Strange Highways
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| Strange Highways | |||||
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| Studio album by Dio | |||||
| Released | October 25, 1993 Europe & Japan January 26, 1994 U.S.A. |
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| Recorded | Rumbo Recorders, Los Angeles, California |
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| Genre | Heavy metal, doom metal | ||||
| Length | 53:36 | ||||
| Label | Reprise (North America) Vertigo (rest of the world) |
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| Producer | Mike Fraser | ||||
| Dio chronology | |||||
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| Ronnie James Dio chronology | |||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
| Entertainment Weekly | (B−)[2] |
Strange Highways is the sixth studio album by the American heavy metal band Dio. It's also their first album since Ronnie James Dio and Vinny Appice's reunion tour with Black Sabbath. The European release was on Vertigo, in October 1993; the U.S. release was on Reprise Records, in January 1994.
After the short-lived reunion with Black Sabbath for the recording of the album Dehumanizer (1992) and the subsequent tour, Dio and Appice returned to Dio's solo group, hiring Tracy Grijalva as new guitarist. Former Dio bassist Jimmy Bain was to make a return to the band, but he was soon sacked by Dio and replaced by Jeff Pilson.[3]
"Hollywood Black" was demoed by Black Sabbath during the Dehumanizer sessions. "Whether it's the same, I don't know…" Tony Iommi remarked of Dio's version (before hearing it). "Could be the same lyrics – probably is. I wouldn't think he would use the same music."[4]
Track listing
All lyrics written by Ronnie James Dio, music as stated.
| No. | Title | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Jesus, Mary & the Holy Ghost" | Dio, Grijalva, Pilson | 4:13 |
| 2. | "Firehead" | Appice, Dio, Grijalva and Pilson | 4:06 |
| 3. | "Strange Highways" | Appice, Dio, Grijalva and Pilson | 6:54 |
| 4. | "Hollywood Black" | Dio, Grijalva, Appice | 5:10 |
| 5. | "Evilution" | Appice, Dio, Grijalva and Pilson | 5:37 |
| 6. | "Pain" | Dio, Grijalva | 4:14 |
| 7. | "One Foot in the Grave" | Appice, Dio, Grijalva and Pilson | 4:01 |
| 8. | "Give Her the Gun" | Dio, Grijalva, Pilson | 5:58 |
| 9. | "Blood from a Stone" | Appice, Dio, Grijalva and Pilson | 4:14 |
| 10. | "Here's to You" | Appice, Dio, Grijalva and Pilson | 3:24 |
| 11. | "Bring Down the Rain" | Appice, Dio, Grijalva and Pilson | 5:45 |
Charts
- Album
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | German Albums Chart[5] | 79 |
| U.S. Billboard 200[6] | 142 |
Personnel
- Dio
- Ronnie James Dio – vocals
- Tracy G – guitars
- Jeff Pilson – bass, keyboards
- Vinny Appice – drums[7]
- Production
- Recorded at Rumbo Recorders, Los Angeles, California, USA
- Produced, engineered and mixed by Mike Fraser
- Assistant engineered by Andy Udoff
- Mixed at Record Plant, Los Angeles, California, USA
- Originally mastered by George Marino at Sterling Sound, New York City, USA
- Cover illustration by Wil Rees
References
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- ↑ Metal Rules - Jeff Pilson interview
- ↑ Southern Cross No.19, March 1997
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