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December 5, 2002
BLACK
SABBATH STORY DVD GIVEAWAY
I've been
really busy lately, and I've had a few giveaways stacked up that I
needed to run. Here's the first, I have a few more coming
after this. I'm giving away three sets of the recent Black
Sabbath Story DVD releases. If you win this, you'll get both
Volume 1 & Volume 2. I'm running one of my trivia contests
this time. However, before you get the questions, I should
make you aware of something. THESE DVD's ARE REGION 1.
This means that if your DVD player uses anything other than
Region 1 discs, you will not be able to play this. Basically,
this means that if you don't use the US TV system, then you probably
should not enter this.
Whoever
answers the following four questions correctly will get put in a
drawing to win. Here are the questions:
- Which Star Trek
actress is in a Black Sabbath music video?
- Who was the first
singer to replace Ozzy in Black Sabbath?
- Which Black Sabbath
songs (performed by Black Sabbath) have appeared on movie soundtracks and what were they?
- How many
official Black Sabbath albums did Bill Ward appear on?
Please send your
answers to
sabbathstory@black-sabbath.com
- Please note that ANY EMAILS SENT ANYWHERE ELSE THAN
SABBATHSTORY@BLACKSABBATH.COM WILL NOT BE ELIGIBLE FOR THE CONTEST, AND
WILL BE DELETED. The contest will run till Friday, December
13, 2002.
MY
SITE'S DISCOGRAPHY
Those of
you who have been visiting my site since the earliest days of it's
existance (I started it back in 1995) know that I've linked to CDNow
for ages to purchase CD's and other stuff. Anyway, I found out
this week that CDNow has merged with Amazon.com (who I also linked
to). Anyway, because of the merge, linking to both CDNow &
Amazon would be pointless, as CDnow's content is served by Amazon,
so I've gone through my discography and redone all the purchase
links so they all point to Amazon, and made sure everything works.
Go check out my discography, and
remember - whenever you buy something off any of the buy it links on
my site, it helps support the site, as I get a small percentage of
the sale.
While I
was at it, I did something I've been wanting to do for awhile, and
that was to link the individual album pages to their respective tour
date pages. Nothing major, but a nice navigation thing I've
wanted to do.
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November 14, 2002
REISSUE OF SABBATH ALBUMS
In my
last story I speculated on the release of the old Sabbath albums in
a new remastered format. Well, it appears that that decision
may have already been made. In a press release that I skipped
below (calling it "old news"), I missed this paragraph from it:
Over the next two
years, the revered catalogue label will issue a Sabbath
boxed set, followed by "upgrades" of each classic album, according
to VP of
A&R David McLees. The recent "Past Lives" concert collection was
issued by
Sanctuary and is not affiliated with the Rhino releases.
Now this
is all the news I have on it, but again, if it sounds like the
Symptom CD set, it will be well worth it to get when they're
released. I'm attempting to get some more info from record
labels - if I hear anything, I'll report back.
TONY
IOMMI WEBSITE
After a
couple of years of inactivity, the Tony Iommi website looks like
it's had an update. Check it out at
http://www.iommi.com. It
doesn't appear to be fully constructed, but at least it's gotten an
update.
LIVE
DIO DVD COMING
Here's a
press release detailing some info on a forthcoming live Dio DVD.
It's short, but gets the point across. :)
DIO DVD IN THE STARS:
(Press Release) New York, NY- RONNIE JAMES DIO is heading back out
on the road next week with KINGS X and HAMMERFALL. Touring in
support of Killing The Dragon (Spitfire) DIO will record the New
York stop for an upcoming DVD scheduled for release in April 2003 on
Eagle Vision, a division of Eagle Rock Entertainment. The as yet
untitled DVD will be directed by Ken Botelho for Century Productions
and will consist of footage from band's performance at the Roseland
Ballroom on Friday, December 13th.
DIO will begin their trek in Portland, OR on November 8th and will
continue across the country for the second leg of their tour in
support of Killing The Dragon, released May 21st on Spitfire
Records.
Spitfire has also recently released a Killing The Dragon (Limited
Edition) CD on October 22, 2002. The specially packaged release
contains bonus materal including live versions of Ronnie singing
"Fever Dreams" and "Rainbow In The Dark" with Deep Purple, the video
for "Push" featuring Tenacious D and a DIO screensaver.
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November 1, 2002
 RHINO'S
SYMPTOM OF THE UNIVERSE 2 CD SET
A week or
so ago, the new 2 CD "The Original Black Sabbath 1970-1978: Symptom
of the Universe" package was released. When I first heard
about it, my thought was "Big deal - yet another packaging of the
same old Iron Man / Paranoid / War Pigs collection - who needs
that?" BOY WAS I WRONG.
Normally
I don't like packages like this, because it strikes me as an attempt
to get folks to just buy the same songs again. However, this
time it's most definitely worth it. This isn't just a standard
repackage. This set does have the songs that we know well, but
these are a new remastering of the songs. This
has nothing to do with the 1996 Castle Communications remaster of
the albums from 1970-1987. These are NEW remasters taken from
the original Warner Bros Master tapes (indeed, this bears the Warner
Bros logo as well as the Rhino one). In fact, I was informed
this week that the 96 Castle remasters were not "authorized" by the
band - it was one of those record label things. It's not like
they're illegal or something, but not a "band sponsored" item.
Anyway,
the fidelity on these is quite quite spectacular. I've been
listening to Sabbath since 1981, so I'm familiar with the songs, and
I have to say, I've heard some bits on here that I've never heard
before. They're quite astonishing. I'm not
normally one to recommend a package such as this, but I can
wholeheartedly recommend this package - even if you own the Castle
remasters. Also, while I've not been given any formal
information stating as such, one can speculate that since the songs
have been remastered again from the Warner masters, you have to
wonder if a reissue of the albums themselves are on the books?
I don't have any info that says they will, but if so, I'll be sure
to pass it on. If the studio albums are remastered and
re-released again in the same method that this is, it might very
well be worth it to pick 'em up again!
And
that's just the songs. The packaging itself is quite good,
too. There's two individual sleeves for each CD, as well as a
booklet. This isn't standard jewel case packaging. And
this thing is loaded, and I mean LOADED, and I mean
loaded with pictures I have never seen before. I've been
involved with Sabbath as a fan for a long time, and I've read
numerous interviews, and seen tons of photos. Now, I do not
claim to know everything about Sabbath - I'm not that foolish or
naieve. However, over time, you tend to hear the same stories,
and see the same promo photos. I have to say - about 90% of
the photos in here I have never seen before. Some are quite
QUITE awesome.
I have to
say, I cannot speak more highly about this package. I got mine
free as a comp from the record label as part of the group that I'm
giving away next week in a contest, but even if I didn't, I would
happily buy this - it's quite good. If you want to buy
it yourself, click on the cover art here with the story. Major
kudos to all involved in putting this together - and let's hope the
apply the same quality treatment to the Ozzy era studio albums
should they too be remastered and re-released!
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October 30, 2002
BILL
WARD ON RADIO THIS WEEKEND
On Saturday, November 2nd, Black Sabbath Drummer, Bill Ward will,
once again, be the "in studio" co-host with Mike Stark for "Rock
50," (
http://www.mikestark.net/wpmd.html) heard exclusively on WPMD
Radio, Cerritos College (
http://www.cerritos.edu/wpmd/) from 11am to 1pm Pacific Time.
Following the release of his latest single "Straws" and a new Black
Sabbath compilation - - "Symptom of the Universe," Bill will be
sharing his thoughts on a variety of subjects, spinning his favorite
music and taking YOUR phone calls. Bill will also co-host "Rock 50"
on November 30th. Don't miss these very special programs from this
heavy metal original.
During the shows, "first edition" copies of Mike Stark's For the
Record - Black Sabbath: An Oral History (now in it's second
printing) (
http://members.aol.com/mikeknac/Sabbath/), will be given away to
selected callers to the program.
WIN
A TONY IOMMI GUITAR!
The folks
who put out the new Rhino 2 CD set are sponsoring a contest where
you can enter and win a Tony Iommi Gibson SG Guitar! Check it
out:
Bow down
and observe the Sabbath with the just released 2-CD, 29 track
anthology Symptom Of The Universe: The Original Black Sabbath
(1970-1978), celebrating Ozzy's reign as frontman. In honor of this
new release we're giving away a Gibson Tony Iommi Signature SG
Guitar. To win, enter at the Rhino website.
Click on
the link to experience the legendary magnitude of Symptom Of The
Universe. If you're not already a believer, be prepared to convert.
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October 26, 2002
IOMMI/ANSELMO & NEW
SABBATH ALBUM
I've
gotten NUMEROUS emails over the past week with a link to a story at
billboard.com (and elsewhere) that quotes Tony Iommi talking about
his next solo album and a Sabbath album. Folks are sending it
to me like it's a major news break. Quick personal comment.
It's not new news, folks. The knowledge of an Iommi/Anselmo
album has been out there for a few months, and the new Sabbath album
will happen - that too is not new news. It's just a
matter of scheduling for everyone to get together at the same time.
BILL
WARD WEB SITE
Quick
comment about the Bill Ward Web site. It now has some web forums on
it. Head on over there to check 'em out, and leave your
comments about BIll and his music!
CONTEST WINNERS
It's been
brought to my attention that I neglected to post the winners for the
Dio giveaway. Yes, that's correct, I'm sorry about that.
I can't tell you here, because I no longer have the emails! As
I always say, I don't save emails from contests, so after I sent out
the prizes, I delete everything, so I'm not accused of selling
emails, things like that. Sorry about that, but the winners
were contacted via private email, and their prizes sent out.
I will be
picking the winners of the String Quartet Giveaway this coming week,
so I will post those. And next week, I'll be giving away a few
sets of the newly released BLack Sabbath Story Volume 1 & 2 DVD's
for a few lucky visitors. :)
TONY MARTIN UPDATE
Tony Martin seems to be the busiest former member of Black Sabbath
out there right now. In addition to the album "The Cage
II" which was released earlier this year - he's also on the newly
released "Our Cross Our Sins" disc from the band Rondinelli.
This album also features former Sabbath member Neil Murray, as well
as band namesake Bobby Rondinelli. That's 3/5 of a former
Sabbath lineup there. :)
Anyway,
the album is out, and I got a review copy from MTM records, and I
have to say it's quite quite good. If you like Tony Martin's
era of Sabbath, you should definitely check this out. I will
be doing info pages on the two Rondinelli discs soon (the first one
also featured former Sabbath vocalist - the late Ray Gillen).
In the meantime, see if you can get it ordered. It's hard to
find in the US, because the US market SUCKS for this kind of music.
However, I do have a few links for you:
The full tracklisting has
been released, check it out:
- Naughty Dragon 05:38
- Dawn 05:39
- It’s A Lie 05:15
- The Meaning Of Evil 06:25
- Midnight Hour 05:29
- Find The One 05:26
- Bulls Eye 06:29
- Time 05:14
- Our Cross - Our Sins 03:58
You can now check out more sound
samples from all the songs the album by visiting
this link.
