BLACK SABBATH – Never Say Die (Live in 1978, 2003 Sanctuary DVD)
Recorded in 1978 at the Hammersmith, the DVD Never Say Die was recorded for TV, and not badly either. The video part, anyway! Great live angles and decent editing lead to a very watchable concert, albeit chopped down for length. The audio leaves something to be desired.
The muffled riff of “Symptom of the Universe” commences the set, Iommi sounding as if powered through a crappy battery powered transistor amp, such is the horrible sound captured. A blazed Ozzy growls through it, and Bearded Bill is in the back wearing braids and looking like a complete dirt bag. As for Geezer? He’s mixed too low to have any significant impact. Tony Iommi stands guard at center stage, while Ozzy claps along next to him.
The close-up shots are nice and vivid, Ozzy waving the peace sign during the start of “War Pigs”. He then commands the crowd to put their hands together, and they soon oblige singing along with him. There is something about a live version of this song with the full original lineup including Bill Ward. Bill was always a jazzy drummer, and that’s the vibe he loaned Black Sabbath. It’s especially necessary on tracks like “War Pigs” which require a certain swing on the traps. With Bill here still in vintage mode, the song has all the right heft and movement.
It’s hard to tell that this was a group of guys who couldn’t bear each other anymore. While they mostly keep to themselves on the large stage (as they always have), Ozzy acts as Tony’s cheering section during the guitar solos, and you can even see a hint of a smile in Tony’s eyes. Then Ozzy claps and screeches his way through the monolithic “Snow Blind”.
The only track from the new album, Never Say Die, is the title track. Its upbeat attitude and fast tempo allude to where Ozzy was going to go as a solo artist. For Sabbath, it’s one of their most unappreciated tracks. This live version is pretty sloppy but very rock and roll (including an old-tymey rock and roll riff that wasn’t in the original). Then, Ozzy introduces the all-time classic, “Black Sabbath”, with an interesting statement. “Thanks for the last 10 years, and we hope we’re around for another 10 years, and another 10 years.” It’s interesting because at this point, Ozzy had already left the band once, been replaced by Dave Walker (Savoy Brown) for one TV performance (“Junior’s Eyes”), and then returned to the band to do the Never Say Die album, refusing to sing anything they wrote for Walker. Not exactly the kind of environment to encourage longevity! Of course the amazing thing is that three of these guys are still together, winding up the band that they formed.
It’s worth noting that nobody can (or will) capture the vibe of “Black Sabbath” like the original four.
Detouring to Technical Ecstasy, Sabbath pour into the underrated prowl, “Dirty Women”. After this, uncredited, is a brief Bill Ward drum solo. That melds into “Rock and Roll Doctor”, another obscurity. Ward’s cowbell and Tony’s rock and roll riff give it a retro vibe. Bill plays it busy compared to the album version; that’s fine by me. Tony takes a guitar solo before the scary oldie-goldie, “Electric Funeral”. Always a treat to hear this rarely played Paranoid classic, but unfortunately this one is noticeably edited down.
Closing out the disc, “Children of the Grave” is an obvious highlight. Once again there is no drummer on Earth who can play it properly, except for Bill Ward. Some come close, but none capture the reckless engine that drives it. For the encore, Ozzy asks the audience “What do you wanna hear?” to which they are supposed to respond “Paranoid!” I don’t know if they do; the audio here is really not good. They trot out “Paranoid”, the flaw of which is that it always sounds by rote. Ozzy couldn’t sound less interested in singing it again for the millionth time.
You have to consider the sound quality on a DVD like this and if you’re the kind of person who will care or even be able to tell the difference. I don’t care. This is a great though imperfect glimpse at a rare period in Black Sabbath’s history. A short while later Ozzy would be solo, and Sabbath would go to Heaven and Hell with Ronnie James Dio.
Unless you have been living under a pile of rock (and roll), then you know that the hype machine for a 2016 Guns N’ Roses “reunion” has already begun.
But this is not a reunion. This is not Axl, Slash, Duff, Izzy, and Steven. Matt Sorum is not involved, nor is Gilby Clarke. The new lineup is supposed to consist of: W. Axl Rose, Slash, Duff “Rose” McKagan, Richard Fortus, Frank Ferrer, Dizzy Reed, and Chris Pittman, with new member Dave Kushner (Velvet Revolver) in the third guitar slot.
Of course, many lineups labelled as “reunions” in the past were not. Van Halen’s current “reunited” lineup consists of three classic members and one new guy, Wolfgang Van Halen. Any time The Who go out there for a tour, there are only two original members. Not much can be done about that, with Keith and John both gone. Not that it matters since both bands have made millions on these tours, and both bands even managed to put out new albums, without the full original lineups. New music always trumps a tour.
Few bands seem to reunite with all the beloved members intact, either due to death or stubbornness. There are exceptions, obviously. The Eagles and Fleetwood Mac came together with their most beloved lineups, and a tremendous amount of success, but even they couldn’t make it last. Don Felder was fired from the Eagles years ago. Christine McVie only recently returned to the Mac after being gone for ages, and meanwhile the band did a new album without her. And Black Sabbath? Their farewell tour only has ¾ of the original lineup! Meanwhile Bill Ward sits at home, having alienated the band and Sharon Osbourne. The chances of Ward ever playing drums again in the band he co-founded are slim to none. One does not piss off the Osbourne camp without consequences. Regardless of his reasons, justified or not, a Black Sabbath farewell tour without its still capable original drummer is a hollow thing indeed.
Even when you do get the full original lineup of a band that you wanted, that doesn’t necessarily mean the band is returning to full functionality. When Kiss reunited in 1996 with the full original band, Ace Frehley and Peter Criss were hired hands. They didn’t get a say, they didn’t get a vote. They got a contract stating their responsibilities and compensation. As if Paul and Gene would ever give up any control in their band, now! So what we saw live was Kiss, but what we got behind the scenes and on the album Psycho-Circus was just “more of the same”. Ace and Peter didn’t even appear on many of the songs, even though they were on the album cover. But that’s nothing new for Kiss!
