Staff Reviews

Black Sabbath - Heaven and Hell; Mob Rules; Live Evil (remastered)

Review by Joseph Stannard

The recruitment of US-born ex-Rainbow singer Ronnie James Dio necessitated a significant shift in Sabbath's modus operandi. Dio wasn't a loveable hometown loon like the Ozzman; he was a hyper-professional journeyman with 20 years of experience in the music business and a reputation to maintain. More importantly, he could sing with a versatility and reach far beyond that of his predecessor. »

Black Sabbath - Heaven and Hell; Mob Rules; Live Evil (remastered)

Review by Joseph Stannard

The recruitment of US-born ex-Rainbow singer Ronnie James Dio necessitated a significant shift in Sabbath's modus operandi. Dio wasn't a loveable hometown loon like the Ozzman; he was a hyper-professional journeyman with 20 years of experience in the music business and a reputation to maintain. More importantly, he could sing with a versatility and reach far beyond that of his predecessor. »

Buy now from:

Black Sabbath, one of the most prominent and influential faces of the 70’s Rock topography were, by the decade’s end, a band in disarray. Once the masters of their own reality; the Birmingham four-piece were now battle weary veterans, wearing the deep scars of a near ten year album-tour-album cycle. Black Sabbath’s latest album, Never Say Die!, released in September 1978, would transpire to be their final studio recording with Ozzy Osbourne, who in less than a year, would no longer be with the band.

The loss of the iconic voice might have signalled the end of the band. But, that wasn’t to be the case…

Ronnie James Dio, Rainbow’s founding lead vocalist whose lion’s roar had taken the band to gold and platinum status also parted company with his band. Several phone calls later and a chance meeting in, of all places, the Rainbow Bar & Grill on Sunset Boulevard, West Hollywood, Iommi invited Dio to join the remaining members of Black Sabbath for an impromptu rehearsal. Within fifteen minutes and one brand new song later (‘Children Of The Sea’), a new era of Black Sabbath was born.

The resultant album releases over the next few years proved without question, that this match was one without peer and succeeded without question in carrying the name of Black Sabbath (later with Vinnie Appice replacing Bill Ward on drums) proudly into the new decade. With an accompanying soundtrack featuring some of the most exciting and dramatic Heavy Metal to ever grace a studio or stage, Black Sabbath rose once more to a place of highest regard within elite Rock circles.

Such was the chemistry between these players, that two reformations of this Black Sabbath line-up have since been made, the second of which, occurring in 2007, went under the title of that first ground-breaking album, Heaven And Hell, and still survives at the dawn of yet another exciting new decade for Heavy Metal.

“Heaven And Hell” was the first album to be released by the new Black Sabbath lineup of Ronnie James Dio, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward, in 1980. It remains one of the most important and influential of Black Sabbath’s releases and the deluxe expanded edition comes with a bonus disc of live material.

1981’s “Mob Rules” featured largely the same lineup, although Vinnie Appice replaces Bill Ward on drums. The deluxe expanded edition, again, features a bonus disc of live material.

1982’s “Live Evil” caught a band at the height of their powers. The classic lineup of Ronnie James Dio, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Vinnie Appice giving a flawless performance.