Black Sabbath

Black Sabbath created something of a dilemma for me. I was raised under Christian values which preached that all heavy metal was Satanic and evil, and who could get more Satanic than "Black Sabbath," just look at the name! I'm not joking here...in fact, here's an excerpt from my diary that sums it all up:

Thursday, March 21st, 1984--
You know what group I've been thinking about lately? No, it's not Genesis or Berlin or Rush or Foreigner or one of those groups I really like--in fact, up until two weeks ago, I would've said I hated their guts. Well, they're heavy metal and satanic, and they've been on tour recently. Yes, I'm talking about Black Sabbath.

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that *everything* about Black Sabbath is good. The current lineup with Ian Gillan sucks shit, as it did with Ozzy. But there's something about that period of time with Ronnie Dio that seems intriguing--almost really good. Of course, when I first heard Dio I thought he was rather respectable, and I even considered getting his album until I learned he was from Black Sabbath. And now, all of a sudden, I find myself liking him again--and if it weren't for the demeaning fact that he is Satantic, I probably wouldn't hesitate to be a big fan of his. But that's the problem--it's Satan music. It's anti-Jesus and pro-Lucifer. Yet the music is good--especially that song "Heaven and Hell". They're playing that album on The Seventh Day next Sunday, which will be the test case....

Of course, if I truly like them, there seems no reason to deny it. Just because they praise Satan doesn't mean I'll become a Satanist. On the other hand, what if the impossible happens? What if I sell my soul to the devil and be damned forever? All because I gave in to my desires and liked a Satanic group. But that's pushing it--Black Sabbath isn't *nearly* as Satanic as some groups such as Odin, Venom, and Witchfynde. And I know for a fact that I'll never get into *those* groups, and God forbid if I hear any of their music!!

Well, time certainly did tell...since then I've become a humungous fan of all eras of Black Sabbath, from the Ozzy Osbourne days to the current Tony Martin lineup. Oh yes, I've also since renounced my Christian faith, but I can't say if that's related or not...

In addition to Ozzy and Dio, Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler have each done solo projects.

"Black Sabbath" (remastered edition)

  1. "Black Sabbath" (6:21)
  2. "The Wizard" (4:24)
  3. "Behind the Wall of Sleep" (3:37)
  4. "N.I.B." (6:07)
  5. "Evil Woman" (3:25)
  6. "Sleeping Village" (3:46)
  7. "The Warning" (10:32)
  8. "Wicked World" (4:42)

I guess buying the remastered version of this CD could be considered an act of consolidation. You see, originally I bought the rare Castle import, which included a bonus track "Evil Woman" (NOT the ELO song, but originally by a band named Crow), plus an extra live track from Live at Last (blah). Problem was, it did NOT include "Wicked World", so I had to buy a domestic copy for that song. Upgrading to a used copy of the remastered version cured that problem by combining ALL songs onto one CD, and leaving me with one extra slot on my wall. :)

Oh well...to talk about the music, it's a trippy album, no doubt about it! Listening to the ultra-long guitar solo in "Warning", it's hard to believe how raw and unrehearsed it is, and yet how perfect! This album's so dark, so entropic, it's no wonder that every metal, grunge, and/or industrial band in existence lists Black Sabbath as one of their key influences...

"Black Mass" (ltd. edition "blood pack" enhanced CD)

  1. "Paranoid" (2:49)
  2. "Black Sabbath" (6:34)
  3. "Iron Man" (6:00)
  4. "Blue Suede Shoes" (2:06)

This CD, released in January 2000, contains the famous "Beat Club" recordings of 4 classic Sabbath tracks, all done live, one take, no overdubs. The choicest selection here is "Blue Suede Shoes", which has NEVER been released before, on ANY official CD! Also, the CD includes a 16-minute movie file of the band performing all 4 songs -- "Paranoid" & "Iron Man" you've probably seen before, but the other two videos are exceedingly rare; I've only seen them once before, on the rock video show "Night Flight" back in '83, and unfortunately didn't have the foresight to tape them....once again, I have to reverse my anti-ECD stance on this one!! (Except that the video for "Blue Suede Shoes" seems MUCH too dark.) And to top it off, the CD comes encased in a "blood pack", a plastic sleeve filled with red liquid with bats floating around in it. Kind of annoying, though, since the CD won't fit into a standard CD holder w/ the blood pack in place, and it will probably dry out & be worthless in 10 years or so...