What band has had the most successful reunion? I’m not talking in terms of numbers; then we would probably have to include Spice Girls and New Kids on the Block. Who has had the most success in terms of quality? That would have to be Iron Maiden.
Steve Harris did something very creative when he reunited with Bruce Dickinson. Instead of just bringing Bruce back into the band, he also brought in Bruce’s guitarist and former Maiden member Adrian Smith. But Adrian was not cool with coming in to replace somebody else. “What about Janick Gers?” he asked. Janick had been in Maiden for a successful decade, and Adrian didn’t want him out of a job. Steve always envisioned a three-guitar Iron Maiden, and Adrian Smith coming back gave him that opportunity. It worked out brilliantly, especially live, when it could have been a train wreck. Technically, what Iron Maiden did is the same thing Guns N’ Roses are said to be doing: a new version of the band, with both classic and current members. Maiden made it last, too. Harris was very clear with Bruce: nobody was coming back to Maiden just to hang around a while and leave again. Anybody coming back to Maiden was coming back for life, and that is exactly what happened. Five more studio albums later, Maiden rule absolutely.
What will happen with Guns N’ Roses? That is harder to predict. It is unlikely their most talented member, Izzy Stradlin, would want to return to the circus of insanity that is a GN’R tour. As for Slash, he has always preferred a stripped down band. It’s hard to imagine how he will be happy playing in a band with two keyboardists, but that’s what they say is happening. How long will it last? A few shows? Coachella and gone? Much like Ace Frehley, Slash will probably be a contracted musician.
A band of Guns’ stature all but had to reunite. The fans have been loudly demanding something like this for over a decade. The fans hoped Izzy and Steven Adler or Matt Sorum would be a part of it, but that has always seemed unlikely. Slash couldn’t even get Izzy into Velvet Revolver. What they are doing is probably the closest to a reunion that is likely. Perhaps Izzy will show up to guest as he has in the past, but fans shouldn’t get their hopes up of seeing Adler on stage.
Perhaps this, the most anticipated “reunion” since Led Zeppelin (also a new lineup with Jason Bonham), will stop the constant questions from the media and fans. “Will you ever get back together?” It must be tiring answering that question daily, when you have new music out there to play. Sometimes a band just has to give in and take a step backwards. Sometimes, as in the case of Iron Maiden, the way forward is to go backwards.
Will it work? The only way to find out is to stay tuned. You know where you are? You in the jungle, baby.
Let’s see if the bad boys of rock and roll can still survive the jungle.
GETTING MORE TALE #433.999: The Aftermath (of the Top 15 on the 15th)
That “1537” guy can get to be a bit much sometimes. “Oh you have to listen to this!” or, “Be sure to read that!” He’s so demanding of our collective time and attention. The fact that he writes good shit (jatstorey.com) about music with great visuals to boot, well, that’s just window dressing isn’t it?
Back in September, over 20 writers put down our Top 15 of “all time” lists for posterity. These lists were mostly albums with a few anomolies…like Mr. 1537’s. No, he wouldn’t be content to sit with the sheep and do a plain ordinary list. No, he had to stand out from the crowd (as usual) and do something a little different.
Mr. 1537 (just ’37 to his friends) did the Top 15 music books of all time for his list. It was a quite excellent list featuring the likes of the Stones, the Beatles, the Crue, Hawkind, Chuck Klosterman, and more. The one that jumped out at me was Mick Wall’s Sympton of the Universe. Historically speaking, Black Sabbath are a fascinating band. How many dozen members have Sabbath had over the decades? The count varies, depending on criteria, but regardless it’s an extremely interesting history. For a while it was impossible to find anything decent in print. Mr. 1537 assures us, Mick Wall did right by Sabbath:
“This is a wonderful rollicking tale of the underdog having its day, being neutered by excessive drug use and some appalling choices, triumphing again and then falling prey to being used as pawns in a father/daughter struggle of mythic proportions.”
That right there is a perfect tagline for a rock book, isn’t it?
As mentioned, Mr. 1537 can get to be a bit much sometimes, always trying to convince us to spend more of our money on music (specifically vinyl). Like we need encouragement? Music fans have wishlists as long as the day. We don’t need more added to them, do we?
In steps Mr. 1537 again. Look what just arrived in the bloody mail.
It’s Symptom of the Universe, by Mick Wall! My very own brand new copy! Now, I suppose he’ll expect me to read it. See what I mean? Just a bit too much sometimes!
All joking aside, I can’t wait to get my face into this book. There is still a lot of Sabbath history that is foggy, and I’m eager to see what research Mick Wall has to clarify the mudification! The 1980s in particular are a puzzling period, featuring band members from the Clash, Deep Purple (x2), Lita Ford, and just about everybody else. Wall covers all of this.
Thank you, 1537. I suppose I should send that parcel of Lego I’ve been sitting on for like 6 months?
Black Sabbath had a very acrimonious split with Ronnie James Dio in 1993. Sabbath were asked to open for Ozzy Osbourne at his “farewell” concerts in Costa Mesa. At the end there was to be an original Sabbath mini-reunion. Ronnie James Dio outright refused to perform and left the band immediately afterwards. Sabbath were forced to get Rob Halford, not so far away in Pheonix, to fill in (the first of two times he would have to do so in Black Sabbath, the second time due to an Ozzy illness). Halford did so admirably under the circumstances. After the show, drummer Vinnie Appice joined Ronnie in a new version of Dio.
The new Dio lineup was a four-piece for the first time since album #1. On bass, Jeff Pilson (ex-Dokken), also helping out with keyboards and backing vocals. Pilson was always capable of singing the high parts in Dokken songs, and with Dio he adds a little bit of melodic accent by harmonizing with Ronnie. On guitar, controversially so, was Tracy G (Griljalva) from the band WWIII, which had also included Appice at one point. Dio described his mood as “pissed off” during this period and it certainly came out in the heaviest Dio album yet.
