Released September 12th, 1983 (UK)
Released August 7, 1983 (false, US)
Re-Released April 22, 1996
Re-Released May 30, 2011 (Deluxe)

[ Lyrics | Tour Dates ]

 

2011 Deluxe Edition CD [ Amazon US | Amazon UK ]
MP3 [ Amazon US ] | Deluxe MP3 [ Amazon UK ]
1996 CD [ Amazon US | Amazon UK ] | iTunes (US)

Track Listing

  1. Trashed
  2. Stonehenge
  3. Disturbing the Priest
  4. The Dark
  5. Zero the Hero
  6. Digital Bitch
  7. Born Again
  8. Hot Line
  9. Keep it Warm

Disc 2 (2011 Deluxe ONLY)

  1. The Fallen (Album session outtake)
  2. Stonehenge (Extended Version)
    The following tracks are Live @ Reading Festival, Aug 27, 1983
  3. Hot Line
  4. War Pigs
  5. Black Sabbath
  6. The Dark
  7. Zero the Hero
  8. Digital Bitch
  9. Iron Man
  10. Smoke on the Water
  11. Paranoid

Writing Credits

  • All Disc 1 and Disc 2 tracks 1/2/3/6/7/8 written and arranged by Iommi / Gillan / Butler / Ward
  • except Hot Line & Keep it Warm by Iommi / Gillan / Butler
  • Disc 2 tracks 4/5/9/11 by Iommi / Butler / Ward / Osbourne
  • Disc 2 Track 10 by Blackmore / Glover / Gillan / Paice / Lord

Credits

  • Ian Gillan – Vocals
  • Tony Iommi – Guitar, Flute
  • Geezer Butler – Bass
  • Bill Ward – Drums
  • Bev Bevan – Drums (Disc 2, tracks 3-11)
  • Geoff Nicholls – Keyboards
  • Produced by Robin Black & Black Sabbath
  • Engineered by Robin Black & Steve Chase
  • Recorded at the Manor Studio, Shipton on Cherwell, Oxfordshire, England
  • Original CD Mastering by Hans Brethouwer
  • 1996 Design, booklet notes, sleeves by Hugh Gilmour
  • 1996 Remastering by Ray Staff @ Whitfield St Studios
  • 2011 Remastering by Andy Pearce & Matt Wortham
  • 2011 Project Coordination – Steve Hammonds
  • 2011 Project Management – Jon Richards
  • 2011 Sleeve notes by Alex Milas & Steve Joule
  • 2011 Art direction & Design by Hugh Gilmour

Catalogue Numbers

  • LP Warner Bros 23978-1 (US 1983)
  • CASS Warner Bros 23978-4 (US 1983)
  • LP Vertigo 814-271-1 (UK 1983)
  • CASS Vertigo 814-271-4 (UK 1983)
  • LP Nippon 25PP-101 (JPN 1983)
  • LP Vertigo LPR-23035 (MEX 1983)
  • LP Polydor 20.057 (VEN 1984)
  • LP Polygram 27146 (ARG 1984)
  • CD Vertigo 814-271-2 (GER 1987)
  • CD Essential/Castle ESMCD334 (UK 1996)
  • LP Earmark 41048 (ITL 2003)
  • LP Earmark 41048P (ITL 2003)
  • CD Sanctuary SMRCD075 (UK 2004)
  • CD Universal 2770406 (EUR 2011 Deluxe)
  • CD Universal UICY-25129 (JPN 2011)

