The group was formed in 1969 by four teenage friends from Aston, near Birmingham, England: Anthony "Tony" Iommi (b. Feb 19, 1948), guitar; William "Bill" Ward (b. May 5, 1948), drums; John "Ozzy" Osbourne (b. Dec 3, 1948), vocals; and Terence "Geezer" Butler (b. Jul 17, 1949), bass. They originally called their jazz-blues band Polka Tulk, later renaming themselves Earth. In early 1969, they decided to change their name again, when they found that they were being mistaken for another group called Earth. I've heard two versions of how they got their name: 1. Butler had written a song that took its title from a novel by occult writer Dennis Wheatley, 'Black Sabbath', and the group adopted it as their name as well. 2. The cinema across their rehearsal-room showed an old horror-movie, starring Boris Karloff, called 'Black Sabbath', and the band nicked it from there. Either way, Black Sabbath are considered the grandfathers of heavy metal. To me they were the true inventors of the genre.

BLACK SABBATH (1970, 2004) SANCTUARY

Yup, boys and girls, this is were it all started. 'Black Sabbath', originally released February 13th, 1970, is by many regarded as the first real heavy metal album. Sure, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin and many others had already released records too, but Black Sabbath was the first band to have that heavy sound in every songs, and every note played! And their self titled first born ranks as one of the most defining albums of all times, still today. Thus it is kinda funny that a huge metal head like me didn't even own this album 'til 2008! I have of course heard it countless times over the years, but for whatever reason, I never bought it myself. Glad that has been remedied. This Birmingham quartet successfully took their love for rock 'n' roll and blues, and mixed it with their poor working class upbringing, creating what we today call heavy metal. Tony Iommi's gritty and ultra heavy guitar is maybe the most significant ingredient here. Having lost one of his finger tips in an accident, and replacing it with a home made rubber one, he had to press harder on the strings to when playing, thus creating his own signature style and sound. Together with Ozzy's one-of-a-kind voice, with so much charisma mire than an actual good singing voice, they are both easy to recognize. And as with so many other artists from the 70's, Black Sabbath also consisted of 4 individual members that were more than proficient on their instruments. Thus both Bill Ward and Geezer Butler are considerable influences on many a metal musician even today. 'Black Sabbath' is a rather diverse record. The title tracks opens the ball with instant heavy metal. But already in "The Wizard" we get the well known harmonica intro. How many metal bands have successfully used that instrument? We also get 2 cover songs here, but I doubt that many people nowadays know that "Evil Woman" was originally recorded by a band called Crow, and "The Warning" was originally an Aynsley Dunbar Retaliation track. This album is a metal milestone!

Rock trivia: "NIB" does not stand for Nativity in Black. It was referring to Bill's facial hair, which looked like a pen nib.
"Warning" was originally recorded by the short lived Aynsley Dunbar Retaliation, in a much shorter form. Ironically enough, Ozzy misheard the lyrics and sings "I was born without you baby" instead of "I was warned about you baby", which was the entire basis for the song and reason it was called "Warning".

Killer tracks: All of them.

PARANOID (1970, 1986) CASTLE COMMUNICATIONS

Welcome to the history of Heavy Metal, chapter 2. The first chapter was named 'Black Sabbath', and was released only 7 months prior to this. Seriously though, everything about Black Sabbath is truly metal history in the making. 'Paranoid' was the bands second album, and it features nothing but classics! "Iron Man" is in many ways the bands, and even more so, Ozzy's theme song. It's a tune even your grandmother will nod in recognition. But to a fan of this British band, it it just another song on an already packed classic album. Black Sabbath didn't have all the "baggage" of being lumped under a genre umbrella, as they were the inventors of it. Thus they had the freedom of doing whatever the heck they wanted to, resulting in varied song material. 'Paranoid' is a more focused album than it's predecessor, and even though, as said, it is a very experimental record, it is till much tighter than their debut. They always had that trademark sound, thanks to the 4 individual members contributions, but they were never afraid of experimenting either. That is what made them unique, and is probably the reason why they are hailed as the forefathers of mostly any sub-genre of heavy metal. This record was originally supposed to be called 'War Pigs', but the record company objected due to the Vietnam War. According to popular belief, the name for doom metal came from the song "Hand of Doom".

