Just a few days away from the first fistful of North American Black Sabbath concerts going on sale, Ozzy Osbourne admitted that he was back on the sauce. “For the last year and a half I have been drinking and taking drugs,” he wrote on Facebook. Erm, I’m pretty sure it’s been longer than that, but I’ve heard substance abuse has a way of affecting the memory. “I was in a very dark place and was an asshole to the people I love most, my family,” his post continues. “However, I am happy to say that I am now 44 days sober. ” In other words, that’s a month and a half—or 15 rockstar years.
The L.A. Times reports that “Ozzy, 64, infamously used drugs heavily for decades but got sober in his early 50s.” For all of five minutes that is, or four rockstar months. Anyone who’s read his autobiography knows the dude’s always been “pissed as a fart,” to borrow one of my favourite Ozzy expressions.
That being said, Ozzy’s absence from his family led some tabloids to speculate that Sharon had left him, which the Prince of Darkness was quick to refute. “Just to set the record straight, Sharon and I are not divorcing. I’m just trying to be a better person.” Hmm, perhaps you could start by rehiring Bill Ward?
In any case, there’s no way Ozzy and Sharon could even think of separating at this crucial time. I mean, if she left him, who else would book the rest of the tour dates!?
Just finished reading the Tony Iommi autobiography Iron Man: My Journey Through Heaven & Hell with Black Sabbath. I’ve read a couple other Sabbath books before, but I found this one to be quite interesting, particularly as it relates to the recording process of several Sabbath albums. Known both as the sane, sober one–relatively speaking, of course–as well as the de facto band-leader, Iommi was the only member to survive every incarnation of Black Sabbath, with the band undergoing several lineup changes around him in the 80′s and 90′s. In fact, if he hadn’t owed Warner Bros another Sabbath album during the Seventh Star sessions, it’s quite likely Sabbath would’ve called it a day back in ’84…
Reading the book feels kind of like sitting down with an old man and hearing him spin tales of yore–only the tales in question happen to be about the founding fathers of doom. The writing style is very informal, un-fancy and conversational, short on transitions and literary devices, and sometimes jumping from one era to another, say, when the author recalls a particular prank he pulled on Bill Ward. It’s almost amazing that the drummer’s still alive after all he went through–both this and Ozzy Osbourne’s autobiographical tome, I Am Ozzy, detail all kinds of wicked pranks pulled on Ward over the years.
Ozzy’s book goes into greater detail about certain hilarious incidents, both pre- and post-Sabbath, but when it comes to the band, sometimes he and Tony don’t have their stories straight. For instance, I might believe Ozzy’s version that it was he, not Bill Ward, who accidently pulled the burglar alarm in Bel Air–were he not out of his mind on drugs all the time. And, as a result, I Am Ozzy contains very little about the writing or recording process aside from amusing anecdotes about staying in a haunted castle, or paying Rick Wakeman in beer to play keyboards on “Sabbra Cadabra.” That said, Ozzy’s recollections are side-splittingly funny at times; the man’s output on paper is about as zany as what comes out of his mouth. For an entertaining read, I’d certainly recommend it.
On the other hand, Iron Man gets more into the nuts and bolts of Black Sabbath. Aside from his infamous metal-cutting accident, we don’t learn as much about Iommi’s past as we do Ozzy’s from reading their respective tomes–but we do get a more complete tale of his Sabbath years, all 40+ of them. While Ozzy tails off into his solo career and reality TV stardom, the riffmeister keeps plugging away–although there’s certainly less ink spilled over, say, Forbidden than the immortal first four albums. (FWIW, Iommi wasn’t thrilled by the latter’s producer, Ernie C. of Body Count fame, who apparently kept trying to tell Cozy Powell how to play drums like a hip-hop artist.) And while there might be quite a few books out there about Sabbath’s glory years, Iron Man is probably the first to tell the story from start to finish–or at least until Dio’s passing, anyways. It’s probably worth reading for that reason alone.