Also, I
was just sent this info on a new album that Tony Martin is working
on (again with Neil Murray). Check this out:
EMPIRE Enlist Help From
Metal Superstars For Sophomore CD - Oct. 13, 2002
EMPIRE, the solo project of VANIZE guitarist Rolf Munkes, are
currently working on the follow-up to last year's Hypnotica CD, due
in early 2003 through Lion Music. The full list of musicians
contributing to the album is as follows:
Tony Martin (ex-BLACK SABBATH) - Vocals
Neil Murray (ex-WHITESNAKE, BLACK SABBATH) - Bass
Rolf Munkes - Guitars
Gerald Kloos - Drums
Don Airey (DEEP PURPLE) - Keyboards
Anders Johansson (HAMMERFALL, ex-YNGWIE MALMSTEEN) - Guest on drums
(two tracks)
Among the titles set to appear on the forthcoming CD are the
following:
01. Perfect Singularity
02. Back in the Light
03. Big World Little Man
04. One in a Million
05. Comin' Home
06. Did You Ever Love Me
07. Pay Back Time
08. You
09. Teenage Deadhead
10. Wherever You Go
Once I hear more
about this project, I'll pass on more info. In the meantime,
go buy the new Rondinelli disc. :)
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October 15, 2002
BLACK
& BLUE DVD DELAYED
Over the weekend, I got a few emails asking me what happened to the
Black & Blue DVD release that was supposed to happen recently (Sep
23rd in the UK, and Oct 8th in the US). That obviously did not
occur. I wrote to the distributor, and this is what I was
told:
PRESS RELEASE FOR ALL
BLACK SABBATH/BLUE OYSTER CULT FANS
Classic Pictures would like to inform all fans that at this moment
in time (01.10.02) The release date for the Black 'n' Blue DVD is on
hold.
We would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused by this
delay.
Please continue to check press for further details, as a new release
date will be scheduled in the near future.
Classic Pictures Entertainment Limited
Shepperton Studios, Studios Road,
Shepperton, Middlesex, UK, TW17 0QD
So, it
appears that Black & Blue has been delayed a bit for insertion of
more special materials. Once there is a new release date, I
will post an update on that. From what I can gather, there is
a new interview with Ronnie James Dio on the disc, as well as an
interview with Blue Oyster Cult, too (although how many BOC members
I don't know).
THE STRING QUARTET TRIBUTE
TO BLACK SABBATH GIVEAWAY
 Today
I'm here to announce another giveaway on my Sabbath site. This
time I've got five copies of the String Quartet Tribute to Black
Sabbath to give away. There's no trivia contest this
time, just send an email with your name and address to
stringquartet@black-sabbath.com. Please note that ANY EMAILS
SENT ANYWHERE ELSE THAN STRINGQUARTET@BLACKSABBATH.COM WILL NOT BE
ELIGIBLE FOR THE CONTEST, AND WILL BE DELETED. The contest will
run till Monday, October 21st. Please also note if you don't include
your address, your submission will be rejected. The reason for this
is that when the contest is over, I want to get all the prizes out
immediately, and if your address isn't sent, I can't do that. Please
be aware that I do not save any of the information at all. It's
solely for the content, and once the contest is over, I delete all
emails and address records, so there's no worries about me "selling
info" or any garbage like that.
Here is
some info on the CD for you to check out:
A few weeks back,
I received a new Black Sabbath Tribute CD in the mail. This
one I hadn't heard of before, it's called "The String Quartet
Tribute to Black Sabbath". In their own words, here's some
info from the back of the CD:
The
raw emotion of the most important heavy metal band of the 20th
century is harnessed here on this powerful homage to Black Sabbath.
This amazing Czech string quartet has re-created the songs of Black
Sabbath with incredible performances on violin, viola, contrabass, &
cello. Both haunting and intense, these compelling versions
maintain great respect to what Sabbath is all about.
I
listened to it back and forth on the way to work in my car, and I
have to say, it's quite good. These are all instrumentals, and
it's quite easy to pick out the melodies here and follow along with
the song in your head (at least that's what I did). They also
include one original composition on the CD. Here's a
track listing:
- Sabbath
Bloody Sabbath
- Sweet
Leaf
- Iron
Man
- Changes
-
Electric Funeral
-
Paranoid
Solitude
-
Supernaut
- Into
the Void
-
Sacrament (the original song)
There's
some more info available on the home page for the album over at
http://www.thetributeto.com/blacksabbathstring - check it out.
They have mp3 samples of three of the songs on that appear on the album,
so you can give 'em a listen.
If you'd like to buy the CD, you can do so either on the website for the
album,
or
via this link from Amazon.com.
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September
27, 2002
WIN A FREE DIO CD!
Earlier this year, Dio released a new CD, "Killing the Dragon".
Dio went out on tour with Deep Purple and the Scorpions in support
of it, and it was a great show, but when you have multiple bands
like that, the sets are shortened. This fall, Dio will be
touring on their own, and to commemorate the tour, a "Special
Edition" of the Killing the Dragon CD is going to be released on
October 22nd - it's one CD. It has the same album that
was released earlier this year, plus some additional materials.
They are:
-
Fever Dreams Live (w/ Deep Purple)
-
Rainbow in the Dark (w/ Deep Purple)
- The
video for Push
- A
screensaver
I'm here
with another giveaway - I've got four copies of the Special Edition
of Killing the Dragon to give away. There's no trivia
contest this time, just send an email with your name and address to
killingthedragon@black-sabbath.com.
Please note that ANY EMAILS SENT ANYWHERE ELSE THAN
KILLINGTHEDRAGON@BLACKSABBATH.COM WILL NOT BE ELIGIBLE FOR THE CONTEST, AND
WILL BE DELETED. The contest will run till Friday, October
4th. Please also note if you don't include your address, your
submission will be rejected. The reason for this is that when
the contest is over, I want to get all the prizes out immediately,
and if your address isn't sent, I can't do that. Please be
aware that I do not save any of the information at all. It's
solely for the content, and once the contest is over, I delete all
emails and address records, so there's no worries about me "selling
info" or any garbage like that.
Thanks to
Rob over at Spitfire for helping out with this contest.
MORE
ON RONDINELLI ALBUM
The
forthcoming Rondinelli album "Our Cross, Our Sins" is due for
release in a couple of weeks. The full tracklisting has
been released, check it out:
- Naughty Dragon 05:38
- Dawn 05:39
- It’s A Lie 05:15
- The Meaning Of Evil 06:25
- Midnight Hour 05:29
- Find The One 05:26
- Bulls Eye 06:29
- Time 05:14
- Our Cross - Our Sins 03:58
You can now check out more sound
samples from all the songs the album by visiting
this link - check 'em out!
BIG CD GIVEAWAY WINNERS
Today I went through the BIG CD giveaway,
and picked the winners. Here's a list of who won, and what
they won. Keep it here for more giveaways! :)
- Tom Straw
(Pittsburgh, PA) - Ozzy's Down to Earth
- Gabe
Zentner (Indianapolis, IN) - Seventh Star
- Bernardo
(?) - Seventh Star
- Ricky
Knight (Muskegon, MI) - Born Again
- Andrew
Davy (Kent, England) - Born Again
- Lenoid
Maravosky (Auburndale, MA) - Rainbow, Live in Germany
- Sigmund
Lillejordet (Trondheim, Norway) - Rainbow, Live in Germany
- Johan
Nielsen (Halmstad, Sweden) - Rainbow, Live in Germany
- Dion
Stojsavljevic (Victoria, Austraila) - Nativtity in Black II
- Peter
Eklund (Uppsala, Sweden) - Nativity in Black II
- Fabio
Bastos (Sao Paulo, Brazil) - Nativity in Black II
- Francisco
Nieto (Quito, Ecuador) - Bill Ward's When the Bough Breaks
- Zoa (?) -
Bill Ward's When the Bough Breaks
- Shawn
Warfield (Patton, PA) - Bill Ward's When the Bough Breaks
- Joe
Mallon (?) - Iommi
- Torsten
Reitz (Elz, Germany) - Iommi
- Pekka
Wainio (Kauniainen, Finland) - Iommi
- Steve
Beach (Oxford, England) - Iommi
- Tim
Vaughn (?) - Iommi
The
questions I asked for this contest were:
- Who
is the only person ever to sing vocals on a Black Sabbath album
other than the "Sabbath vocalist" for that album?
Think "guest vocalist". I'm not
counting backing vocals, or someone else who was a member of Black
Sabbath.
-
Which member of Yes played for Black Sabbath and when?
- How
many official studio albums has Black Sabbath put out over the
years?
-
Which tour did Sabbath cover a Deep Purple song during it's set,
and what was the song?
-
Which of these was not a former band name of Black Sabbath's?
Polka Tulk Blues Band, Mythology, Earth, Polka Tulk.
Here are
the answers:
- The
rapper Ice-T. He sang (or rapped, whatever) a short verse of
the song "The Illusion of Power" from 1995's Forbidden album.
I was specific to ask for guest vocalist. I had a few people
suggest Ray Gillen on the Eternal Idol, and Dave Walker back in
1978, but I discounted both of those because Ray had already been
a Sabbath vocalist, and Dave was the vocalist of the time. I
was looking for "guest", which is why I defined that.
-
Rick Wakeman played keyboards on the Sabbath Bloody Sabbath album.
- I
specifically asked for studio albums, that means no live albums
(Live Evil, CP Live, Reunion, Past Lives), and no compilations (We
Sold Our Soul & Sabbath Stones). Taking that into account,
the number is 18 (check the list). I was not counting a
possible new studio album by Sabbath, as it doesn't exist.
:)
- On
the Born Again Tour, Sabbath covered Purple's Smoke on the Water,
as Ian Gillan was the Sabbath vocalist at the time.
-
Mythology. That was a band that Tony Iommi & Bill Ward were
in before Sabbath was formed.
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September
20, 2002
BIG
UPDATE TO THE TIMELINE PAGE
I do websites for a living (3D
Realms), and as a fan (Texas
Rangers Baseball Club), plus this site, and I maintain the
Bill Ward &
Cozy Powell sites, too
(amongst other things I've done). Anyway, of all the websites
I've ever done and all the pages I've ever created, there is one
page on this site that I've done that I'm EXTREMELY proud of.
That is my Black Sabbath Band
Personnel Timeline Page. This page is something I've been
working on in one form or another since I first created it way back
in 1987 (in fact, I have a link on the timeline page to a version I
created back in 1987)- ages before I knew about the World Wide Web,
and about 8 years before I started this web site.
The page
details all the band comings and goings over the 30+ years the band
has been around. While it was fairly stable during the 70's,
it was anything but in the 80's, and fairly turbulent in the 90's as
well, at least until the latter part of the decade. Do you
realize that there have been roughly 30 different people who have
been in the band at one point or another over it's history?
Most people don't realize that. Of course, a lot of people
have this mistaken impression that Black Sabbath ceased to exist
when Ozzy wasn't their singer anymore after 1978. That's
wrong. :)
Anyway,
my timeline page has had a major revision to it over the last couple
of days. I've gone through the entire history, re-read my own
work, and reworded a few things that seemed oddly phrased. In
my opinion, the text is a bit clearer, and a few things that were
written in the current tense now looked silly, since they are in the
past tense. All that has been cleaned up. I added
a few more band photos, too.
However,
the most important addition to the file is the time after the
Seventh Star Tour. One of the things that has always confused
folks has been the comings and goings during the recording of the
Eternal Idol album. This past week, I was fortunate enough to
speak on the telephone with Eric Singer & Bob Daisley, and talked to
them about their time working on the Eternal Idol album. Both
were very kind with their time, and from what they told me, plus
what I already knew on my own, I believe I have FINALLY
gotten a handle on the band's history during this period, which is
very turbulent. Awhile back, I thought I knew what was going
on, then saw a picture from Sun City, and it messed me all up again,
as I didn't know that combo existed. Anyway, all this has been
cleaned up, and I now present it in it's new form for you to check
out. I don't claim to be the be-all end-all source of 100%
accurate knowledge here, as there's still a few pieces I can't find
for the moment like the number of and the dates of the Sun City
gigs. However, I'm fairly confident now that what I have
presented for the 1985-1987 timeline is pretty close to being on the
mark. I also don't believe the Eternal Idol timeline has ever
been covered online in this kind of depth.
