What's News at Sabbathlive?!

ARCHIVED OZZFEST 2005 TOUR REVIEWS HERE

EUROPEAN TOUR 2005 REVIEWS ARCHIVED HERE

December 31, 2005

GEEZER CONTRIBUTES REWARD MONEY TO FIND BABY PENGUIN

From Blabbermouth (December 25th, 2005):

September 24th, 2005

SABBATHLIVE LAUNCHES 1ST SHOUTCAST TOMORROW

On Sunday morning at 11 AM EST, I will be hosting the debut 'shoutcast' of my weekly Sabbath program - "Sunday Morning Sabbath".  I'm not so sure that this will be the most ideal time for most people to be able to listen in, but I will give this time slot a try for at least a short while.  My program will showcase various interesting Black Sabbath live cuts and rarities from all eras of the band.  In the future, I will also be having other guests either host or appear on the show.  With all of the interesting things I've acquired along the way, I'm glad to finally have a chance to share them in this manner.  If you're around on Sunday mornings at 11 AM, be sure to visit my Sabbath chapel by visiting Heepster Radio.

HEEPSTER RADIO is an internet based radio station that I've been helping out with on the side.  All of the DJ's are good friends who met through their mutual love of the music of Uriah Heep.  However, the name is a little deceptive  since the musical focus of this station isn't entirely URIAH HEEP.  Each of us will be playing a pretty diverse blend of classic, progressive & hard rock favorites from our vast music collections.  In addition to my "Sunday Morning Sabbath" program, you can also catch me on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons (12-6 PM EST) playing all sorts of other artists, albums and live recordings.

September 5th, 2005

WANT A FREE COPY OF 'OHMWORK'?

That's right!  I'm giving away two free copies of GZR's latest album to two lucky Sabbathlive visitors.  I won't make you answer a ton of trivia questions to qualify this time around.  Simply click here or send an e-mail to sabbathlive@gmail.com with the subject line of OHMWORK GIVEAWAY to enter into the drawing.  Two winners will be picked at random on Thursday, September 15th and will be contacted via e-mail to obtain mailing info.

OHMWORK section

OZZFEST 2005 TOUR ENDS

The Ozzfest 2005 tour came to a close on Sunday in West Palm Beach, Florida.  There has been no official word on the rumored Canadian gigs or the solo tours that Geezer and Tony have been planning as of yet.  

I did manage to catch the 2nd to last show in Charlotte on Friday and am half finished with that review as of now.  I will have a complete review with pictures within the next few days.

August 26th, 2005

SABBATHLIVE TAKES A BREAK

I'd like to apologize for the long lapse in coverage during the final leg of Sabbath's U.S. tour.  I've changed employers during this time and have needed to attend to personal issues first and foremost.  Due to these changes in my professional life, I will probably have much less time to invest into answering site mail and posting updates in the immediate future.  While things are actually going well for me in terms of employment, my new job is going to be a bit more demanding than my last one.  

It should be important for people to keep in mind that both Joe Siegler and I maintain our Black Sabbath sites as a "hobby".  We are getting paid to do this work and have simply done so because we enjoy doing it.  I regret that I won't have as much time to work on this site, but I will post updates as time allows.  Just keep this in mind when sending me e-mail's, because my time will be extremely limited.  If you don't hear from me, this is why.

Don't get me wrong - I'm not completely bailing out of site work, just slowing it down.  I will finally be getting to see Ozzfest for myself when it reaches Charlotte on Friday, so I will do my best to post a report of that.

August 9th, 2005

A BRIEF LAPSE AT SABBATHLIVE - THE EDITOR RETURNS FROM VACATION

I want to apologize for the brief lapse in news updates here at Sabbathlive.  It appears that a lot of changes have been happening with the Ozzfest tour, so I hope to be up to speed on these shortly.  Also, there's plenty of e-mail to be answered, so responses to those are forthcoming!

I have just returned from a short 4-day vacation to Knoxville where I performed at Heepvention 2005.  Heepvention is an annual fan convention dedicated to British rockers Uriah Heep.  It has become more of a gathering of friends with each passing year, so it was really great to be there again.  Maybe someday we can do the same for Sabbath here in the States?  Anyhow, I was appointed musical advisor for this year's jam band.  I also played guitar on nearly all of the songs this year.  I pulled off a rather nice rendition of "Mr. Crowley" during our Classic Rock set, so I'll probably post a sample of that when it becomes available.