"Come to the Sabbath" (CDR bootleg; 12/20/70, The Olympia, Paris)

  1. "Paranoid" (3:08)
  2. "Hand of Doom/Rat Salad" (8:12)
  3. "Iron Man" (6:27)
  4. "Black Sabbath" (8:36)
  5. "N.I.B." (5:50)
  6. "Behind the Wall of Sleep" (5:24)
  7. "War Pigs" (7:58)
  8. "Fairies Wear Boots" (6:46)

One of the very earliest Black Sabbath performances on record, and certainly the best-sounding of this era. Two clips from the History of Black Sabbath VHS were taken from this show -- "N.I.B." (which does NOT mean "Nativity in Black", Bill Ward points out in that video) and "War Pigs", which features vastly different lyrics! (In fact, if you compare this version with the much earlier "Basement Tapes" from The Ozzman Cometh, you can really tell how the lyrics to the song evolved.) A few distortions here and there, and for some reason the band gets introduced twice, but those are minor quibbles. This bootleg also goes under the names "Copper", "Iron Men", and numerous other variations. Absolutely a must-have for Sabbath collectors.

"Paranoid"

  1. "War Pigs/Luke's Wall" (7:55)
  2. "Paranoid" (2:50)
  3. "Planet Caravan" (4:30)
  4. "Iron Man" (6:00)
  5. "Electric Funeral" (4:50)
  6. "Hand of Doom" (7:10)
  7. "Rat Salad"--instrumental (2:30)
  8. "Jack the Stripper/Fairies Wear Boots" (6:15)

This was the first Ozzy-era Sabbath record I ever bought, and at first I hated it--in fact, I tried to sell it to a heavy-metaler friend of mine, but of course he already had it... Well of course in time I came to appreciate it as the classic that it is. In fact I believe that every single song on this CD has been covered by other artists (see list below).

"Master of Reality"

  1. "Sweet Leaf" (5:02)
  2. "After Forever" (5:25)
  3. "Embryo"--instrumental (0:28)
  4. "Children of the Grave" (5:15)
  5. "Orchid"--instrumental (1:30)
  6. "Lord of this World" (5:24)
  7. "Solitude" (5:02)
  8. "Into the Void" (6:12)
  9. "Killing Yourself to Live"--live (5:30)

The crappy vinyl version of this record had the lyrics printed on the outside, which allowed me to discover that the song "After Forever" was a total pro-God song! Talk about breaking the illusion that Black Sabbath was a 100% Satanic band...I pointed it out to a Christian mentor of mine (in fact, she was the one who told me how "evil" this band was) and she said, "It must be some kind of joke." Well, that's an attitude to take. The way I look at it, art is art, and you can express whatever viewpoint you want, don't matter if you believe in it or not. (Or am I grandstanding here?)

Oops, almost forgot, this is the import version with a "bonus" track from Live at Last, not that it matters...

"Vol. 4"

  1. "Wheels of Confusion/The Straightener" (8:00)
  2. "Tomorrow's Dream" (3:08)
  3. "Changes" (4:41)
  4. "FX"--instrumental (1:41)
  5. "Supernaut" (4:43)
  6. "Snowblind" (5:28)
  7. "Cornucopia" (3:50)
  8. "Laguna Sunrise"--instrumental (2:50)
  9. "St. Vitus' Dance" (2:25)
  10. "Under the Sun/Every Day Comes and Goes" (5:52)

This was an album I bought when my Black Sabbath appreciation was reaching its peak. In the winter of '87 I was working graveyard security, and listening to this album while reading weird science fiction while the morning fog rolled in provided the perfect ambiance.

"Sabbath Bloody Sabbath"

  1. "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" (5:44)
  2. "A National Acrobat" (6:15)
  3. "Fluff"--instrumental (4:08)
  4. "Sabbra Cadabra" (5:57)
  5. "Killing Yourself to Live" (5:40)
  6. "Who Are You?" (4:11)
  7. "Looking for Today" (4:59)
  8. "Spiral Architect" (5:28)
  9. "Cornucopia"--live (3:53)

First I gotta say...GREAT album cover!! And the music is some of the best they've done too. ("Sabbra Cadabra" and "Spiral Architect" are my favorites.) It's a little-known fact that Rick Wakeman of Yes performed keyboards on this album--he's not listed in the credits. Once again, this is the import with the live song from yadayadayada who cares.

"Live at Last"

  1. "Tomorrow's Dream" (3:15)
  2. "Sweet Leaf" (5:22)
  3. "Killing Yourself to Live" (5:28)
  4. "Cornucopia" (4:04)
  5. "Snowblind" (4:40)
  6. "Children of the Grave" (4:31)
  7. "War Pigs" (7:37)
  8. "Wicked World" (18:59)
  9. "Paranoid" (3:09)

I remember getting this on crappy vinyl long before I owned many of the early Sabbath's records. My college dormmates laughed themselves silly over the guitar riffs & such (they were more New-Wave oriented, shows what they know.) Also I remember it skipping all to FUCK, which I guess is the "intimacy" of vinyl, yeah right gimme a CD copy as quick as you can! "Wicked World" contains a medley of other songs, though the only one I can remember right now is "Supernaut".