Notes

  • There are music videos for Trashed and Zero the Hero.
  • Bill Ward recorded the album, but did not tour. Bill was replaced on tour by Bev Bevan of ELO fame.
  • This album has never been formally released on CD domestically in the USA.
  • There are rumours of anywhere between 1 and 6 tracks recorded for this album but not used.  Two titles are “The Fallen” & “Death Warmed Up”.  The Fallen was eventually released on the 2011 Deluxe Edition.
  • I asked Geezer a few years ago about “Death Warmed Up”, and he cannot remember if it is an unreleased track, or simply a working name for one of the released tracks.
  • On tour, Sabbath played Deep Purple’s “Smoke on the Water”, and on a few gigs, the Shadows’ “Apache”.
  • The Stonehenge stage was the direct inspiration for the Stonehenge gag in the movie “This is Spinal Tap“.
    The song Trashed was re-recorded by Ian Gillan for his 2005 solo album “Gillan’s Inn” which is to commemorate his 40th anniversary as a recording artist.  More info on Gillan’s Inn is available here.
  • The song “Keep it Warm” was dedicated to Ian Gillan’s then girlfriend Bron, who he married in 1984.
  • Ian Gillan had this to say about the Born Again sessions late in 2003 on his site.”Some months ago I got this Sound Audigy gismo box to transfer anything analogue to digital. so I sat down with about 600 old cassettes and spent a couple of days sorting them out.Good news and bad news…I found loads of stuff that I’d completely forgotten about; demos, out-takes, rough mixes, writing sessions, interviews and all kinds of interesting material from the last twenty years or so; all of it in good shape.One of the priceless items I discovered was the monitor mix of Born Again, the very tape that I have referred to from time to time. All the songs were listed (the entire album) and hand written on the insert, Manor Studios etc. Imagine my disappointment when I found only three songs, Trashed, Digital Bitch and one other (I forget now, it’s been a while and I’ve not been home for six weeks) on the cassette.Anyway I have a whole load of gems to sieve through one day for a potential release, and who knows, maybe that cassette was in the wrong box and the real one will turn up. I still have more to check.Just one other thing, I must have been misquoted (now there’s a thing). I do not recall any extra tracks with vocals. I think there were some instrumental ideas left over from the Born Again session, and possibly (although I can’t remember) some rough vocals which should have been (but may not have been) erased. Anyway as far as I’m concerned what it is, is what it is; a very special album.Cheers, ig”
  • Here is a five minute video of Ian Gillan talking about the start of the Born Again tour.


Links

Images

  • This is the back cover art from the original vinyl release, as well as the 2011 re-release.

  • The following are the back cover images for the 1987 German original CD pressing, the 1996 Castle remaster, and the 2011 Universal Deluxe versions:

  • The following are scans of the 1983 original US cassette tape release of Born Again:

  • The following are some promotional pictures of the band.  They were taken by Ross Halfin (except the first one), and they are reproduced here with kind permission from Ross.  Please visit Ross’s site for more pictures, not just of Black Sabbath, but of a ton of different bands.  The first picture’s author is currently unknown.

  • Billboard advertisement for the tour.

Videos

If any of these videos are broken, please let me know.  Tkx.






NOTE: All lyrics are verified with the official lyric sheet that appears on the original 1983 lyrics sheet published with the vinyl release of the album.

Trashed

It really was a meeting
The bottle took a beating
The ladies of the manor
Watched me climb into my car and
I was going down the track about a hundred and five
They had the stopwatch rolling
I had the headlights blazing I was really alive
And yet my mind was blowing
I drank a bottle of tequila and I felt real good
I had the tape deck roarin
But on the twenty-fifth lap at the canal turn
I went off exploring
I knew I wouldn’t make it the car just wouldn’t make it
I was turning the tyres burning
The ground was in my sky
I was laughing the bitch was trashed
And death was in my eye

I had started pretty good and I was feeling my way
I had the wheels in motion
There was Peter and the Greenfly laughing like drains
Inebriation
The crowd was roaring I was at Brands Hatch
In my imagination
But at the canal turn I hit an oily patch
Inebriation

Ooh Mr. Miracle, you saved me from some pain
I thank you Mr. Miracle, I won’t get trashed again
Ooh, can you hear my lies
Don’t you bother with this fool just laugh into my eyes

So we went back to the bar and hit the bottle again
But there was no tequila
Then we started on the whiskey just to steady our brains
‘Cause there was no tequila
And as we drank a little faster at the top of our hill
We began to roll
And as we got trashed we were laughing still
Well bless my soul

 

Stonehenge

Instrumental

 

Disturbing the Priest

Let’s try getting to the sky
Hang on or your going to die
Sour life can turn sweet
It’s laying at your feet
Sweet child with an innocent smile
Watches closely all the while
Don’t be fooled when he cries
Keep looking at the eyes

Good life is a contradiction
Because of the crucifixion
If you’re ready and have the need
I will take your soul and plant my seed

You just gotta listen to the night at the ending of the day
You just gotta listen to the night as safety slips away
Moving out of sight are the things you need to see to feel
And as they slip away becoming so unreal unreal
You just gotta listen to the night as you’re going up the stairs
You just gotta listen to the night and don’t forget to say your prayers
And as you lose control to the eyes in dark disguise
And icy fingers fan electric lies