3 SHOWS POSTPONED OR CANCELLED THIS WEEK

Several Ozzfest stops have been either postponed or cancelled this week.  The Somerset, WI show on August 7th was recently moved to September 10th.  The Marysville, CA show, which had originally been scheduled for August 14th, has been moved forward one day to August 15th.  As of today, Ozzfest.com has confirmed that the Salt Lake City show has been cancelled due to "unforeseen scheduling conflicts".  The show will not be rescheduled and refunds are available at point of purchase.

A posting on Ozzfest.com from August 5th refutes previous reports that Ozzy is "sick", but instead states that he has been under his doctor's advisement not to perform consecutive shows.  It is also mentioned that the Clarkston show (where Sabbath DID perform) was sold out.

Based on the above assertion above about Ozzy not playing consecutive shows, at least one other show in San Antonio on August 28th appears to be at risk for postponement.  However, no other scheduling changes have been officially announced as of yet.

August 4th, 2005

OZZY RECOVERS FROM ILLNESS - DETROIT SHOW TO GO ON!

From Ozzfest.com (August 3rd):

Unfortunately, Ozzy has been battling some throat problems recently and had to cancel a couple shows.  Ozzy has now had four days of rest and received the thumbs up from his doctor in Los Angeles earlier today.  Ozzy is on his way to Detroit as you read this, be prepared to "go fucking crazzzzzzzzy!"

DUMFRIES '69 STORY GETS MENTION IN SCOTLAND'S 'THE HERALD'

My original story about Alex Wilson's Dumfries '69 recording is still getting picked up by additional news sources.  Yesterday, I received an e-mail from Martyn McLaughlin asking for contact info on Alex and myself.  I didn't get a chance to speak with Martyn myself yesterday, but Alex apparently spoke with him briefly.  Anyhow, his brief news piece on the tape got published today in Scotland's national newspaper - 'The Herald'.  Here is what Martyn wrote:

IT marked a somewhat inauspicious beginning for a man who went on to become a grizzled heavy metal veteran given to tearing a bat's head off with his teeth.  On a cold Dumfriesshire autumn evening in 1969, a solitary red bulb dangled from the roof of Rugman's Youth Club, illuminating the faces of a handful there to take in a concert.  Having paid his 2/6, Alex Wilson, a rock aficionado, set up his Grundig reel-to-reel tape recorder, oblivious to the fact that he was about to document musical history.  As the teens cheered off Amplified Heat, then at the forefront of Dumfries's modest heavy-rock scene, a thin 21-year-old singer by the name of John Michael Osbourne took to the 2ft stage to front the next act. This was Ozzy Osbourne BB: Before Bat.  

Now, more than 35 years, millions of record sales, and countless rehabilitation sessions later, Mr Wilson has sold the tape of Black Sabbath's earliest live recording to Ozzy's record label.  The tape of the hour-long gig, from November 16, 1969 in Whitesands, has lain in Mr Wilson's basement for three decades.  He signed a confidentiality clause as part of the sale, but has said he is "very happy" with the purchase price.

I was a little disappointed that a professional journalist such as Mr. McLaughlin would not even cite his original source for this piece, but I'm getting used to people doing that.  As you'll see with all of my news pieces below, I always take great pains to credit those who wrote the story AND those who let me know about it.  When journalists don't cite their source, it almost appears that they are taking personal credit for the piece.  And that's a bit annoying...

Anyhow, Alex also made his local paper just days after I first broke the story on Sabbathlive.

August 3rd, 2005

TV TRIBUTE TO OZZY PLANNED IN BRITAIN

From Blabbermouth.net (August 3rd):

According to ContactMusic.com, a galaxy of stars — including Sir Elton John, Simon Cowell and Billy Connolly — are teaming up for a TV tribute to Ozzy Osbourne.  The BLACK SABBATH singer will be joined by his famous family on the show, which will feature details of his near-fatal quad bike accident, and stories about his notorious alcohol and drug abuse.  And the program will feature such outrageous footage, TV executives have are making preparations to ensure it is shown late at night.

An insider says, "Ozzy's had one of the most outrageous lives and this is warts and all.  "It's definitely going to have to go out after 9:00 p.m."  The currently untitled program will air on Britain's ITV network later this year.

GEEZER INTERVIEW IN NEW ISSUE OF 'METAL EDGE'

From Blabbermouth.net (August 3rd):

Metal Edge magazine recently conducted an interview with BLACK SABBATH bassist Geezer Butler. An excerpt from the interview follows:

Metal Edge: It's been 27 years since the last studio album from the original band, and the set remains pretty much unchanged from year to year. At this point, for you, what keeps SABBATH interesting?

