80’s at 8: January 8, 2023 – Double Play Wednesday – Dio

It was a Double Play Wednesday 80's at 8 tonight with Dio. We started off in 1987 with "I Could Have Been A Dreamer" from Dio's fourth album Dream Evil.

The album features former Rough Cutt members Craig Goldy and Claude Schnell and is Dio's last album to feature mascot Murray on the cover and also the last to feature drummer Vinny Appice until the 1993 album Strange Highways.

And was the last album to feature bassist Jimmy Bain until the release of 2000's Magica. The album reached #43 on the Billboard 200 album chart and "I Could Have Been A Dreamer" reached # 33 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Chart.

The song begins with a heavy guitar riff that immediately grabs your attention than the synth and drums and bass kick in followed by Ronnie James Dio's powerful vocals which convey a sense of longing and regret.

You can watch the music video for "I Could Have Been A Dreamer" by Dio here:

The second track in the 80's at 8 Dio Double Play throws us back to 1984 with Mystery from Dio's second album The Last In Line. "Mystery" was written by Ronnie James Dio, it's a powerful anthem of self-discovery and exploration.. It's a reflection on the journey of life and the unknown that lies ahead.

The heavy guitar riff and driving drums give the song a sense of urgency and feature Dio's signature vocal theatrics with his signature powerful vocal delivery. Mystery reached #20 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Chart.

The Last In Line album features former Rough Cutt keyboardist Claude Schnell. It became the band's highest-charting album in both the UK and the U.S., reaching number #4 on the UK album Chart and number #23 on the US Billboard 200 album chart.

It was the first Dio album to be certified Platinum in the US. You can watch the music video for "Mystery" by Dio here:

Metallica released Master of Puppets on March 3, 1986, and years later, it remains one of metal's most iconic masterpieces.

In honor of its anniversary, we take a look back on that album, as well as other '80s metal albums we think everyone should own.

The list in the gallery below also doubles as a convenient “metal starter kit” (if you will) for the youths dipping their toe into metal for the first time, because frankly, someone has to think about the children.