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December 15, 2006
Dio Years New Track Information
Overnight some new information about the Dio Years disc has come to light, so we'll get straight to it. The music site "Brave Words" has an article which has an interview with Tony Iommi by our old friend Martin Popoff. This is significant, because it names the three new tracks and gives a description of them. Here's the relevant text from the article:
- Shadow of the Wind: The slow one is quite a heavy track. It's called 'Shadow Of The Wind'. And Ronnie presented the first idea for that, and then I just came up with more stuff to go with it, and it's a really good track. Very similar to the old Sabbath style of writing. There's not loads of things on it. It's just really basic with the vocal. Probably about six minutes or something like that.
- The Devil Cries: And then we've got 'The Devil Cries', which is a mid-tempo one, which again is quite a powerful song. And I must say that Ronnie has done a fantastic job on the vocals on all of these. He really has, and the lyrical content and the actual melodies are very good. So that's the mid-tempo one. That's an interesting track.
- Ear in the Wall: And then we've got a fast one which is called 'Ear In The Wall', and that's a fast one (laughs).
That's some good stuff - none of that info was known to me before today, even in secret. The rest of the article goes on to talk about other issues, specifically Sharon Osbourne, tour date plans, etc. According to the article, there will be one US date around March, but the proper US tour won't start until August. You'll want to read this article.
The interview mentions that there are no keyboards on the new tracks. Assuming that is the case, then that would explain why we haven't heard whether there will be a keyboardist involved; either Geoff or Adam. The live dates I'm sure will need a keyboardist, but we probably won't hear about that until closer to when the dates are supposed to start.
There is a second interview up with Ronnie James Dio over at MTV.com. This article isn't as cool as Martin's article for Brave Worlds, as it doesn't have a lot of new info, but it is a nice summary of how the Heaven & Hell project came together (including the notion that the entire project was Rhino Records' original idea). You'll want to check that one out as well.
Speaking of Martin Popoff, you need to check out his Sabbath book which is out now and is a great read. It's called "Doom Let Loose: An Illustrated History", and can be ordered online now at Amazon.com. If you haven't looked into this title, you should.
Posted by Joe Siegler at 12:35 PM
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December 13, 2006
Vinny Appice on new Sabbath Tracks
Yeah, yeah, yeah, they're calling themselves "Heaven & Hell". Sod that - it's "Black Fucking Sabbath", and they're putting out new studio tracks. I'm all over that shit, especially considering this is the incarnation of Black Sabbath that was current when I started listening to them in 1981. Anyway, now that my excitement (and swearing) is out of the way, I wanted to point out a Hard Rock Haven interview with Vinny Appice where he talks about a bunch of things, but most importantly for this website, the new Sabbath tracks are discussed. Vinny seems really excited about them, and this seems to jibe with what my own sources have told me who have heard the new tracks. I'm really excited. :)
Here's what Vinny had to say:
Hardrock Haven: Well, the big news is you just got back from recording with the group HEAVEN AND HELL, featuring Dio, Butler, Iommi and yourself, for the "Black Sabbath: The Dio Years" release. Your involvement was sort of a last-minute thing, correct?
Appice: It was not the last minute, probably the middle minute, haha. They were working with Bill Ward before. I’m not quite sure why the decision was made, but I got a phone call basically saying, "Can you come to England tomorrow?" So, I hopped on a plane and went to England, to Birmingham, hit the studio and did a couple tracks for a release that's going to be called "Black Sabbath: The Dio Years". And they are going to put a couple new songs on the CD. And then there is a tour starting in March.
Hardrock Haven: I think everyone wants to know what the new music is going to sound like.
Appice: It sounds … I was blown away when I heard the songs. They sound very SABBATH-y, you know, really evil songs. And very, very heavy, but a little bit more modern. Ronnie did some absolutely killer melodies, and vocals and lyrics on it. It just fit so well together. I heard the original tracks with just the drum machine, you know, and once we put the drums on it, it completed the puzzle. It just came alive. The songs are absolutely kick ass.
On Bill Ward:
Appice: I would like to say, to go on the record, I really love Bill Ward. I was always influenced by Bill's playing from all of the old stuff, you know, and I'm honored to always be affiliated with Bill. I think he's a great drummer and a great person too.
The full interview is available as a streaming wma file from Hard Rock Haven. You can listen to that by clicking here.
Thanks to Blabbermouth for the transcription.
Posted by Joe Siegler at 11:50 AM
Bill Ward Shoulda Changed the World
I've just posted an excerpt from a seriously good interview with Bill Ward sent to me by Joel Gausten. Joel has a book coming out in the fall of 2007 entitled "Albums that Shoulda Changed the World". He has a very lengthy interview with Bill Ward in the book, but he's been very gracious and allowed me to publish an excerpt from the book here on this site. Here's the intro for the interview (which appears here on my site). Bill covers a ton of topics, but spends a lot of time talking about his first solo album, 1990's "Ward One: Along the Way". He also talks about the mid 80's versions of Black Sabbath that Tony Iommi was involved in, his feelings about being in another band, and lots of stuff. Don't miss it.
I did want to add this personal remark, so there's no misunderstanding. This interview was done back in November of 2005. It has no bearing on Bill's recent remarks made about the 2007 "Heaven & Hell" situation. I know Bill recently issued a statement about that, and someone pointed out to me that this interview could be considered an extension of those remarks. It is not. Thank you.
