Black Sabbath-"Heaven And Hell" 1980
In 1979, after a decade together, Black Sabbath and Goofy Osbourne parted ways. While Osbourne went to Los Angeles to scout for new players in which to start his solo career [and subsequently finding Randy Rhoads, the man responsible for Osbourne`s solo success, whether anyone agrees or not!], the remaining members [Geezer Butler, Bill Ward, and Tony Iommi] set about finding a new frontman. Even though some "fans" found the idea of anyone BUT Osbourne doing the vocals for Sabbath as nothing short of blasphemy, the band enlisted the former Elf/Rainbow member Ronnie James Dio as the new voice of Black Sabbath. Imagine that, someone in Sabbath that could actually SING! "Heaven and Hell" was released in the Spring of 1980 and was quickly embrace by re-awakening Metal populace [ Also released the same year; AC/DC`s "Back in Black", Judas Priest`s "British Steel", Scorpions "Animal Magnetism", Iron Maiden`s 1st album, Motorhead`s "Ace Of Spades". And the NWOBHM was in full swing, as well. Not a bad year!]. The album revived Sabbath`s career with a vengeance. The bands`s demonic overtones, coupled with the medieval imagery that Dio brought to the songwriting, helped make "Heaven and Hell" one the THE most popular [and highest quality] of Sabbath`s history, with the title track becoming a Sabbath signature piece! Every cut on this one is a winner, through and through. Sadly, `twas not to last; in 1981, the Sabs released "Mob Rules", a rather unfocused album, despite the presence of several strong tracks in the title song [I liked the version that appeared on the "Heavy Metal" soundtrack better, as Dio`s vocals are more aggressive, but hey, that`s just me!], "Sign Of The Southern Cross", and "Turn Up The Night". A lackluster live album was released towards the end of `82. During the production phase of the live disc, Dio accused Iommi and Butler of mixing down the vocals when he was not around, and visa versa. [Bill Ward left shortly after the recording of "Heaven and Hell" after due to "health reasons" was replaced by Vinnie Appice, Carmine`s younger brother] The situation between the band had been deteriorating for a while, and Dio exited the band soon after. Which left the remaining members back where they started from. Which leads us to.......
Black Sabbath-"Born Again" 1983
When Sabbath announced it had enlisted the services of ex-Deep Purple vocalist Ian Gillan, many in the music press were skeptical, to say the least. What the HELL was the band going to sound like? Do we call it "Black Purple" or "Deep Sabbath"? And it WAS an unusual move. Drummer Bill Ward re-joined the band, and this latest version of the Sabs spent the summer of `83 recording "Born Again". In addition to a cool cover [and despite crappy production!], "Born Again" was a solid slab `o Sab, featuring some of the best Iommi riffage EVER! "Zero The Hero" is as godlike as anything he`s ever come up with. Other goodies include the spooky-ass "Disturbing The Priest", "Digital Bitch", "Trashed", and the title track. The band headlined the Reading Festival later that summer [this fest was also the final live appearance for Thin Lizzy] and later toured extensively in Europe and North America. And just like clockwork, Ward AGAIN left for "health reasons" after recording the album. His replacement for the tour was fellow Birmingham native Bev Bevan of ELO fame [!?]. On the surface, perhaps, this was another odd choice. But Bevan played Hard Rock in the late `60`s & early `70`s with The Move; in fact, he got the nickname "the Birmingham Bruiser" because he was well known for denting the drum rims! "Born Again" did quite well, actually, reaching #4 on the charts, and live the band confounded critics by being much better than expected. Gillan`s powerhouse pipes not only brought the new material vividly to life, but also added a new dimension to Sabbath classics like "Heaven And Hell", "Black Sabbath", "Iron Man", among others. Some controversy arose when the band decided to include "Smoke On The Water" in the live set as well. I once recorded a live broadcast from this tour, and the Sabbath version sounded excellent, as did the older Sabbath tunes; wish I still had that tape! Sadly, this lineup was not to last, either. After the tour, Gillan left to join the reunited Deep Purple MK 2, and the Heavy Metal soap opera that is Black Sabbath continued..........