Showing posts with label Jimmy Bain. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jimmy Bain. Show all posts

Last In Line honor Jimmy Bain with video releases

Dio tribute band deals with the death of legendary bassist
By Peter Lindblad

The artwork for Last In Line's
upcoming release 'Heavy Crown'
What an extraordinary musical resume Jimmy Bain built over his 68 years on this earth, not only as bassist for Dio and Rainbow during their glory days but also as a co-writer for some of Dio's most memorable songs.

He was going to add to his enviable legacy with the Dio tribute band Last In Line, but his death over the weekend brought everything to a screeching halt, leading surviving members to push for the early release of a pair of videos for songs from the project's upcoming debut album Heavy Crown.

That seems fitting, as Bain was evidently chomping at the bit for the world to hear what Last In Line was about to unveil.

In a statement on social media recently Bain's Dio and Last In Line bandmate guitarist Vivian Campbell wrote, "Jimmy was immensely proud of our new album and his input to it was immeasurable. We will continue to celebrate his life through music." Campbell added that he was indebted to Bain, who gave him his first big break in the music industry.

Formed in 2012 to pay homage to the work of late singer Ronnie James Dio, Last In Line gathered together Bain, Campbell and drummer Vinny Appice – all of whom played on the Dio album of the same name. Going out and playing vintage Dio material and keeping the spirit of their old friend alive was the mission, but then the threesome began writing their own stuff. They later brought in singer Andrew Freeman to round out the group. Last In Line was performing on Def Leppard's "Hysteria On The High Seas" cruise when Bain passed away. Saddened by his loss, the remaining members have issued a new lyric video for "Blame It On Me" and a proper music video for "Starmaker," with their debut LP Heavy Crown slated for a Feb. 19 release on Frontiers Music SRL.

Both songs are slow burners, with "Blame It On Me" taking shape as a methodical, steady march with gradually developing hooks that wrap listeners in a sleeper hold. Heavy beats drop like cinder blocks from the sky, as Bain stomps and smolders, Freeman's vocals sound positively sinful and Campbell's riffs hit like a punch to the solar plexus, before a melodic passage hints at redemption. In the lyric video for the track, a nicely arranged slide show of images of Last In Line members seems haunting given the circumstances, dredging up nostalgic emotions and wistful remembrances. The confessional tone of the lyrics only adds to the sense of melancholy.

The lyric video for "Blame It One Me" can be seen below:



In similar fashion, "Starmaker" stalks like a predator, as Bain's seductive groove locks in with Appice's weighty thud, Freeman emits a soulful and bluesy wail and Campbell's guitar attack is tough, menacing and sharp. It's as if Altar Bridge had taken to channeling Dio-era Black Sabbath. There's just enough modern pop-metal sheen to shine a light in what is, otherwise, a trip to the dark side of fame. A straight performance video, filmed with good definition and drained of color, the imagery captures the gritty personality and cohesiveness of a quartet that was just beginning to realize its potential. See the video for "Starmaker" below:



As for Bain's legacy, his contributions to rock, though mighty, came mostly in a supporting role, rather than a lead. Still, he left his mark, despite issues with substance abuse. It's not just that he served as bassist for both Rainbow – enlisted by Ritchie Blackmore for the second version of the band that made Rising –and Dio, though that would be enough to qualify him for metal and hard rock sainthood for some. He was integral to the success of both iconic groups, serving as their steely, but flexible, backbone.

There was also a short three-year stint with Wild Horses, the group that boasted ex-Thin Lizzy guitarist Brian Robertson and produced two albums over that span. Robertson then went on to join Motorhead, while the versatile Bain lent his talents to recordings by Roy Harper, Gary Moore and Kate Bush and later worked with close friend Phil Lynott on his two solo LPs. Oh, and Bain also played keyboards, and in a bit of '80s Cold War rock 'n' roll intrigue, as the story goes, he was secretly recruited by German metal legends The Scorpions to play bass on their smash hit album, Love At First Sting.

With Dio, Bain co-wrote legendary songs "Rainbow in the Dark" and "Holy Diver," and helped pen other tracks for Dio records The Last in Line, Sacred Heart, Intermission, Dream Evil and Killing The Dragon. World War III arrived, pairing Bain with vocalist Mandy Lion, but that project was cut short, and Bain returned to Dio for the making of 2000's Magica.

More recently, however, Bain became involved in Last In Line, and that apparently was a labor of love for an artist who'd battled demons and still made an impact on the lives of his bandmates and fans.