The thing with Tracy G was that he had an abrasive, atonal drony guitar sound, although certainly fitting to the new angry Dio sound. It was very different from the slick neo-classical bent that guys such as Vivian Campbell added to their solos. It was a brutally heavy and edgy change that should have earned Ronnie some credit rather than criticism. “Jesus, Mary & the Holy Ghost” opens the album on a speed metal approach, showing off the new guitar player. Tracy G was like the mad man’s scientist heavy metal guitar player crossed with Steve Stevens from Billy Idol’s band. If you want to check out what Tracy G did within Dio, just crank up “Jesus, Mary & the Holy Ghost”.
Admittedly, a whole album of Tracy G’s razor blade guitars can make one weary, but fortunately Dio albums are usually varied in song tempo and style. “Firehead”, the second track is a slow metal groove that suits Dio well. Arguably, the Dio lineup with Pilson on bass is more adept at this Sabbathy path than any other. Pilson has always been one for the low end, and his bass has an elastic thud that is similar, but different from ex-Dio bassist Jimmy Bain. Slower and heavier still is the title track “Strange Highways”. Ronnie has always stated that he liked to hear the space between the instruments, and that’s “Strange Highways”. This really was a great lineup for the band.
“Hollywood Black” is based on a lyric that Ronnie wrote for the sessions of Black Sabbath’sDehumanizer album. Maybe it’s even the same melody; the original has never been leaked. This is a strong mid-tempo slog; the most mainstream Dio song yet in this collection. Side closer “Evilution” (love that title) is even better; nastier and snippy.
I have a funny story about this song. I bought the cassette while out on a road trip with my buddy Peter, who was always a much bigger Ozzy fan than Dio. We put the tape in the car deck. The words at the end of the song baffled us both, but it was a case of mis-heard lyrics! On Peter’s overdriven, bass-heavy car system, we heard the closing words as:
“Hello, good night, it’s me, I’m open again, Come back, come in, goodbye, Wear clothes!”
The actual final line is “We’re closed.” If you play the song and pay attention…you can hear it too, can’t you? “WEAR CLOTHES!” Misheard lyrics…or hidden message?
As if there was any question from the first side of the album that Ronnie was in a bad mood lately, then “Pain” should settle. “Take the water and wash your face with pain!” Or, “Take the hammer and pound yourself with pain!” My favourite, “Bury my bones on the moon, if they ever should find me it would be too soon.” It was hard to find Ronnie’s usual positivity in some of these words. But listen to that one floor tom hit at 2:00 in! Holy drums, Batman! I love that one hit, it’s my favourite part of the song, which is actually pretty good.
“One Foot in the Grave” is a lot more upbeat than you’d expect by the title and it too is pretty decent. Notice these songs are not “great” — they are just shy of whatever quality makes a song great. Then “Give Her the Gun” is the Dio power ballad, but thematically it too stark and real for some tastes. Child abuse, gun rights? In a Dio song? All power to the man for speaking his mind, but even the most ardent supporter must concede that this is an unusually blunt song for him.
Onto “Blood From a Stone”, back to metaphors once again, and back to blazing hot Tracy G shreddery. Back to insuppressible Pilson bass. There are some 80’s-isms in some of the guitar licks, but blink and you’ll miss ’em. Then, rock out to “Here’s to You”, which sounds like a blazing hot celebration of the rock, or the “masters of the universe”, or something. But according to Ronnie, “The wheel goes ’round, so here’s to you!” Sounds like by this point in the record, Ronnie has worked out whatever bitterness he had left seething in his system. Finally “Bring Down the Rain” ends the album on a very Dio note, with all the majesty and power he can inject into a closing song. It’s just heavier than before. “Put out the flame”, sings Ronnie, his leathery lungs never more impassioned nor powered.
Perhaps Dio still had much anger left in him after all, since the next album was the aptly-titled Angry Machines. But that’s another review.
Strange Highways in a good album bordering on great — but not quite.
BLACK SABBATH – Children of the Sea – Live in Brazil ’94(Disc Media)
The Cross Purposes tour was not a happy time in Black Sabbath. Geezer Butler had felt that this band (featuring himself, Tony Iommi, Tony Martin, and new drummer Bobby Rondinelli) should have had a new name and not been billed as Black Sabbath. Rondinelli left mid-tour, so Tony and Geezer called up the original Sabbath skinsman Bill Ward. With this historic lineup, 3/4 of the original band were intact (the same ratio as today’s Sabbath). They went to South America to play five shows. Then Butler quit after a furious standoff with Iommi.
This broadcast footage is all that remains of this very short-lived lineup of Black Sabbath.
The set opens with “Time Machine”, a Dio-era song that neither Tony Martin nor Bill Ward originally appeared on. The sound is pretty horrendous, coming in slightly better than bootleg quality. The crowd noise is too high, and the backing keyboards of Geoff Nicholls actually drown out the lead guitar. Nicholls’ backing vocals are also more audible than they should be. As a frontman, Martin does his best, which involves spreading his arms wide and shaking his hair. A long haired Ward has a completely different rhythm on this track than Vinnie Appice gave it. Another Dio number is next, “Children of the Sea”. Ward at least played on this Heaven and Hell classic. Haters would be critical of Martin’s version of Dio songs, but Dio quit. Ozzy wasn’t ready to come back. Iommi carried on, and that’s how it went down. Martin had to sing the old songs to the best of his talents and he helped keep the ship afloat during these difficult years. Having Bill Ward on this track lends it a required authenticity.
