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Viv Campbell KILLING some old Dio


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He was good with Dio, and Dio made his two best albums with him. So, as much as he was good, so was the songs he played on. It was a win win.

As for Leppard, I have no opinion, as they started to really suck when he came aboard. So, he might still be good, but the albums he played on with Leppard sucks.

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He was good with Dio, and Dio made his two best albums with him. So, as much as he was good, so was the songs he played on. It was a win win.

As for Leppard, I have no opinion, as they started to really suck when he came aboard. So, he might still be good, but the albums he played on with Leppard sucks.

Agreed on both counts. So glad to see he's re-doing the Dio stuff with the old band. They created a lot of magic.

BTW, his tone is SO much better now. Love that crunch. Looks like he's using ENGLs with the LP

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Holy hell, until they started playing I thought "so where is Vivian??"

That's a pretty good tone (and yes, worlds better than the original recording), but really, that's not a very high bar, is it? (I never liked the all high end, no bass or solid WHUMP guitar tones so many 80s guys went for).

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BTW, his tone is SO much better now. Love that crunch. Looks like he's using ENGLs with the LP

I watched the clip now that I got home. Yes, he still rips. Can't say that I like his tone better now though. I think his tone back in the day was really special. Now he sounds just like any old schmuck with a high gain amp.

Can't beat 80's tone!

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His playing is flawless. I was discussing his tone :)

On the Dio albums he had a nice warm crunchy 80s Marshall tone. I love it. In this clip he's got a much colder, shriller tone.

Guess it's the difference between German perfection and flawlessness, the Engl Wagner opera tone - meets the Brittish "hey lad, fancy a pint" soulful Marshall tone. :D

Again, just a matter of taste.

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I agree that upper-mid crunch is missing from modern high gain tones, but those Engls do sound sweet. Full and robust; not sure I hear cold, definitely don't hear shrill. I think since Soldanos came out the shift has gone to lower mids.

I was right in front of a row of Engls a couple weeks ago at the Black Star Riders show (with a couple Wizards added in) and it sounded great. An evolution in what builders and players are going for in a hard rock guitar sound, I guess.

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Can you imagine a crowd that LARGE for a show like this in 2013, State-side? I can't.....

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I have watched Dio Live at the Spectrum with Viv so many times that I know it in Rocky Horror picture show type depths. Every "Yeeeh Oh!" to his mistake during the opening song, and into the crowd reaction. I can recreate the concert in my head. A bowl and Dio was a ritual for about 3 years.

It was very interesting to hear Viv say recently that he didn't realize how good he was with the Dio, at that age, and felt inferior to other guitarist. But he now gets it.......what put him over the top was the energy he had. The difference between the viv and Craig Goldie Spectrum concerts is light and day.

I wonder if Vivian might have taken another path if he had known his talents. Taking over for Sykes and then Steve Clark pretty much marginalized what he could do. He did not need to be a fill in. He is about as polar to Steve Clark as you can get.

Guitarist like VIvian and Jake E. Lee had good bands but with very generic singers. But at least it was their music.

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Having Vinnie Appice makes a huge difference. I have yet to hear a drummer that can replicate his early Dio grooves. He and Carmine have that unique approach and dynamics with their snare, bass and cymbals.

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. An evolution in what builders and players are going for in a hard rock guitar sound, I guess.

I'm going totally backwards. My bad luck I guess, always doing everything the opposite way of everyone else. :lol:

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Guitarist like VIvian and Jake E. Lee had good bands but with very generic singers. But at least it was their music.

Not sure I've ever heard Lou Gramm and Ray Gillen described as generic.

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