Killer tracks: Every single one of them!

SABBATH BLOODY SABBATH (1973, 2004) SANCTUARY

Arguably the most famous Black Sabbath album, the fifth full-length album got a bad reputation due to it's cover art. The bedpost with the 666, the italic Nazi-SS looking letters in the title, the androgynous demon looking creatures on and around the bed, all helped as fuel the already burning misconceptional fire of a satanic band. Originally released on December 1st, 1973, 'Sabbath Bloody Sabbath' (taking it's title from a Melody Maker headline) was yet another bull's-eye for our favorite Birmingham metal act. Again, all the tracks are today considered as classics, and have been covered countless times over. One Norwegian band even named themselves after the ending track here. 'Sabbath Bloody Sabbath' doesn't stray away from the formula that made Black Sabbath popular in the first place. If anything it is maybe even a little less experimental as some of its predecessors. Few other bands have shown such a consistent form through so many albums and years as these guys did. My 2006 remastered edition of the album comes with some informative liner notes, and all the lyrics and credits in the booklet. Also note the help from Yes' Rick Wakeman on "Sabbra Cadabra".

Killer tracks: All of them.

SABOTAGE (1975, 1996) CASTLE COMMUNICATIONS

In 1975 Black Sabbath released their 6th album, after a year and a half in hiatus. But they were still showing no sings of weary. Every ingredient that helped to create the Sabbath sound were still present, so there is no denying the quality of the material here. Tony is a wizard with riffs, and he seems to never run out of ideas for new ones. But Sabbath was also about the other 3 members of the band; Ozzy's signature voice, Geezer's pummeling bass, and Bill Ward's effective drumming. Together they wrote timeless music, that no other band have ever really been able to match. Yes, they are responsible of an entire genre. But listening to the how good their songs back then really were, I have to conclude that all other bands just tried to copy what these guys were already doing. From the progressive "Megalomania" to the in-your-face "Hole In The Sky" and the classic "Symptom Of The Universe", this is yet another metal masterpiece from the grandfathers of metal! I don't know why metalheads became so "afraid" of keyboards and ballads, because the inventors of the game were surely not against using either. On some pressings of the vinyl/cassette (and the remastered CD), there's a short 23 second song after "The Writ" (recorded at very low volume) called "Blow on a Jug". It's usually tacked onto The Writ, and isn't a track on it's own. It was Ozzy & Bill Ward goofing around in the studio.

Killer tracks: Hole In The Sky, Symptom Of The Universe, Megalomania, Am I Going Insane, The Writ

HEAVEN AND HELL (1980, 1996) CASTLE COMMUNICATIONS

'Heaven And Hell' is just one of those albums that becomes instant classics. Dio entered after Ozzy got sacked. And Dio brings in the element of mystery and imagination. So what you end up with is truly a mix between Heaven and Hell! Listening to it over 20 years after it's release, it still sounds fresh! It's one of Black Sabbath's best albums by far. A MUST!!