There are certain songs that Sabbath has never dropped from the set, that are very difficult for most singers to perform. “Black Sabbath” is top of the list. Ozzy’s possessed original can never be duplicated or imitated. A big part of that, however, is that Bill Ward’s primitive drum fills were such a big part of it, and Bill’s back on this one. With 3/4 of the original Sabbath there, this version actually works out. It’s one of the most true to the original of the versions released by any post-Ozzy lineup of Black Sabbath…except it is edited! It halts abruptly at the half-way point, to awkwardly go into “War Pigs”. This concert was clearly cut down to fit into a one hour (with commercials) time slot. Why half of “Black Sabbath” was sacrificed instead of something else, I don’t know. Shoddy. At least “War Pigs” is intact, with Bill (shirtless now) providing the loose backbone it always had on album. It acquires a jazzy feel during the slow outro.
Iommi gets a guitar solo (could have edited this out instead of “Black Sabbath”, but what do I know?) which has shades of “Too Late” from Dehumanizer. Then it’s “Paranoid”, with Bill behind the beat as it should be. Martin bites into every word, doing a fantastic job of it. I have several live versions of Martin doing “Paranoid”, but this one is the best and most true.
When it’s time for “Headless Cross”, the rhythm section are not the ones who recorded it (Lawrence Cottle on bass and Cozy Powell on drums). It’s weird to think of Bill Ward playing drum parts that Cozy Powell wrote. Geezer sounds more at home, and is able too bring his trademark slink to the bass. Offstage, Geoff Nicholls quite obviously provides the high notes in the chorus that Tony Martin can no longer hit, whether by voice or sample I do not know. There’s another awkward edit into “Iron Man”, a song most singers except Ozzy struggle with. This could have been excised. We finally blast into “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath”: better, even though nobody can hit the unholy notes that Ozzy did on the studio version.
That’s the last track.. The back cover claims that “The Hand that Rocks the Cradle” is next, but there is no such track. Bastards! To compound the error, they got the song title wrong by just having “The Hand that Rocks”. Not that this is the only mistake on the track list. “Babbath Bloody Sabbath” is pretty funny, especially since this title carried over to the song menu on the DVD!
Wardrobe wise, I like Geezer’s sweater with the crosses on it; that’s nice. Tony Martin has a cool, steel plated leather jacket, which looks as if raided from Rob Halford’s closet. Iommi sports silver cross center-chest, while Bill Ward is right out of 1975 with the long hair and track pants.
There are issues with the audio sync on this DVD, probably originating from the broadcast but carried over even though it would be easily fixed. Sloppy release. I’m sure that this is ripped from a VHS recording of the broadcast, due to the obvious spots where commercial breaks are edited out.
Maybe the original uncut tapes are out there somewhere. If so, somebody should release them. This concert could have been a great little DVD release, but the various audio and editing flaws make it a difficult viewing.
RECORD STORE TALES MkII: Getting More Tale #426: The History of the Holy Grail
I don’t know when I started referring to this list as my “Holy Grail” items, but the idea is simple. I wanted to create a wishlist of musical items that would be my ultimate, most sought after records and CDs. For example, there is a rare Iron Maiden EP calledLive!! +one. It was released in Japan in 1980, and featured two exclusive recordings still unavailable anywhere else: “Sanctuary” and “Drifter” from the Marquee show. In 2014, I found a copy in Mississauga. Should I have bought it? It was $100. It was not in the budget that time. Will I ever see it again?
Those are the kinds of things I’m referring to as Holy Grails. The kinds of things that you see only ever one or twice in your time as a fan. When you find a Holy Grail item, how much are you willing to pay? I paid $300 for a copy of the rare live album marillionrochester on eBay. I don’t think I’ll ever do that again though. That was a once in a lifetime buy. (Only 2000 copies of it were ever made, which were sent directly to fans who donated to their 1997 American tour fund. It will never be reissued.)
In the digital age, curating a Holy Grail list has never been easier. My solution today is simple. I have entrusted my Holy Grail list to Aaron over at the KeepsMeAlive site. There, he has created (and continues to update) several bloggers’ personal lists as the Master Grail Search List. Using this list from our smartphones, we have hunted for items for others, too. The increased range provided by the Master Grail Search List has resulted in a couple scores.
While searching one of my hard drives, I discovered what is probably the very first Grail list I ever made, and it is over 10 years old now. Apparently I wasn’t calling it a Grail list yet (like I said, I don’t know when we started using that term), but below is my 2005 “Ultimate All-Time Want List”. I have since found a number of these…but have also added many more to my list! Check out the list, with added notes from today in [red].
Date: 2005/06/11
ULTIMATE ALL-TIME WANT LIST
To be modified and added to periodically.
In no particular order:
KISS – Chikara (CD or LP)
[I should have bought this whenI had the chance in ’96 at Dr. Disc in Hamilton! I blew it.]
marillion – Web Christmas 1998 CD
marillion – Web Christmas 1999 CD
[Still missing these two. I’ve downloaded them from their official site, which is nice, but not as nice as an original CD.]
Metallica – The 5 1/2 Year Anniversary Box Set LP
[Saw this one at Flying Monkey Music in Waterloo in 1997, priced around $120. I should have bought it. Scott, ourHeavy Metal Overlord has a copy, but he is also apparently immune to my Jedi mind tricks.]
Tommy Shaw – Girls With Guns CD
[Hahaha, what!? I don’t remember wanting this!]
[I mean, sure, I’ll take it, I like that one song…it’s a great music video too, all one continuous shot with no edits…but the CD is certainly not a Holy Grail item anymore!]
KISS – Alive III (Japanese CD)
[No longer needed, since the release of Kiss’ comprehensiveAlive! 1975-2000 box set!]
Iron Maiden – “Wasting Love” (CD single)
Iron Maiden – “Hallowed Be Thy Name” (CD single)
Motley Crue – Generation Swine (limited edition Japanese with bonus track “Song To Slit Your Wrist By”)
[FOUND,FOUND, andFOUND! All of these came from eBay. None were cheap, but I had a budget threshold for each under which I was willing to pay.]
ZZ Top – Chrome Smoke & BBQ (limited edition CD box set)
[FOUND, quite easily, and very soon after I made this original list. I just went down to Best Buy and bought it. Hey, sometimes it’s the simple way.]