Take a look, and take a read
of the timeline page. I'm really proud of it, and would love
to hear what others think. If you care to drop me a line, you
can do so
here.
If you've
read it before, take another look.
One word of warning though. The page is rather large.
If you're on a 56k modem, it will take roughly 5 minutes to download
all of it (there's a lot of pictures). However, if you have
broadband, it won't be that big of a deal. One brief website
note about the page. I used to call the page "Band Personnel
By Lineups", but decided that calling it a timeline was more
streamlined of a name :)
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 September 16, 2002
NEW RONDINELLI ALBUM
Someone
emailed me over the weekend asking me what happened to the link I
had up here with sound samples from the new Rondinelli album, "Our
Cross - Our Sins". Quite frankly, I don't know what happened
to it, I must have overwritten the page. Anyway, I did still
have the cover art here, but I don't have the link with the sound
samples. If someone has it, please
email me back.
Update:
Ricky Knight was kind enough to send me in the links to the three
sound samples from the CD. Here they are. The links come
from the site
melodicrock.com - so make sure and check 'em out.
Also,
I'll be contacting Bobby in the next week or so about the album - to
get some more info on it, so keep your eyes peeled. Also, I
still haven't turned up any pre-order links yet. If anyone
finds some, please email me about that, too.
In other
news, don't forget about my Big CD giveaway. If you scroll
down to the September 10th news entry, you'll see the trivia contest
where you could win one of 19 CD's I'm giving away.
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September 13, 2002
BLACK
SABBATH STORY DVD (& VHS) RELEASE
Today was I sent some materials for the forthcoming re-release of
the Black Sabbath Story Videos from 1992. The release
date has changed slightly, but they're still due this month on VHS &
DVD. Here's a press release, along with covert art for the two
DVD's:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
TWO 'BLACK SABBATH STORY' HOME VIDEOS TO BE RELEASED ON DVD AND VHS
BY SANCTUARY ON SEPTEMBER 24, 2002
VOLUME 1 (1970-1978) AND VOLUME 2 (1978-1992) EXAMINE THE TURBULENT
HISTORY OF THE GROUNDBREAKING BAND; BOTH TITLES INCLUDE BONUS
FEATURES NOT FOUND ON ORIGINAL VHS VERSIONS
Black Sabbath pioneered true heavy metal, and a fascinating look
into the British band's turbulent history is covered on two
individual DVD and VHS releases, 'The Black Sabbath Story: Volume
One' and 'The Black Sabbath Story: Volume Two,' coming from
Sanctuary Records on September 24, 2002. Each DVD and VHS is sold
separately.
Each volume includes rare concert and television footage, music
videos, in-depth interviews and much more. These titles are being
released on DVD for the first time, and they include extras not
present on the original VHS versions. They have been reformatted for
DVD in the 16:9 letterbox ratio, and the audio has been remastered
for both Dolby Digital 5.1 and stereo sound. Bonus features on both
titles include animated menus, an album gallery and band history.
'The Black Sabbath Story: Volume One' covers 1970 to 1978, when the
original lineup of vocalist Ozzy Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi,
bass guitarist Geezer Butler and drummer Bill Ward turned rock music
upside down with its blistering originality. Albums like 'Black
Sabbath,' 'Paranoid,' 'Master of Reality' and 'Volume 4' are still
cited as metal milestones 30 years after their release by successive
generations of rock fans. Osbourne, Iommi, Butler and Ward addressed
the bleaker sides of life in their songs, and did so on a volcanic
musical foundation.
This 85-minute DVD includes 10 songs: "N.I.B.," "Paranoid," "War
Pigs," "Children of the Grave," "Snowblind," "Sabbath, Bloody
Sabbath," "Symptom of the Universe," "It's Alright," "Rock 'N Roll
Doctor" and "Never Say Die." One special feature is an in-depth
interview with Black Sabbath's original manager, Jim Simpson, who
describes the band's development.
'The Black Sabbath Story: Volume Two' picks up in 1978 prior to
Osbourne's departure and traces the strange periods of all-star,
revolving-door lineups up through 1992 during which Iommi was often
the only remaining original member. After Osbourne left, he was
replaced by Rainbow vocalist Ronnie James Dio for a brief, turbulent
but artistically rewarding period which yielded 1980's brilliant
'Heaven and Hell.' Other vocalists included Deep Purple's Ian Gillan
and Glenn Hughes, and Tony Martin. Short-lived drummers included
Vinny Appice, Electric Light Orchestra's Bev Bevan, the late Cozy
Powell and future Kiss member Eric Singer. The DVD ends with the
reunion of Dio, Iommi, Butler and Appice for 1992's 'Dehumanizer.'
The 10 songs on the 72-minute second volume are: "Hard Road," "Die
Young," "Neon Knights," "Trashed," "Zero the Hero," "No Stranger to
Love," "The Shining," "Headless Cross," "Feels Good to Me" and "TV
Crimes." A bonus interview with Black Sabbath expert Hugh Gilmour is
part of this DVD.
'The Black Sabbath Story: Volume One' and 'The Black Sabbath Story:
Volume Two' are valuable historical documents that chronicle the
career of one of the most innovative rock bands in history.
Here's
some ordering links for the Sabbath Story DVD's.
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September 10, 2002
MOTHER'S ARMY
Just a quick note to say that Bob Daisley was kind enough to send me
a review copy of the Mother's Army albums. Mother's Army is a
band that should be of some interest to folks who like Sabbath /
Purple / Rainbow as the band is made up of several folks who were in
both.
- Joe
Lynn Turner (Rainbow, Deep Purple)
- Bob
Daisley (Ozzy, Sabbath)
-
Carmine Appice (Ozzy, Vanilla Fudge)
-
Ainsley Dunbar (Journey, co-wrote the song Warning that Sabbath
covers on the first album)
-
Jeff Watson (Night Ranger)
Once I
get a chance to give the CD's a good listen, I'll post some remarks.
In the meantime, check out the Mother's Army info over at the Jeff
Watson site -
http://www.jeffwatson.com. Mother's Army has three albums
total.
BIG CD GIVEAWAY
I was
looking through my materials sent to me by various places, and
discovered a bunch of CD's I did not know I had. A total of 19
of them. There's several different titles, and instead of my
usual doing a giveaway for each, I'm doing one BIG giveaway.
It will be a trivia contest like I usually do, only this time, I'll
be picking a CD at random from those 19 winners pick from the folks
who send in all the correct answers. Here's a list of what's
in the giveaway pile. All this stuff is still sealed, and
brand new!
- 1
Copy of Ozzy's Down to Earth CD
- 2
copies of Black Sabbath's Born Again (Remastered) CD
- 2
copies of Black Sabbath's Seventh Star (Remastered) CD
- 3
copies of Rainbow's "Live in Germany - 1976" Remastered CD
- 3
copies of the Sabbath Tribute CD "Nativity in Black II"
- 3
copies of Bill Ward's solo CD "When the Bough Breaks" (with the
correct cover art)
- 5
copies of Tony Iommi's solo CD, "Iommi"
Please send your
answers to
bigcdgiveaway@black-sabbath.com
- Please note that ANY EMAILS SENT ANYWHERE ELSE THAN
BIGCDGIVEAWAY@BLACKSABBATH.COM WILL NOT BE ELIGIBLE FOR THE CONTEST, AND
WILL BE DELETED. The contest will run till Monday, September
30th.
Here are
the questions:
- Who
is the only person ever to sing vocals on a Black Sabbath album
other than the "Sabbath vocalist" for that album?
Think "guest vocalist". I'm not
counting backing vocals, or someone else who was a member of Black
Sabbath.
-
Which member of Yes played for Black Sabbath and when?
- How
many official studio albums has Black Sabbath put out over the
years?
-
Which tour did Sabbath cover a Deep Purple song during it's set,
and what was the song?
-
Which of these was not a former band name of Black Sabbath's?
Polka Tulk Blues Band, Mythology, Earth, Polka Tulk.
If you're picked as one of
the winners, the winning CD is a random choice, please don't ask me
to give you a specific CD. The contest starts NOW, and runs
till Mon, Sep 23rd at roughly 6PM Central Time US. It's open
to everyone, you don't have to be in the US to enter.
PLEASE send your address with your entry, so if I pick you,
I can get the prizes right out. Please be aware that I do not
save any of the information at all. It's solely for the
content, and once the contest is over, I delete all emails and
address records, so there's no worries about me "selling info" or
any garbage like that.
PAST
LIVES GIVEAWAY WINNERS
Picked
the winners of the Past Lives giveaway trivia contest.
Posted here are the answers to the questions, as well as the
winners:
What previously
released (unofficial) Sabbath album contained the same material
that is on Disc 1 of Past Lives?
Live at Last - the
unofficial album released in 1980, which legend has it led directly to
Sabbath wanting an official Live album - Live Evil.
Who is the only other
member of Black Sabbath (besides Tony Iommi) to have worked with
everyone who has been in the band in it's entire history?
Geoff Nicholls.
Geoff came in in 1979 to play bass after Geezer had left for a time,
then switched over to keyboards when Geezer came back. Geoff has
been there ever since, playing with everyone who has come and gone
over the years. When Ozzy came back in 1997, that finished the
circle. Someone had reminded me of Dave Walker in 1978, and to
some extent, that is correct. Geoff never worked with Dave, when
he was briefly in the band in early 1978. However, I didn't
realize this until after I had picked the winners.
How many and what are
the names of all the live Black Sabbath albums (not counting
bootlegs) that have been released?
The four official
Sabbath Live albums are Live Evil (1982), Cross Purposes Live (1995),
Reunion (1999), & Past Lives (2002). Live at Last on it's own
doesn't count, as it wasn't an official album. A lot of people
left off Past Lives from their entry.
Who was the only
person ever to play a guitar solo on a Black Sabbath album besides
Tony Iommi?
Queen's Brian May
played the guitar solo on the track "When Death Calls" from the
Headless Cross album.
How many former
members of Black Sabbath have also played in Deep Purple and who
are they?
Ian Gillan (Born
Again vocals), Glenn Hughes (Seventh Star Vocals), & Don Airey (Never
Say Die Keyboards). Ronnie James Dio was sent in to me -
he was never considered an official Purple member.
Someone
else said I should have asked how many Rainbow members were in
Sabbath. There were more there, as Ronnie James Dio, Bob
Daisley, Don Airey, Cozy Powell, & Bobby Rondinelli were all in
Rainbow & Sabbath. Also, depending on whom you listen to, you
could count Craig Gruber too, as he worked on the pre-production of
the Heaven & Hell album, too.
The
winners:
-
Christian Spiteri
-
Matti Tolvanen
-
Alex Tchirkov
-
Peter Simpson
-
Romulo Ehalt
- "Clarky
the Sparky" (Real name withheld)
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September 5, 2002
INTERVIEWS WITH BASSISTS
Noticed I had a few emails in my inbox that I missed somehow which
were links to two VERY GOOD interviews with former Sabbath & Ozzy
bassist Bob Daisley. They mostly talk about the reissue of
Ozzy's two first solo albums with the re-recorded bass & drum
tracks, but there's other stuff there, too. Either way, there
is some VERY good information in here. Check it out:
I urge
you to take a read here, these are quite good.