We’re disturbing the priest
Won’t you please come to our feast
Do we mind disturbing the priest
Not at all, not at all, not in the least
Do we mind disturbing the priest
Not at all, not at all, not in the least

The force of the devil is the darkness the priest has to face
The force of the night will destroy him but will not disgrace
To get into his mind and to his soul you gotta set alight
The flames of doubt so deep inside inside
The devil and the priest can’t exist if one goes away
It’s just like the battle of the sun and the moon and night and day
The force of the devil, that’s we’re all told to fear
Watch out for religion when he gets too near too near

We’re disturbing the priest, won’t you please come to our feast
Do we mind disturbing the priest, not at all, not at all, not in the least

Good life is a contradiction
Because of the crucifixion
If you’re ready and have the need
I will take your soul and plant my seed

Aahhhh, ahhhh, ah ha ha ha haaa!

Let’s try getting to the sky, hang on or you’re going to die
Sour life can turn sweet, it’s laying at your feet
Sweet child with an innocent smile watches closely all the while
And when he cries, keep looking at the eyes

Oh, oh, disturbing the priest!
Yeah-ah! Disturbing the priest!

 

The Dark

Instrumental

 

Zero the Hero

Accept the fact that you’re second rate, life is easy for you
It’s all served up on a gold plated plate
And we don’t even have to talk to you
Your face is normal, that’s the way you’re bred
And that’s the way you’re going to stay
Your head is firmly nailed to your TV channel
But someone else’s finger’s on the control panel

What you gonna be, what you gonna be brother
Zero the Hero
Don’t you wanna be, don’t you wanna be brother
Zero the Hero
When you gonna be, when you gonna be brother
Zero the Hero
Impossibility impissibolity mother
Really a Hero

You sit there watch it all burn down
It’s easy and breezy for you
You play your life to a different sound
No edge no edge you got no knife have you
Your life is a six-lane highway to nowhere
You’re going so fast you’re never ever gonna get down there
Where the heroes sit by the river
With a magic in their music as they eat raw liver

What you gonna be, what you gonna be brother
Zero the Hero
Don’t you wanna be, don’t you wanna be brother
Zero the Hero
When you gonna be, when you gonna be brother
Zero the Hero
Impossibility impissibolity mother
Really a Hero

You stand there captain we all look, you really are mediocre
You are the champion in the Acme form book
But I think you’re just a joker
Your facedown life ain’t so much of a pity
But the luv-a-duckin’ way you’re walkin’ around the city
With your balls and your head full of nothing
It’s easy for you sucker but you really need stuffing

What you gonna be, what you gonna be brother
Zero the Hero
Don’t you wanna be, don’t you wanna be brother
Zero the Hero
When you gonna be, when you gonna be brother
Zero the Hero
Impossibility impissibolity mother
Really a Hero

 

Digital Bitch

She wears her leather just to satisfy
She really throws it around
There ain’t one thing she can’t afford to buy
She’s the richest bitch in town

Her big fat daddy was a money machine
He made a fortune from computers
She’s got more money than I’ve ever seen
But she’s a greedy emotional looter

Keep away from the digital bitch
Keep away from the digital bitch
Keep away from the digital bitch
She’s so rich, the digital bitch

She’s got five rollers and a fine estate
A big house up on the hill
She throws parties just to celebrate
Her life is just one enormous thrill

She buys poor people just to have around
She has a trophy for each lover
The bitch is rich but baby pound for pound
She’s got a lot more to discover

Maybe she could please me if I saw beneath her veil
But she’s just an imitation woman up for sale

She got so famous that she’s on TV
She’s got a professional smile
But I switch over ‘cos she ain’t for me
She disturbs me all the while

She looks so happy but she’s got it wrong
She’s always going faster
She sings her life to such a different song
She needs a loving and dominant master

 

Born Again

As you look through my window
Deep into my room
At the tapestries all faded
Their vague and distant glories
Concealed in the gloom
The icy fingers of forgotten passions
Softly brushing my lips
At the tips of my primitive soul

As you look through my door
Deep into my room
Can you feel the mighty wall of power
It’s waiting, waiting in the gloom
The distant shadows of forgotten champions
Those who live in me still
And will rise when we challenge and kill