Geezer: "Well, I'm always praying we'll do something different. And, you know, I really am hoping we can put in some stuff that we can't play backwards. It's always a bit of an uphill battle to try and change the set around."

Metal Edge: Are there any songs in particular that you would like to play?

Geezer: "Anything. I'll even do BRITNEY SPEARS songs, just to make it different. [laughing] Just to do something different. I mean, the songs are great — you know, playing the old songs and everything — but it would really be nice to put something different in, to make it a bit of a challenge for us."

Metal Edge: Would you like to do another BLACK SABBATH album?

Geezer: "Only if it comes up to standard. We did come up with some stuff a few years ago, but I thought maybe two or three of the tracks were good, and the rest of it wasn't great. It has to be great for a new SABBATH album. I'd like to be able to do a new SABBATH album, but it has to be really good."

Metal Edge: At this point, would BLACK SABBATH be able to do something spontaneous, like the way you recorded [your new solo album], "Ohmwork", or the way the first albums were made?

Geezer: "I'm not sure. You can never tell with this band. A lot of Tony's [Iommi, guitar] new [solo] album could have easily been a really good SABBATH album, so it's still there somewhere. Whether it will ever come out, I don't know."

August 2nd, 2005

3rd CANCELLATION - SABBATH WON'T APPEAR IN COLUMBUS TONIGHT

Apparently, Ozzy is quite sick and won't be able to fulfill tonight's performance in Columbus either.  If you have plans to attend any of the Ozzfest shows this week, I would encourage you to contact the venue on the day of the gig (like Tim did) to see what Sabbath's status is.

From Blabbermouth (August 2nd):

According to a spokesperson for the Germain Theater in Columbus, Ohio, BLACK SABBATH will **NOT** be performing at today's Ozzfest stop at the venue "due to an illness in the band."  However, the remainder of the show will go on as planned and IRON MAIDEN will headline and will play a "complete" set.

This is the third SABBATH cancellation in seven days following the band's no-shows in Holmdel, New Jersey last Wednesday (July 27) and Noblesville, Indiana on Sunday (July 31).  Both appearances were reportedly cancelled after SABBATH frontman Ozzy Osbourne — who recently revealed to fans that he was battling a cold — became "too sick" to take to the stage.

BLACK SABBATH performed an abbreviated headlining set Saturday night (July 30) at the Tweeter Center in Tinley Park, Illinois.

The 10th annual edition of Ozzfest runs through September 4 in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Thanks to Tim, Mark Storton and Armijn Hemel for letting us know!

July 30th, 2005

2ND CANCELLATION - SABBATH WON'T APPEAR IN INDIANAPOLIS TONIGHT

I hate to be the bearer of such bad news again, but Black Sabbath has cancelled yet another show.  This is from the venue's website:

From Verizonwirelessmusiccenter.com:

Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath will not be performing tonight at OzzFest due to an illness in the band.  However, the show will go on as planned and Iron Maiden will headline and will play a complete set. 

If you choose to not attend the show, tickets can be refunded at your original point of purchase beginning tomorrow.  Show attendance waives your choice for a refund.

This isn't very surprising based on the reports I've received from last night's gig in Tinley Park (Chicago), where the band played a much shorter 55-minute set when Ozzy's voice began failing him.  It's all very disappointing news in light of how good the band have been sounding in recent months.  I was just remarking to someone that Sabbath have cancelled much less gigs in recent years.  During the early months of '99, several members of the band fell sick and several dates were cancelled and rescheduled.  Let's just hope that Ozzy can bounce back from this soon.

[Special thanks to Mark Storton and Armijn Hemel for the quick head's up on this one.]

July 29th, 2005

GEEZER AND TONY VISIT VH-1 CLASSIC - AIRS TOMORROW

Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler visited the VH1 Classic studios in New York last week to discuss their new solo albums.  This spot is scheduled to air tomorrow at 11 AM and 11 PM EST.

NEW BLACK SABBATH DISCOGRAPHY SITE!

Peter Eklund of Sweden recently wrote in to tell me about the Sabbath related web project he's been working on.  He has begun a comprehensive accounting of all of Black Sabbath's official releases from around the world, complete with pictures and assessment values.  I'm glad to see someone take on this aspect of Black Sabbath collecting, since there are so few resources for collectors of rare vinyl (for instance).