Iommi’s book, written in 2011, concludes with him suggesting that by the time you read it, Sabbath “might be in a studio recording, or we might even have an album in the shops already,” also hinting that they might be planning another tour–or not. Of course, the band would officially reunite a couple months later, although between Iommi’s own health issues and the bickering with Bill Ward, things still seem to be sorta up in the air at this point. And speaking of the latter, the last line in Iron Man is beautifully stated: “I will never set fire to Bill Ward again.” Of course, you’ll actually have to read the book to uncover the importance of that statement…
As Deep Purple smokes Toronto tonite, the Black Sabbath reunion seems to have hit a snag, what with Iommi’s health issues and Bill Ward’s contract dispute. Perhaps they could draft some Purple people as replacements? After all, it wouldn’t be the first time…
After firing their second singer, Ronnie James Dio (RIP), Black Sabbath was on the lookout for a new mouthpiece in 1983. Though he first turned them down, Ian Gillan, who had left Deep Purple to pursue a solo career, eventually accepted over a couple pints at The Bear pub in Oxford. Incidentally, the band also welcomed back a newly-sober Bill Ward for this record. Go figure!
The album opens with aggressive synth rocker “Trashed,” on which Gillan unleashes a trademark scream a few seconds in. This is Black Sabbath gone new wave right here, a static chug with unnecessary keyboard flourishes adding another layer of cheese. Make no mistake; they’re a decade removed from Vol 4 at this point.
Instrumental interlude “Stonehenge” is notable only in that it inspired the legendary scene from Spinal Tap. Apparently, the Sabs actually used a Stonehenge monument on this tour. Man, I would’ve loved to see that!
“Disturbing the Priest,” much like the Purple classic “Smoke on the Water,” is a tune inspired by the recording process—apparently there was a nearby church that wanted them to turn down their amps or something. Mind you, this isn’t really reflected in the lyrics, which still sound pretty evil despite the canned 80’s backbeat. Iommi also contributes a pretty sinister chorus riff, considering the circumstances…
“Zero the Hero” is this album’s saving grace, the closest thing to a classic on here. Cannibal Corpse actually covered this tune 10 years later on the Hammer Smashed Face single (apparently Chris Barnes swears by Born Again), as did a Calgarian band called Kybosh in the new millennium. I actually own all three versions, heh. Some people say that Slash stole the chugga-chugga heard in “Paradise City” from Iommi’s fretwork on this tune. Not sure I believe that, but there’s no question that this is a pretty badass track, regardless.
“Digital Bitch” opens Side B with its catchy, infectious chorus that’ll now be stuck in my head for the next few days. Rumour has it that the subject of this song is none other than Sharon Osbourne. On his website, Gillan says “I remember exactly who inspired this story, but the only thing I can reveal about her identity is that neither she, nor her father, had anything to do with computers.”
The title track can also be found buried on the B side. A slower, mellower number after the fast-paced fury of “Digital Bitch,” this one’s a power ballad in true 80’s fashion—and not a bad one, at that! “Hot Line” (say what?), on the other hand, slithers along like a second-rate Motorhead slow one. Speaking of thievery, this almost sounds like it was yanked from “Cat Scratch Fever.” Just sayin’. Album closer “Keep it Warm” opens with a decent doomy riff, though it turns into another ballad, this one not as good as its predecessor.
Although most critics found the music on Born Again to be about as appealing as its album cover, it shot straight up to Number 4 in the UK, while also charting in the States. Mind you, it’s probably the lone Sabbath record that’s never been issued on CD over here, making it a decent find for vinyl hunters. (I got mine for 10 bucks!) Unfortunately, for all its historical significance, it’s simply not that great an album, no matter what Chris Barnes thinks.
A couple months back, when I made my prediction on the next 80′s rock singer to pass away, I didn’t even think of Whitney Houston. After all, I wouldn’t really consider her a rock singer–but there’s no denying her musical contributions to the decade. Whitney Houston was as much a part of the 80′s as suspenders, cocaine and serial killers. Just ask Patrick Bateman…
Y’know, it’s a shame that they had to use an orchestral version of that song cuz the filmmakers couldn’t get the rights to the real thing. Hmm, Bobby Brown’s punching bag not wanting her music in a film about cutting up women? Whodathunkit!?
My favourite reaction to her passing comes from metal site Bravewords.com (via Facebook), who thinks this should be a lesson to Black Sabbath:
You hear that, Sharon? If you don’t let Bill Ward back in the band, he could get back on smack–and die! You wouldn’t want that, would you? After all, he is Black Sabbath…
Picture this, if you will… Black Sabbath rents out the Whisky-A-Go-Go for a big press conference, which they announce on their website through a curious ad banner. The day comes, Henry Rollins introduces the band, who then declare that because they owe so much in back taxes, they’ll be auctioning off Ozzy’s vacation properties in order to cover the bill.
Yeah, I think we knew that wasn’t going to happen. Clearly, the purpose of this whole 11/11/11 thing was to announce a reunion. I saw it coming from a mile away. Right from the day Dio died, I had a hunch that Ozzy would get back together with his old bandmates. I mean, half of the original lineup was touring with Heaven and Hell at the time, and Ozzy still had his solo work–playing a buncha Black Sabbath tunes live, to boot. Notice how Iommi issued a statement after that infamous Birmingham Mail story that didn’t actually deny what he’d said, just that it wasn’t meant for publication? That was definitely a dead giveaway.
But while a reunion tour was almost to be expected, I am a little intrigued at the idea of a new studio album. The band members had long said they wouldn’t be able to recapture that old magic, and when The Devil You Know came out, the commonly-used line from Iommi and Butler was that they never could’ve done it with Ozzy, the dude just couldn’t get his shit together. That said, while the Iommi-led lineup of the 80′s and 90′s released a lot of albums that only a true diehard could love, I think a new album could do more to tarnish their legacy, if it flops, than any of the Tony Martin-era stuff. After all, several media outlets have actually reported that they haven’t recorded an album since 1978… (I’m looking at you, KLOS!)
Let’s face it, these guys are a lot older now, and we know that Ozzy can’t sing like he used to. I’m seriously debating whether the band tuning down for his benefit would make things sound better or worse. And Bill Ward is a definite wild card, being the only member who hasn’t been out on tour recently, and with a history of health issues, as well. Don’t get me wrong, it wouldn’t be a proper reunion without him, but you almost hafta wonder how he’ll hold up, the drums being the most physically-demanding instrument, and whatnot.
All things considered, I’m definitely buying a ticket to see ‘em in Toronto, or barring that, the nearest U.S. city. (Pretty sure they’ll be playing here, though.) Will I buy the new album when it comes out? I dunno, I’ll hafta read a few reviews first. I mean, at this point I don’t think they have any songs written, much less recorded, so there’s no telling what this thing’s gonna sound like. As for what to expect live? Well, this Ozzfest gig from six years ago should give us some idea:
As for touring partners, well, there’s been rumours of them touring with Priest and Motorhead–which would be kinda like deja vu, since Heaven and Hell’s last tour also featured those two bands, along with Testament. Of course, Priest are headliners in their own right, and Motorhead can still pack smaller venues, but if it was up to me, I’d like to see them tour with some lesser-known, yet well-established doom bands that would clearly appeal to the true Sabbath fans. Here’s what I’m thinking…
There’s no question that Sleep are Sabbath worshippers. Hell, when I saw ‘em on their 2010 reunion tour, they projected a giant image of Tony Iommi behind the stage, and sold shirts with his image and likeness and the words “The Deity” written underneath. Having only played sporadically these past few years, I think they’d attract a crowd in several cities where people haven’t seen ‘em, as I know they did in Portland and in Calgary these past two years. I’d also hope that a chance to tour with Sabbath would bring Chris Hakius back into the fold. Fuck, I’d even drive to see ‘em on an off-date if that were to happen!
As for the other two, both Count Raven and Sheavy are still going strong after several years, though the former hasn’t played North America in forever, and the latter rarely leaves their native Newfoundland. Besides, if Ozzy needs someone to hide under the stage and hit the high notes for him, either Steve Hennessy or Dan Fondelius would surely be up for it. Those guys can probably sing Sabbath songs better than he can nowadays…
Mind you, I’d also kill for a Legends of Doom tour featuring Sabbath, Vitus and Pentagram in North America, and I’d even consider crossing the pond for a European edition with Sabbath, Cathedral and Candlemass. But we all know neither of those are gonna happen. After all, Sharon Osbourne’s the one booking this thing.
On that note, don’t be surprised if the floors have assigned seating and the best seats cost upwards of 100 bucks. My guess is this tour will be more comparable to a KISS or AC/DC gig than Iron Maiden or the Heaven and Hell headlining jaunt in that regard. Man, I can’t wait to shell out 40 dollars for a Black Sabbath photo book…