I also
found a link to an interview with Laurence Cottle, who was the
bassist on the Headless Cross album. Laurence was only used
for the studio sessions for that album, and he has a small part in
the band's history, but he's one who is hard to find info about.
Check out the Cottle interview
here.
NEW SABBATH COMPILATION
DUE
Got this
press release in about another Sabbath compilation due in October.
Here's the PR...
WARNER
BROS./RHINO TO OBSERVE THE SABBATH
WITH SYMPTOM OF THE UNIVERSE:
THE ORIGINAL BLACK SABBATH (1970–1978)
Twenty-Nine Track, Two-CD Package Roars Into Stores October 15
LOS ANGELES – What is this that stands before you? Warner Bros.
Records/Rhino Entertainment is set to unleash one of the heaviest
collections to emerge this or any other year…a mighty anthology that
attests to the longstanding influence of the Iron Men of hard
rock—Black Sabbath!
Executive-produced by Sharon Osbourne, SYMPTOM OF THE UNIVERSE: THE
ORIGINAL BLACK SABBATH (1970-1978) gathers and remasters 29 classic
songs clocking in at more than 150 minutes created by the first—and
most successful—incarnation of the Birmingham, England-bred band:
vocalist John "Ozzy" Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Terry
"Geezer" Butler, and drummer Bill Ward.
SYMPTOM OF THE UNIVERSE spans Black Sabbath's eight studio
albums—from their self-titled debut of 1970 (an album recorded in
under 12 hours!), to their final studio long-player with Osbourne's
vocals, 1978's Never Say Die! The two-CD package will be available
October 15 at all retail outlets, as well as at www.rhino.com for a
suggested list price of $31.98.
Featuring a detailed history by Mick Wall (author of Paranoid: Black
Days With Sabbath and Other Horror Stories), SYMPTOM OF THE
UNIVERSE: THE ORIGINAL BLACK SABBATH (1970-1978) includes the
essentials—"Black Sabbath," "Paranoid," "Iron Man," "War Pigs,"
"Sweet Leaf," "Snowblind," and "Hole in the Sky." But there's also
such noteworthy album tracks as "Sabbra Cadabra" and "Into the
Void," as well as their rare cover of "Evil Woman," which was only
included on the British album version of 1970's Black Sabbath.
Long before The Osbournes reality-TV show made him and wife/manager
Sharon the nation's new "Ozzie & Harriet," Osbourne was the
plaintive, compelling voice of Black Sabbath. The four-piece band
created massive slabs of vinyl that the late-'60s and '70s
generation were drawn towards like moths to a flame—Black Sabbath,
Paranoid, Master of Reality, and Volume 4 were totems of
anti-flower-power that nevertheless decried the horrors of Vietnam
and governmental hypocrisy. By the mid-'70s, BLACK SABBATH were
stadium-sized monsters in the USA, Europe, and beyond, unleashing
such titanic platters of doom as Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, Sabotage,
Technical Ecstasy and Never Say Die!
Since BLACK SABBATH are still entrancing new generations of hard
rock and heavy metal fans each year—they are one of the only '60s
bands played alongside new artists on Modern and Active Rock
radio—SYMPTOM OF THE UNIVERSE may inspire more of the literally
hundreds of rock bands to follow in their wake. With his successful
OZZfest summer tours, Ozzy Osbourne continues to play these songs as
part of his concerts, and brings down the house with them every
time.
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August
27, 2002
TONY
MARTIN INTERVIEW ONLINE!
A few months back, I had put out a call for questions you'd like to
ask former Black Sabbath vocalist
Tony Martin. Well, mostly due to my own delays in getting
it coordinated, it never got dealt with until now. However,
Tony got sent the questions finally on August 23rd, and he answered
them back almost immediately - I had 'em back quickly, and they're
online now! Tony was very gracious with his time for this, and
he covered many subjects including his solo album Back Where I
Belong, the Sabbath reunion with Ozzy, other parts of the band's
history, the late Cozy Powell's tribute concert - and many many
other things!
For those of you who sent in questions,
take a look at the interview,
maybe Tony answered one of yours!
I'm
intending on this being a semi-regular feature of my site, having
email interviews with various other Sabbath band members - at least
those that I have contact with, anyway. :)
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 August
21, 2002
IT'S
REISSUE DAY!
In addition to
the Black Sabbath Oral History book below that's being reissued,
I've got some updates on some other reissues.
BLACK & BLUE
First
up is the old Black & Blue Black Sabbath/Blue Oyster Cult concert
film from 1980. I reported below on it's being re-released,
and it's now available for pre-order. You can order it through
Amazon.com. It will be released in the US/Canada on October
8th. It will be released in the UK before that, on
September 23rd. I don't have a pre-order link yet for the
Region 2 (aka UK) DVD, but if you want to pre-order the Region 1
DVD,
you can do so here.
THE
BLACK SABBATH STORY
Second
are the Black Sabbath Story videos from back around 1992.
These have been available for quite some time on VHS, but now are
finally being released on DVD (as well as being reissued on VHS).
They admittedly cover only up to the Dehumanizer era, but they are
notable for some great interviews, as well as being the only place
where you can hear snippets of the old Sabbath demos "A Song for
Jim" & "The Rebel". These are due out August 26th in the UK,
and September 10th in the US. Here's some ordering links for
the Sabbath Story DVD's.
BLACK
SABBATH: AN ORAL HISTORY TO BE REISSUED
Last week, I received a press release regarding a book on Black
Sabbath that's been out of print for awhile, and is to be reissued.
Here's what I received from someone over at HarperCollins Books:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ON FEBRUARY 13, 1970 THE FACE OF MUSIC CHANGED FOREVER
BLACK SABBATH: An Oral History
By Mike Stark, edited by Dave Marsh
When Black Sabbath burst on to the scene with the release of its
first album, Black Sabbath, Heavy Metal was born. BLACK SABBATH: An
Oral History (HaperEntertainment; On-Sale September 3, 2002; $10.95)
chronicles the band's rise to fame through firsthand accounts from
the members of the band, including front man Ozzy Osbourne.
Everything that this sui generis British metal band did and saw over
its storied career is detailed here. Go behind the scenes in studio
and on tour with the band that has been a primary influence on
hundreds of rock groups, from Metallica to Spinal Tap, and find out
how they became the fathers of a new brand of rock.
A fascinating story in words and images, BLACK SABBATH includes:
- Firsthand accounts
from ALL the members of the band both the founders and those
that came later. Ozzy himself shares many insights.
- Great sidebars with
complete lineups of the band at key dates and who appears on
every album.
- Pictures of the
band in concert, on television appearances, in promotional
photos and album covers.
In the words of Black
Sabbath's four founding members -- Bill Ward, Tony Iommi, Geezer
Butler, and Ozzy Osbourne -- and from other members through the
years, including Ronnie James Dio, Rob Halford, Eric Singer, Tony
Martin, Cozy Powell, and Neil Murray, BLACK SABBATH: An Oral History
tells readers what it's like to turn up the amps, hit the stage, and
power-chord an audience into submission -- and create a brand -- new
kind of rock in the process.
About the authors:
Mike Stark is the former host of "Pure Rock Talkback" on the ground
breaking metal station KNAC-FM in Long Beach, CA. Stark has produced
numerous radio programs and co-produced "Rock & Rap Confidential
Report," based on the newsletter Rock & Rap Confidential. As an
independent radio journalist, Stark has interviewed hundreds of
artists from all forms of music, including George Clinton, Pat
Boone, Roger Daltry, Les Paul, John Lee Hooker, Slash and Clint
Black.
Dave Marsh was a founding editor of Creem and an editor at Rolling
Stone, where he created The Rolling Stone Record Guide. He is now a
music critic at Playboy, publishers of Rock & Rap Confidential, and
a prolific author of books about music and popular culture,
including books about Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, and the song
"Louie Louie." His book Before I Get Old is the definitive biography
of the Who, and Glory Days and Born to Run, both about Bruce
Springsteen, were best-sellers.
BLACK SABBATH: An Oral History
By Mike Stark edited by Dave Marsh
On Sale Date: September 3, 2003
ISBN: 0060529458
$10.95 U.S./$16.50 CAN
First off, I'm fairly sure
the on sale date is not 2003. :) Second, after this was
sent to me, I was also contacted by the book's original author, Mike
Stark - who told me the reprint was put together without his
knowledge or involvement. He sent me this email for the
mailing list:
As many of you already
know, there were some HUGE errors made by the original publisher --
errors that virtually erased Ray Gillen from the history all
together. I had always hoped to be able to correct these errors, add
some stuff that happened after the publication and generally make it
a better book. I was told initially that there was little chance of
a reprint, so I posted the "mistakes"
at
my website and left it at that. Then the "Osbournes" happened.
Now the even worse news.
Suddenly, I find that the new owners of Avon books (the original
publisher), Harper-Collins is re-releasing the book with a new
cover. I have not even seen the cover, but it's of Ozzy and
described to me as "an awful retro-looking shot of his face." I
would not have even known about this release if I hadn't chanced
upon it at Amazon.com.
I just want Sabbath fans to know that I had no input into the new
release and will receive no compensation for this new release. Since
finding out, I have sent the corrections to the publisher, but do
not expect them to make the changes. After all, they need to get
this out while the "Osbournes" are still hot!
I have always had the greatest respect for Sabbath fans and will
continue to do my best to get the proper message out about the band,
when I can. Thanks to all for your understanding and if you have any
questions about either edition feel free to
e-mail me.
You can purchase
either version of the book from the links below. The original
version is out of print, so it's a little harder to find, and the
newer version isn't out yet - it'll be out in September.
[
Purchase original version of book |
Purchase newer print of book ]
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August
20, 2002
PAST LIVES GIVEAWAY
 Today,
the new Black Sabbath album, "Past Lives" is out in the US/Canada
(it comes out everywhere else Sep 9th). To commemorate the
release of the new album, I'm here with one of my contests to win a
free copy of the CD. I've got several copies to give away, and
I'm running one of my trivia contests. Whoever answers the
following five questions correctly will get put in a drawing to win.
Here are the questions:
- What previously
released (unofficial) Sabbath album contained the same material
that is on Disc 1 of Past Lives?
- Who is the only other
member of Black Sabbath (besides Tony Iommi) to have worked with
everyone who has been in the band in it's entire history?
- How many and what are
the names of all the live Black Sabbath albums (not counting
bootlegs) that have been released?
- Who was the only
person ever to play a guitar solo on a Black Sabbath album besides
Tony Iommi?
- How many former
members of Black Sabbath have also played in Deep Purple and who
are they?
Please send your
answers to
pastlives@black-sabbath.com
- Please note that ANY EMAILS SENT ANYWHERE ELSE THAN
PASTLIVES@BLACKSABBATH.COM WILL NOT BE ELIGIBLE FOR THE CONTEST, AND
WILL BE DELETED. The contest will run till Wednesday, August
28th.
FYI, all these questions were generated by looking for the info on
the web, either on my site or elsewhere. The answers are out there,
they're not that impossible to find out. :)
As I said above, I've got
several copies - a total of 6. 5 of the regular release, and
one copy of the "Limited Edition", which includes a Black Sabbath
guitar pick, a poster, and some really cool packaging.