KISS – Instant Live CDs (ALL of them)
[Threehave been FOUND! I would still love “all” of them, but I’m not made of money!]
I’m actually surprised to see so many items crossed off this decade-old list! Surprised, and pleased. I know how much I wanted some of these items, such as those Iron Maiden CD singles. That Motley Crue import also dogged me for years.
The internet helped me gain access to many of these. It has also broadened my realization of what lay in the nooks and crannies of a band’s discography. When I made this list 10 years ago, I didn’t even know about Maiden’s Live!! +one EP. I didn’t know that the same band’s Best of the Beast 6 LP box set had one exclusive bonus track (“Revelations” live) that was tucked away unnoticed. As I have crossed items off my list, two more sprang forth in their place!
DIO – Holy Diver (2012 Universal deluxe edition, originally 1983)
Ronnie James Dio often said that the best Dio album was the first. Fans will always have their own favourites, but there is no denying that Ronnie was right about Holy Diver being a special album. Dio had always had a knack for rallying talented people around him. Just look at that lineup: Ronnie and Vinny Appice had recently fled Black Sabbath. Jimmy Bain had worked with Dio in Blackmore’s Rainbow, an integral part of that band’s lineup in the Rainbow Rising period. On guitar – Vivian Campbell, from little known New Wave of British Heavy Metal band Sweet Savage. A shredder he was, able to compete with the hot flashy players of the 80’s.
Very few people do speedy metal songs better than Ronnie James Dio. “Stand Up and Shout” is the prototype of such Dio songs. Youthful and rebellious, “Stand Up and Shout” was exactly what fans in 1983 were craving. The band got to show off their chops a bit, with Vinny Appice leading the way via a hell of a drum performance. Then it’s Vivian’s turn to shine on one of the speediest solos laid to tape. “You are the strongest chain and not just some reflection,” sings Ronnie, inspiring the masses with his positive message of self-belief.
For the first four albums, Dio always put the title track second. If this holds some special meaning, I do not know. “Holy Diver”, with its ominous opening, still remains upon the lofty peak of the best songs Ronnie has ever written. The riff, written solely by Ronnie, is iconic. Perhaps it is not recognized on the level of immortal riffs such as “Whole Lotta Love”, but among metal fans, it is held in high regard. “Holy Diver” is the shiniest jewel in the crown, a massive track that just has everything. Bain and Appice formed a tight rhythm section with the exact right amount of heft. The song is flawless…shiny diamonds indeed.
Like the eyes of a cat in the black and blue, something is coming for you.
“Gypsy” is a knockout. Ronnie belting in full voice with a solid mid-tempo song behind him is always a pleasure. This is Vivian’s first writing credit on a Dio album. The guitar solo could use some focus, but I think the directive here was “just shred”. One of Dio’s most pop moments (in terms of melody only) is “Caught in the Middle”, one of his catchiest, most concise and direct songs. Even Vivian sticks to point on the solo. But “Caught in the Middle” is soon eclipsed by an even more exciting song: “Don’t Talk to Strangers”. The acoustic fake-out intro is a trick Dio pulled again later on “The Last in Line”, but when the song really starts, it’s friggin’ frantic. It’s like the wind. These guys had so much energy, it is remarkable. “Straight Through the Heart” has balls to it, it’s a groovy tune. I loved Halestorm’s cover of it immensely. I think they really caught and emphasized what is great about the song. Lzzy Hale is one of very few people who can do Dio justice vocally.
The slow intro to “Invisible” reminds me of a 1987-era Whitesnake ballad. This is another trick! It stops and abruptly turns into another Dio stomper of high quality. There is very little letup on this Dio album. The momentum is maintained by the stunning single “Rainbow in the Dark”. That’s Ronnie on keyboards, by the way. I have a story about this song.
Our local rock station, 107.5 Dave Rocks, has a 3:00 contest called the Tedious Tiresome Trivia in the Tri-Cities, or the TTT in the TC. What makes it so tedious and tiresome are the callers. Craig seems to attract the…how should I say this? The most “interesting” callers. The most notorious of these is “Bore-linda” who has a legion of haters who can’t stand her perky tone. (She’s actually a very nice lady in real life.) Craig Fee would receive emails from annoyed listeners saying, “Hang up on Bore-linda! Play some Dio!” So that’s exactly what Craig did, and he chose “Rainbow in the Dark” as the song. And Bore-linda calls in a lot. And Craig hangs up a lot. For a while, “Rainbow in the Dark” was played almost daily between 3 and 4 o’clock. And you know what? It never got tiring. Every single time it came on was a fist-pumper.
Holy Diver deserves a dramatic ending, and that would be “Shame on the Night”. Copying the template of a song like Sabbath’s “Lonely is the Word”, it occupies the same kind of slow-paced dark metal space. Vivian’s guitar intro is very cool, but the song just pounds.
The bonus CD is chock full of Dio goodness. Deluxe editions should always present a complete set of B-sides. This has the three from this era, including the studio cut “Evil Eyes”. This excellent, cruisin’ tune was re-recorded for The Last in Line, and the B-side version has remained obscure until now. Vivian has a lot of different solos on this version, and they are all cool. Then, essential cuts “Stand Up and Shout” and “Straight Through the Heart” are both live B-sides, every bit as electrifying as the originals. They are simply more raw, probably a little faster, and there is nothing more powerful than Ronnie James Dio’s voice live in the raw.
The balance of the disc is fleshed out by six live songs recorded for radio by the King Biscuit Flower Hour. They sound excellent, thanks to King Biscuit. You get “Stand Up and Shout” a second time, but the rest of the live songs are not repeats. In the mix are some Sabbath (“Children of the Sea”) and some Rainbow (“Man on the Silver Mountain/Starstruck”). Of the two, “Children of the Sea” fares better from the Dio band’s interpretation. To be fair, I think Tony Iommi and Ritchie Blackmore both have so much personality, that it is daunting to cover them no matter who you are. I think Vivian’s style works less well on the Rainbow song than it does with Sabbath’s material. The rest of the songs (“Holy Diver”, “Rainbow in the Dark”, “Shame on the Night”) are all quality Dio tracks. Although the market is now inundated with live Dio packages, it is still a delight to have these early recordings on CD.