Killer tracks: Neon Knights, Children Of The Sea, Heaven And Hell, Die Young

LIVE AT LAST (1980, 1996) CASTLE COMMUNICATIONS

'Live At Last' was to be the first live album from Black Sabbath, and initially the only live document featuring the original line-up of the band. The only problem was that it was released nearly 2 years after Ozzy was given his walking papers. It was also released only 3 months after the second incarnation of the Black Sabbath sprung their brand new album on the record buyers. The band had no say in the matter, as it was their former NEMS label who owned the material, and decided to cash in on it, as well as reissuing the bands back catalogue. To add more fuel to the fire, the label used material recorded as far back as 19743, on the 'Volume 4' tour. The initial plans were to release this after 'Volume 4', when the material was fresh.  That means that "Killing Yourself To Live" would have had it's premier on a live album, if the initial plan had been followed. But the band went back into the studio and recorded 'Sabbath Bloody Sabbath' instead, and the studio version we all know and love now became a little different. Another altered live version included on 'Live At Last' is the 18 minute+ rendition of "Wicked World". Here the band ventures into some wild jazz improvisations, lengthy solos and includes parts of "Supernaut". Otherwise they stay pretty true to the studio version of the songs. This is by no means a legendary live album. This might be due to the circumstances it was released under. If they had released it in late 1973, instead of 1980, who knows what feeling the fns would nourish towards it? As it is now it still remains an important document in the bands career. Hearing Ozzy, Geezer, Tony and Bill live on stage is never a bad thing. Heck, Ozzy's on stage banter is worth the price of the CD alone!

MOB RULES (1981, 2004) SANCTUARY

They had quite the task at hand, trying to follow up such a masterpiece. After all, 'Heaven & Hell' have gone down in history as one of the finest Black Sabbath albums in history. Thus 'Mob Rules' have always, at least by me, been considered the lesser known little brother of the mentioned album. Honestly, I'm not even sure I ever herd it in it's entirety before grabbing this copy on sale! Produced by the legendary Martin Birch, this is yet another record cram packed with stellar songs. From the up-tempo "Turn Up The Night", through he epic "The Sign Of The Southern Cross" (easily my favorite on the album), ending with the slow and doomy "Over And Over", this album is 100% pure Black Sabbath. One can always say that one prefer this or that era of this band, but I truly believe that they were on a musical high when Dio was their singer. 'Mob Rules' just confirms that for me. Heck, I even would go as far as to say that this is the sound that Dio carried further on with with his own band a few years later. Also noticeable is the inclusion of Vinnie Appice on drums, replacing founding member, Bill Ward.

Killer tracks: Voodoo, The Sign Of The Southern Cross, The Mob Rules, Falling Of The Edge Of The World, Over And Over

SEVENTH STAR (1986) PHONOGRAM/VERTIGO

This was originally going to be Tony Iommi's first solo effort. But the record company wanted it differently, so a "compromise" had to be made; they released it under the moniker of Black Sabbath featuring Tony Iommi!!! What the heck!! Tony has been the only constant member in this band, of course Black Sabbath features him!! Darn record companies, and their money making schemes! Anyhow, this is definitely a different record than what you'd expect from the mighty riffer from Birmingham. This is a very contemporary album, with lots of melodies and sing-along choruses. The voice of rock, Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple, Gary Moore, Ken Hensley etc.), definitely puts his mark on these songs. The music isn't far from what he did with Gary Moore, actually. And a track like the ballad "No Stranger To Love" could just as well have been recorded by the Irish shredder. Other "band" mebers include Eric Singer (Kiss, Alice Cooper, Gary Moore, Lita Ford etc.) and Dave Spitz (Impellitteri, White Lion etc, also brother of Dan Spitz (Anthrax)). This is poppy and bluesy hard rock, or AOR if you will. Only a few of the songs keeps you reminded that it's the guitar-player from Black Sabbath you're listening to. Most prominently in the opening "In For The Kill", and the excellent "Turn To Stone", featuring some of the most impressive solos Tony has ever recorded. If you're hell bent to treat this CD as a full fledged Black Sabbath album, you are bound to be disappointed. But if you listen to it as the solo album is was meant to be, then I think you're in for a treat. I surely enjoy it!

Rock trivia: Glenn Hughes was not the first vocalist Tony had in mind for this album. In fact, even though Mr.. Iommi himself has denied it, he actually recorded most of these tracks with ex-Joshua singer, Jeff Fenholt, on vocals. Jeff never got the gig, but bootlegs of these recordings have surfaced under the cryptic name 'Star Of India'.