What I will do is take the 6 winners, and one of those will be
picked at random to get the Limited Edition package. The contest starts NOW, and
runs till Wed, Aug 28th at roughly 6PM Central Time US. It's
open to everyone, you don't have to be in the US to enter. It
would help me out if you send your address with your entry, so if I
pick you, I can get the prizes right out. Please be aware that
I do not save any of the information at all. It's solely for hte content, and once the contest is over, I delete all emails and
address records, so there's no worries about me "selling info" or
any garbage like that.
You can also purchase the
CD from these links below:
[
Order
CD from CDNow ]
[
Order
Limited Edition CD from CDNow ]
[
Order
CD from Amazon.com ]
[
Order Limited Edition CD from Amazon.com ]
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August
16, 2002
MAILING LIST PROBLEMS
Here's a msg I tried to send out to the mailing list today (and an
update to it).
Please forgive the additional test
message. I'm having a little difficulty getting this software up and
running. Once it is, it'll be able to handle the mailing list fine -
and given I was told not to use the SMTP server I was using for the
list anymore, I have to locate a new area for the mailing list to
come from. We do a lot of traffic. For example, the last issue was
30,078 bytes. I sent it to 3,650 or so folks. That's a total of
109,784,700 megs of traffic just from the last mailing list. When
the lists are higher than that (which frequently happens), it's a
lot more traffic.
I am aware that some folks got multiple copies of the previous test,
as well as Issue #1079 which I sent out yesterday. I'm also aware
that some folks never got either. Hell, I got 4 copies EACH myself!
Due to this, I've put Issue #1079 up in the archives already
(normally I wait till the next issue is out, but I wanted folks to
see this one. If you got this msg, but missed issue #1079, check out
the backissue area at http://www.black-sabbath.com/backissues
Anyway, I'm trying another experiment to hopefully see if this works
right. Please bear with me through these changes. I hope to have it
resolved in the next few days or so. There may be another test msg
or two. For folks who just signed up, this stuff is NOT regular
behaviour. I normally send out an issue a week, and that's it. If
you are receiving this msg multiple times, please accept my
apologies, I hope to have it all ironed out shortly.
Well, it appears that
the new software solution is getting stuck after sending to 1,200
users. There's no posted limit on the software, but I'm trying
to get it resolved. It is good software, save for these
problems I'm running into getting it up and going. Once I get
it all ironed out, I'll want to be paying for the software, and at
that point, I might have to ask for monetary help in paying for it.
More on that later. In the meantime, I'm probably not
going to be sending out another issue until I can get this worked
out - there's no point in sending out a mailing to 3,600 people when
only the first 1,200 get it. :(
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July 24,
2002
NEW IOMMI - WITH PHIL
ANSELMO?
Was sent a short tidbit overnight about a possible new album from
Tony Iommi. Check it out (story originated
here):
It appears as if
PANTERA/DOWN/SUPERJOINT RITUAL frontman Phil Anselmo will be heading
to England in January to record a full length album with TONY IOMMI.
This is
the first I've heard of anything new from Tony (other than the
delayed new Sabbath studio album, assuming that happens at all
anyway). I wrote to Iommi's management about this, and haven't
heard back from them with info - once I do, I'll be sure to pass it
on.
THIS IS ALL THE
INFORMATION I HAVE - do not write me asking for more info,
it will get ignored (believe me, whenever I post something like
this, I always get emailed "Hey, you can tell me, what's the real
story?" - If I had more info, I'd post it!)
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July 23,
2002
MORE
ON PAST LIVES II
After posting the update earlier this morning, I got off the phone
with Sharon Osbourne's label, and got some details about Past Lives.
Here's what they told me:
- The
release date is August 20th.
-
There are two different styles of packaging.
-
There are no (current) plans to release it on vinyl (which someone
emailed me about over the weekend).
-
Don't know how "Limited" the Limited Edition is as of yet.
-
Disc 1 is the already released "Live
at Last" album, and Disc 2 is made up of tracks culled from
various gigs from 1970-1978. I've posted a track listing on
my Past Lives page.
I did
inquire about the differences between the standard and the "Limited
Edition" version, and was told that these three main differences
comprise the "Limited Edition" version:
-
Special Digipak packaging. Apparently, it's not the standard
Digipak packaging (like the kind that came with Reunion) - it's
something better, I'm told.
- A
fold up Black Sabbath poster
- A
Black Sabbath guitar pick.
I've also
been told I will probably be able to get some free copies to give
away (possibly before it's released), so hopefully I can get final
word on that soon.
MORE
ON PAST LIVES
 Got
a bunch of feedback on Past Lives over the weekend. I would
have updated sooner, but I was sick most of the weekend (and
Monday). Anyway, it appears that it's available for pre-order
from both Amazon & CDnow at the moment. Both Amazon & CDNow
have two price points for the disc - what the "Limited Edition"
means, I have yet to find out - but when I do, I will pass 'that
info on. The date does appear to be August 20th.
Here's some links to pre-order it.
Just a short note that
Amazon.com offers free shipping for orders over $49, so if you order
a few more things with this, you might qualify for free shipping
from Amazon - check out their site for details. Ordering from
the links on my site helps support this site, and keeps the site
going. Thanks.
BLACK
& BLUE TO BE RELEASED ON DVD
Also over
the weekend, I received a report of a news story about the old Black
Sabbath / Blue Oyster Cult concert video "Black & Blue" being
released on DVD later this year. Here's the news story I saw:
 BLACK
SABBATH and BLUE OYSTER CULT's legendary "Black & Blue" concert,
filmed at Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New York on October 15th,
1980, will finally be issued on DVD via
Classic
Pictures. The DVD version of the long out-of-print video will
apparently include all 14 tracks (seven by each act) contained in
the original film, and is tentatively scheduled for release later
this year.
The complete track listing for the DVD is as follows:
BLACK SABBATH
01. War Pigs
02. Neon Knights
03. N.I.B.
04. Iron Man
05. Paranoid
06. Heaven And Hell
07. Die Young
BLUE OYSTER CULT
01. Doctor Music
02. Cities On Flame
03. Divine Wind
04. Godzilla
05. Roadhouse Blues
06. Born To Be Wild
07. Here's Johnny
Look for an official press release soon.
I wrote their press folks
to get some more information on it. Also, since the company is
in the UK, it could be possible that it would be released as a
Region 2 DVD only (meaning US DVD players couldn't play it).
However, that's personal speculation on my part - I'm attempting to
confirm these issues as you read this. Hope to have an update
soon on this.
UPDATE: Right after
I uploaded this story, I heard back from Classic Pictures.
They tell me that there will be different region releases. The
UK release date is September 23rd, and the US release date is in
October (through Ventura distribution) - the final release date is
not yet set. More info as I get it. Thanks to
Blabbermouth for the original story.
NEW
RONDINELLI ALBUM
An album
that several folks have been looking forward to, the new Rondinelli
album is due out in October. This short news blurb appeared on
Hard Radio the other day.
RONDINELLI release their
new album, Our Cross - Our Sins on October 21st through MTM. The
band lineup features: Tony Martin (BLACK SABBATH, vocals), Neil
Murray (Black Sabbath, WHITESNAKE, bass), Bobby Rondinelli (BOC,
ex-QUIET RIOT, ex-RAINBOW, drums) and Teddy Rondinelli (FELIX
PAPALARDI, guitar).
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July 19,
2002
LIVE IN 75 GETS NEW NAME
Got a quick news story that
folks will be interested to hear. The "Live in 75" double live Black
Sabbath album has a new name. Actually, it's more accurate to say
that it has a real name, as "Live in 75" was just a working title.
The name of the album is now PAST LIVES.
I've also got a brief word on content. It will have some pics you've
never seen before, some from 1969, some from later, will include a
Black Sabbath guitar pick, and some other goodies. It's got cool
digipak packaging, as well as a second type of packaging (similar to
what they did with Reunion, where there were two different types of
packages you could get). Next time I talk about the album, I hope to
have a tracklisting for you. As I write this, I just got off the
phone with Sharon's office, and from what they told me, it's going
to be totally killer stuff. Something every Sabbath fan will
be into, I believe.
What else is cool is that it's looking like it will be out before
the end of the summer! Once I get a more concrete release date, or a
way to order it, I'll have more info. Believe me. :)
UPDATE (7/20): I was
informed of
a link on vh1.com showing what purports to be cover art.
That is shown here, although I've yet to completely confirm it with
the record label. It does look authentic though. It also
claims the release date is August 20th, which I also cannot confirm.
If it's true though, it means the album will be released on my
birthday. :)
SHARON
OSBOURNE & CANCER II
As I'm
sure you've heard by now, the cancer that has afflicted Sharon was
colon cancer, and from news reports out this week, it's spread
elsewhere in her body. This is bad news, but everyone is
optimistic about her recovery, including myself. I
inquired about that, and was told it's not affecting recording
(which is going on now) of new Osbournes episodes.
I hope
everyone joins me in wishing Sharon a quick and healthy recovery.
I know what it's like to have a family member afflicted with cancer,
and it is not a fun thing to go through.
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July 3,
2002
BILL
WARD AUDIO INTERVIEW
Over the weekend, Bill Ward appeared on a call in show in Los
Angeles. It was an outstandingly good interview, with
Bill talking about a wide range of topics, from John Entwistle, to
Cozy Powell, to what it's like being on tour with Sabbath, and some
of Bill's favorite music to listen to. The entire interview
lasts well over two hours (with music), and is definitely worth your
time to listen to.
You can
listen to an archive of the program
here. It is Shoutcast, so you need a player that can
handle that, such as Winamp or
MusicMatch Jukebox (although
there are plenty others - both of these are free).
Anyway,
the end of the broadcast mentions that Bill will be doing this
regularly - once I get some details on when this will be happening,
I'll definitely pass it along.
SHARON OSBOURNE & CANCER
Saw this
story come across the wire today, and thought I'd pass it on.
It originally appeared online
here.
Sharon Osbourne, the
take-no-prisoners matriarch who effortlessly deals with her
rebellious kids and a zoned-out husband on MTV's The Osbournes, is
in for her toughest challenge yet: cancer.
Sharon, the wife and manager of metal pioneer-turned TV dad Ozzy
Osbourne, will undergo an operation today for "a treatable form of
cancer," the couple's publicist, Lisa Vega, has announced.
Vega would not reveal what kind of cancer Osbourne is battling, but
the publicist says, "[Sharon] is expected to make a full recovery.
"She has the loving support of her husband and three children who
are by her side at this time," Vega says.
The Osbournes celebrate their 20-year wedding anniversary on
Thursday.
 Meantime,
MTV released a statement saying, "We know Sharon will conquer this
with the same tenacity and vibrancy she approaches everything else
in her life. Our thoughts are with Sharon and the entire Osbourne
family and we send her our love and support for a complete
recovery."
As a result of the surgery, the Osbournes are postpoing the first
two dates of the rocker's Ozzfest 2002 tour--Saturday's show in
Bristow, Virginia, and Sunday's stop in Pittsburgh. Both will be
rescheduled, says Vega.
Until MTV put her family at the forefront of American pop culture,
Sharon Osbourne was best known for her behind-the-scenes role as a
rock manager and mom. She has masterminded the "Prince of F---ing
Darkness' " career, including the mega-successful Ozzfest shows,
while tending to bayonet-toting son, Jack, 16, and pink-haired
princess cum aspiring pop star Kelly, 17, and oldest child, Aimee,
18, who didn't want to be a part of the series' inaugural season but
is rumored to be making an appearance next season. (Ozzy also has an
adult son, Louis, from his first marriage.)