Ward One: Along the Way was Bill Ward’s first solo album after leaving Black Sabbath in 1984. After nearly a decade of battling intense drug and alcohol problems (and, at one point, homelessness), Ward returned with a stellar (and seldom heard) album that featured guest appearances by Ozzy Osbourne, Jack Bruce, Bob Daisley of Rainbow/Ozzy, Eric Singer of KISS and future Thin Lizzy bassist Marco Mendoza. Without question, Ward One remains one of the most musically varied albums ever released. This chapter will include an in-depth discussion of Ward’s solo efforts as well as his ongoing work with the reunited original Black Sabbath. Additional topics will include Ward’s continual work with charities. The chapter will also commentary from Eric Singer, Bob Daisley and members of Ward’s current solo band.
The story behind the creation of Ward One: Along the Way is perhaps one of most striking narratives in music history. Ward, who escaped his humble beginnings in Birmingham, England to achieve global fame in the 1970s as the original drummer in Black Sabbath, found himself entering the 1980s in a haze of mental illness, drug abuse and financial devastation. Upon leaving Black Sabbath following the firing of singer (and best friend) Ozzy Osbourne, Ward found himself panhandling on the streets of Long Beach, California. Following a series of suicide attempts, Ward committed himself to getting sober. Over the course of five years, he overcame his tremendous personal obstacles while assembling an extraordinary cast of musicians for his first solo album. Sadly, Ward may never be seen (or heard) as anything more than the drummer in Black Sabbath, and the music world at large has yet to embrace all that the man has to offer.
Since the release of Ward One, Ward has continued to release solo music and perform with the reunited original lineup of Black Sabbath. Additionally, Ward has donated the profits of his most recent solo release (Straws) to various charities around the world, and remains a strong public advocate for sober, spiritual living. Most important, Ward is also a brutally honest interview subject, and this chapter not only provides an intimate glimpse inside the life of a rock legend, but also serves as a fantastic “from rags to riches…to rags and riches again” story. This chapter provides the first-ever major account of Bill Ward’s life and music outside the world of Black Sabbath. What appears below is merely the tip of the iceberg.
Don't miss it.
Posted by Joe Siegler at 11:40 AM
Old Born Again MTV Interview
Here's some old footage - I remember seeing this when it was new. I was so excited for Born Again to come out at the time - it was the first "new" record Black Sabbath released after I started listening to 'em.
Posted by Joe Siegler at 9:58 AM
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December 5, 2006
Bill Ward Speaks (sort of) on Heaven & Hell
A day or so ago, I was forwarded an email from a fan (thanks Stephan) which purported to be from Bill Ward talking about (or more to the point badmouthing) the Heaven & Hell reunion. Here is the text that appeared in said posting, which had appeared on the Dio Message Board, and the forum area of the official Dio website.
"On a very recent 'black sabbath' promo vist BILL WARD was asked by a member of the clearchannel personnel why he had declined the HEAVEN AND HELL PROJECT he said...
'It is a farce, it's either BLACK SABBATH or nothing, so are we saying that the band that released 'heaven and hell' was not black sabbath..?..Ronnie Dio is demeaning his self because not calling it black sabbath is like saying that the post ozzy band was not really black sabbath at all but some sort of spin off band.
12 years ago Ronnie Dio said he'd never work with me and geezer again, even last year he repeated this statement, so whats suddenly changed..?..probably that he never thought he'd ever be asked to play with us again so he could say he did'nt want to..but hey,,the first time he's asked he jumps at the chance..whys that..?..probably because his own band only play to 600 people and sabbath to 5000...so it suits him at this stage of his career..what amazes me is how..as with dehumanizer he is so quick to drop his own band to re-join sabbath..its obvious he's not happy with his own band....well, i'm sorry but Ronnie said he never wanted to play with me again..he can't suddenly change his mind and expect me to jump...and if geezer see's it through i'll be very surprised.......this hall of fame excuse is bull-poo..we were given the hall of fame because of sabbath music from start to finish not just for the ozzy years..why not call the project sabbath the dio years..?...i think theres going to be problems..' "
Now as most of you know, I also do Bill Ward's website. I've done so for almost 10 years, and during that time I'd like to think I have a handle on what Bill would say, and how he would say it. This REALLY did not sound like Bill at all, so I checked in with some of Bill's people.
Sure enough, I got a reply back from Bill only a few minutes before posting this saying that the "Clear Channel" remark is totally false, and not from Bill. Bill issued this statement in response to the message today on his website:
It's Bill.
I have been expecting negative letters, rumors, and general gossip mongering over my not participating in the "Heaven & Hell" project. It's not unusual, as yet I've made only one brief statement to confirm that I would not be involved.
It has been brought to our attention that there is a posting on a few web sites which discloses a supposed statement I made to a Clear Channel personnel. THIS IS COMPLETELY FALSE. Every piece of verbiage therein that posting - supposedly quoting me - is FALSE also.
OK. I'm off to get on with my life. Hopefully there won't be too many shite letters floating around, as I don't think anyone out there - myself included - wants to waste anymore time on complete falsehoods.
Sincerely,
Bill Ward
That's good to hear, as the original remark just seemed like such crap. Nice to have that confirmed. I will also say this - if Bill does make some sort of remark along those lines, you can expect to find out whether it's real or not here. Doing Bill's site I'm bound by what he wants me to put up there, but this is my own Sabs related fan site, so I can address rumours like this more freely. But I know Bill enough to say that even if he DID feel this way towards the guys, there's no way he'd publicly say something like that, so if you see something like this come up again, I think you can safely disregard it as shit.
Posted by Joe Siegler at 5:34 PM
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