Killer tracks: No Stranger To Love, Turn To Stone, Seventh Star, In Memory...

HEADLESS CROSS (1989) I.R.S.

Featuring Tony Martin on vocals and Cozy Powell (Rainbow) on drums, this is the second best Sabbath disc after Ozzy left. The whole mood of the album lies in the slow tempo, but with plenty of melody and fine vocals. One could definitely call this doom. The lyrics are, as usual flirting with spiritual themes. The album has a floating vibe, that also is present on their next effort.

Killer tracks: Headless Cross, Devil & Daughter, When Death Calls

TYR (1990) I.R.S.

I liked this album almost as much as 'Headless Cross', when it first came out. But because I didn't have a copy of my own to listen to, I started doubting my first thoughts, when almost all reviews I read about it was negative. But now that I own 'TYR', I'm pleased that I still enjoy this album. It is very similar to the previous effort, and it is also almost the same line-up here. I just like this almost doom-like feel these two albums have. And Tony's voice really brings these albums way up. It's almost a little bit funny that so many non-Scandinavian bands have albums that deals with the Nordic mythology. Tyr, Odin, Valhall etc. are all element in the old pagan religion, that the Vikings believed in. Bands like Manowar, Metalium and others have also written albums and songs about this same theme.

Killer tracks: Anno Mundi, The Law Maker, Odin's Court

THE OZZY OSBOURNE YEARS (1991) CASTLE (Box Set)

CD1: Black Sabbath The Wizard Behind The Wall Of Sleep N.I.B. Evil Woman Sleeping Village Warning War Pigs Paranoid Planted Caravan Iron Man Hand Of Doom Fairies Wear Boots
CD2: Electric Funeral Sweat Leaf After Forever Embryo Lord Of This World Solitude Into The Void Wheels Of Confusion Tomorrow's Dream Changes Supernaut Snowblind Cornucopia St.Vitus Dance Under The Sun
CD3: Sabbath Bloody Sabbath A National Acrobat Sabbra Cadabra Killing Yourself To Live Who Are You Looking For Today Spiral Architect Hole In The Sky Symptom Of The Universe Am I Going Insane (Radio) Thrill Of It All Megalomania The Writ

OK. This 3-CD box set has it all. The essential Ozzy Osbourne-year's greatest songs. The box was bought to me by my wife, because she also likes Black Sabbath's older stuff. She found it for a bit over $20. I see the regular price on the net is over $35, so it had to be a bargain. Classic stuff! Used to own the official 'Greatest Hits' album, but got rid of it when I obtained this one.

CROSS PURPOSES (1994) I.R.S.

I actually thought that this was a live-album. I owned a copy of an official concert-video, with the same title and cover-art. So to my surprise, this was a regular album. And even more to my surprise, this was a good album. If you read the review for 'Forbidden', an album I had bought prior to this, you see that my hopes weren't high. But 'Cross Purposes' really delivers. It's as good as 'Headless Cross', and one of my favorite Tony Martin-era Sabbath album. It's very melodic, but still with Iommi's trademark guitar-riffs. "Cross Of Thorns" is one of the best Sabbath-tracks ever. I have no problem recommending this album!

Killer tracks: I Witness, Cross Of Thorns, Dying For Love.

FORBIDDEN (1995) I.R.S.

I've tried listening to this album several times after I bought it. As of today (Feb. 11th 2002) I still haven't heard more than 2 songs from it. I just don't seem to get any further, 'cause these 2 songs stink! This is not what you would expect from BS. I'll write more when I've tortured myself through the rest of the album. Rapper Ice-T appears on this album as well!?! 'Nuff said!!

Killer tracks: Maybe the last track is a killer, but I'm not sure I'll ever get there.