"Sabotage" (remastered edition)

  1. "Hole in the Sky" (4:00)
  2. "Don't Start (Too Late)"--instrumental (0:49)
  3. "Symptom of the Universe" (6:29)
  4. "Megalomania" (9:43)
  5. "The Thrill of it All" (5:55)
  6. "Supertzar" (3:44)
  7. "Am I Going Insane (Radio)" (4:16)
  8. "The Writ" (8:11)
  9. "Blow on a Jug"--unlisted, end of track #8 (0:32)

See my description for Vol. 4--same situation. The end of the crappy vinyl version contained a funny, honky-tonk piano jig called "Blow on a Jug", which was ommitted from the original CD version for unknown reasons. Thankfully, the "remastered" version fixes that heinous error.

"Live in '75" (2CDR bootleg; 8/6/75, Asbury Park, NJ)

    disc one:
  1. "Killing Yourself to Live" (6:10)
  2. "Hole in the Sky" (5:13)
  3. "Snowblind" (5:59)
  4. "Symptom of the Universe" (5:19)
  5. "War Pigs" (7:39)
  6. "Megalomania" (10:51)
    disc two:
  1. "Sabbra Cadabra" (incl. Jam & Drum Solo) (20:23)
  2. "Supernaut" (2:19)
  3. "Iron Man" (6:16)
  4. "Guitar Solo"--instrumental (8:46)
    • Orchid
    • Rock 'n' Roll Doctor
    • Don't Start (Too Late)
  5. "Black Sabbath" (6:47)
  6. "Spiral Architect" (4:34)
  7. "Children of the Grave" (5:40)
  8. "Paranoid" (4:07)

Oh my! Never in my life have I heard a bootleg that was so clear, so perfect-sounding. (Indeed, it appeares that King Biscuit remastered it themselves for an official release, but for some reason never put it out.) The choice tracks, of course, are the ones from Sabotage, plus a rare performance of "Sabbra Cadabra" (which includes a jam suspiciously similar to the one following "Wicked World" on Live at Last...) Three of these songs, including "Megalomania", were culled from this show to help fill up the 2nd CD of that money-grubbing archive release called Past Lives (which is just Live at Last remastered with an extra disc of various live tracks...see below for my thoughts on that travesty.) Apparently some versions of this bootleg feature a couple extra tracks from other shows, including the ONLY KNOWN RECORDING of Dave Walker (who briefly replaced Ozzy during the Never Say Die sessions) performing "Junior's Eyes". Now THAT is something I'd kill my own mother for!!!

"Technical Ecstasy"

  1. "Back Street Kids" (3:46)
  2. "You Won't Change Me" (6:34)
  3. "It's Alright" (3:58)
  4. "Gypsy" (5:10)
  5. "All Moving Parts (Stand Still)" (4:59)
  6. "Rock'n'Roll Doctor" (3:25)
  7. "She's Gone" (4:51)
  8. "Dirty Women" (7:15)

Umm...well, this album SUCKS, plain and simple. Only bought it to fill up the collection, which shows you how obsessive I am...

"Never Say Die"

  1. "Never Say Die" (3:47)
  2. "Johnny Blade" (6:27)
  3. "Junior's Eyes" (6:41)
  4. "A Hard Road" (6:03)
  5. "Shock Wave" (5:13)
  6. "Air Dance" (5:15)
  7. "Over to You" (5:21)
  8. "Breakout"--instrumental (2:36)
  9. "Swinging the Chain" (4:18)

The last album with Ozzy, and though only "Never Say Die" got popular, there really are quite a few great songs here! "Junior's Eyes" and "A Hard Road" rank among my favorites, and they sound totally un-Sabbathlike. "Shock Wave" is a powerhouse as well, and so is the opening riff to "Air Dance"...well, you get my drift. Definitely the band's most underrated album.

"Heaven and Hell"

  1. "Neon Knights" (3:49)
  2. "Children of the Sea" (5:30)
  3. "Lady Evil" (4:22)
  4. "Heaven and Hell" (6:56)
  5. "Wishing Well" (4:02)
  6. "Die Young" (4:41)
  7. "Walk Away" (4:21)
  8. "Lonely is the Word" (5:49)

The start of the Ronnie James Dio era, and for me what defined Black Sabbath in musical terms. Though I had heard the song "Die Young" years before and hated it, it didn't sound too bad when I first heard the album in its entirety. Actually, heavy metal music had always had a draw on me, especially the "spooky-sounding" variety, and this album delivered almost exactly what I had been looking for! (Until Bathory came along, of course!)

"Sabbath Day's Journey" (CDR bootleg; 11/18/80, Sun Plaza Hall, Tokyo)

  1. "Neon Knights" (5:28)
  2. "N.I.B." (5:11)
  3. "Children of the Sea" (6:07)
  4. "Sweet Leaf" (9:57)
  5. "Black Sabbath" (8:40)
  6. "Heaven and Hell" (10:09)
  7. "Iron Man" (7:09)

Ugh...the sound on this bootleg is ATROCIOUS, totally distant and distorted, with annoyingly high-pictched, tinny sound throughout. I only got it for the live version of "Lady Evil", which is listed on the liner notes, but...guess what...does NOT appear on the album! As for the show itself, well, it's not much different from Live Evil, except that Ronnie gets a chance to sing "Sweet Leaf" (with a drum solo where "Lady Evil" should be...grr.) Apparently there's another boot from this show called Angel and Demon, with MUCH better sound and a complete tracklist. Gotta get that one, as this one's undeniably one of the worst bootlegs ever made.

