Ronnie James Dio – And Before Elf…There Were Elves
Niji Entertainment
www.ronniejamesdio.com

Rating: B

The loss of Ronnie James Dio is mourned by his fans on a daily basis. Not only did we lose one of the best world’s best singers, we lost a heavy metal icon and a wonderful person, as well. Very few artists have ever been as respected by their peers, and loved by their fans, as much as Ronnie James Dio. He was revered in a way that few have ever been by the entire music community. He also gave back, monetarily to charity, physically on stage, creatively with songwriting and, perhaps most importantly, personally with his time. Ronnie treated musicians and fans as people. He was one of the most human, human beings to ever walk the planet.

Niji Entertainment, run by his wife, Wendy Dio, is dedicated to keeping his memory alive by continuing his musical and philanthropical endeavors. Niji’s latest release becomes available on October 25, 2011 and shows a young Ronnie with his band, at the time, The Elves. The album features 12 never before released tracks, some live in the studio and some live in concert, from 1971. The CD will come with a 3D hologram cover that, when tilted, will switch from a shot of RJD to a shot of The Elves. The original master tapes were given new sonic life by longtime DIO engineer Wyn David.

The Elves were formed in 1967 and the music, while not Metal, can best be described as honky tonk bluesy rock n’ roll. The band contained Ronnie James Dio on vocals and his cousin David “Rock” Feinstein on guitar, who go on to form the band The Rods. In 1972, on the strength of these recordings, Clive Davis signed the band to Epic Records and they changed their name to Elf. It was with Elf that Ronnie was discovered by Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore. When he left DP to form Rainbow, Ronnie was plucked as the band’s lead vocalist and the rest, as they say, is history.

The CD begins with the blues classic “You Shook Me.” Next up is the Faces classic “Stay With Me” as Ronnie shows Rod Stewart is not the only one that belt it out. Other songs include “Four Day Creep,” “ Buckingham Blues,” “Wakeup Sunshine,” “Driftin',” “ Smile For Me Lady,” “You Felt The Same Way,” “Simple Man,” “Drown Me In The River,” “Cold Ramona” and the Chuck Berry classic “Little Queenie.”

And Before Elf…There Were Elves is a great snapshot at a time period in Ronnie’s life where he was unknowingly taking steps to stardom. His approach, his vocals and his stage presence were just as strong as an unknown as they would be when he took the music world by storm. This one is for all Dio fans around the world as it is an important historical step in Ronnie’s career.

By Jeb Wright