The purpose of this section is to showcase new galleries and articles that I think most Sabbath fans will find to be of great interest. Many of these features are here thanks to web site visitors like yourself, so feel free to contribute!
Many of these articles are in Adobe Acrobat Reader (PDF) format. If you don't already have this program installed, you can download it for free from here:
Certain exclusive features may contain a password to view. The password for all of these are "sabbathlive.com"
Billboard's Hall Of Fame Focus: [by Christa Titus] A 2006 Q&A session with Ozzy Osbourne and Tony Iommi about their induction into the U.S. Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.
HOW BLACK WAS OUR SABBATH: [by Robert Dwyer - 9/12/2004] Review of an excellent new story about the band as told by ex-road crew members. The book covers the formative years through 1980 and is told with a warmth that has been lacking in most other Sabbath bios. My favorite Sabbath book to date!
Mistress Of Reality at The Masquerade in Atlanta - 2/21/2004: [by Robert Dwyer for SABBATHLIVE] After months of reading about them, I finally got my chance to meet this new all-female Sabbath tribute band from Los Angeles! This is just a short piece about the show along with some digital pictures that I snapped from the front of the stage. For more info on the band, check out their site here! [Posted 2/22/2004]
"When
I Came Down" - An early Sabbath demo comes to light
[by Robert Dwyer with
Meet Joe D'Agostino!: A few pictures of Joe's mammoth vinyl collection, which appears to contain mostly Sabbath from these photos! I may end up starting a separate fan gallery section so collectors like Joe can show off their spoils! [Posted 1/27/2003]
NEVER SAY DIE: 1979-1997 Preview!: [Foreword by Rob Dwyer - A SABBATHLIVE exclusive! This advance chapter from Garry Sharpe Young's new Sabbath bio - titled 'Spinal Henge' - covers the LIVE EVIL mixing fiasco through the end of the BORN AGAIN tour. Recommended! [Posted 9/25/2003]
1997 Interview with Geezer Butler [Written and shared by kind permission of J. Eric Smith]: This interview with Geezer took place just before the Ozzfest '97 tour. J. Eric Smith is a rock journalist from the Capital District (Albany, NY), where I originally grew up. [Posted 6/1/2003-from jericsmith.com]
Review and Photos from Dublin '83: [Photos and story by Paul Sheehan; Layout by Rob Dwyer - A SABBATHLIVE exclusive!] Paul Sheehan was on the scene at this early BORN AGAIN era show! He was also kind enough to send me his personal pictures from that day, as well as a recounting of that memorable day.
Under Protest In Albany?!: [Article by Rob Dwyer for SABBATHLIVE] In this original article, I discuss the opposition Sabbath faced in staging concerts in The Capital District of NY during the 80's. I was quite surprised to read all of this in retrospect, but it goes a long way in explaining why I did get to see the band perform in my original hometown more than once. I'd also be interested to hear about similar experiences from other Sabbathlive visitors, so please share!
Brian Manley's Sabbath Gallery: [Photos by Brian Manley; Layout by Rob Dwyer - for SABBATHLIVE ] I thought I'd try something a little different with this feature. Brian sent me over a dozen mixed Sabbath related pictures from his personal collection to share with us here. This gave me the idea of creating "fan galleries", since these don't all apply to the same shows. Included here are pictures from Sabbath's 1999 and 2001 Mansfield shows, as well as some scenery from Iommi's 2000 visit to Boston and a 1998 autograph signing session in Boston. And of course, we have a picture of Brian too!
A Film We've Never Seen Before - Steve Cowart's Super 8 film of Sabbath in Fayetteville, NC 1/30/77: [by Rob Dwyer with Steve Cowart] Another SABBATHLIVE exclusive about this amateur videographer who unknowingly captured rock 'n' roll history with his Super 8 camera! Lots of great rock 'n' roll concert stories, plus a PDF of never before seen pictures of Sabbath live in concert!