Born again
You’ll be born again

Look at this prince of evil
Fighting for your mind
Fighting all the priests of shame
For the thrust of my challenge is aimed
At the hearts of mutant gods
who think we’re all the same
They’re controlling our minds
And they use us for fortune and fame
(Note: Lyric sheet says fame and fortunate, but definitely as I have it above )

As you look through my window
Deep into my room
At your future and freedom
The grey and plastic retards all floating in circles
And as you taste the fruits of new sensations
Softly brushing your lips
As we rise when we challenge and kill

Born again
You’ll be born again

If you want to be king for a day
Just do what I say

Everybody’s got to think like a hunter
Just search for your prey

Be alive through the night and the day
Just do it my way

 

Hot Line

Take me to the river baby drink my wine
When I’m going down won’t you throw me a line
Lead me to religion take me up them stairs
When I take a tumble will you say me some prayers

When will you show me a sign
When will you throw me a line

Help me to the answer baby set me free
I’m torn between the devil and the deep blue sea
Maybe if you wanted you could save my face
Keep me out of trouble and I’m a living disgrace

Show me to a sucker and you’ll see my name
Standing in a line with the shadows of fame
Lead me to a legend take me up them stairs
When I take a tumble will you say me some prayers

 

Keep it Warm

Sweet woman are you feeling right
What was it that you did last night
You made me crazy you made me fly
I can’t forget the hungry look in your eye
Ooh what’s the matter with me
I’m just a runner I was born free
But since I met you I can’t leave you alone
I’m leaving now but I’ll be coming home

Keep it warm rat the place by your side
Nobody’s gonna take away our magical ride
Keep it warm for me when we talk on the phone
Don’t forget will you pretty one that your man is coming home

D’you hear the rumor that is going around
Say I’m ruined ‘cos I’m settled down
It’s not true well maybe half and half
You know I love you but I still like a laugh
Ooh I’m feeling fine I got it right for the first time

Sweet woman I can’t stay for long, but every one will be proved wrong
I’m like a gypsy, I need to roam, but don’t worry I’ll be coming home
I need the danger I need the thrill
I need to know what is over each hill
Ooh I’m a different man I’m still running but you understand
Since I met you I can’t leave you alone
I’m leaving now but I’ll be coming home

Found the flute!

#KeepItWarmRat

Comments

  1. I think Tony’s solos on Zero the Hero and Born Again are some of his best ever. I just wish a better tape to remaster would turn up!

    I think this album is very underated and Ian Gillan shines brilliantly on it.

    Whatever you may think about the album, It is certainly a unique moment in Sabbath’s amazing history!

  2. Philippe Warda says

    Everyone here already knows it, but between the album cover intrigue with Depeche Mode, the presence of Ian Gillan, the playing of SOTW, the arrival of Bev Bevan, the Spinal Tab influence, the dwarf (Ozzy’s Ron anyone!?!) and the loving pull on GNR’s Paradise City, this has got to be one of the most significant/influencial Sabbath recordings of them all.

  3. Do you have any plans to include the lyrics for ‘The Fallen’ now it’s seen official release?

  4. Just another quick comment to say that there appears to be a glitch on the source tape during the track ‘Black Sabbath’.

  5. Michel LeGrisbi says

    Of the live recordings available of “War Pigs”, the versions with Gillan are the most exciting IMO.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyzdzRKkcFc

    • Steve Armourae says

      Glad you like it, but for me it sounds wrong except for Gillian’s screams, & ‘Amelia’? The trouble is War Pigs sounds best when it’s a spoken declaration, the way Ozzy did it in Sabbath, dark and serious.

