry on. Don't like? Don't buy a ticket and go spin your Holy Diver CD.

LOL douche Perry... My point was, get yourselves a new name and go write new songs. Those are songs made famous by Ronnie James Dio. Quite convenient how he "returns to the band" after Dio passes. He shouldnt play those old songs in my opinion and say "well, it's just our band moving on with a new singer.."

 

[TribunalRecords]

i dont think anyone said it was a cover band either, but ok... All I said was enough Dio tribute crap already.

The band was called Dio. Dont tell me it wasn't Ronnie's solo band.

LOL douche Perry... My point was, get yourselves a new name and go write new songs. Those are songs made famous by Ronnie James Dio. Quite convenient how he "returns to the band" after Dio passes. He shouldnt play those old songs in my opinion and say "well, it's just our band moving on with a new singer.."

Steve Perry is a MAJOR douche so i like taking cheap shots at the singer of my favorite band ever when i can. hahaha.

But yeah, this is where we have differing opinions. Dio wrote 4 songs by himself between the 18 songs on the first two album. the rest co-written with either one or ALL of the members of the band.

Just because the band took his name doesn't mean it was his solo project because it wasn't. Looking back it's easy to say that now, but Jimmy Bain had been in Rainbow with Dio, Vinny coming out of Sabbath and he found a new guitarist, an unknown, he surrounded himself with a capable band. They all wrote songs together and made three albums together and toured the world over. They were a group called DIO. I mean, it's a fucking killer name.

Again, I just had never seen those first three DIO records as Ronnie James Dio solo albums in my mind, because the music changed after the dynamic of that group fell apart and members were replaced. Dio's voice was always there but Craig Goldy wrote different riffs than Vivian.

Back to the point. Yes, they are doing it for the money, but honestly it's their music and songs they played for what, 6 years on the road together? Again, who are any of us to judge them for being the original members of Dio.

Want to call it a cash grab go for it, but people slagging them for playing their songs is kind of a cheap shot (not saying you as in YOU, but the generalized you).

 

[AngraRULES]

Steve Perry is a MAJOR douche so i like taking cheap shots at the singer of my favorite band ever when i can. hahaha.

But yeah, this is where we have differing opinions. Dio wrote 4 songs by himself between the 18 songs on the first two album. the rest co-written with either one or ALL of the members of the band.

Just because the band took his name doesn't mean it was his solo project because it wasn't. Looking back it's easy to say that now, but Jimmy Bain had been in Rainbow with Dio, Vinny coming out of Sabbath and he found a new guitarist, an unknown, he surrounded himself with a capable band. They all wrote songs together and made three albums together and toured the world over. They were a group called DIO. I mean, it's a fucking killer name.

Again, I just had never seen those first three DIO records as Ronnie James Dio solo albums in my mind, because the music changed after the dynamic of that group fell apart and members were replaced. Dio's voice was always there but Craig Goldy wrote different riffs than Vivian.

Back to the point. Yes, they are doing it for the money, but honestly it's their music and songs they played for what, 6 years on the road together? Again, who are any of us to judge them for being the original members of Dio.

Want to call it a cash grab go for it, but people slagging them for playing their songs is kind of a cheap shot (not saying you as in YOU, but the generalized you).

Wait, ME or the generalized me?

Which one of mes?

I'M SO CONFUSED!!

I always thought Dio to be his solo thing, but then again I never really followed his carreer closely, so if you say it was a full on band, you must know it better than me...

I just wish there wasn't another group of people coming out to play DIO songs every 3 months since he passed... :/

 

[Bear]

Vivian Campbell is a complete douchebag.

[FONT='lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif]‎

"The real irony of that is I actually don't like hard rock music," Campbell said. "I know it's a strange thing to say, but I don't really care about my past contributions. Even now I still get these guys coming up to me going 'Duuuuuuuude!', giving me the DIO devil sign and yelling 'Holy Diver!!' and 'Rainbow In The Dark, whoo hoo!!' and it's cool that they remember it, but that music never mattered to me — and still doesn't."[/font]​

LOL it was funny I was just saying after I read what Vivian wrote, what a fucking douchebag!! Great minds LOL

Bear