Sabbath.se - Black Sabbath Complete Discography

July 28th, 2005

OZZFEST 2005 'PLATINUM PACKAGE' OFFERED

From Ozzfest.com:

As a very special bonus for the 10th Anniversary of Ozzfest, 10 lucky fans can celebrate the occasion with Ozzy in person!!!!  This package will include a photo with Ozzy, a special Platinum Member Crew Shirt signed by Ozzy, an amazing seat to see the main stage and a special crew dinner with Ozzfest 2005 MC Big Dave.

This Platinum Package costs $1000.  A portion of the proceeds will go to benefit The Sharon Osbourne Colon Cancer Program.  To purchase this package you will need to send your payment via PayPal or Fed Ex a check or money order.  Email info@divinerecordings.com for more info.  Please incude a scan of your drivers license along with your T-shirt size.  Please put the city of the show you are purchasing as the subject of the email.  These tickets are non-transferable and only available to the purchaser.  This package is available for all Ozzfest dates after July 28th.  This package is first come first serve for 10 people only at each show.  Get this package while you can.

July 27th, 2005

BLACK SABBATH CANCELS 2ND HOLMDEL APPEARANCE

This official statement was posted on Ozzfest.com earlier today:

"Due to an illness in the camp, Black Sabbath will not perform at tonight's Ozzfest show in Holmdel, NJ.  Refunds are available through your point of purchase or can be arranged through the box office until 3pm at PNC for those already inside the venue.  Iron Maiden will headline tonight's Ozzfest."

I realize a lot of fans in Holmdel will be disappointed about Sabbath's no show this evening, but at least the band were able to make that first show there yesterday.  I have a few newspaper reviews of that show posted in the Tour Reviews section, but I'm still waiting to hear from some of the fans.  There's been lots of wishful speculation about Bruce Dickinson stepping in to cover for Ozzy tonight (like Rob Halford did last year in Camden), but nothing of the kind has been proposed at this time.  Still, that would make for an interesting evening!

Some news sources have speculated that Ozzy is the ill band member.  This would seem likely based on reports that I have from the Bristow show on 7/24/05, where Ozzy is said to have apologized for his condition.  It would also explain why several songs were dropped from the set list for that show ("Into The Void", "Sleeping Village" and "The Wizard, which has been missing in action for over a week now).

Many Sabbath fans at the Burgettstown (7/23/05) show were disappointed when their set was cut short by a 10:30 PM curfew at Star Lake Amphitheater.  In addition to the aforementioned songs, "Children Of The Grave" was also dropped on that particular night.

 Thankfully, the band has several days of rest to heal their wounds before the next show on Saturday in Tinley Park (Chicago).  Sabbathlive would like to extend a 'get well' wish to whomever might be the sickly one in the band this week!

DIO FILMS APPEARANCE FOR NEW TENACIOUS D MOVIE

From Blabbermouth (July 27th)

According to a posting on Ronnie James Dio's official web site, Ronnie recently filmed a cameo in the forthcoming movie "Tenacious D: The Pick of Destiny", which is tentatively scheduled for a June 6, 2006 release date.  The film is being directed by Liam Lynch, who also directed the video for "Tribute" and the clips shown at the D's concerts ("Butt Baby", "JB's BJ", and "Rock Star Sperm Bank"), reports TenaciousJoes.com.  The film is being produced by TENACIOUS D star Jack Black's longtime colaborator Ben Stiller's Red Hour Films and Working Title Films, which produced "High Fidelity".

In a recent interview with "The Hairball John Radio Show", Dio spoke about his major motion picture debut: "I am doing a movie that Jack Black is doing.  Jack, of course, was in one of our videos, our last video that was called 'Push'.  Jack and Kyle Gass from TENACIOUS D were in that video and I got to be a good friend of Jack's, who is a brilliant person and the most intense guy I know.  He loves the music that the classic rock people have made, loves the music he grew up with, so he is doing a film called 'Tenacious D: The Pick of Destiny' and he asked me to be part of it.  I play myself in the film and sing part of a song that Jack and Kyle wrote.  I have already done the track and I will be doing the filming on July 15th, so that is something for me to look forward to because it was a lot of fun and I am now a member of the Screen Actors Guild, which means that I can do a lot more parts now."

For more information, visit www.tenaciousdmovie.com.

DUMFRIES '69 MASTER SOLD TO DIVINE RECORDINGS

Just a quick update on the Dumfries '69 tape that was first mentioned here on Sabbathlive back in May.  Alex Wilson of Scotland recorded Black Sabbath back on 11/16/69 at Rugman's Youth Club in Dumfries, Scotland with a Grundig reel-to-reel recorder.  It is a very unique live recording of the band making the transition between their clubbing days as Earth and their newly composed heavy rock material as the band they are today.  My original posting received unprecedented interest from fans and collectors, all of whom have been wondering what is going to happen with the tape.