I needn’t divulge that this deluxe edition is loaded with cool liner notes and pictures. You have come to expect that from a good deluxe edition. And Holy Diver is quite good indeed.
Deep Purple were the proverbial candle that was burned at both ends. Their first four studio albums (plus a friggin’ concerto!) were cranked out in a mere two years. Management and record labels pushed the band to stay on the road, only taking precious breaks to write and record new music. Sometimes the pressure worked (Machine Head) and sometimes it didn’t (Who Do We Think We Are). Ian Gillan’s resignation signaled the end of the celebrated Deep Purple Mk II lineup. Though the band successfully carried on with David Coverdale & Glenn Hughes, even those lineups imploded and by 1976, Deep Purple officially ceased to exist.
The absence of Purple created a void that was filled by greatest hits records, live albums, and well-known side projects such as Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow, Gillan, and Whitesnake. Still, there was such a demand for Deep Purple itself that original singer Rod Evans put together his own bogus “Deep Purple” and played several shows in 1980! In his band were a couple guys from Iron Butterfly, but no other former Purple alumni. Just Rod. The guy who didn’t sing “Highway Star”, “Smoke on the Water”, or “Lazy”. Needless to say, Rod Evans’ bogus “Deep Purple” did not last as soon as word got out. The lawyers for the other former Deep Purple members ensured that by running ads in the local papers. “The following members will not be appearing with the band called Deep Purple at [such and such a date and venue] : Ritchie Blackmore, Ian Gillan, Ian Paice, Jon Lord, Roger Glover, Glenn Hughes, David Coverdale.” A show in Montreal was particularly horrid, and reportedly the band’s stage act involved one of the members bringing out a chain saw to cut stuff up. They were hit with lawsuits galore and quickly packed it in, but not before recording two new songs for a projected new “Deep Purple” studio album. The two songs, “Blood Blister” and “Brum Doogie”, are thankfully lost. A video of “Smoke on the Water” live in Mexico remains, to remind us why this was not a good idea. [For more on the bogus “Deep Purple”, click here.]
Clearly, lots of profits were to made if the real Deep Purple were ever to reunite. They tried earlier on, but were hung up when Ian Gillan joined Black Sabbath. When Ian’s Sabbath commitments were finished a year later, it finally happened. Jon Lord had freed himself of Whitesnake, and Ritchie, Roger Glover and Ian Paice were all ready willing and able. The reunion was on, for real this time.
The band quickly agreed on creating new music (otherwise, what’s the point of it?), and decided that there had to be a level of quality that served the name Deep Purple. They retreated to the gorgeous Stowe, Vermont and found themselves to be in great spirits and full of ideas. Another wise decision was the use of bassist Glover to produce. After his first stint in Purple, he became quite successful as a producer. He recorded some of the best Nazareth albums, a Judas Priest record (Sin After Sin) , Rainbow, David Coverdale, and countless more. It only made sense to keep production of the new album within the band when you have a guy like Roger in the band!
The album that resulted, Perfect Strangers, was more modern but unmistakably Deep Purple. Taking advantage of modern recording studios resulted in an album with rich instrumental tones. As great as classic Deep Purple albums were sonically, Perfect Strangers has a new richness and clarity. Jon’s organ is deep and gorgeous, but Ian Paice’s drum sound is monstrous.
The opening track “Knocking at Your Back Door” (hah hah hah) commences with ominous keys from Jon, sounding at first like the pipes of doom. Then Roger begins a quick pulse, and Paice crashes that cymbal, and my God, Deep Purple is back! Ritchie and Ian join them for the first Deep Purple epic of the album — and on the first track, no less! “Knocking at Your Back Door” may be a joke lyrically, but it’s dead serious musically. It’s Deep Purple, but streamlined. Extraneous things have been discarded; others are sleeker. The only disappointment about the song is actually the guitar solo, which just slightly does not fit. Glover once said about this album that Ritchie struggles with solos in the studio more so than live. Something about when the red light goes on, he gets cold feet. There’s some incredible playing in this guitar solo, but parts of it feel out of place and overdone.
That one minor complaint is probably the only quibble you’ll read here about Perfect Strangers. The album continues to impress as it plays. “Under the Gun” is a song that would sound so great live today; shame that it hasn’t been played live in 30 years. I can’t imagine why. “Under the Gun” demonstrates the streamlined groove that Purple were going for in the 80’s. Listen to Paicey’s drums. They are relentless and powerful, but he’s also playing it simpler than he used to. This is intentional. When I say “streamlined”, that doesn’t mean there aren’t long solos, because Ritchie’s here is over a minute long (in a 4:34 song)!
“Nobody’s Home” gives Jon Lord a change to stretch out a bit on the synths, but it’s just a feint. This track re-writes “Black Night” for 1984, and ties it all up with a little bow in under four minutes. “Your lights are burnin’ bright, but nobody’s home!” sings Ian, for once not speaking of Blackmore! Jon takes the spotlight with a nice quick solo on the Hammond, a sound not often heard in ’84.
Side one was closed by the nasty little “Mean Streak”. It has one of those quirky Gillan lyrics that I like so much. “She came home last night, rockin’ rollin’ drunk. She talk no sense but she sound good so she thunk.” It’s a cool rock track with a chugging riff; always a deadly combination when wielded by Deep Purple. It boasts one of Ritchie’s coolest solos on the album.
I will never forget seeing this video on MuchMusic, introduced by Bruce Dickinson. Of Deep Purple he said, “Well, they’re very good. But not as good at football as they appear. No. They’re not.” The VJ (Erica Ehm) asked, “Why not?” Dickinson simply responded, “Because they’re not! What a silly question.”
