History
Often imitated - but never
surpassed - since it’s inception
nin 1969, Black Sabbath has
become one of the most influential
bands in the field of contemporary
rock music. The original lineup of
Tony Iommi, Ozzy Osbourne,
Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward
spawned classics like Paranoid,
War Pigs, Iron Man, & many
others, which were to case a long,
dark shadow over the
development of a wide diversity of
subsequent groups, rom Pantera
to Body Count.
Despite line up changes over the
years, Black Sabbath has
continued to dominate the field of
hard rock. With band mainstay
Tony Iommi universally
acknowledged as the world’s
leading guitarist in the mem met,
each successive Sabbath album
has contained work that has
excited and intrigued his peers -
as well as inspiring millions of air
guitar players to snatch up their
tennis racquets and post in front
of the bedroom mirror! I.R.S’s
signing of Sabbath towards the
end of the 80’s was the opening of
a new phase for the band, and
The Sabbath Stones recalls some
of the milestones of it’s most
recent career.
Having teamed up with awesome
vocalist Tony Martin for 1987’s
The Eternal Idol album, Iommi
recruited powerhouse rhythm
section Cozy Powell (drums) and
Neil Murray (bass) to record the
band’s IRS debut, the majestic,
broad sweeping Headless Cross,
released in 1989 to much critical
acclaim. (Ed Note: Wrong.
Headless Cross did not have Neil
Murray on Bass. Neil didn’t join
until after the album was already
finished). The band followed
through consistently with the
equally popular Tyr, which under
the lyrical direction of Tony Martin,
largely abandoned it’s traditional
focus on the occult to delve into
the world of myth and legend.
Sabbath received a setback in
1991 Cozy suffered a serious
riding accident which put him out
of action for several months, but
in the interim Iommi recorded the
1983 lineup of the band, (Ed Note:
Wrong. This lineup broke up in
late 1982) with fellow founder
Geezer Butler back on bass,
vocalist Ronnie James Dio and
drummer Vinnie Appice. (Ed Note:
Wrong. It’s spelled Vinny) They
recorded one album together,
1992’s Dehumanizer, from which
TV Crimes was released as a
single, becoming a top 30 hit in the
UK.
Moves to reunite Black Sabbath’s
original lineup led to the departure
of Dio and Appice and when the
reformation proved abortive,
Iommi invited Tony Martin to rejoin
the band and, together with Bobby
Rondinelli on drums and Butler on
bass, they recorded Cross
Purposes in 1994. (Ed Note:
Wrong. It was recorded in 1993,
and released in Jan 1994).
By 1995, with Neil Murray and
Cozy Powell both at a loose end
following the end of a lengthy world
tour with Brian May, Iommi
decided to put the powerful
Headless Cross/Tyr team back
together again - but this time with
a difference. Instead of Iommi &
Powell producing themselves, they
handed over the reins to long tim
fan and Body Count member
Ernie C, who gave their last album
for I.R.S., Forbidden, a forceful
stripped down sound that bought
the band right up to date for the
mid nineties.
In addition to a selection of music
from the albums recorded during
their deal with I.R.S, The Sabbath
Stones also includes four bonus
tracks for fans. Disturbing the
Priest is taken from Born Again,
the 1983 album which saw the
world’s legendary rock vocalist -
Ian Gillan - and Heart Like a
Wheel originally featured on the
blues Seventh Star, with Glenn
Hughes on vocals. The Shining
marked Tony Martin’s debut with
the band on The Eternal Idol, and
has since become a perennial live
favourite, while Loser Gets it All
was recorded during the
Forbidden sessions and despite
being a personal favourite of Tony
Iommi’s, has previously only been
released on the Japanese
pressing of that album.
The Sabbath Stones marks the
end of an era in the history of
Black Sabbath, while a new
chapter is just about to open.
Whatever the future brings, one
thing is for certain: the works of
Black Sabbath will continue to be
the benchmark by which hard and
heavy music is judged.