During my visit to Hollywood (for the Jimmy Kimmel appearance), I left a 4-song sample with Sharon Osbourne for Ozzy to check out.  I knew he'd love to hear such an old recording of the band playing these old blues covers live.  As fate would have it, Ozzy was quite interested in the tape and I put the taper in contact with Divine Recordings.  After meeting with Colin Newman (from their London office) a few weeks, a deal was struck and the tapes now belong to Ozzy and Divine Recordings.

Will they ever be released publically?  Alex isn't so sure about this, so the fate of this recording is in limbo at the moment.  He did leave with one last bittersweet tidbit about the tapes - two more tracks from the show exist!  These are additional renditions of "Behind The Wall Of Sleep" and "Blue Blooded Man" from the 1st set.  He discovered these at the end of another reel while gathering his tapes for his trip to London.

More on Alex Wilson and his recordings is forthcoming part III of the Dumfries '69 article.  

July 21st, 2005

RONNIE SANG "WAR PIGS" IN 1972? (NEW ELF LIVE TAPE DISCOVERED!)

Guillaume Roos has put together another interesting Sabbathlive feature article for us!  This time, he will be discussing the recent discovery of some previously unheard recordings of Ronnie James Dio's band Elf from 1972!  I won't spoil the entire surprise for you here, but you can read much more about this by clicking the link below.

Special thanks to James Pownall and Jeremy Whitted for making this possible!

July 18th, 2005

OZZFEST 2005 TOUR BEGINS!

The 'Ozzfest 2005' tour kicked off on Friday night in Mansfield, MA and will extend through September 4th.  With Iron Maiden on board and playing a rather interesting 'early years' set list, this will certainly be a great show to see!  There were some rumors floating about earlier last week that we might be seeing some different songs in the set list this time around, but I guess Tony meant different than the last Ozzfest.  The Mansfield set looks almost exactly the same as what they have been playing in Europe, with the exception of "Fairies Wear Boots", which isn't mentioned.  However, Mark Mihalek informed me that "Fairies" was definitely played at the following show in Hartford, so the set list looks to be exactly the same for the Ozzfest tour.

I'm very thankful for all of the great reviews I received from people during the European shows, so thank you to all who submitted them.  Now lets see if us Americans can help us keep up with the progress of the tour as well as the Europeans did!  I think I'm only lacking reviews for a handful of European shows.  I'm also hoping for a bit more in the way of photograph's this time around, as I haven't been getting all that many.  If you've got them, please share a few with us here!  I will be doing my best to keep up with the shows and set lists as they happen, but that all depends on fans like YOU.

If you haven't already purchased Tony's new album FUSED (just released this week) or Geezer's OHMWORK, then you may want to take advantage of a special opportunity at these upcoming shows.  If you purchase a copy of either CD from the FYE booth at the Ozzfest, Tony & Geezer will be signing them!  Do not bring previously purchased copies of these albums OR other memorabilia, for these will NOT be signed.  For more info, check out Joe Siegler's post on these Ozzfest autograph sessions.

MESSAGE FROM GLENN HUGHES

From Glennhughes.com: 

"I am back in L.A. 'Fused' [Tony Iommi's solo album, on which Hughes appears] is now released and Tony and I are all excited for you to hear it.  There is a song we did called 'The Innocence' that is available in iTunes so check it out.  This has some of my all-time favorite soul singing on the end of the song.

"For all of you in America, I urge you to check out Tony with SABBATH on Ozzfest, as he is in top form.

"I am taking some time off now as I am going to spend the summer writing.  I am going to the premiere of 'Stealth' with Chad [Smith, RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS] in Westwood in L.A. on Monday, a movie for which we recorded a song.  Hope you enjoy 'Nights in White Satin' as much as John, Chad and I do!"

Hughes's latest solo album, "Soul Mover", was released earlier in the year on Sanctuary Records.

"Soul Mover" was recorded live at Sound Image Studios in Los Angeles in the spring of 2004 and features Smith on drums, JJ Marsh on guitar and Ed Roth on keyboards.  The album also contains a special guest appearance by ex-RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS and JANE'S ADDICTION guitarist Dave Navarro on the title track.

