Do you like Dio's Sacred Heart?

It's not as bad as some think it is, but it's not essential Dio either. I revisited it about a year ago after finding a vinyl LP of it, and it's not as bad as I remembered it.

Rock N Roll Children = best DIO song ever. This alone makes it essential in my book.

Everything up to Dream Evil is essential for me. Lock Up The Wolves is marginal, the rest I can live without.

I liked Sacred Heart, but not as much as the first two Viv albums. I never owned anything else after that.

Shawn Of Fire wrote:

King Of Rock And Roll
Sacred Heart
Another Lie
Rock N Roll Children
Hungry For Heaven
Fallen Angels

All killer, IMO...

I'd add "Just Another Day". So only 2 bad tracks (1 horrible and 1 average ). Like on every Dio album IMO

I was never too fond of the album. I only like
Rock n' Roll Children
Hungry For Heaven
King of Rock n' Roll
everything else just sounds weak to me (like a leftover collection from the previous recordings).
It's my second-least favourite DIO album (after Intermission) from the 80's.

I was listening to it a lot a couple of months ago and was surprised at how well it's held up. Like lots of folks I'd give the edge to the first two albums, but Sacred Heart is good.

I know I'm in the clear minority on this, but Sacred Heart is one of my favorites. I even really like Lock Up The Wolves a lot. For me Dio never had an album that I won't rank as good or very good.

007 wrote:

Always like Sacred Heart but it's not up to par to what came before it (as stated). The title track, Rock N Roll Children and Hungry For Heaven are all essential Dio songs.

Shawn Of Fire wrote:

King Of Rock And Roll
Sacred Heart
Another Lie
Rock N Roll Children
Hungry For Heaven
Fallen Angels

All killer, IMO...

Bingo.

Not so much. After the stellar Holy Diver and Last in Line, Sacred Heart was a big-time letdown to me. The songs seemed lifeless and lacked energy. In all, it just didn't do anything for me really.

I like it alright. Haven't heard it in awhile. Now I need to pull it out and have a listen.

I think "Sacred Heart" is one of those albums on first listen was a disappointment back in the day. You have a very commercial song like "Hungry For Heaven", which threw people for a loop, though I love the movie "Vision Quest". Then you have the awfulness that is "Shoot Shoot", and I think that alone would be enough of a disappointment for most. Though "Sacred Heart" is no "Holy Diver" and falls behind that of "Dream Evil", I'm not so sure it doesn't rival that of "The Last In Line".

My favorite songs in order: Sacred Heart > Fallen Angels > King of Rock and Roll > Like The Beat of a Heart > Another Lie > Rock 'n' Roll Children

It never held my interest the way the first two did but it's okay. Gotta be honest though. When I get an urge for some RJD these days, I head for Rainbow or Sabbath or even Elf before I go to the Dio records.

manny wrote:

Like s.d. I was disappointed with the album at the time of its release but I did like it and still do but IMO not as strong as the first two Dio platters.

I wouldn't say I was disappointed, but I did notice a bit of a drop in quality from the first two, which were simply mint! I think the lp would be perceived better if "Shoot, Shoot" had been shot, shot, dead weight on an otherwise very good lp...

What I'm surprised by is Ult's review of "Strange Highways", I have to concur w/Dio on that one, great and very underrated lp...

For Johnny...

Never heard Sacred Heart. I really like Holy Diver and the Last in Line, with Holy Diver being my favorite. I've heard some stuff from other phases of his career, but they haven't done much for me. I personally think Dio's best stuff was with Rainbow and Black Sabbath.

...and oh yes, Pain will always shout to you!   

MetallicSeminarian wrote:

I personally think Dio's best stuff was with Rainbow and Black Sabbath.

The first two Dio lp's, IMO, are easily on par w/anything he did w/those two bands!   

candlemass wrote:

MetallicSeminarian wrote:

I personally think Dio's best stuff was with Rainbow and Black Sabbath.

The first two Dio lp's, IMO, are easily on par w/anything he did w/those two bands!   

Wow, that's a bold statement right there!   

candlemass wrote:

MetallicSeminarian wrote:

I personally think Dio's best stuff was with Rainbow and Black Sabbath.

The first two Dio lp's, IMO, are easily on par w/anything he did w/those two bands!   

They're as close as he came, but not quite

Red Kitty wrote:

Not so much.  After the stellar Holy Diver and Last in Line, Sacred Heart was a big-time letdown to me.  The songs seemed lifeless and lacked energy.  In all, it just didn't do anything for me really.

This...... But I must admit I actually like the album now, hated back in the day.... but that could have been a product of what was happening in the metal scene at the time - Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax, Exciter, Anthrax, Exodus, Etc.... as myself and other I knew got into thrash and heavier metal, Sacred Heart just wasn't cutting it.

The Sacred heart Blu Ray is a lot of fun!

Boris2008 wrote:

candlemass wrote:

MetallicSeminarian wrote:

I personally think Dio's best stuff was with Rainbow and Black Sabbath.

The first two Dio lp's, IMO, are easily on par w/anything he did w/those two bands!   

Wow, that's a bold statement right there!   

I don't think so, they're really that good!   

Sacred heart was a disappointment at the time. There wasn't any particular aspect of the album that was bad. All of the ingredients were there. The guitar solos are the highlight of this platter. Ronnie turned out a fine performance as usual. Just another day is probably the only track that I could point to as being good. Not an album I visit often.

metalinmyveins wrote:

You have a very commercial song like "Hungry For Heaven", which threw people for a loop...

Not sure why it would, you had "Rainbow in the Dark" on HD and "Mystery" on LiL, followed up by "Could Have Been a Dreamer" on DE, Dio was pretty consistent in including radio friendly hits...

Sacred fart.