CD/DVD Review: Dio – Finding the Sacred Heart – Live in Philly 1986

CD/DVD Review: Dio  Finding the Sacred Heart – Live in Philly 1986
Eagle Rock Entertainment
All Access Rating: A-

Dio - Finding the Sacred Heart -
Live in Philly 1986 2013
Trying to recreate Stonehenge onstage didn’t work out all that well for Spinal Tap. Undeterred by such a brutally funny cautionary tale, Dio had something bigger and more impressive in mind for the spectacular staging of 1986’s “Sacred Heart” tour, and he got the math right.

Under the watchful gaze of a massive, animatronic dragon, Dio frolicked night after night among medieval ruins, a steady barrage of pyrotechnics and state-of-the-art laser displays, with drummer Vinny Appice perched dangerously atop a thick, 15-to 20-foot column of fake stone. A crystal ball with a hologram of Dio talking of magic, rainbow bridges and epic quests appears just before they start the dramatic journey through “Sacred Heart.” And when that portion of the show arrives where the dearly departed Ronnie James Dio, light sword in hand, does battle with the mechanical beast, opening its chest to reveal a heart made of lasers, even Nigel Tufnel, Derek Smalls and David St. Hubbins would have to bow to the creator of this theatrical monstrosity.

Philadelphia was one of the stops on the tour’s second leg, the one where guitarist Craig Goldy replaced Vivian Campbell, who played such an integral role in the making of Holy Diver and The Last in Line. Having already formed a bond with Dio and his wife, Wendy, from his days in Rough Cutt, Goldy was the ideal fill-in. He knew the songs backwards and forwards and the juggernaut known as Dio, having lost none of its potency, invaded the Spectrum on June 17, 1986 looking to once again conquer a territory that had always loved him and become its king of rock ‘n’ roll – with the cameras rolling, of course.

The original film of his coronation has been faithfully restored, and considering its age, the visuals are remarkably vivid, warm and visceral, preserved in a package of treasures titled “Finding the Sacred Heart – Live in Philly 1986.” This riveting performance is out on DVD, Blu-ray, CD and as a double LP, released via Eagle Rock Entertainment, and seeing a younger Dio energized and full of life is at once terrifically inspiring and emotionally crushing. Ever the showman, his clarion voice is melodic and passionate, cutting like a razor through smoke, walls of power chords, pounding drums and swinging rhythms. And he draws blood in this performance, as does the band.

Drawing from his days in Black Sabbath and Rainbow, as well as the first three Dio albums, the set list is a movable feast of classic metal. Dio, Appice, Goldy, bassist Jimmy Bain and keyboardist Claude Schnell breathe fire as they tear through medleys of “The Last in Line,” “Children of the Sea” and “Holy Diver,” as well as one consisting of “Rock ‘n’ Roll Children,” “Long Live Rock ‘n’ Roll” and a particularly combustible, full-throttle drive through “Man on the Silver Mountain,” with venomous glee. Closing the night with a violent rendering of “We Rock,” Dio was just as relentless in attacking “King of Rock & Roll” and “Like the Beat of a Heart,” while taking pains to emphasize the sweet pop-metal hooks of “Hungry for Heaven” and the dark beauty of “Don’t Talk to Strangers,” just before it transitions into a blazing inferno of rock. And they kick out the jams in “Heaven and Hell,” turning it from a slow-building dirge into something more aggressive and angry. 

Flashier than Campbell and out to prove something to a fan base that wasn’t all that accepting of him initially, the confident Goldy plays with a chip on his shoulder, and his ingenious, scissoring solos and torrential, serrated riffing are electrifying. Appice is a locomotive on drums, and Bain, always the glue of this outfit, tenaciously holds down that low end like a smiling pit bull, while Schnell combines the muscular thrust of Jon Lord with the synthesizer swirls of a Keith Emerson in galvanizing flourishes. Aside from Bain, they all take a solo turn, and while Schnell’s is somewhat less compelling, the others are dynamic and thrilling.

Add in an informative featurette, narrated by Dio, on the elaborate stage show,  the original video of “Rock ‘n’ Roll Children,” two thoughtful interviews with late singer  one from the Sacred Heart period and one of more recent vintage  and in-depth, Malcolm Dome-penned liner notes and the fully loaded “Finding the Sacred Heart – Live in Philly 1986” becomes a comprehensive look at one of the most ambitious tours in metal history. 
 – Peter Lindblad