Sharon also managed the Smashing Pumpkins until 2000, when she
suddenly quit with the now legendary statement: "I must resign
today, due to medical reasons--Billy Corgan was making me sick!"
Ozzy and Sharon, the now estranged daughter of the rocker's onetime
promoter Don Arden, met in 1979--a tempestuous year for the rocker.
Not only was he booted by the legendary metal band he fronted, Black
Sabbath, but he was also booted by his first wife, Thelma Reilly,
after eight years of marriage.
Three years later, the new couple married in Maui, with Sharon
taking over as Ozzy's manager and getting his career back on track.
Apart from a 1989 incident in which a binge-drinking Ozzy tried to
choke her--an episode that landed him in rehab for three months--the
couple have been inseparable...and unstoppable.
It was Sharon who hatched the idea for The Osbournes, after MTV
visited the brood for an episode of another series, MTV Cribs. The
show has generated the biggest ratings in MTV's history and made the
whole family (in)famous.
There's the hit Osbourne Family Album soundtrack, featuring Kelly's
cover of Madonna ( news - web sites)'s "Papa Don't Preach" (which
earned her a record deal), a pair of upcoming books from publisher
Simon & Shuster, a barrage of merchandising deals, and even a dinner
invitation from President George W. Bush ( news - web sites), who
was impressed with the clan's family values.
Sharon Osbourne has, like Ozzy, battled drug and alcohol abuse, but
has been sober for years. She recently underwent a gastic bypass
operation to shrink the size of her stomach. The now slender woman
credited the procedure with helping her lose 90 pounds from her once
224-pound bulk.
No word whether her real-life cancer battle will pop up on the tube
as a storyline on The Osbournes' second season that Sharon
negotiated with MTV for a reputed $20 million.
Filming is supposed to take place at the family farm in England
later this summer and the new season will debut in the fall.
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June 5,
2002
 GEEZER
BUTLER GETS WIRED
Well, actually Geezer has been fairly computer savvy for some time
now, but he's finally getting around to getting an official Web
site. Folks have asked me several times if I'd ever do a
Geezer Butler web site (as I do this one, I've done Bill Ward's &
Cozy Powell's) - but I don't have to. It's not active yet, but
it does look like it's under construction. Check it out:
http://www.geezerbutler.com
A big
hi goes out to the folks working on it - if you see this,
drop me a line when
you get a minute.
BILL
WARD INTERVIEW
There's a
killer new interview posted with Bill Ward over on the Classic Rock
Revisited site. It's a great interview, talking about topics ranging
from Bill's solo carrer, his exclusion in the Ozzfest Sabbath 1997
shows, Ozzy's The Osbournes TV show, and a whole lot of things. Here's
a few clips from the full interview, which appears
here.
Jeb: Who would have thought
that Black Sabbath would have a happy ending?
Bill: I know. I hope that things will carry on. The only thing that I wish
is for everybody to have good health. I am 54 coming on 55 and it is that
time when it all becomes about good heath and staying sane. I can’t do that
fucking crazy shit anymore. One of the beautiful things about Black Sabbath
is that when we are backstage or in the studio or in rehearsals we will have
a cup of tea at about 4:00 in the afternoon and we all sit down and we talk
about what is wrong with us. We will talk about needing a new pair of
glasses or we will ask “How’s your stomach?” or “How’s your shoulder? Did
somebody fix it?” We talk about things like that. When we were 17 years old
we would never think about things like that. The first thing on our mind was
shagging somebody! Now it is about “How’s the dog? How are the kids?” and
stuff like that. That is what Black Sabbath is like. That is what Black
Sabbath does when they get together. We still kick-ass.
Jeb: What is Bill Ward
currently doing?
Bill: I just came back from my drummer’s studio -- I have a drummer
in my band and we were recording some new songs for a new album,
which I want to release in the future. I don’t have a title yet but
it is going to be a Ward II album. We did Ward I back in the 1980’s
and we want to do another. There were a lot of guests on the Ward I
album and some were well known and others were not. I have been
writing some songs for it today. The major thing that is going on
right now is that we are mixing a brand new album that we are trying
to get out this year called Beyond Aston. All of the guys in Sabbath
-- we were all born in Aston. It is basically a reflection of
looking back on my life in Aston and the kind of energy that came
from there and where we are now. It is kind of a retro thing.
If you have problems with that
URL, you can go to the main
site, and find the link there.
OZZY MEETS THE QUEEN
Big update today, so let's get started.
As several folks have told me, Ozzy Osbourne played the Queen of
England's Golden Jubilee celebration. My wife had called me on
the phone at work a couple of days ago to tell me that she saw Ozzy on
the NBC Nightly News in a clip saying he looked more cleaned up than
usual, and he was looking like he was trying hard not to screw up in
front of the Queen. After watching the news show my wife saw,
I also
spotted Tony Iommi in the crowd, too. I emailed Tony Iommi's
management folks and inquired as to what happened, and they told me
that Tony was there to play Paranoid with Ozzy (apparently the only
song he played). I asked who played with Tony & Ozzy, and got
told this:
- Ozzy
Osbourne - Vocals
- Tony
Iommi - Guitars
- Pino
Palladino - Bass
- Phil
Collins - Drums (Yes, THAT Phil Collins)
I'd love
to find a picture of this group, but I haven't yet. If anyone
has any pictures, let me know.
Ozzy Osbourne almost stole
the show when he stormed onto the stage while host Lenny Henry was
still making his introductions. "I've got to bloody introduce you
first," Henry said, according to the BBC. "Oh, sorry Lenny," Osbourne
replied, and stopped running along the stage. Osbourne behaved himself
after that, even saying, "God save the Queen. I love you all," after
he finished doing "Paranoid."
Here's
another news article about Ozzy and the Queen (that originally appeared
here):
LONDON - Rock wild
man Ozzy Osbourne said he'd promised to behave himself at Queen
Elizabeth II's Golden Jubilee pop concert at Buckingham Palace. And
he kept his word, sort of.
"I'm on my best behavior. I don't want to spend the rest of my life
in the Tower. I mustn't drop my trousers, no bad language or perhaps
a trap door will open," the former Black Sabbath star told the
national news agency Press Association before he performed Monday
night.
The heavy metal idol, who found new fame with a hit American TV show
"The Osbournes," was once notorious for having bitten the head off a
bat during a 1982 concert.
But the much tamer concert at Buckingham Palace was the highlight of
his career, he said Monday.
"Absolutely, this means more to me than anything. These last six
months, I've had such good fortune land my way. I keep thinking that
sooner or later the bubble will burst. My wife, Sharon, keeps saying
'you're one of those guys who's not happy unless you find a dark
cloud'."
He said he thought it was a joke when he heard he had been invited
to play at the palace.
"I'm more surprised than anybody else that I'm here. My wife told me
and I thought you're pulling my leg. Heavy metal at the palace? I'm
not sure whether the queen is a fan, but obviously she must be."
His performance Monday night was certainly one of the most
boisterous of the evening.
As comedian Lenny Henry began to introduce Osbourne, he suddenly
appeared on stage screaming "Rock 'n' roll, rock 'n' roll" to the
crowd.
Soon, he was performing the Black Sabbath anthem, "Paranoid," to
booming guitars. Racing back and forth across the stage, he chewed
gum while singing.
As his song ended and fireworks exploded around the stage, Prince
Harry and Prince William, Queen Elizabeth II's grandsons, could be
seen clapping above their heads and smiling from the royal box.
It had to
have been a personal career highlight for Ozzy to be on stage with Paul
McCartney (see picture below). If you didn't know, The Beatles
are/were one of Ozzy's favorite bands, and he directly credits them for
his getting into music in the first place.
I got a big laugh out of
this quote I saw in a
NY Times article..
Young Princes William
and Harry, who politely applauded the earlier acts, suddenly began
shaking their heads and clapping in time as Osbourne and Black
Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi roared through their anthem to madness.
Charles, no fan of heavy metal, watched his sons with a puzzled look
on his face.
OZZY: THE NEXT GENERATION
 Well,
not quite, but Ozzy's daughter Kelly has embarked on a singing career.
How seriously she takes it - who knows. However, as has been
widely reported, she's sung Madonna's "Papa Don't Preach" on the
forthcoming "Osbourne
Family Album". She sang it live on the MTV music
awards, which are airing tomorrow night (June 6th) at 9PM EST.
The performance was done a couple of days ago, and Kelly sang the tune
- we'll see how good it is one it airs - I have to admit to a raised
eyebrow when I heard this was being done in the first place.
Also, given the choice of things that Kelly bitched about on the TV
show, I find "Papa Don't Preach" as a goofy, if apt choice of a song
for her to do.
There's quite an interesting
track listing here, too:
- Crazy Train - (Pat
Boone Theme from TV Show)
- Dreamer - Ozzy Osbourne
- Papa Don't Preach -
Kelly Osbourne
- Paranoid - Black
Sabbath
- You Really Got Me - The
Kinks
- Snowblind - System Of A
Down
- Imagine - John Lennon
- Drive - The Cars
- Good Souls
(Remix) - Starsailor
- Mirror Image -
Dillusion
- Wonderful Tonight
- Eric Clapton
- Mama I'm Coming
Home - Ozzy Osbourne
- Crazy Train -
Ozzy Osbourne
- Family
System - Chevelle (Bonus Track)
If you'd like to pre-order the
Osbourne family album, you can do so by clicking on the covert art shown
above. A couple of pictures of Kelly from her performance are
shown below.
OSBOURNES FOR TWO MORE SEASONS
And one more piece of news about Ozzy - as I'm sure you've heard by
now, MTV has picked up two more seasons (total of 20 episodes) of the
popular show "The
Osbournes". Here's some news about it:
NEW YORK (Reuters) -
With the ink drying on a new contract for two more seasons of the
profanity-prone hit "The Osbournes," MTV stands to make a lot of
bleepin' money from the exploits of Jack, Kelly, Sharon and Ozzy.
Thirty-second commercials on the show, a sort of "Beverly
Headbangers" story of the rock-and-roll Osbourne clan, are going for
upward of $100,000, according to media buying sources. That would be
a record for a cable TV series and the latest sign that cable
stations are increasingly going head- to-head with the broadcast
networks for advertising dollars.
"Any time you get a targeted cable network that can achieve
broadcast-sized ratings, it's a pretty dramatic story," said Jack
Myers, editor-in-chief of the industry newsletter Jack Myers Report.
"'The Osbournes' is a must-have show for advertisers looking to
reach teens and people 18 to 34."
The show drew 7.8 million people at its peak in May, according to
Nielsen Media research, which pales in comparison to, say, 24
million viewers for "Friends," but still makes "The Osbournes" the
highest rated show on cable.
Industry trade publications reported the family could receive as
much as $20 million over two years -- a 100-fold increase from the
$200,000 they received for the first season -- although MTV
executives denied the contract was worth that much.
The New York Times said the Osbournes drove a hard and sometimes
bizarre bargain, asking for such things as a new house and lifetime
psychotherapy for their dogs and cats. The Times added that the
terms of the deal changed almost daily.
The buzz around the show has at times surpassed its blockbuster
ratings, with Ozzy making headlines with his visit in May to the
White House Correspondents dinner and children Jack and Kelly
appearing on MTV's "Total Request Live."
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May 21,
2002
KILLING THE DRAGON IS IN
STORES!
