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Tony Iommi & Black Sabbath


Cygnus x-1
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Having just read the excellent Tony Iommi autobiography 'From Heaven To Hell' i've decided I need to have some post Never say Die CD's in my collection. Tony is a great musician IMO.

You see I stopped buying them when it came to an end with Ozzy, I had Heaven & Hell on vinyl which is a good record but I want to add to my CD's.

Is there anybody out there with opinions good or avoid on the many cd's there are featuring Tony from Heaven & Hell to pressent. Thanks for any info.

Edited by Cygnus x-1
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The three Dio albums are top quality, Dehumanizer being my preferred one but owning all three of them should be compulsory by law. The album they did as Heaven and Hell is also definitely worth hearing. It's a grower. It has it's critics but Born Again is a belter, I think, if you can handle the very 80's production. Same goes for Seventh Star, there are some great songs but it's very definitely of its time. The Eternal Idol is a personal favourite, the title track in particular is probably the heaviest thing Iommi ever did. There's a deluxe version of it available now which has the Ray Gillen version for the second disc (essentially Tony Martin came in at the last minute and replaced Ray's takes) and Ray had one of the finest voices you'll ever hear.

Headless Cross is ok, nothing spectacular but I know a lot of people who rave about it. The stretch from Tyr to Forbidden is the era I find hardest to get into. Forbidden is utter crap, strike that off the list right now.

I would take the Iommi-Hughes albums first before that era of Sabbath. Fused is a rocking album, well worth checking out.

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The album immediately after Heaven & Hell (Mob Rules) tends to be rather overlooked but has some cracking tunes and strong performance from Dio. The first couple of albums with Tony Martin on vocals (Eternal idol, Headless Cross) worth a look too. The album they made with Gillan on vox (Born Again) is a mixed affair but some good stuff included. Some of the later stuff sounds a bit tired and lacking in ideas to me (Tyr, Cross Purposes, Forbidden).
Edit - wrote this before Doc J nipped in!

Edited by KevB
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I have to agree with the comments above, post 1979 Sabbath I'd recommend

Heaven and hell
Mob Rules
Born Again
Seventh Star
Headless Cross
Dehumanizer
The devil you know (recorded as Heaven and hell)

Some of Dio's solo albums are worth checking out especially Holy diver and The last in line.

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[quote name='Doctor J' timestamp='1341399524' post='1718237']
The Eternal Idol is a personal favourite, the title track in particular is probably the heaviest thing Iommi ever did. There's a deluxe version of it available now which has the Ray Gillen version for the second disc (essentially Tony Martin came in at the last minute and replaced Ray's takes) and Ray had one of the finest voices you'll ever hear.
[/quote]

+1
First Sabbath album i ever got, when I was 13 in 1990, didn't realise there was a "classic" Sabbath era then.
Bought vol 4 on vinyl a week later, and never bought a non-ozzy sabbath album again. Still love eternal idol though (even if my old tape of it is very squeaky now, nice excuse to buy the deluxe edition...)

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[quote name='hiram.k.hackenbacker' timestamp='1341451936' post='1719373']
Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but unfortunately yours, IMHO, is wrong ;-))

Mob Rules is unmistakeably Sabbath and 5star quality Sabbath at that. Plus, the expanded edition contains a live disc containing NIB which Dio does proper justice to!

It's like saying everything Genesis did after Gabriel left was sh*te, which is complete bollocks.
[/quote]Or Iron Maiden after Dennis Stratton, the Beatles after Pete Best, AC/DC after Mark Evans. Every band goes through... ahum... Changes, frequently for the best. To me, Faith No More lost a lof of their charm once Chuck Mosely was gone but seemingly most people consider the Patton-era (even that after Jim Martin left) to be the definative FNM. I don't get that but people are people.

To ignore the post-Ozzy material is to wilfully turn your back on some truly amazing music and for what purpose?

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fyp....here's a pic of Tony's latest tour rig taken when the Black Spiders visited the office few weeks back -

[url="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/397597_10151050148997667_888183534_n.jpg"][/url]

Edited by crez5150
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[quote name='crez5150' timestamp='1341475667' post='1719464']
fyp....here's a pic of Tony's latest tour rig taken when the Black Spiders visited the office few weeks back -

[url="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/397597_10151050148997667_888183534_n.jpg"][/url]
[/quote]That's how it's done. \m/

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[quote name='Dave Vader' timestamp='1341478296' post='1719535']
Oh, and the last 2 or 3 Ozzy Sabbath albums are a bit pony too, there is no sacred lineup, Never Say Die is ****.
[/quote]
I quite like some of the songs on NSD, a more experimental jazzy feel with some good keyboard work from Don Airey. For a band falling apart it wasn't a bad effort.

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[quote name='KevB' timestamp='1341484534' post='1719742']
I quite like some of the songs on NSD, a more experimental jazzy feel with some good keyboard work from Don Airey. For a band falling apart it wasn't a bad effort.
[/quote]

Hear hear ... some great tracks:

Never Say Die
Hard Road
Air Dance

and the best track on the album ...

Over To You. Superb song.

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[quote name='Doctor J' timestamp='1341475339' post='1719460']
To ignore the post-Ozzy material is to wilfully turn your back on some truly amazing music and for what purpose?
[/quote]
Indeed, any sensible rock bass player should listen to some of the post Ozzy era for the basslines alone, how about the bassline for 'Die Young' for instance? quality playing in my book.

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[quote name='KevB' timestamp='1341487448' post='1719841']how about the bassline for 'Die Young' for instance? quality playing in my book.[/quote]

There are rumours flying around that Geezer never played on that album for some reason. Not sure how true that is.

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Yes I heard that too. There was a period where he effectively left the band as he wasn't interested in carrying on without Ozzy. I'm not sure if it is 100% Geezer on H&H or MR albums but whoever it is can lay down a bassline! Bob Daisley was involved with Ozzy's band around that time so I'd be surprised if it was him. Craig Gruber (another ex Rainbow man) was involved while Geezer was away but it is possible that any lines laid down by other players on H&H demos were then replaced by Geezer's own playing when he came back into the band just before proper recording sessions began or so I've read.

Edited by KevB
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You could just buy this...

[url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Dio-Years-Black-Sabbath/dp/B000NA77YO/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1341490038&sr=1-1"]http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Dio-Years-Black-Sabbath/dp/B000NA77YO/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1341490038&sr=1-1[/url]

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[quote name='WHUFC BASS' timestamp='1341486516' post='1719810']
Hear hear ... some great tracks:

Never Say Die
Hard Road
Air Dance

and the best track on the album ...

Over To You. Superb song.
[/quote]Junior's Eyes and Johnny Blade make it for me. I think it's a great album, personally. Technical Ecstacy is class too, no doubt about it.

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