Album
The Last in Line
The Last in Line is the second studio album by Dio, the American heavy metal band, and it came out in July 1984 on Vertigo. It followed Holy Diver in 1983 and was the first Dio record to feature keyboardist Claude Schnell as a full member, adding a new layer to a sound rooted in heavy metal and hard rock.
It proved a real step up commercially. The album reached number 4 in the UK and number 23 in the US, the band's highest chart showing in both countries at that point. It went gold in the US within a few months, later reached platinum, and picked up a silver certification in the UK. Along with Holy Diver, it remains one of only two Dio albums to reach at least platinum, which makes it a natural next stop for anyone who loves that debut.
The Last in Line: tracklist, credits and charts
9 tracks · 41:11Tracklist
- 1We RockRonnie James Dio4:36
- 2The Last in LineBain, Campbell, Dio5:40
- 3BreathlessVivian Campbell and Ronnie James Dio4:04
- 4I Speed at NightAppice, Bain, Campbell, Dio3:23
- 5One Night in the CityAppice, Bain, Campbell, Dio5:16
- 6Evil EyesRonnie James Dio3:39
- 7MysteryJimmy Bain and Ronnie James Dio3:46
- 8Eat Your Heart OutAppice, Bain, Campbell, Dio3:49
- 9Egypt (The Chains Are On)Appice, Bain, Campbell, Dio6:57
- Produced by
- Ronnie James Dio
- Recorded at
- Caribou Ranch Recording Studio (Colorado)
- Mixed at
- Westlake Audio
- Engineered by
- Angelo Arcuri
- Labels
- Vertigo, Warner Bros.
- Length
- 41:11
Line-up
- Vinny Appice · drums (drum set)
- Jimmy Bain · electric bass guitar, bass guitar
- Vivian Campbell · electric guitar
- Ronnie James Dio · keyboard, lead vocals, vocals
- Claude Schnell · keyboard
Singles
- “The Last in Line” · 11 June 1984 (EU)
- “We Rock” · 3 August 1984 (UK)
- “Mystery” · 21 September 1984
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart · 1984 | 4 |
| US Billboard 200 · 1984 | 23 |
| Finnish Albums (The Official Finnish Charts) · 1984 | 5 |
| Swedish Albums · 1984 | 6 |
| Norwegian Albums · 1984 | 7 |
| Dutch Albums · 1984 | 11 |
| German Albums · 1984 | 23 |
| UK Rock & Metal Albums · 2012 | 23 |
| Canadian Albums (RPM) · 1984 | 51 |
| Oricon Japanese Albums Charts · 2012 | 154 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom · 1986 | Silver |
| United States · 1987 | Platinum |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
70.9
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
3.6k
ListenBrainz listeners
65k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
16k
Deezer fans (all editions)
Released the same week
Also released on 2 July
Every year →
More from Dio
Full discography →
Holy Diver
1983
Sacred Heart
1985
The Dio E.P.
1986
Intermission
1986
Dream Evil
1987
Lock Up the Wolves
1990
Diamonds: The Best of Dio
1992
Strange Highways
1993
Angry Machines
1996
DIO's Inferno: The Last in Live
1998
Magica
2000
The Very Beast of Dio
2000
Killing the Dragon
2002
Evil or Divine: Live in New York City
2003
Master of the Moon
2004
Metal Hits
2005
Holy Diver Live
2006
Dio at Donington UK: Live 1983 & 1987
2010
The Very Beast of Dio, Volume 2
2012
Live in London: Hammersmith Apollo 1993
2014
The best of 1984
All of 1984 →
Ride the Lightning
Metallica · 1984
Powerslave
Iron Maiden · 1984
The Unforgettable Fire
U2 · 1984
1984
Van Halen · 1984
The Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers · 1984
Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi · 1984
The Top
The Cure · 1984
Tonight
David Bowie · 1984
The Works
Queen · 1984
Iron Maiden Christmas EP 1984
Christmas EP
Iron Maiden · 1984
Perfect Strangers
Deep Purple · 1984
Defenders of the Faith
Judas Priest · 1984
More on Vertigo
The label →
Metallica
Metallica · 1991
…And Justice for All
Metallica · 1988
Brothers in Arms
Dire Straits · 1985
Death Magnetic
Metallica · 2008
St. Anger
Metallica · 2003
Dire Straits
Dire Straits · 1978
Making Movies
Dire Straits · 1980
Load
Metallica · 1996
Love Over Gold
Dire Straits · 1982
On Every Street
Dire Straits · 1991
S&M
Metallica · 1999
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath · 1970
Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia 1984-07-02 vs 1984-08-29 (musicbrainz), 1984-07-13 (wikidata)
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 29 August 1984 | ignored lone early release dated 1984-07-13 |
| Wikipedia infobox | 2 July 1984 | |
| Wikidata | 13 July 1984 | |
| US release | 13 July 1984 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 1984 | earliest UK or European date |
23 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | XW | Warner Records | 075992510028 | other |
| 1984 | DE | Vertigo | 042282236623 | other |
| 1984 | US | Warner Bros. Records | other | |
| 1984 | DE | Warner Bros. Records | 07599251002 | other |
| 1984 | XE | Warner Bros. Records | 075992510028 | other |
| 1984 | US | Warner Bros. Records | 075992510042 | other |
| 1984 | GB | Vertigo | 422822366100 | other |
| 1984 | US | Warner Bros. Records | 0208313289255 | other |
| 13 July 1984 | US | Warner Bros. Records | original | |
| 29 August 1984 | US | — | other | |
| 1988 | US | Warner Bros. Records | 075992510028 | other |
| 25 April 1991 | JP | Vertigo | 4988011325939 | other |
| 1992 | ES | Vertigo | other | |
| 21 October 1993 | JP | Vertigo | 4988011338366 | other |
| 13 November 2002 | JP | Universal International | 4988005317186 | remaster |
| 19 December 2007 | JP | USM JAPAN | 4988005498885 | other |
| 2012 | XE | Universal UMC | 602527760988 | remaster |
| 1 January 2012 | AF | UMC | 602527760988 | deluxe |
| 20 March 2012 | DE | UMC | 602527760988 | remaster |
| 27 November 2012 | US | Audio Fidelity | 780014214623 | remaster |
| 22 July 2016 | US | Rhino | remaster | |
| 9 January 2018 | US | Rhino | 603497864492 | other |
| 5 May 2023 | XE | Vertigo | 602567188636 | remaster |
Cover art sources
coverartarchive · cropped: cropped from 2830x2838 to 2830x2830
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| coverartarchive ✓ | 2830×2838 | cropped: cropped from 2830x2838 to 2830x2830 |
| deezer | 1200×1200 | upscaled |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |