Patriots coach Bill Belichick often grumbles short answers to reporters’ questions, especially after the Patriots lose. But on reflection, Belichick feels like he took that tendency too far after Saturday night’s loss to the Colts. So on Monday morning, Belichick apologized to reporters, saying that he was frustrated but shouldn’t have been short with the…
Bill Belichick apologizes to media for curt responses after Saturday night’s loss — ProFootballTalk
Welcome to a new weekly post that I will call Metal Mondays, where I will rank the albums of a certain artist in the metal and hard rock genre from worst to best. As I am a list and ranking person, I am unable to have a simple discussion on what a band’s good albums are, as well as their not-so-good ones. I must rank them in some sort of order, or I will not be able to participate! This also makes for a fun debate, don’t you think?
NOTE: I will rank full length STUDIO ALBUMS only. There will be no live records, greatest hits, or EP’s here.
We’re back to the album rankings this week. I can think of no musician more fascinating than Ronnie James Dio. Here is a legend that began his recording career in the infancy of rock and roll in the 1950s. I am amazed at the number of musicians and classic acts that Dio has played with, from Richie Blackmore with Rainbow to Tony Iommi with Black Sabbath, not to mention those from his solo band. In this ranking, we will span Dio’s career from Rainbow in 1975, through Sabbath in the early 80’s, and all the way through his solo catalogue.
# 17:
Recorded near the tail end of the grunge movement, even the great Ronnie James Dio succumbed to the curse that haunted many classic metal musicians by trying to fit into something he was not. Easily the worst album of his career.
Best Song: Don’t Tell the Kids
Best Deep Cut: Don’t Tell the Kids
#16:
I may get some flack from some of the diehards with this low ranking, as I find there are some niche Magica fans here. Dio’s only true concept album, I find much of the record to be plodding and meandering.
Best Song: Challis
Best Deep Cut: Challis
#15
Again, not much to write home about when compared to earlier Dio offerings. This is the record that features then-18-year-old guitarist, Rowan Robertson.
Best Song: Evil on Queen Street
Best Deep Cut: Evil on Queen Street
#14
A heavy record, I find Strange Highways to fly under the radar a little. Perhaps this is because it came out at the height of grunge. Jesus Mary and the Holy Ghost and the title track stand up to just about anything in Dio’s catalogue.
Best Song: Jesus Mary and the Holy Ghost
Best Deep Cut: Jesus Mary and the Holy Ghost
#13:
The final Dio solo album was a very good one. One More For the Road, the title track, and Then End of the World get things off to a strong start, while Living the Lie and In Dreams highlight the second half.
Best Song: Living the Lie
Best Deep Cut: Living the Lie
#12:
The first reunion to feature Dio and drummer Vinny Appice with Sabbath, Dehumanizer is by far the weakest of the three albums to feature Dio on vocals. The time together turned out to be short lived, as well.
Best Song: Too Late
Best Deep Cut: Too Late
#11:
Guitarist Craig Goldy’s debut with the band has its moments but continues a noticeable downward spiral that started with 1985’s Sacred Heart. Night People offers an all-out thrash blitz, while the title cut, and Sunset Superman are worthy of a listen.
Best Song: Dream Evil
Best Deep Cut: Night People
#10
Sadly, this is the final studio album to feature Ronnie on vocals. Indeed, this is not a bad way to go out. Due to Black Sabbath currently working with Ozzy Osbourne, this lineup featuring Dio, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Vinny Appice went with the moniker, Heaven and Hell to avoid any confusion. Atom Evil, Bible Black, Double the Pain, Eating the Cannibals, and Follow the Tears are the highlights for me.
Best Song: Bible Black
Best Deep Cut: Bible Black
#9:
I feel this release does not get nearly enough love as it deserves. For me personally, coming off two subpar records, Killing the Dragon represents a return to form of sorts. Listen to the title cut, Along Comes a Spider, Push, and Guilty.
Best Song: Killing the Dragon
Best Deep Cut: Killing the Dragon
#8:
As mentioned above, Sacred Heart proved to be a drop off from the first two Dio albums, and was the final record to feature guitarist, Vivian Campbell. There are some major highlights that save the record, namely, King of Rock and Roll, Rock ‘n’ Roll Children, and Hungry for Heaven. Unfortunately, the rest offers too much filler material.
Best Song: King of Rock and Roll
Best Deep Cut: Sacred Heart
#7:
Dio’s last collaboration with Rainbow and Deep Purple guitarist, Ritchie Blackmore, Long Live Rock and Roll is the weakest of the lot, although there is plenty of solid material in the title track, Lady of the Lake, and the amazing Kill the King.
Best Song: Kill the King
Best Deep Cut: Lady of the Lake
#6:
Dio’s second album with Sabbath is where I began to have trouble ranking the records. The title cut and The Sign of the Southern Cross are classics.
Best Song: The Sign of the Southern Cross
Best Deep Cut: The Sign of the Southern Cross
#5:
It’s hard to imagine that this outstanding record is only number five in this ranking. That speaks volumes as to the strength of the four other releases above it. The title cut, We Rock, Evil Eyes, and Egypt (The Chains Are On) are the highlights.
Best Song: We Rock
Best Deep Cut: Egypt (The Chains Are On)
#4:
The first and finest Dio-led Sabbath album perhaps saved the doom metal legends’ career. Side One is a masterpiece, with Neon Nights, Children of the Sea, Lady Evil, and the title cut. Meanwhile, don’t fall asleep on Side Two.
Best Song: Neon Nights
Best Deep Cut: Lady Evil
#3:
Deep Purple’s Ritchie Blackmore’s new band, before it shortened its name to simply, Rainbow. Man on the Silver Mountain is the big hit here, however, Black Sheep of the family, The Temple of the King, and If You Don’t Like Rock and Roll secure this album as an all-time Dio-fronted classic.
Best Song: Man on the Silver Mountain
Best Deep Cut: Black Sheep of the Family
#2:
Dio and Blackmore outdid themselves with the follow up to their debut. Tarot Woman and Starstruck highlight the first half, while Stargazer and A Light in the Black offer an epic one-two closing punch.
Best Song: Tarot Woman
Best Deep Cut: A light in the Black
#1:
Dio’s first solo album is an all-time rock and roll classic, complete with an all-star band of Vivian Campbell on guitar, Jimmy Bain on bass, and Vinny Appice on drums. The record provides everything, including huge hits, such as the title track and Rainbow in the Dark. Meanwhile, Stand Up and Shout, Don’t Talk to Strangers, and Straight Through the Heart offers undeniably great deep cuts.
Best Song: Holy Diver
Best Deep Cut: Stand Up and Shout
This book is a “how to” book for paranormal investigations. It reviews basic equipment, types of spirits, basic investigation methods, interviewing potential clients, residential cases, evidence review, and includes a sample of forms that can be used by investigation teams. Chad Stambaugh correctly identifies the lack of a cohesive process in paranormal investigation and seeks to help detail a simple process that any investigator can follow. He has a hope of some day elevating paranormal investigation beyond simple hobby to something that can be structured in a way that science will begin to accept the methods of paranormal field researchers.
Would I recommend this book? YES, I would 100% recommend this book to anyone who wants to be (or currently is) a paranormal investigator. The information contained in this book is very useful and helps the reader start to think about the actual process of paranormal investigation. While he does…
View original post 191 more words
This old colt 45 is my inspiration
Stimulates my passion for her
Courage escalates as the minutes pass
Type one more digit in her number
Might reach all ten before I go to sleep
I hope she’s receptive
It’s been many moons since she was wronged
Desserts and time zones fill the space between us
I’ve spent many a night in the wooden rocker
Contemplating my life
Damning myself for the errors of my ways
The old colt 45
Never far from my reach
Little did Sam Raimi know when he started cameras rolling on “Spider-Man” back in 2000 that he would be launching the first film of an accidental 20-year franchise…
“Spider-Man: No Way Home” is the third film of the MCU Spider-Man series starring Tom Holland in the titular role. Following the events of “Far From Home,” the world knows that Peter Parker is Spider-Man and he requests Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) cast a spell to have everyone forget. After the spell goes array, villains from other universes (Jamie Foxx, Willem Dafoe, and Alfred Molina) start arriving. Jon Watts returns to direct as Zendaya, Jacob Batalon, Jon Favreau, Benedict Wong, Tony Revolori, and Marisa Tomei reprise their roles.