Of all the songs on Perfect Strangers, only one has been consistently played live every tour: the title track. This epic, like its side one counterpart “Knocking at Your Back Door”, opens with Jon’s ominous keys. This time it’s the old trusty Hammond, and then the band crash in with the riff to kill all riffs. I think in some respects, this song has become Deep Purple’s “Kashmir”, especially when played in concert. It has evolved to become more exotic since it was first recorded, though it does contain those flavors here. The lyrics are ambiguously beautiful. Back in the Record Store days, I talked to a guy once who thought the lyrics were about God. I’ll leave it up to you. Blackmore called it his favourite Deep Purple song. It’s a tough call, but Top Five for sure. I cannot survive without this song in my life, period.
Then WHAM! “A Gypsy’s Kiss,” right in the kisser. If any doubters had thoughts that Purple had lost anything in the past decade, this song proved them dead wrong. Blazing pace, blazing Paice, the whole place is ablaze! Again, Ian’s lyrics are awesome, and I love the self-referencing. “Space truckers free and high, Teamsters get ya by and by.” I also really like this verse, because, hey. John Wayne, man.
John Wayne, the Alamo, Crazy Horse, Geronimo, I’ll smoke a piece with you. Mind, Body, Heart and Soul, We got Rock and Roll, And there’s nothing they can do.
A good Deep Purple album rarely has a slow blues buried deep within. “Wasted Sunsets” is the album’s heavy blues track, like “When a Blind Man Cries” was to Machine Head (though it was relegated to a mere B-side). Jon’s organ sets the mood stunningly, and Ritchie absolutely nails it. I get the feeling that Ian is baring his soul in the lyrics, although he doesn’t seem too regretful of all those one night stands.
For self referencing, no lyric on the album beats out “Hungry Daze”:
The mountain’s getting cold and lonely, The trees are bare, We all came out to Montreux, But that’s another song, you’ve heard it all before!
Regrets? Hell no. “Different girls, laughing girls, forever girls and it was loud!” Gillan has a talent for making cheeky lyrics like this work with serious music. “Hungry Daze” has that modern Purple groove with the same kind of chugging exotic riff that powers “Perfect Strangers” — but faster! There’s even backwards tapes (Jon’s organ), a sound unheard on a Deep Purple album since 1969, but back in style in 1984.
Lucky cassette and compact disc buyers got a bonus track: “Not Responsible”. When I first got the album (on cassette) I wondered, “Why is this song a bonus track? It’s one of the best songs!” Good question! (Perhaps because it’s the only song on which Gillan dropped an f-bomb.) I think it closes the album even better than “Hungry Daze” does. Lyrically it’s more drinking and debauchery. “So I’ll raise a glass to you, the foot is on the other shoe.” I consider “Not Responsible” to be of equal value to any of the better tracks on the album proper, so if you only own this on LP, consider getting this song (legally) to complete the picture.
Want more? There’s one more, but you’ll have to do a little research to get it in full. “Son of Aleric” is a killer slow groove 10 minute instrumental, with all the flavor of the album. It was released on the B-side of “Perfect Strangers”. If you bought the 7″ single, you got the 5:28 edit version. If you bought the 12″ single, you got the full Monty at 10:03. The full version was rarely issued on CD. I have it on a compilation CD with the cumbersome title of Knocking at Your Back Door: The Best of Deep Purple in the 80’s. But “Son of Aleric” is only on the UK version! (Other territories just got a live version of “Child in Time” from the live album Nobody’s Perfect. Bummer.) This is the kind of open Deep Purple jam that you just want to melt into. It’s magic.
If you like Deep Purple, but do not own Perfect Strangers, then I advise that you remedy that situation at your earliest convenience. I am no stranger to this album; I have played it hundreds of times, often more than once in the same day. I have never grown tired of it. For that reason, and many more, Perfect Strangers earns the coveted:
Nobody was shocked when Ozzy Osbourne, the man who said he hated live albums, put out his fourth (!) solo live release in 1990. (His other three live releases were the Mr. Crowley EP, Speak of the Devil, and Randy Rhoads Tribute. This does not include the Ultimate Live Ozzy EP which was…not live.) The liner note by Ozzy attempts to justify its release. “Firstly, ‘Shot in the Dark’,” begins Ozzy. “I am happier with this version than the original.” (Oooh, sick burn on Jake.) Ozzy continues, “Secondly, the Sabbath songs – To have recorded them one last time with Geezer Butler, Zakk and Randy says it all for me. It’s a chapter of my musical career I can now close.”
What the fuck did that mean?
Was Ozzy going to stop playing Sabbath songs? Did anyone actually believe that? The bitter liner notes accompany a front cover emblazoned with all four band members’ names, in the same sized font as Ozzy’s. And on the front cover is not Ozzy Osbourne, but guitarist Zakk Wylde! (Albeit from behind so you can’t see his face, and he’s just in one corner of the cover.) It all seems to deliver a message of “I am focused on the present, not my past.” This quartet was fully expected to record the next Ozzy studio album together, athough ultimately that did not happen. Geezer left in 1991 for a reunited Dio-era Black Sabbath. So much for not looking back!
Just Say Ozzy functioned as a stopgap. Ozzy would take his time with the next LP (which at that time was tentatively titled No Dogs Allowed, then Don’t Blame Me), but No Rest for the Wicked was already two years past. They had to release something, so here it is. One careful listen will reveal a lot of studio trickery was employed afterwards. Indeed, if one focuses on the crowd noise you can hear edits everywhere. Billboard magazine revealed that the music for this album was re-recorded in the studio with audience noise overdubbed.
Having said that, if this kind of trickery doesn’t bother you (and if you own Kiss Alive! or Frampton Comes Alive then it shouldn’t too much) then this is a great EP. Just Say Ozzy‘s meager six songs feature the only recordings of the brief Osbourne/Wylde/Butler/Castillo lineup. I was always a fan of those particular guys and there’s something to be said when you have two original Black Sabbath members in the band, while Black Sabbath only had one.