July 6th, 2005

AND THE LUCKY WINNERS OF THE 'FUSED' CONTEST ARE...

Chris Slenker (U.S.) and Antonio Gherardi (Peru) will soon be the owners of a complimentary CD copy of Iommi and Hughes forthcoming album FUSED, which will be in stores on July 12th.  Both were among over a dozen Sabbath fans who were able to answer all 5 of my trivia questions in order to quality.  Thanks to all who participated.  There will be more opportunities to win free stuff from Sabbathlive soon.

Here are the answers to those trivia questions.

1. When Tony and Glenn first toured together to promote SEVENTH STAR in 1986, which songs from that album were NEVER performed live through the end of that particular tour.  (To get this correct, you will need to name ALL of those songs.): Only two songs were not performed - "In For The Kill" and "In Memory".  All other songs were performed at least one ("Angry Heart", for instance).

2. Who was the drummer that originally played on the demos for THE DEP SESSIONS?: Former Trapeze / Judas Priest drummer Dave Holland played on the demos (often referred to as 'EIGHTH STAR').

3. Which song on THE DEP SESSIONS was also used for one of Glenn's solo albums?: The song "I'm Gone" appeared on Glenn's RETURN OF THE CRYSTAL KARMA album.

4. What was the first section of "Lord Of This World" titled on earlier pressings of MASTER OF REALITY?: The intro riff of "Lord Of This World" actually had its own name - simply "Step Up"!  (And did you know that the intro riff for "Into The Void" was actually called "Death Mask"?!)

5. How many studio albums did Glenn Hughes record with Deep Purple?: Glenn recorded 3 studio albums with Purple - BURN (1974), STORMBRINGER (1975), and COME TASTE THE BAND (1976).

Bonus Question: Tony wrote "Supertzar" with the assistance of an orchestral harp player?  Who was this person?  (I'm not certain that it was the same person who played on the album, but it very well may have been.  You won't find this on the album credits...): In the October 1975 edition of CIRCUS RAVES (pg. #24), writer Mick Houghton says the following: "The most surprising track is one called 'Superczar' [sp].  It was written by Tony in the immaculate confines of his living room with him playing guitar and his wife Sue the orchestral harp.  It's transformed on the album to a song vaguely reminiscent of the classic Yardbirds "Still I'm Sad" by additional vocal parts from a chamber choir."

The book 'HOW BLACK WAS OUR SABBATH' also mentions a female harpist taking part in the recording sessions for "Supertzar", but there is no mention of her name.  Could this has been the ex-Mrs. Iommi as well?

Only one person got this correct (good work, Darren!).

Special thanks to Mrs. Dwyer for picking the winners!

July 1st, 2005

TONY & GEEZER TO APPEAR ON MTV'S 'HEADBANGER'S BALL'

BLACK SABBATH's Tony Iommi (guitar) and Geezer Butler (bass) will tape an appearance on MTV2's "Headbanger's Ball" when they are in New York next month during their Ozzfest tour.  The show will be broadcast on Saturday, July 23 at 10:00 p.m.

NEW DIO INTERVIEW ON 'HAIRBALL JOHN RADIO SHOW'

Ronnie James Dio was recently interviewed about various topics (including Rainbow and Black Sabbath) on this program.  To listen to the interview, click here.

Thanks to Blabbermouth.net

June 28th, 2005

DO YOU WANT TO WIN FREE COPY OF 'FUSED'?

If you think you know your stuff about Black Sabbath and Glenn Hughes, then see if you can answer all 5 questions I've come up with for SABBATHLIVE's special FUSED CD giveaway.  Submissions must be in by Wednesday, July 6th, so don't spend too much time checking your history books.  For more info, click the link below to read the questions and contest rules.  Two lucky winners will get free CD copies to enjoy, while the rest of you will need to pick up your copies when it is released on July 12th.  Good luck to everyone who participates!

FUSED CONTEST

June 27th, 2005

TONY & GLENN TALK ABOUT SONGWRITING

Glennhughes.com has just posted a brand new interview with Glenn Hughes and Tony Iommi.  They talk about the making of FUSED and their songwriting process.  There is also an additional interview with Hugh Gilmour about the FUSED cover art.  To read these articles, go here.

VINNY APPICE TO APPEAR ON FORTHCOMING RAP ALBUM?!

From Blabbermouth (June 24th): Legendary BLACK SABBATH/DIO drummer Vinny Appice will be collaborating with hardcore Brooklyn rapper NECRO on a track for NECRO's upcoming release, "Circle of Tyrants".  Also scheduled to appear on the CD is SEPULTURA drummer Igor Cavalera.