"Mob Rules"

  1. "Turn Up the Night" (3:42)
  2. "Voodoo" (4:32)
  3. "The Sign of the Southern Cross" (7:46)
  4. "E5150"--instrumental (2:54)
  5. "The Mob Rules" (3:14)
  6. "Country Girl" (4:02)
  7. "Slipping Away" (3:45)
  8. "Falling off the Edge of the World" (5:02)
  9. "Over and Over" (5:28)

Despite containing a few hands-down classic tunes, this album isn't really the greatest. In fact, "Country Girl" and "Slipping Away" are some of the worst tunes Ronnie James Dio has ever come up with, and that includes his solo work! (OUCH! That was low...:)

"Live Evil" (2CD version)

    disc one:
  1. "E5150"--instrumental (2:21)
  2. "Neon Knights" (4:36)
  3. "N.I.B." (5:09)
  4. "Children of the Sea" (6:08)
  5. "Voodoo" (5:37)
  6. "Black Sabbath" (9:09)
  7. "War Pigs" (9:19)
  8. "Iron Man" (7:29)
    disc two:
  1. "The Mob Rules" (3:45)
  2. "Heaven and Hell" (12:29)
  3. "The Sign of the Southern Cross/Heaven and Hell (continued)" (7:15)
  4. "Paranoid" (3:46)
  5. "Children of the Grave" (5:25)
  6. "Fluff"--instrumental (0:59)

Originally I purchased the remastered version of this CD, which squeezed all the songs onto a single disc...well, someone informed me that the way they made it fit on one CD was by cutting out ALL of Ronnie Dio's spoken introductions! I listened to it again, and dammit, he was right!!! Luckily, the CD was defective (in fact, it was the SECOND defective copy that CDNow had sent me), so I sent it back to CDNow and told 'em where to shove it!

As for the music...well, it's Sabbath live with Dio, what more do you want?? Although I do like how the characters on the cover each represent a different song. :)

"Born Again"

  1. "Trashed" (4:10)
  2. "Stonehenge"--instrumental (1:57)
  3. "Disturbing the Priest" (5:48)
  4. "The Dark"--instrumental (0:31)
  5. "Zero the Hero" (7:45)
  6. "Digital Bitch" (3:35)
  7. "Born Again" (6:30)
  8. "Hot Line" (4:50)
  9. "Keep it Warm" (5:34)

This one-off with Deep Purple's Ian Gillan was the point where I first took real notice of Black Sabbath and their personnel, and for a while thought this lineup was the definitive one. (I even designed a Dungeons & Dragons module based on "The Realm of Heavy Metal", and Ian Gillan was the lord master of them all...in fact, I think I called him "Ian Gommi" or something dumb like that!) By the time I actually heard the music, though, Heaven and Hell had its clammy grip on me, and this album quickly followed suit! It's still one of my favorites, even though Ian quit the band in protest because he hated the mix. Also it was one of the HARDEST Black Sabbath CDs to find, since it was never released in the U.S. I bought a used copy for $14 and considered myself lucky! Of course now I see it everywhere...ah well.

"Black and Purple" (2CDR bootleg; 10/20/83, Le Coliseum, Quebec City)

    disc one:
  1. "Children of the Grave" (6:44)
  2. "Hot Line" (5:08)
  3. "War Pigs" (8:06)
  4. "Supernaut" (2:36)
  5. "Drum Solo" (5:23)
  6. "Rock 'n' Roll Doctor" (4:37)
    disc two:
  1. "Disturbing the Priest" (7:57)
  2. "Iron Man" (8:53)
  3. "Zero the Hero" (8:57)
  4. "Heaven and Hell" (7:40)
  5. "Guitar Solo" (5:19)
  6. "Digital Bitch" (3:23)
  7. "Black Sabbath" (7:50)
  8. "Smoke on the Water" (6:22)
  9. "Paranoid" (4:16)

Okay, forget what I said about Sabbath Day's Journey...THIS is the world's worst-sounding bootleg, hands down!! I swear, it sounds like somebody recorded the show using Edison's original phonograph, copied it 500 times, then pissed on it for good measure. Even with ears like mine that are accustomed to poor-sounding bootlegs, this one is so terrible that it's literally impossible to listen to. Not only that, the track breaks are scattered all over the place, often in the middle of songs instead of between them. (Which made checking the time lengths an exercise in self-flaggelation!) The only saving grace here is "Rock and Roll Doctor" and "Disturbing the Priest", which don't appear on the far superior bootleg Purple Sabbath...but let me tell ya, I'm one step away from flushing this trash down the toilet anyway.