  6. A raw, dirty rock album. I love this album. The production sucks, but the songs are great.

  7. In Born Again we have the greatest Sabbath album ever made, which unfortunately as far as I’m concerned was never given a proper release. For on thing, the best order in which to listen to these tracks are as follows: Fallen, Trashed, Hot Line, Zero The Hero (with The Dark depending on what mix you have. Personally I don’t feel this intro adds much, I much prefer to hear the start of this song from the chuggingof the main riff), Digital Bitch, Stone Henge (preferably THE REAL VERSION, the LONG ONE), Born Again, Disturbing The Priest, Keep It Warm, Smoke On The Water,and then all the other live stuff you have. Every official release of this has the tracks ordered SO BADLY. That’s the first problem. I have not heard the 2011 Release all the way through but from what I’ve heard so far it shows serious promise. I just haven’t had the money for it or 13 yet, so when it comes to BA I have the bootlegs and out of print 1996 reissue instead. So here’s a review, song by song, of both mixes: The Fallen is a great track despite being way too rough around the edges, any version you find of this is good. There are 3 studio versions of Trashed, these are all great too, but my fave is the one from 2006 with Iommi, Gillan, Paice, and Glover.Hotline sounds great on both mixes, one has keyboard, the other doesn’t. The demo version sounds better overall. Zero The Hero on the demo version is 9 minutes long and the third verse is missing. HOWEVER, the released version has an unnessasary intro and is shortened, and up until 2011 was DROWNED to a large extent in reverb. Thankfully in 2011 this was sorted out to a large extent, revealing some previously unheard lead guitar around the end of the 7th minute, and it sounds decent. But nothing will compare to the tone of the demo, and this pretty much goes of the whole album, at least in terms of what I’ve heard of all versions so far (Demo, 96 remaster, some of the 2011 remaster). Digital Bitch is a great song on both mixes. The demo version is great for the tone, and the other version is interesting for the high pitched keyboards. Unfortunately now we are getting to the point where the demo is superior to the 96 remaster. Stonehenge, the original version, is nearly 5 minutes long and is a beautiful epic from start to finish. The “full studio” version is well worth how much it’s been made fun of over the years, and sounds like trippy garbage. Thankfully the longer version, along with The Fallen, were put out on the 2011 Remaster. Why they didn’t just try to put together the demo version completely with the remastered 2011 mixes I will never know. I will make it my personal mission to do that myself when I have my own studio equipment as well as the whole 2011 version in my grip. The demo version of Born Again, the title track, is one of the greatest metal ballads every recorded by anybody and in my view is noticeably better then even any Pink Floyd angry ballad, both lyrically and instrumentally. The version that existed before 2011 in print was only good to hear the flute overdubs, other then that, again it’s garbage compared to the demo, which doesn’t really sound like a demo actually. When I put the 1983 demo together with then 2011 remaster, I’m guessing the flute parts will be the only pieces of the in print version I will save, even then. The demo version of Disturbing The Priest is perfection itself, Gillain’s screams, Tony’s riffs, Geezer’s Bass, Bill’s drums, all couldn’t be better if they tried. The problem is that they did try, and the version that existed in print at least before 2011, is, again, garbage by comparison, being drowned in reverb and I think even having the key to the song changed. The only thing the non demo version I’ve heard so far has to offer is perhaps some screams around the end that are not on the demo. That’s it. Other then that the pre 2011 non demo version is worthless form start to finished. No wonder Gillan puked at this mix. Thankfully both versions of Keep It Warm sound more or less equally good, and I’m not picky about either of them. One has piano and a little reverb on the guitar, the other doesn’t. Other then that they are identical. The demo version sounds like Nirvana’s Nevermind album, and I mean the in print mix of Nevermind, only better. The guitar is just the right amount of heaviness, and the solos are a bit sloppy but their spontaniousness makes up for it completely, especially since the tone has just the right amount of bass and treble. The riffs are a near perfect combo of lots of new with a little bit of old. The only riff I wish sounded more now was the first one from Keep It Warm, but that’s little to nothing to complain about. Geezer’s work here is some of the best he’s ever done, and I don’t say that lightly, possibly the best work he’s done other then that bass solo he wrote for NIB or all those fills on Master Of Reality, which sound just as good as this, not better, especially on Disturbing The Priest, Hot Line, Zero The Hero, and Born Again. Bill’s drums if I had to compare them with Dave Grohl on Nevermind, I’d say Dave is better, but not by too much. The jazzy swing, the brute force, the speed, the rhythm changes, it’s all here. The only drum track I think could have been better maybe was Zero The Hero, because even on the 2011 remaster of it, which I have, the drums are too slow and too high on the mix, granted, it is a slowish song, but there’s more then enough room to slowly cram more notes in there. My band and I recorded a cover of this song so I know what I’m talking about. However, in order to cram all the notes inside this song for drums, first my brother did a track with a whole kit, and then when he missed those VITAL little fills at the chorus, I took his snare drum and overdubbed the whole thing with my bare hands in one take, and the fills were there and the beat had many more notes on top. It should be noted that it took 1.5 people playing drums on this song to do this with ease in 2 takes (I did not use my legs, because I can’t, so six limbs were used to play drums on this song in my band). This song so far is the last song my band has finished thus far, done last year in 2013. But enough about that. Other then Zero The Hero Bill’s drums for all intensive purpose on this album are perfect. And then there’s Ian Gillan……. EASILY THE BEST SINGER SABBATH EVER HAD IN THE STUDIO, EVEN BETTER THEN RONNIE JAMES DIO. This was Gillan in his prime and then some, having to stretch his vocals father then ever before in the studio to accomidate what Sabbath’s music stood for….. listen to the demo and you’ll know what I mean. This is easily the most underated and greatest singing Gillan has ever done, except maybe Deep Purple’s Made In Japan. He’s like Kurt Cobain only much better minus Cobain’s guitar (I say this despite loving the music of Kurt Cobain), and then there’s Geoff Nicholls at his best, doing more tracks I think here then any other album (other then Stonehenge, Born Again, and Disturbing The Priest, everything he did as well on the 96 remaster sounds great to me.). The lyrics are perfect too. I can’t say enough good things about this album, but you must hear it a very specfic way to get the whole thing (or at least most of it in my memory because I haven’t heard all of the 2011 version yet) heard right. Black Sabbath has made many wonderful albums over the years. This one towers above the rest. The only two I’ve heard that are nearly this good are 13 and Master Of Reality. Buy this thing, the 2011 version if you do, or find the demo on the internet, right now. If you claim to love Sabbath you owe it to yourself to do this, and even Ozzy now has to consider this and Heaven And Hell a real Sabbath album now because 13 was done with only 3 original members left in the band as well. All live recordings from this tour I’ve heard so far are great too except Gillan forgetting lyrics here and there and not singing Neon Knights as well as Dio. That is all. Goodnight.