Since this EP was from the No Rest tour, three of its heaviest songs were showcased: the single “Miracle Man”, “Tattooed Dancer”, and “Bloodbath in Paradise”. No ballads. These three songs are nice to have, but are not even close to competing with the better known hits.
From The Ultimate Sin comes “Shot In The Dark”…yes, Ozzy’s so-called “preferred version”. And it is indeed very good. Zakk Wylde was a talented kid even then, and I love the youthful “go for it” attitude in his playing. “Shot in the Dark” features an extended solo that established Zakk’s place with his axe predecessors. Then, a deuce of Sabbath: a smokin’ “Sweet Leaf” and probably the best live version of “War Pigs” that I have ever heard.
Yeah, that’s what I said.
This Zakk-infused version of “War Pigs” is, in this humble writer’s opinion, the best live version ever released. Zakk’s guitar digs deep into the strings with those nice wide vibratos. It’s just monstrous, plus with Geez on bass, it has that slink it needs. Randy Castillo (RIP) was certainly no slouch, and his relentless fills here are solidly entertaining.
3/5 stars. Shame about that crappy cover art though.
NOTE: This is basically a review of the Deluxe edition of Live Evil. I own The Rules of Hell (2008) box set of Dio-era Sabbath, so I did not need to buy the later Deluxe of Live Evil. The 2 CD edition inside The Rules of Hell is sonically the same.
BLACK SABBATH – Live Evil (1982 Warner, 2008 Rhino)
Live Evil: Not only a palindrome, but also the last gasp of the Dio/Appice/Iommi/Butler lineup of Black Sabbath. Hard to believe that their first “official” live release was with Ronnie James Dio at the mic and not Ozzy Osbourne! This infamous live album was the last thing Sabbath did before Dio left (the first time) and it’s actually a lot better than people generally give it credit for.
Some folks may not enjoy that live, there’s only one guitar. When Iommi takes a guitar solo, the gap is filled by bassist Geezer Butler and keyboardist Geoff Nicholls. The audible keyboards in the middle of a heavy metal song like “Neon Nights” do take a little getting used to, admittedly. In the end though, it’s part of the scenery. Black Sabbath didn’t do much with live keyboards in the original Ozzy era, but they were a part of every Sabbath lineup since. There was also apparently a lot of behind the scenes bitching about instrument levels and whatnot that supposedly lead to the disintegration of the band. This remastered edition of the CD leaves me with few qualms about the sound.
Back in the 80’s and 90’s, you used to see a lot of fan rivalry. “Dio sucks!” or “Dio rules!” Today we all have the perspective to know that you can have both Ozzy and Dio, like having your cake and eating it too. Well, until Dio’s heartbreaking 2010 death, that is. It is true most singers that Sabbath have had couldn’t do the Ozzy material convincingly. Ozzy sounded genuinely disturbed and terrified on “Black Sabbath”. (“What is this that stands before me? Figure in black which points at me. Turn round quick and start to run. Find out I’m the chosen one…oh no, please God help me!”) Dio camps it up quite a bit, which is not my personal preference. The same goes for “War Pigs”. I also find that Vinny Appice just can’t cop the vibe that Bill Ward got on the drums. Ward played it very subtle, almost tribal, and Vinny plays it straight ahead. But I’ve yet to hear any lineup that can do that song as well as the original album version, including the reunited (1997-2012) Sabbath with Ozzy and Bill. (Appice also gets a drum solo on “War Pigs”; thunderous but not necessary.)
The set list for this album was pretty cool, including Mob Rules favourites “Voodoo” and an absolutely killer “Sign of the Southern Cross”. This version, melded with a long extended “Heaven and Hell”, is among the very best moments in Dio’s career. Basically, all the Dio-era material here is excellent, while the Ozzy-era stuff leaves you feeling just a little bit underwhelmed. Not to say they’re bad, they’re just…different. Two completely different singers with their own personalities. The fact is that Dio made it work live as best he could, and that’s commendable.
MVP: The super slinky Geezer Butler. The remastered edition allows us to hear with real clarity every massive note, and his bass is like a jolt of caffeine to the brain!
Since this is a 2CD set, all the between-song banter that was deleted on single disc versions has been restored. That’s important. Dio talks a lot between songs and that’s part of the album. Otherwise there is no bonus material. There are ample and interesting liner notes, and the front cover looks absolutely stunning. This is one of Sabbath’s all-time best covers (perhaps second only to their first album) and it definitely shines in this edition. (But don’t let that stop you from tracking down a vinyl copy so you can see it in its 12×12 glory!)
Shame that this was the last album of the original Dio era, but of course Dio and the band felt there needed to be additional chapters later on. And so there were. Live Evil remained a controversial album for a decade after its releasing, dividing fan and band opinions. I asked two of my esteemed Sausagefest rock scholar friends for their opinion on it, to make sure we’ve covered all the bases. This is why they had to add:
Uncle Meat: “As good as Dio was as a singer, I never really liked some of his takes on Ozzy Sabbath songs. He kinda over-sings them. It’s like he is bored with them and he appeases the singer in himself. Also the mix is pretty horrible as well. The truth is, the only great Sabbath live album isnt even a Sabbath album. Ozzy’s Speak of the Devil still sounds great today.”
Dr. Dave: “I don’t love or hate it. I like it. The most interesting thing for me, besides Dio, is the Vinny Appice take on the whole thing. More of a groove, less of a swing than Bill Ward. Not saying better, just neatly different.”
Final note: The liner notes correct Dio’s name to Ronnie James Dio. The original LP and CD had his name printed as simply “Ronnie Dio”, as a bit of a “fuck you” to the singer. They do not, however, reinstate Vinny Appice as an “official” member, having his name under “special thanks”!
3.5/5 stars. The most historic of the Sabbath live albums.
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