"Purple Sabbath: Definitive Edition" (CDR; 11/4/83, The Centrum, Worchester MA)

  1. "Captured Live Intro" (1:12)
  2. "Black Sabbath Intro (Supertzar)"--instrumental (2:20)
  3. "Children of the Grave" (5:05)
  4. "Hot Line" (5:01)
  5. "War Pigs" (7:30)
  6. "Iron Man" (8:59)
  7. "Zero the Hero" (7:46)
  8. "Heaven and Hell" (8:42)
  9. "Guitar Solo" (8:42)
  10. "Digital Bitch" (3:51)
  11. "Black Sabbath" (7:52)
  12. "Smoke on the Water" (5:18)
  13. "Paranoid" (3:51)

Ah, this is more like it. A brilliant-sounding radio broadcast from the Gillan tour (which has been remastered directly from the original source tapes, so it sounds just as good as a professional release!) which features most of the key tracks from that tour -- "Hot Line", "Zero the Hero", and a Sabbathed-up version of Deep Purple's "Smoke on the Water". Too bad it doesn't include the full setlist, as "Disturbing the Priest" and "Rock'n'Roll Doctor" are cut, but I'm not sure if they were performed that night anyway. No matter, this one's required listening for any bootleg collector!

"Live in U.S.A." (CDR bootleg; various sources)

    8/10/80, Hartford Civic Center, CT:
  1. "War Pigs" (7:56)
  2. "Neon Knights" (5:11)
  3. "Children of the Sea" (6:25)
  4. "Heaven and Hell" (11:47)
  5. "Die Young" (4:34)
    11/4/83, The Centrum, Worcester MS:
  6. "Children of the Grave" (7:20)
  7. "Hot Line" (5:01)
  8. "Zero the Hero" (7:41)
  9. "Smoke on the Water" (5:08)
  10. "Paranoid" (3:30)

This bootleg compiles two radio shows, one from the Dio era, one with Gillan. The Dio section is perfect A+ soundboard, although it's hampered by the fact that most of the songs were done already on Live Evil (except "Die Young", which is sweet.) The Gillian tracks, though, are not so stellar. It's soundboard/FM, but FULL of nasty static that grates on your brain very quickly. (At least it's better than "Black and Purple"!)

"Star of India" (CDR bootleg; Jeff Feinholt demos)

  1. "Star of India (Seventh Star, Take 1)" (6:19)
  2. "Take My Heart (No Stranger to Love, Take 1)" (4:33)
  3. "Eye of the Storm (Turn to Stone, Take 1)" (3:13)
  4. "Love on the Line (Heart Like a Wheel)" (4:51)
  5. "Star of India (Seventh Star, Take 2)" (5:36)
  6. "Chance on Love (Danger Zone)" (4:24)
  7. "Take My Heart (No Stranger to Love, Take 2)" (6:32)
  8. "Eye of the Storm (Turn to Stone, Take 2)" (3:14)
  9. "Star of India (Seventh Star, Take 3)" (5:17)

During the late 80's and early 90's, this mullet-headed guy named Jeff Feinholt began making the rounds on all the Fundamentalist Christian TV networks, billing himself as "the former Black Sabbath singer", which of course caused major confusion among Sabbath fans who had never HEARD of this asshole before. Well, as it turns out, he never was an official member, but he did audition for the band prior to Seventh Star, and this collection of rough demos proves it. Most of the lyrics are totally different from what eventually showed up on the album, and while he doesn't have a bad voice, it's clear that he's not for the band. An interesting piece of Sabbath history, but that's all really.

"Seventh Star"

  1. "In for the Kill" (3:48)
  2. "No Stranger to Love" (4:28)
  3. "Turn to Stone" (3:28)
  4. "Sphinx (The Guardian)"--instrumental (1:12)
  5. "Seventh Star" (5:20)
  6. "Danger Zone" (4:26)
  7. "Heart Like a Wheel" (6:36)
  8. "Angry Heart" (3:06)
  9. "In Memory..." (2:36)

Actually, the #1 hardest Black Sabbath CD to find--even new--is this one, which was never released domestically. In fact it's not really a Black Sabbath album, since it started out as a Tony Iommi solo project, with ex-Deep Purple bassist Glenn Hughes on vocals (why that guy dumped the bass for lead vocals I will never know) and *no* other Sabbath members! The sound is almost COMPLETELY changed, awash with keyboards and muffled drums/guitars -- in fact, it sounds a helluva lot like Phenomena, the band project Glenn Hughes had just completed (especially on "No Stranger to Love".) Which is odd when you think about it, because Phenomena was such a totally awesome album, whereas I didn't cotton to this one at all.

(Oh, check the Glenn Hughes section for some more rare material from this era, including a live bootleg...I would have included them here, but...)