  8. gustavodreier says

    Why this album is not certificated neither in the uk (debut at number 4) and us. Must have nealy 500000 units sold by now.

  9. Shaun Ferguson says

    I have heard the deluxe version so let me give you a short review: IT IS ALL GOOD AND BETTER THEN THE OTHER OFFICIAL RELEASES TO ONE EXTENT OR ANOTHER EXCEPT THE REMASTER OF THE STONEHENGE DEMO, WHICH IS CRAP BECAUSE IT’S TOO QUIET. I still recommend the demo version as a companion and the tracks of the studio work are still ordered badly, but other then that this is still the best Sab album ever and the remix is still really good, and the concert is great too despite not having the following: Neon Knights, Heaven And Hell, Children Of The Grave, Supernaut/Drum Solo/Rock And Roll Doctor, and more Born Again songs, ALL OF THESE WERE PLAYED LIVE ON THE TOUR AS FAR AS I KNOW. BOOTLEGS PEOPLE! The best boot for the Tour is Born In Hell and the best version of Neon Knights was played I believe at Long Island in early 1984. That is all!

  10. Ah, Born Again…definitely in my top 5 metal albums off all time. Too bad the master tapes have mysteriously disappeared…it was supposed to get an all new remix by Iommi himself if I’m not mistaken. At one time I had every bootleg from this tour (around 35 shows), and one thing I noticed is that Gillan gave his best performances in Spain and Germany. He’s on fire at the San Sebastian show (the bootleg I had ran a tad too fast) and Offenbach and Munich are worth seeking out. By the time the band reached Paris his voice was beginning to crack a lot, especially at the Canadian shows. The U.S. shows were hit and miss (Worcester is good and San Francisco has the best version of Neon Knights). Dallas 1984 is a high energy show but mediocre sounding bootleg. By the end of the tour Gillan is really struggling; his voice pretty much shot (as evidenced by the Dayton and Toledo recordings). He still gave it his all, considering his doctor had told him to take a year long break from singing in 1982. (He blew his voice at Reading Festival ’82 and his singing is noticeably rough on his “Magic” album from the same year). Not an easy job at all singing for Black Sabbath!

  11. Back in the Summer of 1984, there was a late-night TV broadcast of Black Sabbath on the Born Again tour. Somebody, somewhere must have a VHS copy of the TV broadcast. And NO, it wasn’t the lip-synched Rock Palace video or the audience footage from Montreal, it was close-up, on-stage video. During their interview on MTV, Iommi, Gillan, and Butler state that the concert footage used in the Trashed and Zero The Hero videos was taken from filming of a live performance in Canada. And finally, I CANNOT BELIEVE that the hottest concert on the planet, during heavy metal’s most popular time, wouldn’t have ANY video documenting it! Seriously???

