It Is On this Particular Thread here that we lay down our vorpal broadswords, shed our blood-caked chain mail, hoist up a hogshead of grog and sheepishly admit that "We Rock" by Dio does, in fact, ro

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They just played the live video of this on VH1 Classic. While I owned Last in Line at the time, I was never a particularly big Dio fan. He was always second fiddle to his Ozzness (though the title track to Mob Rules does kick a man-sized platter of ass). But "We Rock" (first track on afore-mentioned second album) is fuckin' great, all Viv Campbell riffing and Ronnie exhorting like a diminutive troll chieftan. Great two word/two syllable chorus as well. What's not to love?

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 18 November 2004 16:06 (twenty-one years ago)

there is nothing not to love, and i will grant you that you are entirely correct, provided you grant me that the end-of-ozzy-era sabbath tune "never say die" (which i was watching moments ago via sabbath's 1978 appearance on "top of the pops") is pretty much the catchiest song ever written. in fact, i'd report it to the rockist bubblegum thread if tony and geezer had better hair.

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Thursday, 18 November 2004 16:13 (twenty-one years ago)

I love the entirety of the much-maligned Never Say Die album, good-timey title track and all (though my fave is "Junior's Eyes").

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 18 November 2004 16:15 (twenty-one years ago)

well it was a hell of an improvement over technical ecstasy, that's for certain.

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Thursday, 18 November 2004 16:17 (twenty-one years ago)

True'dat.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 18 November 2004 16:19 (twenty-one years ago)

I bought Stand Up And Shout: The Dio Anthology less than a week after seeing lil' Ronnie open for Iron Maiden at the Garden. (I'd seen him headline the Garden on the Sacred Heart tour in '85, when he had the robot dragon with the laser eyes.) It's all the Dio I'll ever need, but I'm very glad it's stuffed into my iPod. Yes, "We Rock" does, indeed, rock.

― pdf (Phil Freeman), Thursday, 18 November 2004 17:04 (twenty-one years ago)

I love Never Say Die!

No matter how bizarre and no matter how hard the singalong chorus to Hard Road is to reconcile.

― mzui (mzui), Thursday, 18 November 2004 17:07 (twenty-one years ago)

I don't know if I've heard it, but I'm well up for all the other stuff.

― Wooden (Wooden), Thursday, 18 November 2004 17:09 (twenty-one years ago)

after seeing lil' Ronnie open for Iron Maiden at the Garden.

I was at that show!

Raise Thy Fists And Exhort Loudly Because......

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 18 November 2004 18:10 (twenty-one years ago)

God, I opened this thread thinking it said "Dido" in the title, and that was bizarre enough, but then I noticed that the thread had been posted by Alex In NYC and wow, the OMGWTFLOLness just went on and on (until I saw my misreading)

― Daniel_Rf (Daniel_Rf), Thursday, 18 November 2004 18:23 (twenty-one years ago)

I like "We Rock", but not as much as "Stand Up and Shout". I thought of them as roughly equal when I was younger, but playing them back to back, "Stand Up and Shout" is more streamlined production-wise and works better rhythmically (i.e. the great "you are the driver / you own the road" segment ends and, after a short pause, the accent lands on the word "shout" and the speedy riff begins, vs. the similar part of "We Rock" where, after the slightly inferior "travel on / sing a song / carry on" part, the pause, after which both "we" and "rock" get accents, as well as every note of the riff (too many fist-pumping opportunities?), with the cymbals (can't remember exactly) kind of giving a revving-in-neutral feeling throughout the chorus.)

― Pangolino again, Thursday, 18 November 2004 18:36 (twenty-one years ago)

May I ask what a "vorpal" broadsword is?

― Pangolino again, Thursday, 18 November 2004 18:37 (twenty-one years ago)

I apologize if I'm remembering the songs incorrectly, as I played them back-to-back a couple of years ago.

― Pangolino again, Thursday, 18 November 2004 18:44 (twenty-one years ago)

ihttp://www.dio.net/pictures_cd/hear_n_aid_front_big.jpg

― ken taylrr (ken taylrr), Thursday, 18 November 2004 19:01 (twenty-one years ago)

ihttp://www.dio.net/pictures_misc/hear_n_aid_fin_tape_front_big.jpg

― ken taylrr (ken taylrr), Thursday, 18 November 2004 19:03 (twenty-one years ago)

WTF? why isn't the 'i' function working?

― ken taylrr (ken taylrr), Thursday, 18 November 2004 19:04 (twenty-one years ago)

if you have to question what a vorpal broadsword is, chances are you shouldn't be posting on this thread

― Avi (Avi), Thursday, 18 November 2004 19:05 (twenty-one years ago)

Did Saxon ever have a song called "Vorpal Broadsword"? If not they totally should've.

― Wooden (Wooden), Thursday, 18 November 2004 19:06 (twenty-one years ago)

"Holy Diver, you've been down too long in the midnight seaaaaa!"

― &, Thursday, 18 November 2004 19:52 (twenty-one years ago)

May I ask what a "vorpal" broadsword is?

JABBERWOCKY

Lewis Carroll
(from Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There, 1872)

`Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.

"Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!"

He took his vorpal sword in hand:
Long time the manxome foe he sought --
So rested he by the Tumtum tree,
And stood awhile in thought.

And, as in uffish thought he stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
And burbled as it came!

One, two! One, two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back.

"And, has thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!'
He chortled in his joy.

`Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.

http://www.jabberwocky.com/pics/jabberwocky.jpg

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 18 November 2004 23:10 (twenty-one years ago)

Oh - thanks! It's been some years since I've outgribben any mome raths, so I'd forgotten.

― Pangolino (ricki spaghetti), Thursday, 18 November 2004 23:32 (twenty-one years ago)

er, there's "vorpal" as is indeed "sword" there, but there's absolutely no "broad"! (=lewis caroll not metal enough shokkah)

― t\'\'t (t\'\'t), Thursday, 18 November 2004 23:43 (twenty-one years ago)

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