"Eternal Gillen: The Eternal Idol Demos" (bootleg)

  1. "The Shining" (6:37)
  2. "Ancient Warrior" (5:42)
  3. "Hard Life to Love" (5:31)
  4. "Glory Ride" (5:24)
  5. "Born to Lose" (3:45)
  6. "Nightmare" (3:38)
  7. "Lost Forever" (4:20)
  8. "Eternal Idol" (6:49)
  9. "Danger Zone"--live (5:31)
  10. "War Pigs"--live (8:50)
  11. "Heart Like a Wheel"--live (6:16)
  12. "Symptom of the Universe/Sweet Leaf"--live (5:02)
  13. "Neon Knighs"--live (5:33)

Ray Gillen is the "forgotten" lead singer of Black Sabbath...he never appeared on any official album, and was with the band only for a short time between Seventh Star and Eternal Idol, ultimately leaving for the band Badlands. During that time, however, he did record vocals for the entire Eternal Idol album, as shown here (with a few live tracks thrown in for good measure.) The sound is kinda "hinky", sounding very trebly & distorted, and "Nightmare" seems to be missing half the song. (The live tracks, recorded in San Antonio, Texas, on 4/28/86, are a bit better.) So how many versions of "War Pigs" am I up to now?? 13? 14?

"The Eternal Idol"

  1. "The Shining" (5:58)
  2. "Ancient Warrior" (5:34)
  3. "Hard Life to Love" (5:00)
  4. "Glory Ride" (4:48)
  5. "Born to Lose" (3:43)
  6. "Nightmare" (5:17)
  7. "Scarlet Pimpernel"--instrumental (2:07)
  8. "Lost Forever" (4:00)
  9. "Eternal Idol" (6:35)

Of all the Tony Martin albums, this one is by far the BEST--in fact, I consider it on par with many of the best Ozzy and Dio albums! "The Shining", "Ancient Warrior", "Lost Forever"...all are among my favorite tunes. Interestingly, I've heard a lot of people say this is one of their LEAST favorites...

"Headless Cross"

  1. "The Gates of Hell"--instrumental (1:06)
  2. "Headless Cross" (6:28)
  3. "Devil & Daughter" (4:39)
  4. "When Death Calls" (6:56)
  5. "Kill in the Spirit World" (5:09)
  6. "Call of the Wild" (5:18)
  7. "Black Moon" (4:05)
  8. "Nightwing" (6:32)

This album isn't really bad, it's just real plain-sounding. This is also where Cozy Powell (of Rainbow, Whitesnake, etc.) came into the band. Apparently they were looking for more "star power." Also it's the earliest Black Sabbath album that I've never owned on crappy vinyl.

For awhile I had my eye on the super-rare "Black Moon" CD single, which had the super-rare b-side "Cloak & Dagger", but when Napster kicked into high gear I was able to get in on mp3 and add it to the Digital Puppy #6 collection. (Actually, I think it wasn't until Audiogalaxy that I finally located a decent copy...I do know that "Some Kind of Woman", a crappy vinyl-only b-side from Eternal Idol, came from there.)

"TYR"

  1. "Anno Mundi" (6:12)
  2. "The Law Maker" (3:53)
  3. "Jerusalem" (3:59)
  4. "The Sabbath Stones" (6:46)
  5. "The Battle of Tyr"--instrumental (1:08)
  6. "Odin's Court" (2:41)
  7. "Valhalla" (4:42)
  8. "Feels Good to Me" (5:44)
  9. "Heaven in Black" (4:05)

I haven't listened to this album much, and can't remember much about it except my impression was it's a lot better than Headless Cross. I seem to remember the bassist was Neil Murray (hey, another Whitesnake dude! These guys must be real tight) but don't quote me on that.

"Wolverhampton 1990" (2CDR; 9/1/90, Civic Hall, Wolverhampton, UK)

    disc one:
  1. "Ave Satani/Gates of Hell"--instrumental (2:49)
  2. "Ammo Mundi" (6:23)
  3. "Neon Knights" (5:53)
  4. "Headless Cross" (6:13)
  5. "When Death Calls" (6:45)
  6. "War Pigs" (7:54)
  7. "The Shining" (5:49)
  8. "Bass Solo" (1:33)
  9. "Heart Like a Wheel" (2:37)
  10. "Guitar Solo/Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (intro)" (3:40)
  11. "Lawmaker" (3:45)
  12. "Battle of Tyr"--instrumental (1:25)
  13. "Sabbath Stones" (6:57)
  14. "The Planets: Mars, the Bringer of War"--instrumental (10:56)
    disc two:
  1. "Odin's Court" (3:05)
  2. "The Sign of the Southern Cross" (1:09)
  3. "Feels Good to Me" (6:31)
  4. "Iron Man" (5:18)
  5. "Children of the Grave" (7:20)
  6. "Black Sabbath" (9:26)
  7. "Guitar Solo" (2:35)
  8. "Die Young" (7:53)
  9. "Heaven and Hell" (10:50)
  10. "Paranoid" (4:51)