    RELEASE THE LIVE CONCERT FOOTAGE FROM THIS TOUR AND REMIND THE WORLD JUST HOW GREAT BLACK SABBATH WAS AT THIS TIME!

  12. Matt Dennett says

    I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – Born Again fucking rocks like a bastard! I love it, always have, from day one of hearing it. It is such a heavy album, heavy as a black hole, and the “crap sound” and “crap cover” just make it more iconic to me. Gillan is ridiculously good on this, such a shame it gets dismissed by so many, criminal in fact!

  13. Although I didn’t like the production of the album, that doesn’t change the fact that Born Again songwise is a masterpiece. Zero The Hero, Digital Bitch, Disturbing the Priest, Stonehenge, and Hot Line are all amazing songs. Born Again is another sadly under rated album and it deserves more attention than what it gets. I don’t think I will have a chance to hear Born Again songs live but I’m glad I had the honor of seeing Ian Gillan in Deep Purple in 2002. Zero The Hero is one of the songs I enjoy playing as I drive down the Interstate on a cloudy and rainy day and I also enjoy listening to it when I travel to other cities in China as I pass through traditional small towns. Although I’ve heard Born Again many times here in China, hearing it again twenty years later has the same magic as hearing it for the first time as I did twenty years ago, like all of Black Sabbath’s albums.

  14. Steve Armourae says

    There is a fantastic live recording of the Born Again tour, far better than the Reading Festival bootleg, called ‘Born In Hell’ with a painting by a Symbolist painter on the cover. It’s on Youtube, Highlight is Iron Man preceded by Stonehenge, yes part of Stonehenge live!

  15. Steve Armourae says

    Stonehenge is one of THE most outstanding songs by Sabbath! Are there any Sabbath instrumentals which are not amoung the highlights of an album, with the exception of FX? It has an ambiance similar but superior to Fleetwood Mac’s Albatross.
    To see why I love this track try this: spring/summer time sit under a star filled sky preferably in the countryside and put this song on loop. Be blown away

  16. Steve Armourae says

    Anyone know what keyboards Geoff Nicholls used on Stonehenge

  17. elsabbathero says

    I’am a big Deep Purple fan (and a big Black Sabbath fan, of course) and i decided to listen to the Ian Gillan discography besides this bands. I was really surprised when i found out in the 1977 ‘Scarabus’ album by Ian Gillan Band that the title song it’s pretty similar to ‘Disturbing the Priest’.

  18. Eric Vysther says

    Ahhhhh yes….Born Again…the first Sabbath album I purchased and saw the subsequent tour with…and the last one until 1992, I might add!

    A major stylistic departure from Mob Rules – we went from slick sophisticated aggression – Dio’s influence/flourishes – to a much looser, raw, harsher rock and roll beast here with more than a few nods to Deep purple’s stylings…

    It was still definitely Sabbath – with Tony and Geezer at the helm, how else could it not be? – but a much more classic rock ‘n’ roll vibe was to be found here as well.

    Me being 16 at the time of it’s release, I was painfully naively settled to the ideal that this was what Sabbath were going to stomp on into the night like for the next decade or so….ahh, the follies of youth!

    AMAZING tour, btw – I read tons of slagging about Stonehenge, but, let tell you, at the age I was at then, and this was my first real concert with huge production behind it? Had a BIG influence.

    The album itself ranks in my Top Five for the Sabbs, along with Volume 4, Heaven anf Hell, Dehumanizer, and Mob Rules…

    Just food for thought – I always thought Zero the Hero would’ve been a fantastic fir on one of the newer Godzilla flicks soundtracks from Legendary in the past few years….can’t ya just See the Big G stomping away to that riff…?

  19. Has Steve Joule shed any light on the concept behind the Black Sabbath logo on the back of the album? As far as I can tell, this is the only album it appears on. I’m wondering about the significance of the symbolism and lettering.

    • Good question. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a discussion of that tell you the truth. If I had to guess, it was just a font/art choice by Krusher.

  20. looking for today says

    im as big a sabbath fan than anybody. i know all their songs like the back of my hand. i’ve seen all versions of sabbath. when you heard all the classic songs 10000 times. ian gillan destroyed dallas,tx 1983 hearing disturbing the priest live unfiltered was mindblowing. he brought the screams i never heard again . ian never brought so much to deep purple as born again tour. if theres a good recording of dallas 83. i would like to relive that concert.

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