Black Sabbath anno 1997

REUNION (1998) EPIC/SONY

I don't think many people ever thought we'd see a reunited original line-up of Black Sabbath. But it happened, and in 1997 they returned to their native Birmingham, UK, to capture the moment live! Aptly entitled 'Reunion' this 2 disc live album is showing a vital live band. Tony's genius riffing is coming to it's full right, and both Geezer and Bill delivers accordingly. Now, I saw this tour when it hit Oslo in 1998, and I don't remember Ozzy sounding so good. He has big troubles with his vocals, and his voice was really shot that night. But here he sounds quite good actually, even though he doesn't really try and hit the higher notes, like in "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath". I'm not sure they've fixed a whole lot in the studio though. If they did, I'm sure they would have cut out the part where a rabid fan enters the stage and declares his love for the band too. Another disappointing thing however, is Ozzy's use of the f-word in between every song! What I do find enjoyable is the set list here. Even more obscure numbers, like "Dirty Women" and "Spiral Architect" gets played. So it's a great span of numbers represented. Of course most people came to hear the "hits", and there are plenty of those here too. You just don't record Black Sabbath live without them playing "Iron Man" or "Black Sabbath". 'Reunion' also gives us 2 brand new tracks. But they sound more like Ozzy's solo material, with Tony doing the guitar work. The 2 CD package comes with a nice 28 page booklet, with liner-notes written by Phil Alexander, then editor of Kerrang Magazine.

THE BEST OF BLACK SABBATH (2000) METAL-IS (2CD)

CD1: Black Sabbath The Wizard N.I.B. Evil Woman (Don't Play Your Games With Me) Wicked World War Pigs Paranoid Planet Caravan Iron Man Electric Funeral Fairies Wear Boots Sweet Leaf Embryo Children Of The Grave Lord Of This World Into The Void
CD2: Tomorrow's Dream Supernaut Snow Blind Sabbath Bloody Sabbath Killing Yourself To Live Spiral Architect Hole In The Sky Don't Start (Too Late) Symptom Of The Universe Am I Going Insane (Radio) Dirty Women Never Say Die Hard Road Heaven And Hell Turn Up The Night The Dark / Zero The Hero

I had no intension of buying this best-of album. But when it showed up as CD of the month at one of the CD-clubs I'm a members of, I decided to "forget" to cancel the order. And I must say I'm glad I did so, because this is a very good compilation. It features songs from Sabbath's history up to the 'Born Again' album, but with main focus on the Ozzy years. All the 32 tracks have been digitally remastered, and the booklet comes with a 40 page Black Sabbath history, written by one Hugh Gilmour. So the only thing I'm not sure of, is why most of the Tony Martin era, and the second Dio era, aren't featured. It's one thing that there aren't any songs from this era, but the discography stops at 'The Eternal Idol', and the history only makes a brief note about the Dio reunion, and doesn't mention Tony Martin at all! But if you are a new fan, or if you wanna have a good compilation of the legendary metal band, I recommend this double album set.

Black Sabbath also appear on:  

V/A - 'Rock Aid Armenia'

V/A - 'Pondus - Flat Fuzzpedal'

V/A - 'Music From The Motion Picture "Detroit Rock City"'

Tony Iommi guest appearances:

Ozzy Osbourne - 'Live & Loud'

Ozzy Osbourne guest appearances:

Alice Cooper - 'Hey Stoopid'

V/A - 'Nativity In Black - A tribute to Black Sabbath'

Bill Ward guest appearances:

V/A - 'Nativity In Black - A tribute to Black Sabbath'

Geezer Butler guest appearances:

Ozzy Osbourne - 'Live & Loud'

V/A - 'Nativity In Black - A tribute to Black Sabbath'

Ronnie James Dio guest appearances:  

Queensrÿche - 'Operation: Mindcirme II'

Don Airey guest appearances:

Sinner - 'Comin' Out Fighting'

Metalium - 'Hero-Nation: Chapter Three'

Vinny Appice guest appearances:

Eric Singer guest appearances:

Avantasia - 'The Metal Opera Pt. II'