Listen To Ronnie Dio Sing 'War Pigs' Years Before Joining Black Sabbath

Ronnie James Dio was intimately familiar with Black Sabbath's music years before he breathed new life into the iconic heavy metal band by joining in 1979.

While Dio's inclusion in Black Sabbath lead the band in a brave new direction in the studio, in concert the revamped group obliged longtime fans with fresh versions of their classic Ozzy Osbourne-era material.

Dio's performance on "War Pigs" from Sabbath's 1982 Live Evil concert album is nothing short of classic, but it was also far from the first time he'd sung the stirring anti-war track for an audience.

Years before he joined Black Sabbath, or Rainbow, Dio's band Elf covered "War Pigs" during its live shows. Want proof? Check out the player below, featuring a recording of Elf performing a 10-minute version "War Pigs" in 1972 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

Compare it to the Live Evil version in the player at the top of this page.

The classic Black Sabbath track was reportedly among many covers the band sprinkled into its live sets in those days, including tracks by Jethro Tull, Led Zeppelin, Humble Pie and The Who.