When the concept of bringing back the same actors to play the same villains was first announced, I was excited. Having grown up on the Sam Raimi/Tobey Maguire films, with the second film being…
View original post 522 more words
I stood at the bottom of a long and steep ridge, intimidated by the thought of getting to the top. It was late December, a couple of weeks past the close of deer season, and nobody was forcing me to make this climb. The steady line of deer tracks that punctured the snow almost down to the dirt ultimately convinced me to go for it.
I had noticed this active deer trail during the season, in an area I spent many hours sitting. Convinced the deer were using a trail that paralleled the ridge, I had built my stand approximately 50 yards away from this spot. It wasn’t until the final weekend of the season that I noticed this runway heading nearly straight up, with a very slight slope to the right. I had to see where it led.
Reluctantly, I started up. The incline was so unforgiving I had to stop and catch my breath several times. Only the knowledge I was on an extremely active trail kept me going further. The trail was so well-defined, I could look 40 yards ahead and easily see it.
I crested the ridge and reached a small flat spot that was not visible from any place on the mountain. The area covered no more than 15 yards before another steep ascent ran to the top. Walking along the edge of the shelf, I recognized a transition line of green hemlocks into open hardwoods. I reached a bowl at the opening of the hardwoods and started down into it. Two deer appeared out of nowhere, alarmed, their tails raised as they scurried out of sight. A quick check of the area showed maybe a dozen or more deer beds in the snow. Aha!
I marched through the bowl and reached the top of the other side. The hardwoods declined slightly, allowing for a view of 125 yards or more. I spotted the two deer again, along with three others. They were feeding on browse and leftover acorns. One deer actually headed my way for about 20 yards, carefully studying me before deciding I wasn’t worth hanging around for. All five scampered away from me.
I had seen enough. This was a very successful scouting mission, one that I was hesitant to take due to the nature of the climb. I had discovered a popular bedding area that the deer also used for feeding. I learned two valuable lessons that day. One, you can learn an awful lot about the deer in your hunting area in the weeks just after the season ends. The second lesson is to trust your gut. Something told me that this runway was worth checking out. Once I made the climb up the ridge, I was rewarded with finding a rather huntable area I, and most likely anyone else, was not aware of.
Remarkably, I spent little time in this area the following season, as preseason scouting missions caused me to reappraise where I would hunt. I left my secretive shelf and bowl alone for the season. I didn’t get a deer that year, as well. This is perhaps the third lesson of the story: Never completely turn your back on a spot because you think the grass is greener on the other side.
Incredible bravery and a great read. Thank you for sharing.
You can listen to this article on Spotify by clicking this link: https://anchor.fm/john-podlaski/episodes/Heroes-of-Hill-488-e1b9k8q
A recon team of 16 Marines and 2 Navy Corpsmen were wreaking havoc upon enemy soldiers in the valley below by calling in artillery and airstrikes. When they were discovered, the enemy sent a battalion of soldiers to kill everyone on the hilltop. Read how it all played out.
By Lt Col Michael Christy (USA) Ret.
View original post 2,000 more words
I’ve been getting into astronomy a little bit lately. Here is some good info.
Welcome to Episode 175 of the Actual Astronomy Podcast we are calling this one Comet Leonard and other Objects to Observe in the December 2021 Night Sky.
View original post 479 more words
Whipped Owl 