The last concert given under the Black Sabbath banner
before this reunion concert was recorded, was in Bangkok. However, it
was a completely different lineup to the one on this CD.
Back in December 1995 only Toni Iommi was left in the
ranks of Black Sabbath from the original band. Along with him was Tony
(Cat) Martin on vocals. (Tony has just released a new album (2003) with
his band Empire called ‘Trading Souls’ and very good it is, too.)
Furthermore there was Neil Murray on bass; Geoff Nicholls on keyboards
(he has been with Sabbath now for twenty years, but he yet has to play
off stage); and Bobby Rondinelli on drums.
On that frenzied night in Bangkok they gave the sort
of concert that smacks of end of tour, ‘Alright, let’s give it one
more go and then go home’. Great Gig, but you always felt that you
wanted to see the real thing rather than a bunch of very efficient and
technically gifted players. They gave an excellent concert, but they
were not it. After a long world tour none of the members of the band
were talking to each other, and probably never spoke again after that
night in Bangkok. (Apart from the ever dependable Geoff Nicholls, of
course.)
In 1979 Ozzy Osbourne was fired from Black Sabbath,
or quit, depending whose side of the story you wanna believe. It was to
be over eighteen years before the original lineup got back together,
although there were brief moments of hope for the fans, like the one off
performance at Live Aid in 1985. In fact, over those eighteen years
Sabbath had recorded ten different albums, all of which had different
personnel. Twenty-three musicians had been through the ranks, not
counting hundreds of auditions.
Giant Stonehenge monoliths for the stage that could
not be fitted into the concert halls they were playing; Dwarfs on stage;
famous vocalists who did not know the lyrics to classic Sabbath songs;
getting lost on the way to the stage; and drummers disappearing into the
dry ice. You name it, Sabbath had either done it, or somebody had done
it to them.
But through it all there were still some great
moments and great albums from both Sabbath and Ozzy, who’s own band
was just as liquid as Sabbath’s. (Ozzy Osbourne, with the help of his
wife Sharon, had gone on to be far more commercially successful than
Sabbath had ever been. The two of them had been the main inspiration for
a movie called ‘Spinal Tap’.)
Realizing the time was right, and to be fair, they
probably realized a buck or two could be made out of the gig, it was
decided to put the original Black Sabbath together and do those songs
properly again. Bridges were built and contracts were signed, which was
more than Sabbath managed the first time around. They never received a
dime in royalties for their first album as they were paid a one off sum
of one thousand pounds, given two days to record, and that was it. The
album went top twenty all over the world, is still on the Billboard
lists today, over thirty four years later, and has been re-licensed to
different labels countless times. Smart move, boys.
As a token of goodwill their home town of Birmingham,
England, was chosen for the comeback concerts, so the giant N.E.C.
Stadium was booked to present the reunited Black Sabbath on two dark wet
and windy nights in December 1997. Fearing that this could be a one off
if Sabbath soon returned to their old habits, it was decided to record
the whole thing for posterity. Add to that the fact that the boys were
not as young anymore either. Rehearsals were a little tense, but apart
from Bill Ward missing the odd flight and Toni Iommi setting Bill’s
beard on fire, things went better than expected. But would the magic
still be there when they took to the stage?
Before going on stage the band admitted they had
never been so nervous in all their careers. However, when the
pre-recorded opening sirens and announcements boomed across the stage
the band walked out and the crowd went mental. ‘War Pigs’, first
played live by Sabbath in 1969, shuddered the rafters and thundered out
of the speakers. By the time Ozzy came in with the first verse, they
have got it, the groove was back. Not only the band knew it, the
audience felt it too and went berserk along with their heroes. Toni
Iommi established what the whole world knew anyway, he was the master of
the heavy metal riff, his searing solos were splattered across every
song, driving the band onto further heights.
On the audio CD you can hear Geezer Butler throwing
his bass guitar around, leaving the template for all heavy metal
bassists. Truly a Master of Reality as he nails every note.
On the drums there is Bill Ward, playing the bins
with hammer blows reaching technical ecstasy.
Ozzy comes through the Blizzard of sound, taunting
the crowd onto a higher musical plain between songs, belting out the
lyrics as only Ozzy can. After all, nobody has ever actually accused him
of being able to sing.
Geoff Nichols is unheard and unseen throughout the
concert; merely a supporting role.
But what you get is two hours of the live beast, plus
two newly recorded studio tracks as a bonus. All the classics are played
alongside some other songs that should have been classics (and would
have been if they had been in other bands’ repertoires). Sabbath had
such a wealth of songs that some got forgotten over a period of time.
I for one am truly grateful that these concerts were
recorded and released, as the original lineup never released a proper
live album first time round. So this is a great memento of one of
rock’s immortal giants. After what they have been through they must be
immortal.
I leave you with the opening lyrics to ‘Children Of
The Grave’, written by Geezer Butler in 1971, which shows, I think,
that not only in their heavy riffs and solid rhythms were Black Sabbath
years ahead of everybody else. Who would have thought that there would
be social awareness from this bunch of brummies?
‘So you children of the world, listen to what I
say,
If you want a better place to live in, spread the word today,
Show the world that love is still alive, you must be brave,
Or You children of today are children of the grave.’
Author
Bill Bryson abandoned his earthly travel series to write this book, A
Short History of Nearly Everything (ISBN 0-552-15174-2, Black Swan Books,
2004) which in reality is another travel book, but this time through the
time-line of science.
Mott’s CD review: Black Sabbath - Reunion (Live)
5
Dark Stars *****