Defenders Of The Faith, le forum Metal

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TeRRy asks= While you were working with Ronnie James Dio, how much input did you actually have as far as to the direction of the songs?

I Wrote all of the guutar parts. Maybe I Would Start a riff and the rest of the guys
would join in. Or Jeff would start with a bass line, or Vinny would play
a beat. We would just jam until Ronnie liked what he heard.Then he would guide it where he wanted it.

And while doing the concerts, how much freedom did you have to add your own touch to the songs?

Ronnie never told me what to play or how to play the old songs.He let me do what I do, and on the songs I helped write I also played what I wanted.

What were your most favorite song(s)?

Can't say..songs are like kids. Do you like one of your kids more than the other? They are just different.

And compare your feeling on Strange Highways which most Dio fans loved, to Angry Machines which had a much cooler reception..and do you think it could have been done better?

Strange Highways had a flow to it, more feel and soul. Angry Machines was more forced, too much thinking. For me if you think too much when you write or play music, you fuck it up, but it was not my call. Remember it is Ronnie's band and he has the last word.

slayyomama asks= Do you have any regrets in your musical career?

No.

Randy Rhoads asks= Hi Tracy, Thanks for answering these questions!

Cool, no problem.

How did you develop your unique style and what are your main musicial influences?

Thanks for thinking I have a unique style. I listened to a lot of different players and music, and practiced a lot, and never could or wanted to copy anyone note for note.

Were you a fan of Ronnie James Dio's work prior to joining his band?

I first heard his voice when I was in highschool on Man On The Silver Mountain.....Awesome voice....He has one of the greatest voices ever.

If so then what was your favorite album he had done.

Rainbow Rising was my fav....I wore that album out listening to it a million times.

What musicians would you like to work with that you haven't?

Jason Bonham, Jeff Beck.....I have been pretty blessed and have gotten to work with many of my favs.

Is your work prior to WWIII available anywhere?

Not anymore. The one CD I had I just sold out of, It's called rags. The few other bands I had before that, I didn't have many recordings of them.There was Phaze '75, Centaur '78, Riff Raff '80, Swift Kick '84 and a few more. There was a Swift Kick album but I think they're all gone.

Did you ever audition for any other famous bands?

I tried out for Ozzy in '86 after Jake E. Lee left.

PowerKnight asks=Hi Tracy G, Strange Highways is easily Dio`s heaviest album to date, and without you collaborating on that album it probably would not have got the brutal label it fully deserves.

Your playing on that particular album is very gutsy, in that I mean there is a very full awesome sound surrounding the whole album. I love this album very much, and I know many Dio fans here also love it. what`s your opinion on that album and how did you and Ronnie and the rest of the guys approach it before writing it and recording it?

Thanks I'm glad you like it, I love the album. The way it was written is that we got together and just started jamming...not much talk or thinking. We all just did what we did at that point. Ronnie was not in the room when we jammed all of the time. He was out in the hallway playing pin ball mostly, and when he heard something that caught his ear he would come in and stop us and say"Do that again". We would record it
with Vinnie's little tape deck. Ronnie would take it home and the next day he would sing to us what he wrote to it, and always whatever he came up with to me was amazing. To record the CD he hired a outside producer named Mike Frazer. He just worked on the new AC-DC CD. I loved him, he just let us do what we do. He did not make any changes, he just captured what we were and how we played. Awesome to me, that's the way a great CD should be written and recorded
Just do it and let the musicians be thereselves and it will flow better, I think.

And how do you feel about Angry Machines, again I love it,

I think there are some cool parts on the CD, but again too much talking about it, too much thinking. Too many changes, all of that recked the magic of letting the music be what it is.

but what was very interesting on that album is the co-written track with Ronnie on This Is Your Life. A beautiful vocal/piano ballad, where did the inspiration come from on this very different Dio recording?