For those of you needing a fix of new tunes, the new Dio CD, "Killing
the Dragon" is in stores now. It's out, it's kick ass, you
should pick it up.
If you want to order it online, here's a few links for you.
[
Order
CD from CDNow ]
[
Order
CD from Amazon.com ]
The first single from the CD is called "Push", and there will be a video
for it, too. Not sure where it will air, as the candy ass US TV
stations don't generally play music like this. Anyway, you
can download a (legal)
MP3 of Push
from the Spitfire Records Web site (That's Dio's label). Check it
out, and buy a copy! You can also see Dio out on tour in the US
this Spring/Summer with Deep Purple & the Scorpions!
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April
29, 2002
THE
CAGE II IS COMING!
For those of you waiting to check out the new Tony Martin / Dario
Mollo album, "The Cage II", you don't have to wait anymore.
Available now are sound samples from each track on the album. Head on
over to
melodicrock, and check 'em out today!
Dario
has sent me a promo copy of the CD, so I will have some comments of my
own shortly, once it arrives. He has also been kind enough to
say he will be sending me additional copies when he gets them so I can
have a giveaway of the CD. Check back later for more on that.
You can
still order
the original Cage CD at Amazon.com. (You can also order it from
Amazon's UK site, too). Just wanted to make sure that you
are aware that these links are for the original Cage CD. I do
not have any links yet to order The Cage II. Once I do, I will
post them.
UPDATES ON OTHER STUFF
Thanks to all who entered the Black Label Society giveaway from a week
ago or so. I finally got all my copies in to give away today, so
I will be picking the winners and mailing them out tomorrow. I
have a total of 8 copies to give away, and two lucky winners will also
get a copy of the CD Single from the album, "Bleed for Me".
Also,
the Tony Martin email interview submissions are closed out (you can't
send in anymore). I have to go through them all and prep 'em to
send to Tony. Tony has said he will try and get through
everything I send him, but he did tell me that he's moving over the
next couple of weeks and he won't be able to do anything until he gets
settled in in his new location. I will report on that as I get
more information from Tony.
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April
15, 2002
TONY MARTIN EMAIL
INTERVIEW
 Tony
Martin has graciously decided to participate in a fan email interview
through this web site and my mailing list. Tony as you know spent many
a year in Black Sabbath, and has recorded many songs that some people
consider some of Sabbath's best material.
Ever had a question for Tony? Now you can get it to him. I am going to
be collecting questions for Tony and forwarding them to him. He has
said he will answer the ones I send and send them back to me, and then
I'll publish the results on my web site.
You can send your questions to
tonymartin@black-sabbath.com. A few caveats here:
- Please
try and get all your questions together in a single email. I would
prefer you not ask a zillion questions, but I'm not going to put a
limit on what you can send me.
- Not all
the questions will go to Tony. I anticipate a large response to this,
and as such, I will screen all questions. Duplicates will be weeded
out, and in that case, the earliest entry will go first.
- I will
be weeding out lame crap like "How does it feel knowing people think
you suck". That kind of crap is insulting, and won't even be
considered. Save us both time, and don't send stuff like that.
- Spend
some time and think of good questions, not the usual stuff you see in
interviews like this. I want to try and make it a good interview with
insightful questions. Not "Uh, what's your favorite Black
Sabbath song"?
Again,
send your questions to
tonymartin@black-sabbath.com - I will be taking questions until
about April 24th, and will send them to Tony on May 1st. That's my
plan, I reserve the right to shorten or lengthen the time depending on
Tony's schedule.
Get Headless!
(And no, I will not give out Tony's email address, no matter hard you
beg or plead, so please save us both some time and don't ask).
BLACK
LABEL SOCIETY CD GIVEAWAY
 As
promised a few issues ago on my newsletter (sorry for the delay, been
terribly busy at work and with my new house), I'm here to give away
some copies of the new Black Label Society CD "1919 Eternal". This is
Zakk Wylde's band, if you didn't know.
And in honor of this album's recent release, I have secured some
copies of the CD to give away (with more on the way - I'm not sure of
the exact number, but I believe it will be somewhere between 8-10
copies). Special thanks go out to Rob over at
Spitfire records for helping out in obtaining the CD's to giveaway.
Usually, I run trivia contests, this time, all you have to do is send
me an email with your name and address to:
1919eternal@black-sabbath.com
I will pick winners at random from the entries - I will pick the
winners next Wednesday the 24th, so get your entry in quickly. Please
send me your address, so I can get them out right away. I do not save
any of the emails in case you're wondering. I pick four, all the
others are deleted, and the ones I send to are also deleted after I
send the prizes. I do not retain any addresses, sell them, or any
other bullshit like that. Duplicates are weeded out, so don't try and
send in more than one. Besides, it saves me work in having to weed out
duplicates if you don't do that.
So if you're interested in picking up a free copy of the disc, drop me
an email at
1919eternal@black-sabbath.com and I'll pick the winners next week.
More giveaways are coming soon, including the new Dio CD "Killing
the Dragon".
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April
13, 2002
OZZY'S GETS STAR ON WALK
OF FAME
Heavy metal superstar Ozzy Osbourne, infamous for biting the head off
a bat in his younger days, received a star on the Hollywood Walk of
Fame on Friday for his dark brand of showmanship.
Wearing a black suit, a large gold cross and round, blue glasses, with
bright red streaks in his brown hair, Osbourne accepted the star with
humility.
"To say that this is an honor is not enough," he said. "This is just
so overwhelming, with all of you turning out so early in the morning
to see my old butt."
The 53-year-old is enjoying renewed popularity with the MTV reality
series "The Osbournes," which chronicles the singer's home life with
his wife, Sharon, and two of their children -- pink-haired Kelly, 17,
and spikey-haired Jack, 16.
The crowd of nearly 1,000 shrieking fans was a sea of multicolored
hair, pierced faces and tattoos. Some waved wrinkled posters of the
singer or scrawled his name across their foreheads in black ink.
Fittingly, his star was placed in the sidewalk in front of Hollywood
Boulevard's "Ripley's Believe It or Not" museum of oddities.
Shock-rocker Marilyn Manson introduced the singer, saying Osbourne's
life is evidence that "eternally unhappy" people do not necessarily
have to "go insane or become criminals."
"This star right here proves that it's quite obvious that Ozzy has
managed to succeed while remaining insane and strangely happy despite
his various crimes against God and nature," Manson said.
Osbourne helped popularize heavy metal in the 1970s with Black
Sabbath, which had hits such as "Iron Man" and "War Pigs." The band
has sold nearly 25 million records in the United States.
Most contemporary hard rock acts were influenced by Osbourne's blend
of angry lyrics, on-stage stunts and disconcerting images of death and
evil, which often employed quasi-Christian symbolism.
Osbourne also has had a successful solo career with hits including
"Bark at the Moon," "Crazy Train" and "Shot in the Dark." His albums
have sold 35 million copies worldwide.
His annual Ozzfest concert tour, started in 1996, consistently has
ranked as a top draw, featuring lineups that have included him and
Black Sabbath in addition to Manson, Crazy Town and Papa Roach.
Despite his wild-man reputation, the singer appears on "The Osbournes"
as a loving, somewhat befuddled dad who gives his children sage advice
about the dangers of sex, drugs and booze.
He speaks from experience; the Birmingham, England, musician has long
battled substance abuse, and was notorious in his younger years for
trashing hotel rooms, mistreating animals and languishing in
drug-addled stupors.
(L-R):
Aimee, Sharon, Ozzy, Kelly, Jack, & Louis.
(Louis is from Ozzy's marriage to first wife Thelma)
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April
5, 2002
OZZY'S DAUGHTER TO RECORD
SINGLE
 Ozzy Osbourne's teen-age daughter is following in her father's musical
footsteps, but don't expect her to bark at the moon.
Kelly Osbourne is recording a cover of "Papa Don't Preach," a No. 1
hit for Madonna (news - web sites) in 1986, with Incubus members Mike
Einziger and Jose Pasillas II.
The guys in Incubus have been friends with the Osbournes since first
playing the Ozzfest concert tour in 1998, Incubus spokeswoman Melissa
Dragich said Thursday. Einziger, the guitarist, and Pasillas, the
drummer, agreed to back Kelly up before the band begins a U.S. tour
next week.
But Kelly says she didn't choose to sing Madonna's rebellious pop
song, which will appear on the soundtrack to the hit new MTV series
"The Osbournes," due out in May.
"My mom did and asked me to do it," the pink-haired 17-year-old told
MTV News this week. "I'm kind of (worried) because I don't think I'm a
very good singer."
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March
29, 2002
THE CAGE II COMING IN MAY
A couple of years ago, the most excellent album "The Cage" by Dario
Mollo & Tony Martin came out. Those who have heard it have had
nothing but praise for it. Tony Martin had told me a few months
ago that he had laid down tracks for a Cage II CD, so yesterday I
inquired to Dario Mollo about it's status. This is what he wrote
me back..
DARIO MOLLO / TONY
MARTIN - THE CAGE 2 new album, has been completed and is scheduled for
a simultaneous European and Japanese release on May 22nd 2002.
The final track listing is:
- Terra Toria
- Overload
- Life Love and
Everything
- The Balance Of Power
- Amore Silenzioso
- 11(instrumental)
- Wind Of Change
- Theater Of Dreams
- What a Strange Thing
Love Is
- Dazed And Confused
- Guardian Angel
- Poison Roses
- The Japanese Bonus
track is: Over A. (instrumental)
The guest musicians
are:
- Roberto Gualdi -
Drums
- Dario Patti -
Keys
- Tony Franklin -
Bass
This is good news for music
fans, although at the moment there appears to be no US distribution
information. I will keep up on that, and bring you any info I
can. Dario has also graciously offered to send me some copies of
the CD once he has them available, so I can do a giveaway. Those
of you who have heard the first Cage CD will certainly want to get in
on that giveaway.
Anyway,
if you have not yet heard the first Cage CD, it is still available for
purchase through Amazon.com. Click on the cover art below to
order it, or you can check out
Dario's site for
more information on the Cage.
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March
28, 2002
POSSIBLE VH1 BEHIND THE MUSIC FOR BLACK SABBATH?
In
preparing today's issue of the Black Sabbath Newsletter, I came across
a submission from one of the readers saying that the new issue of
Metal Edge Magazine is reporting that there will be a VH-1 Behind the
Music for Black Sabbath. I've been hearing rumors of this
happening for quite some time, but I've yet to see any hard news on
the issue. I'm attempting to verify this with my news folks, so
for the time being, let's consider it a rumor still. :)
I've
been pushing for one for some time, and like most people, I am hoping
that the producers of the show spend more time on the non Ozzy years
of the band than blowing it off in more than two or three minutes.
There's lots of people they could interview for this - hopefully we
get more then Ozzy/Tony/Geezer/Bill. They of course will be
covered, and deserve a great share of the time - after all those guys
are Sabbath. However, there is more to Sabbath's history and
legacy than the original four, so hopefully the rest of the time gets
at least more than a passing mention.
RANDY
CASTILLO DIES
Randy Castillo died Tuesday due to complications from his bout with
cancer. Randy was never a Sabbath member, but did play with Ozzy
for quite a long period of time. He was also the drummer for
Lita Ford, who was briefly engaged to Tony Iommi for awhile in the mid
80's, as well as playing with Motley Crue.
