Black Sabbath-Heaven and Hell was released 38yrs ago today.
The 100 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time...says Rolling Stone 😛 😉
37. Black Sabbath, 'Heaven and Hell' (1980)
Black Sabbath without Ozzy Osbourne was a nearly unimaginable thought during the first decade of the band's existence, but by 1979 the group was running out of patience with the singer's growing unreliability and chronic drug abuse (two closely related issues), so they fired him. Virtually nobody on earth was qualified to fill his shoes besides former Rainbow singer Ronnie James Dio, a diminutive man with one of the biggest voices in metal. "He could get really high and clear, but it always sounded thick and powerful," James Hetfield told Rolling Stone after Dio's death in 2010. "He sounded like he was eight feet tall even though he was quite the opposite." Dio's presence breathed new life into Black Sabbath – who had been slowly fading throughout the late Seventies – and led to incredible new tunes like the regal "Heaven and Hell," the hard-charging "Neon Knights" and the dramatic "Die Young." Dio was a lyricist, so he took some of the pressure off bassist Geezer Butler, and in the process gave the band an unprecedented grandeur. Suddenly, the group had a whole new generation of fans too young to remember the original Ozzy era in the early 1970s. "Everyone had that record," Hetfield said. "Everyone was playing the cover songs in garage bands, including me. 'Neon Knights' was like the school anthem." Black Sabbath carried on for decades more, with an endless parade of singers, but they never again quite recaptured the rejuvenated spirit of Heaven and Hell. A.G.
Everyone has a plan, till you get punched in the face,
One of, if not the, greatest examples of a band trying to replace an essential iconic member and succeeding beyond anyone's wildest expectations. Not easy to do.
What a great album, great sound. I love Mob Rules also.
One of, if not the, greatest examples of a band trying to replace an essential iconic member and succeeding beyond anyone's wildest expectations. Not easy to do.
What a great album, great sound. I love Mob Rules also.
Me too. I've loaded both into my CD player and hit shuffle. 
AMEN Brothers!!!!
Slipping Away
Everyone has a plan, till you get punched in the face,
I agree with most of that review, except the final statement. They hit the magic again the next year with Mob Rules. In some ways, Mob Rules is crunchier and heavier and sounds even more like Sabbath (though without Bill Ward). Both are tremendous records. Who would have though that when Ozzy was fired, we would have gotten Heaven & Hell, Mob Rules, Blizzard of Ozz and Diary of a Madman within 2.5 years of that. 4 classic albums the band was not going to provide had they stayed together.
I agree with most of that review, except the final statement. They hit the magic again the next year with Mob Rules. In some ways, Mob Rules is crunchier and heavier and sounds even more like Sabbath (though without Bill Ward). Both are tremendous records. Who would have though that when Ozzy was fired, we would have gotten Heaven & Hell, Mob Rules, Blizzard of Ozz and Diary of a Madman within 2.5 years of that. 4 classic albums the band was not going to provide had they stayed together.
!00%
An example of the parts being better than the sum. Of course, it is because they all made great choices in who they added. Without Randy, Ozzy probably would have been in trouble or had a much harder time. Dio definitely helped Sabbath also. They probably could have had success with others also. Ozzy needed some extra help and Divine Intervention and did he ever get it. Randy was incredible.
I always think of Randy and Steve Gaines as the two guys that plane crashes robbed us of before they even got going. So much talent and so much more to offer.
Perfect timing here, I've been revisiting 1980s Sabbath, 80s Ozzy and Dio as well. Great music.
Perfect timing here, I've been revisiting 1980s Sabbath, 80s Ozzy and Dio as well. Great music.
Tomorrow being Friday and having the house to myself (all chores will be done by 1000 hours PDT), I think all the above will be in order. Cheers!
I was seeing some magazine stories online, was there a time it was just Iommi as the only original holing down Sabbath in the 80s? Might've been 1985 I think ,said they canceled a US tour due to lack of ticket sales.
Side question, I don't have Dehumaizer, how interested should I be in picking that up?
Yes, there was a handful of albums with Iommi and all newer guys.
It might have been Headless Cross or Cross Purposes for which the tour got cancelled. Or Tyr? Those albums are somewhat generic.
I do not rate Dehumanizer highly. To be fair, I’ve not heard it in a while. Because I love the other stuff with Dio, I had high hopes, but was disappointed.
I was seeing some magazine stories online, was there a time it was just Iommi as the only original holing down Sabbath in the 80s? Might've been 1985 I think ,said they canceled a US tour due to lack of ticket sales.
Side question, I don't have Dehumaizer, how interested should I be in picking that up?
Personally, I really like Dehumanizer. I think its worth checking out.
Link to listen to full album.
I also like Seventh Star and the Eternal Idol. Both very solid. I know people will want to complain that it's "not Sabbath" because of the members, but that's another discussion.... 😉
I look at it just being good music that I enjoy regardless who's playing it.
Glenn Hughes sang on Seventh Star.
Ray Gillen was initially the singer for Eternal Idol and did record some vocals for that.
It has been rereleased with his vocals as a bonus disc.
Here is a link to the Ray Gillen tracks
Tony Iommi Glenn Hughes- Fused-Full album
Tony Iommi Glenn Hughes 1996 Dep Sessions
I also enjoyed The Devil You Know
Everyone has a plan, till you get punched in the face,
thanks for the links
Children of the Sea was the first thing that RJD and Iommi came up with together when they were figuring out if they wanted to form a band. I would think that was a resounding yes at that point. Geezer and Bill Ward came back into the fold later and boom Sabbath Mark II was off to a roaring start.
Bill Wards playing was outstanding on Heaven and Hell.
I always thought Bill was great at filling in the space especially on the first record. Bills work stands out on the Wizard.
Couple of my fav's
35:20 Falling of the Edge of the World
49:00 Die Young
Everyone has a plan, till you get punched in the face,
Couple of my fav's
35:20 Falling of the Edge of the World
49:00 Die Young
Nice! Geezer's bass on Die Young is tops.
[Edited on 5/1/2018 by StratDal]