I have a guitar that Dave Cevantez made for it. He calls it a baritone because it's a 6 string but tuned down to low b so it's really low and heavy and dark sounding. I was jamming on it one day with a clean sound and I played the opening chords for Ronnie and off he went. That sound of that guitar and the chords I played inspired the rest of the song. I was hoping it was just that guitar and Ronnie singing with some violins and cellos stuff. Sounding very dark but cool, because the sound was so
different....Ronnie ended up stripping it all down to just piano and him...again, he has the last word. I still think it's a great song and very emotional. Ronnie sings it truly amazingly.

All the best Tracy G, PowerKnight-

Thanks bro

Vegetaman asks=Tracy,

What sort of music did you grow up listening to and who were your musical influences in terms of other guitarists that you think helped you start playing guitar and to develop your particular style? And at what age did you start playing guitar?

All types of non-metal stuff at first like latin and r&b, soul and blues but at 13 I heard Black Sabbath and that was it. Got heavy after that...Tony Iommi, BLackmore, Page and then Van Halen, AC/DC and you know all of the greats ect.

As a fellow guitarist, I just have to ask. It always intrigues me.

Cool

Thanks, Vegetaman

TeRRy asks= How is your relationship with Ronnie James Dio now, and do you still
talk with him and is there anything coming up that has you both working
together again?

I have only spoken to him one time since I left the band 10 years ago...working with him again? There's nothing that I know about, but of course I would do something with him if it came up. He's a true professional and the greatest singer there is.

PowerKnight asks= Hi again, there was one more final point I wanted to make but forgot,
Dio`s Inferno/The Last In Live featuring yourself was in many ways Dio`s first real live document. Other than the Intermission mini live album, which failed to deliver what Dio was really about live. But Inferno had a massive sound and covered much more of Dio`s back catalogue, how do you feel about that recording and were you and the rest of the band happy about it? All the best again, PowerKnight

I Think it's cool. I can't speak for the rest of the guys. I love live albums...there's np rythym guitar and I love that. I hate guitar behind me when I'M soloing, I love just killer bass and drums. old school like a 3 piece. it leaves a lot of room for my sounds and style on the guitar to come out. That's what I was brought up with...guitar, bass and drums. Keyboards bug me too.

ZeusJupiter asks= Hi Tracy,
What kind of music do you most like to listen to, and is there any special music that you like listening to rather than trying to play that type of sound/style?
I like all types, all styles. I find something I like in all good music, not just heavy, not just guitar. I love drums. I love blues. All kinds of stuff.
I think that's why when I play it's kind of fucked up. I go all over the place at one time. A lot of people don't like that I think, but I touch on many colors, ups and downs, sounds, beats..timing. I don't like to play predictable stuff.

BTW - I really like your instrumental songs.

Thanks. It's my fav to do because the guitar is the voice to me.

Thanks

norde a écrit :Effectivement il n'a pas eu de bonnes critiques, et je n'ai jamais compris pourquoi, je le trouve vraiment excellent et depuis sa sortie.
Pour comparer, il me fait penser un peu au dernier Heaven And Hell. (Mais vraiment pour comparer à quelque chose...).
Un peu comme Strange Highways me fait penser à Dehumanizer...

norde a écrit :Je pense que si je pouvais revoter je choisirais Master Of The Moon maintenant. Mais hormis Lock Up et Angry Machines, ils sont tous bien réussi (et ce n'est pas l'émotion de ces jours ci qui me fait dire ça.)

Furya a écrit :C'est un album sympathique je trouve j'aime bien le très doomesque master of the moon, end of the world, shivers....

tiens c'est quoi pour vous le meilleur dio des années 90 et années 2000 ???

weik a écrit :J'hallucine le modo dictateur qui a remis mon topic à zero

Cardinal-Sin a écrit :tous ces albums contiennent leur lot de bons morceaux... j'ai toujours regretté qu'il n'ait pas plus défendu Master Of The Moon sur scène... j'ai vu pas mal de dates de Dio après la sortie de ce disque, mais je crois que les seuls morceaux que j'ai entendu live c'était The Eyes au Wacken en preview et la seul fois où y avait un backdrop Master Of The Moon... (ou peut-être Shivers je sais plus). Je sais pas trop ce qu'il s'est passé avec cet album mais c'est comme si il n'était jamais sorti.