Here's
some news stories on Randy's death:
OZZFEST TOUR DATES
Ozzfest
2002 tour dates are available now - along with dates when tickets will
go on sale. Here they are.. You can get the latest from
http://www.ozzy.com
ALL DATES SUBJECT TO
CHANGE
July 6 Bristow, VA Nissan Pavilion ON SALE APRIL 13
July 7 Pittsburgh, PA Post-Gazette Pavilion ON SALE APRIL 12
July 10 New York, NY Jones Beach ON SALE APRIL 13
July 12 Camden, NJ Tweeter Center ON SALE APRIL 13
July 13 Hartford, CT Cdnow.com Amph. ON SALE APRIL 13
July 16 Boston, MA Tweeter Center ON SALE APRIL 13
July 19 Holmdel, NJ PNC Center ON SALE APRIL 13
July 24 Raleigh, NC Alltel Pavilion ON SALE APRIL 13
July 26 West Palm Beach, FL Mars Music Amph. ON SALE APRIL 13
July 28 Atlanta, GA Hi-Fi Buys Amph. ON SALE APRIL 13
Aug. 3 Columbus, OH Polaris Amph. ON SALE APRIL 27
Aug. 4 Indianapolis, IN Verizon Amph. ON SALE APRIL 13
Aug. 7 Clarkston, MI DTE Energy Center ON SALE APRIL 13
Aug. 10 Chicago, IL Tweeter Center ON SALE APRIL13
Aug. 11 East Troy, WA Alpine Valley ON SALE APRIL 13
Aug. 13 Cleveland, OH Blossom Music Center ON SALE APRIL 13
Aug. 15 Cincinnati, OH Riverbend Amph. ON SALE APRIL 27
Aug. 17 Somerset, WI Float-Rite Park ON SALE MAY 31
Aug. 19 St. Louis, MO Riverport Amph. ON SALE APRIL 13
Aug. 20 Kansas City, MO Sandstone Amph. ON SALE JUNE 22
Aug. 22 Denver, CO Pepsi/City Lights ON SALE APRIL 13
Aug. 25 Sacramento, CA Sacramento Valley Amph. ON SALE APRIL 13
Aug. 27 George, WA The Gorge ON SALE APRIL 13
Aug. 29 Mountain View, CA Shoreline Amph. ON SALE APRIL 14
Aug. 31 San Bernardino, CA Glen Helen Blockbuster Pavilion ON SALE
APRIL 13
Sept. 5 Phoenix, AZ Cricket Pavilion ON SALE APRIL 13
Sept. 7 San Antonio, TX Verizon Wireless Amph. ON SALE MAY 18
Sept. 8 Dallas, TX Smirnoff Amph. ON SALE APRIL 26
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March
14, 2002
SABBATUM - BLACK SABBATH IN THE MEDIEVAL TIMES!
 Some
of you have mentioned the Sabbatum disc on the last issue or two of
the newsletter. I haven't covered it yet, because I was waiting on
something to come in from the folks who made this disc. For those of
you who haven't checked it out, Sabbatum is a disc of Sabbath covers
unlike ANY other you've ever heard before.
I got some copies of the disc in today from the guys in Estonia and
gave it a listen. While I'm not entirely sure how to describe it, it
is good, and it is MOST DEFINTELY DIFFERENT - it's unlike any
other Black Sabbath album you've ever listened to - I guarantee it.
It's not my usual cup of tea musically, but for some reason I felt
compelled to listen to it. It's actually quite good - but in a
completely different vein than I'm used to. I expect people's
reactions to it will be strong - you'll either love it, or think it's
crap. However, I think if you have an open mind, you'll probably like
it. More info and some song samples are available at
http://www.sabbatum.com.
I'll just take some text from their own site about what this disc is:
Can
You imagine what Black Sabbath would have sounded like if Ozzy
Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward would have formed
the band in the 14th century? Would "War Pigs" or "The Wizard" have
been as powerful if played on medieval instruments like lute, fiddle
and harp?
Curious? So was Rondellus, the renowned Estonian medieval music band.
They took 12 Black Sabbath classics and turned them into something
totally unheard.
You don't have to take history lessons to get the feeling. It's all on
the the new CD Rondellus recorded - "Sabbatum". An amazing collection
of Black Sabbath tunes played on medieval instruments and sung in
Latin language.
Also, I got this email from one
of the folks (Mihkel Raud) involved in the production of the CD,
here's what he has to say about the disc in response to my remark that
I spent a lot of my time listening to it trying to pick out the known
melodies of the songs.
In fact, that is what we were
determined to achive. As a long term die hard Sabbath fan I always
knew I wanted to explore their music from some unexpected angle. It
just took me a couple of years to figute out what that was. On the
other hand, now it seems only natural that the "medieval key" was the
way to go. When I listen to "Sabbatum" now, after 9 months of labor
and research, the idea of "medieval Black Sabbath" seems all of the
sudden so natural to me. As if Sabbath was in fact medieval music,
just reincarnated in the 70's. This was a thought that we were playing
with and I do hope that Sabbath fans can cope with it or at least find
it entertaining.
As far as the lyrics are concerned, the Latin translations are 99,9 %
exact, line by line. The translator that we used was really surprised
herself that she was able to keep the thing so tightly loyal to the
originals.
And in
honor of this album's release, I have secured some copies of the CD to
give away. I am announcing right now. I have four copies of the new CD
I will give away. Usually, I run trivia contests, this time, all you
have to do is send me an email with your name and address to:
sabbatum@black-sabbath.com
I will pick four winners at random from the entries - I will pick the
winners next Monday the 18th, so get your entry in quickly. Please
send me your address, so I can get them out right away. I do not save
any of the emails in case you're wondering. I pick four, all the
others are deleted, and the ones I send to are also deleted after I
send the prizes. I do not retain any addresses, sell them, or any
other bullshit like that.
So if you're interested in picking up a free copy of the disc, drop me
an email at
sabbatum@black-sabbath.com and I'll pick the winners next week.
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March
5, 2002
BILL
WARD SOLO NEWS
It's been ages since I had any Bill Ward news to report on, but I got
some over the weekend. Bill reads the list if y'all didn't know that,
and I got a reply based on my remarks to a member in the last issue
over the availability of Bill's first album, Along the Way (which
still kicks ass all these years later). Anyway, here's a cut and paste
from the email I got from Bill's wife.
Regarding re-releasing
Along the Way, Bill's been trying to find some songs that he's written
that might work on that album. Bill has also been looking for
musicians to play the new material. Bill's not sure yet how many new
tracks will appear on Along the Way. To say the least, it's a slow
moving project. Bill hopes that Along the Way could be resolved and
reprinted this year. The Ozzy tracks will not appear on the new
release. Bill's second album, When the Bough Breaks, update: a world
wide album deal is in the works at this time. And again, Bill's hoping
to be resolved on a re-release date sometime this year. Finally,
Beyond Aston, Bill's third album is scheduled for final mixes starting
March 15th. This album is scheduled to be released as soon as
possible. If there is a good reaction to Beyond Aston, he will do live
dates this year.
The about face on Along the
Way is news to me, too! Last time I spoke with Bill's people, I wa
told that they were no longer doing it at all. Now I get word that it
will come out, but I have no clue when. It's a shame about the Ozzy
tracks, they're GREAT tunes.
Although the way things have been going, right about the time Bill
would gear up for some new stuff, it'll probably be time to record a
new Sabbath album. <g>
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March
1, 2002
I'M BACK
Sorry for the delay since the last update, but I've been really busy
in my personal life. My wife and I bought our first house, and
as you can probably imagine, we've been real busy, and my spare time
was reduced to practically none. Due to the delay, I have quite
a stack of things that have happened, or will be happening, I'm going
to cover them here. First off is no new news on a Sabbath album
front. Probably all rests on what Ozzy is doing. :)
RONDINELLI UPDATE
RONDINELLI, who include in their ranks former RAINBOW/BLACK SABBATH
and current BLUE OYSTER CULT drummer Bobby Rondinelli,
ex-SABBATH/WHITESNAKE bassist Neil Murray, former SABBATH front man
Tony Martin and guitarist Teddy Rondinelli, will issue their sophomore
album, entitled "Our Cross - Our Sins", through MTM Records in May.
Featuring a musical direction that is said to be in the Dio/Martin-era
BLACK SABBATH vein, "Our Cross - Our Sins" is the follow-up to the
group's 1996 debut effort, entitled "War Dance", which was recorded in
1985 and boasted the vocal services of former BADLANDS/SABBATH singer
Ray Gillen.
TONY'S BIRTHDAY
This past February 19th, Tony Iommi turned 54. The man has
provided all of us with a plethora of awesome guitar tunes over the
30+ years he's been at it. Give his solo CD (or any Sabbath
album for that matter) a spin in a belated tribute to Tony. If
you don't have his solo album,
you can buy it here.
MORE
INTERVIEWS
Some new interviews (well, new to me anyway) have turned up online
with some cool info. I've copied them local, as these things
tend to disappear after awhile. Check 'em out:
TONY MARTIN TO AUCTION
SELF ON EBAY
OK, it's a
joke, but there's a funny article online which brings us the "news"
that Tony Martin is to auction himself on Ebay.
Check it out - it's quite silly. :)
TONY MARTIN TO TOUR WITH
BAILEY'S COMET
A more serious Tony Martin story.. Tony's going out on tour with
the band Bailey's Comet. Here's a news story about it..
Bailey's Comet are
pleased to announce that former Black Sabbath vocalist Tony Martin
will be fronting the band on the Day Of Judgement Tour 2002. The tour
is scheduled for April/May.
The tour may also include dates in Europe so interested rock fans
should keep logging on to the Bailey's website:
www.baileybrothers.co.uk
for forthcoming gig information.
The band's debut album Judgement Day was released by Now & Then /
Frontiers in Europe 2001 has been well received by both the fans and
the critics. The band missed out on touring last year due to their
vocalist being unwilling to fulfil touring commitments.
The Baileys had this to say regarding attracting and touring with one
of rocks legendary vocalist Tony Martin:
"We were all disappointed that we couldn't go out on the road last
year and follow up on the great response to the album. Shit happens
and at the end of the day you have to move on. We set out with a
definite line up in mind right back from the demo stages. It soon
became apparent that loyalty doesn't always work out both ways. We are
no longer prepared to carry surplice baggage it ends up costing you
time and money. The nucleus of the band will remain but we will be
keeping the door of opportunity open for dedicated musicians who want
to rock and not wash dishes (or wait for the bingo to Finnish).
Tony Martin is a class act and it makes you stop and wander what the
album could have ended up like with his sort on vocals? The initial
rehearsals went great he likes the music and the vibe. It's been cool
to hang out together. The live shows should be great with Tony playing
fiddle live for the first time and his songs interspersed with the
majority of the Judgement Day album.
We are pretty up beat about the he first Bailey/Martin song and so
there may be a few surprises in store on the tour. We are just going
out to play the music to the fans it's them that we want to hear the
material. None of us want to look too far ahead but if we enjoy this
venture together then we see no reason why Bailey and Martin shouldn't
work together again. We are already talking about live albums, and
hooking up again and we haven't hit the road yet so let's take it one
stage at a time. As a musician you want to work with other artiste but
if we need to appoint a new full time vocalist after this tour then we
will. Our priority is Bailey's Comet but side projects and different
styles of music will also be a part of the future. The moment it's
right for Tony Martin and for the BAILEY'S so lets just enjoy the
moment!"
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from 2002 ]
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October 9, 2002
THE
OSBOURNES