A very good audience recording from the first concert of the "TYR" tour. Many songs, such as "Heart Like a Wheel", "Odin's Court", and "Feels Good to Me" were played only at this show, which automatically makes it the most desirable bootleg from this era. :) There's a few glitches and hiccups here and there, and "Children of the Grave" is HORRIBLE quality for some reason, but for the most part all instruments and voices are quite clear. I especially love how Cozy Powell eschews his drum solo for a heavy metal rendition of "Mars, the Bringer of War", accompanied by Geoff Nichols on keyboards, so in essence it's an Emerson, Lake & Powell cover. :)

"Dehumanizer"

  1. "Computer God" (6:10)
  2. "After All (The Dead)" (5:37)
  3. "T.V. Crimes" (3:58)
  4. "Letters from Earth" (4:12)
  5. "Master of Insanity" (5:54)
  6. "Time Machine" (4:10)
  7. "Sins of the Father" (4:43)
  8. "Too Late" (6:54)
  9. "I" (5:10)
  10. "Buried Alive" (4:47)
  11. "Time Machine" (Wayne's World version) (4:18)

The much-touted "reunion" album with the classic Ronnie Dio lineup. Well, at the time Dio had just put out Lock Up the Wolves, and compared to that, this album sounds pretty good! It ain't a hands-down classic like so many other Sabbath releases, but still a solid, respectable piece of work, one I even might have bought if it wasn't Black Sabbath. :)

"Hexensabbath" (CDR bootleg; 8/9/92, Orpheum Theater, Boston)

  1. "The Mob Rules" (3:40)
  2. "Computer God" (6:03)
  3. "Children of the Sea" (6:56)
  4. "Time Machine" (4:44)
  5. "War Pigs" (8:04)
  6. "Neon Knights" (4:58)
  7. "I" (6:34)
  8. "Die Young" (4:59)
  9. "Heaven and Hell" (10:46)
  10. "Iron Man" (7:22)
  11. "Paranoid" (3:47)

Well, here's Reunion Tour #1. :) Good quality sound (SB), with a few new Dehumanizer tracks featured, plus of course the old Dio-era standards. (I wonder how much they had to bribe him to sing "Paranoid" and "Iron Man" every night? LOL.) The drawback? It's only half the show. To fix that, I'll have to track down the boot called As Darkness Hits.

"Ozzy Meets the Priest" (CDR, mp3 src; 11/15/92, Costa Mesa, CA)

  1. "Mob Rules" (4:36)
  2. "Children of the Grave" (5:38)
  3. "Children of the Sea" (6:34)
  4. "Symptom of the Universe" (6:09)
  5. "N.I.B." (6:36)
  6. "Die Young" (4:29)
  7. "Into the Void" (6:13)
  8. "Heaven and Hell" (7:12)
  9. "Sweet Leaf" (2:23)
  10. "Neon Knights" (5:05)
  11. "Black Sabbath"--Ozzy Osbourne vocals (6:44)
  12. "Fairies Wear Boots"--Ozzy Osbourne vocals (5:48)

Now here's were it gets REALLY interesting. After Dio rejoined Sabbath, it didn't take long for the old rivalries and ego-chafing to occur, and things got exponentially worse when Black Sabbath booked two extra shows in Costa Mesa, Calif., in support of Ozzy Osbourne! Naturally, Ronnie was LIVID at the thought of playing fifth wheel to what was obstensibly a Mark #1 reunion, and since his contract with the band only lasted through the 13th, he invoked his exit clause and returned to his day job. Which, of course, created a major problem -- who would fill in on vocals? Why, none other than Rob Halford, recently unemployed from Judas Priest! And considering what short notice it must have been, he pulls it off admirably, especially on the songs "Die Young", "Neon Knights", and "Symptom of the Universe", which I swear would make you think they were MADE for Halford's voice. (He does miss his cue on "Children of the Grave", which is pretty fucking funny.)

I should point out, though, that this is NOT the typical Ozzy Meets the Priest bootleg that's making the rounds. It's all from mp3s, and the dickhead owner of that FTP site cut off my access before I could get "Iron Man" or "Paranoid" (after promising "unlimited access"...sheeya, right!) So I'm missing those two songs from the "Ozzy Reunion" portion; on the bright side, this one does have "Mob Rules", which is NOT on the regular "Ozzy/Priest" bootleg! I also took GREAT care in burning this CDR to eliminate any noises or glitches between tracks, and I'm quite proud of myself for that, thank you. :) (I've looked around for the missing two tracks, but not too hard...how many copies of "Iron Man" and "Paranoid" does one need in this life???)

Oh yeah, the sound. Audience and somewhat distant, but free of any serious mastering glitches, and not all that bad once you get used to it. 'Tis a shame that no better recording exists of this concert, because it was indeed a very special moment in the history of Black Sabbath.