NECRO's most recent album, "The Pre-Fix For Death" (Psycho-Logical Records), featured guest appearances by OBITUARY members John Tardy and Trevor Peres, Danny Lilker (NUCLEAR ASSAULT, ex-BRUTAL TRUTH), Danny Diablo (a.k.a. Lord Ezec of SKARHEAD/CROWN OF THORNZ), Jamey Jasta and Sean Martin of HATEBREED, Sid Wilson of SLIPKNOT and Away of VOIVOD.

June 23rd, 2005

DIO SCHEDULES FIRST EVER GIGS IN ISRAEL

By David Brinn (from Jerusalem Post - 6/22/2005)

Rockers Dio to make local debut.  And those 80s bands just keep on coming.

Dio - one of the top heavy metal acts of the mid-1980s - is coming to Israel for the first time.  Led by colorful frontman Ronnie James Dio, the band is set to perform here on October 29, according to promoter Yuri Leschev.

Dio cut his teeth as a vocalist for Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow in the late 1970s, and took over singing chores for Ozzy Osbourne in Black Sabbath from 1979 to 1982, before forming his own band.

Heavy on visuals such as lasers, explosions and a giant dragon - which ties into lyrical motifs about sorcery, damsels, dungeons and dragons - the band developed a huge following in the Eighties based on 1983's Holy Diver.

According to legend, Ronnie Dio invented the devil horns sign, which any self-respecting metal fan and performer whips out at every metal show around the world.  Despite periods in which Dio returned to Black Sabbath, the band has remained active, releasing albums and touring regularly. - David Brinn

2005 LIVE TAPES BEGIN TO TRICKLE OUT

Over the past few days, I've heard from several people who have either recorded or sighted live tapes from Sabbath's current European tour.  First, there were numerous sources from the DOWNLOAD FESTIVAL (mostly videos) and an audio from Aylesbury.  A few days later, someone located a video from Dortmund.  Several fans sent me lo-fi samples of the FIELDS OF ROCK festival in Nijmegen, but I was thankful to have the first tangible items to appraise.

Yesterday, Mark Mihalek pointed out to me that Metal Sword (a Japanese boot label) is set to release a recording of the Aylesbury show as CLUB GIG, just weeks after the show took place.

And finally, Jan Hoel just spotted the first live 2005 torrent on Dimeadozen.org - a complete MiniDisc recording from Wein (Vienna), Austria that's just barely 3 days old as I type this!  For more details on the last stuff that has coming forth, check my audios and videos lists for the 2005 European tour.

(Thanks to Tom A., Coen, Armijn Hemel, Mark Mihalek, Jan Hoel and Papy for their contributions to this news item!)

June 21st, 2005

NEW PHOTOS FROM JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE

This morning, I received a very nice e-mail from the associate producer of the Jimmy Kimmel Live! show, Tara Varilek.  She sent me 5 photographs from the show which I hadn't seen until today.  I had been hoping to eventually get a copy of the picture of me and Ozzy on the couch, but I didn't want to bug them for it either.  So I was very grateful to finally get this one, as well as the other 4 bonus pictures she included.  Thank you, Tara!!

I don't want to trumpet my good fortune too much here, as this has already been covered earlier in the month (see my May 14th entry).  I do want to at least share these new pictures with everyone, since I only posted one picture (and the video) earlier.  Click below to see all of the shots that Joe took, as well as the new ones from Tara Varilek.  It was a day I'll surely never forget!

JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE GALLERY

Ozzy was kind enough to offer me passes to one of his shows this summer, so I've made plans to attend the very last gig in West Palm Beach on September 4th.  Due to my some scheduling conflicts, I won't be able to see either of the closest shows in Nashville and Charlotte.  There's no way I'd pass this opportunity up, so I'll be making the road to trip from Atlanta to WPB.

June 19th, 2005

CONCERT REPORT FROM 'FIELDS OF ROCK' IN NIJMEGEN

My good friend Armijn Hemel promptly sent me his review of Sabbath's Holland appearance last night.  In addition to his snapshots, he also took a few AVI samples with his digital camera for us to enjoy.  Unfortunately, the camera's microphone couldn't deal with the high volume of the P.A., so most of the samples he sent were too distorted to use.  However, I was able to salvage an interesting audio sample of Ozzy's introductions and that "Sleeping Village" intro everyone's been talking about.  For the record, "Sleeping Village" hasn't been performed live since about 1970.