California Jam Revisited: This will be a 3-part special dedicated to the legendary festival show that introduced mainstream America to Black Sabbath. Part 1 will be a history lesson for the unacquainted. Part 2 will discuss Sabbath's performance at the show. Part 3 features an interview with Cal Jam's biggest fan, Scott Lifshine. [Updated 2/9/2003]
Oslo '71 Articles and Reviews [by Jan Hoel; Layout by Rob Dwyer - For SABBATHLIVE] Jan took the time to research some of Black Sabbath's early gigs in Norway by visiting the main library in Oslo. He found these remarkably cool old articles and reviews for a gig that they played there on 4/22/71 at Njardhallen. Jan translated these from Norweigian to English and I proofread and fixed his translations when necessary. Enjoy! [1/10/2003]
Jackson '72 Feature!: [by Rob Dwyer with Larry Davis; Special thanks to Gary Dean for the video - A SABBATHLIVE Exclusive!] Be sure to check out this article about the earliest known silent 8mm of footage. You can view the complete 2 minute segment of Black Sabbath performing in Jackson, MS on 9/7/72 with Real Player! There's also some interesting background about the film here, so be sure to take a look at this! [12/24/2002]
Kooyong Stadium, Melbourne, Australia - 1/13/73 [Photos and story by Paul Johnstone; Layout by Rob Dwyer - for SABBATHLIVE): Several months ago, I posted 6 rare and previously unseen photos from the Volume 4 tour, taken by Paul Johnstone. Due to the overwhelmingly positive response I've received from this feature, I have decided to create a special PDF of the complete set! [12/14/2002]
Click here to download the PDF version (The password to open this is sabbathlive.com)
Click here to see the original article, with comments from the photographer, Paul Johnstone
Talkin' Teddy - Regarding Nugent's comments on 'The Osbournes': [Written by Richard Baines for SABBATHLIVE] Richard penned this thorough and insightful opinion piece regarding Ted Nugent's comments about 'The Osbournes' TV show back in May 2002. [12/11/2002]
Creem Magazine - July 1972 (Mar-Y-Sol: The Festival That Never Should Have Been): [Scans contributed by Ron Dagwell] (PDF) This article discusses a show that Sabbath was scheduled to play in Puerto Rico. While this does give us very interesting background on the show, it neither confirms nor disproves whether Sabbath actually played.
Rolling Stone Magazine feature - October 9th, 1975: Article titled "Sabbath's Back: So much for being sinister..." PDF version JPG version [12/8/2002]
Review of Ozzy Osbourne: The Story Of The Ozzy Osbourne Band: [by Rob Dwyer - a SABBATHLIVE exclusive!] Do you think you know everything about Ozzy's solo career? Think again and pick up this comprehensive study of Ozzy's solo career. From an early incarnation of Blizzard Of Ozz in 1976 to his never ending Ozzfest tours, this book tells the story of "Ozzy's band" through 1st hand interviews with the band members themselves! Check out my complete review of this book here.
Circus Magazine feature from 3/31/81 [Scans contributed by Richard Baines]: Article titled "Dinosaur Dogs Its Detractors". Available in PDF format (3 MB)
Darryl Minsky's Sabbath Photo Gallery: [Included by kind permission of Darryl] I found this great little site while I was surfing around looking for info on different Sabbath shows. So, I contacted Darryl about featuring his web pages on Sabbathlive and he was happy to oblige. There are some reviews of Calgary '95 and Vancouver '99 here, as well as lots of very nice pictures and autographed items.
Black Sabbath Appreciation Society Newsletters [Scans contributed by Gary Dean]: These are scans of the first volume of this great Sabbath newsletter from 1989, authored by Pete Sarfas of Essex, England. I have converted these to PDF format for easier reading. Free to write me if you have other issues to add.
1985 Hit Parader Article - Interview With Tony [Scans contributed by Sean Big Canoe]: This two page feature is from early '85 and features an interview with Tony Iommi. This was during the period that Tony was still auditioning new vocalists and had also got engaged to Lita Ford.