"Cross Purposes"

  1. "I Witness" (4:58)
  2. "Cross of Thorns" (4:34)
  3. "Psychophobia" (3:14)
  4. "Virtual Death" (5:49)
  5. "Immaculate Deception" (4:15)
  6. "Dying for Love" (5:53)
  7. "Back to Eden" (3:57)
  8. "The Hand that Rocks the Cradle" (4:30)
  9. "Cardinal Sin" (4:21)
  10. "Evil Eye"(6:05)

Up until this CD came out, I had bought into the rumor that Ozzy had permanently rejoined Sabbath, so finding out it was Tony Martin again was a real letdown. And like most of the Tony Martin releases, it's real plain-sounding. "Back to Eden" is a stand-out track though, one I can hum along to. I think Geezer Butler was still in the band at this point, but certainly not afterwards. (He left to form g//z/r instead.)

"Cross Purposes Live" (CDR)

  1. "Time Machine" (5:07)
  2. "Children of the Grave" (5:24)
  3. "I Witness" (5:04)
  4. "Into the Void" (6:39)
  5. "Black Sabbath" (8:12)
  6. "Psychophobia" (3:03)
  7. "Wizard" (4:42)
  8. "Cross of Thorns" (4:43)
  9. "Symptom of the Universe" (7:32)
  10. "Headless Cross" (5:34)
  11. "Paranoid" (5:13)
  12. "Iron Man" (3:27)
  13. "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" (6:11)

An official, limited edition live release that was originally accompanied by a video of the same show. Of course, it went right out of print long before I'd even found out about it, which makes it super rare & expensive these days! (My CDR copy is just to tide me over, until I can afford to spend big money on rare CDs again.) The track listing seems a bit mixed up, but ain't that normal for major label releases? Sigh. Tony Martin's got a great live voice, and hits all the right notes on the "classic" songs.

"Forbidden"

  1. "The Illusion of Power" (4:54)
  2. "Get a Grip" (3:59)
  3. "Can't Get Close Enough" (4:28)
  4. "Shaking off the Chains" (4:04)
  5. "I Won't Cry for You" (4:48)
  6. "Guilty as Hell" (3:28)
  7. "Sick and Tired" (3:31)
  8. "Rusty Angels" (5:00)
  9. "Forbidden" (3:49)
  10. "Kiss of Death" (6:09)

The interesting fact here is that this album was produced by Ernie C. of Body Count, and Ice-T co-wrote and "raps" on the first track! Didn't help improve the sound much, and while "Rusty Angels" is a fine song, the rest is pure filler.

The Japanese import added a bonus track "Loser Gets It All", which was also released domestically on the compilation The Sabbath Stones, and I *would* have bought that album, if only they'd also added "What's the Use", a bonus track exclusive to the Jap. import of Cross Purposes!! Geez, you record company people DON'T know how to get it right, do you?? (Both songs are on the Digital Puppy #6 collection.)

"Reunion" (dbl live CD)

    disc one:
  1. "War Pigs" (8:28)
  2. "Behind the Wall of Sleep" (4:07)
  3. "N.I.B." (6:45)
  4. "Fairies Wear Boots" (6:19)
  5. "Electric Funeral" (5:02)
  6. "Sweet Leaf" (5:07)
  7. "Spiral Architect" (5:40)
  8. "Into the Void" (6:32)
  9. "Snowblind" (6:08)
    disc two:
  1. "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" (4:36)
  2. "Orchid/Lord of this World" (7:07)
  3. "Dirty Women" (6:29)
  4. "Black Sabbath" (7:29)
  5. "Iron Man" (8:21)
  6. "Children of the Grave" (6:30)
  7. "Paranoid" (4:28)
  8. "Psycho Man"--studio track (5:18)
  9. "Selling My Soul"--studio track (3:10)

Jeez, you'd think that after 20 years, they'd come up with a more original title? :-P No matter...this is ESSENTIAL live Sabbath, featuring the much-ballyhooed original lineup of Ozzy, Geezer, Tony & Bill. And my, but don't they sound as fresh and vigorous as they did thirty years ago! (Except, perhaps, on "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath", where Ozzy doesn't even bother trying to hit the high notes.) Quite a few surprises here -- "Behind the Wall of Sleep" (complete with Geezer's "Bassically" solo), "Electric Funeral", "Dirty Women" (blah), and, most excitingly, "Spiral Architect" (one of my FAVORITE of all Sab songs!) I will admit, however, I am TOTALLY SICK of hearing "Iron Man"/"Children of the Grave"/"Paranoid" closing every fucking Ozzy and/or Black Sabbath live album since the beginning of mankind!

Which brings me to the studio tracks...well, all I can say is that up til this point, I was hoping this album meant a full-fledged Sabbath mk. I reunion. Now I'm hoping it's NOT. I'm serious. They sound like crappy outtakes from Ozzmosis.


Here's a list of Black Sabbath songs that have been covered by other bands (not counting live solo versions by Ozzy & Dio, of course.) Funny how right after I put up a notice that I was no longer maintaining this list, I started maintaining this list again.

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