RONNIE JAMES DIO: I Would Consider Working With TONY IOMMI Again

Ronnie James Dio recently spoke to Electricbasement.com about the upcoming DIO album, "Master of the Moon", and the possibility of him collaborating with Tony Iommi (BLACK SABBATH) and Ritchie Blackmore (RAINBOW) again. A couple of excerpts from the interview follow:

ElectricBasement.com: Recently in Guitar World, Tony Iommi was interviewed. He actually said some pretty complimentary things about your time in SABBATH and what the output was. Would you ever consider working with him again, even if it wasn't a SABBATH project?

Ronnie James Dio: "With Tony I would. With Tony I'd consider it. I wouldn't consider it with anybody else because we got along great musically and we certainly got along probably better than anyone else in the band...I mean my relationship with anybody else except for Geezer [Butler] for awhile. You know, I tried not to say too many bad things about people but sometimes you get hurt and say things that are foolish. I've taken the high road with most of this. Were the story told I am sure I would have some sympathy on my side but we have to remember that's my story being told. You know, people have their own stories to tell and perhaps I don't remember it properly. Sure, of course I do but whether that's true or not I have tried to compliment Tony when he deserves it and not tear him down even though he does deserve it or even though I deserve it as well and he's done the same. I think he's been fine. I've heard really nothing that Tony's ever said bad about me and I know that the working relationship we had and the songs we wrote are something that Tony can be proud of. That's quite a legacy he has in his hands with 'Heaven and Hell' let alone 'Mob Rules' and 'Dehumanizer' which I thought was a great album. So yeah, you know, I would consider that were the situation right. It wouldn't mean breaking up this band, that's for sure. You know, if it were just a one-off or something, I would consider it. Once again, the time would have to be right."

ElectricBasement.com: Speaking of "one-offs," you recently stated that in order for you to consider a RAINBOW reunion with Ritchie Blackmore, it would only be a one-off. When you say one-off, would that be one album, tour or show?

Ronnie James Dio: "To go into a writing situation is something I am not really prepared to do. To me that means that will be ten or twelve fewer tracks that DIO will be able to do and that is always my consideration. Before there was a time when there was a lapse in DIO and I seriously considered, maybe, alright, we'll get back together and we'll do an album and tour and maybe it will last for awhile. When that didn't come about I just decided I think I've waited long enough for all this and believe me, it's not like I sit around and wait for this. Honestly, I don't. I could not care less. But I think that I owe something to all the people who have loved that band for so many damn years so when the opportunities did arise I looked at it and said, well, maybe. Could be if everything goes well. It didn't. The one off at that time was going to be a live show in Japan and then an album from that live show.

"In the case of doing something with Tony it would be a song or two songs. I doubt very much more than that because that would spell itself toward being something that would be too permanent and I don't think Tony's prepared for that either anyway. He's always got SABBATH things to do, his own career, whatever. But that is what I mean by a one-off. Nothing that is going to get in the way of what I'm doing with DIO and I always will do with DIO. Those times are gone. I've been there too many times with people who continually let me down and at least I don't let myself down."

Read Ronnie James Dio's entire interview with ElectricBasement.com at this location.