You can check out Armijn's review, photos and multimedia clips here.  Many thanks to him for doing this for us!

DOWNLOAD FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS TO AIR AT MIDNIGHT IN THE U.K.

From Downloadfestival.com

Watch Download on TV This Weekend!

Re-live the best performances on Channel 4

Channel 4 will be screening their Download coverage in two programmes, to be aired this Saturday and Sunday night.

Each will be one hour long and will contain the best bits of the weekend including System of a Down, Slipknot, Feeder, Megadeth, Velvet Revolver, Garbage, Anthrax, Slayer, Trivium, Society 1 (including the piercings!), Motorhead and many, many more!

Catch them when you get in from the pub!

Part 1: 11:50pm Saturday
Part 2: Midnight Sunday

(Special thanks to Darren Beckwith for letting us know!)

Editor's Note: Just a got an e-mail from Peter Dunne in the U.K. who tells me there was NO Sabbath content in the aforementioned specials.  You would figure that they could talk about the most important band on the bill, so what's the deal with that?  Augh!

BILL WARD AVAILABLE THROUGH iTUNES 

Bill Ward's 1997 solo track "Children Killing Children" (from his When the Bough Breaks album) has been tapped to be part of a new digital compilation album entitled "The New Road Ahead Volume 1".  Put together by Classicrock.com & Cowtown Digital, this compilation has artists such as Rik Emmett, Joe Lynn Turner, Shooting Star, Living Loud, Walter Rossi, Foghat, King Kobra featuring Carmine Appice, Manny Charlton, Bouchard, Dunaway & Smith and Fourth Estate.  These artists either founded or are current or former members of Black Sabbath, Triumph, Rainbow, Deep Purple, Uriah Heep, Wilson Pickett, Ted Nugent, Beck, Bogart, Appice, Rod Stewart, Ozzy Osbourne, Cactus, Kansas, The Dixie Dregs, Blue Oyster Cult, The Original Alice Cooper Band and Nazareth.

It is available solely through Apple's iTunes.  If you have iTunes installed (or even if you don't), click here to be taken directly to the album via iTunes.  If you don't have it, you'll be prompted to download the program.

In addition to the album being released, there's plenty of cool giveaways to be had.  The one that will probably be of most interest to visitors of this site is a pair of autographed drumsticks from the Black Sabbath gig on June 11th, 2005 - the Download festival at Donington!

Head on over to the Classic Rock site for more details on the giveaway and a full list of contest prizes.  The classicrock page also has a few short comments about each song from the artist who provided them.  Also make sure to head over to iTunes to check out the album, where you can check out song samples for all the songs on the album.

(Thanks to Patty Wright of Classicrock.com)

June 16th, 2005

DOWNLOAD FESTIVAL SHOW FILMED FOR POSSIBLE OFFICIAL DVD?

There's been lots of chatter on the web this morning about a comment Tony Iommi made on the BBC1's 'Rock Show'.  He has been quoted as saying that the show was professionally filmed for a planned DVD release.  While this IS promising news, we probably shouldn't get our hopes up until the band has a chance to watch the footage for themselves.  Black Sabbath has filmed numerous gigs in the past which have never seen the light of the day, including Hammersmith gigs from 1982 and 1986.  Still, I am heartened to hear the band is planning another official live release.

In addition, I have already received word on numerous audience sources (both video and audio) from the Download Festival - as many as 4!  There is also some TV footage from the highlights that were broadcast on the BBC this past weekend.  Either way, it looks like we will be hearing AND seeing this show in the near future.

(Special thanks to Nero Kalem, Tom A. and Ozzyhead.com for their contributions to this piece.)

June 15th, 2005

NEIL MURRAY TO UNDERGO SURGERY FOR CARPAL TUNNEL

According to a post on Black-Sabbath.com, Neil Murray has reported that he will be having surgery next month for carpal tunnel syndrome.  CPS is a repetitive motion injury that results in nerves becoming entrapped, causing numbness and tingling in the affected hands.  If untreated, the nerve damage can become irreversible.  It is very common in anyone who uses their hands a lot.  (I'm a prime candidate for such a syndrome, because of my constant typing and guitar playing!)  Anyhow, I'd like to wish Neil well with the outcome of his surgery.

For more info on this, be sure to read Joe Siegler's post here.

(Thanks to Black-Sabbath.com for this news item)

BILL WARD'S 2005 AUDIO DIARIES - 3 EPISODES ARE UP!

I listened to the first 2 installments of Bill's new audio diaries on Billward.com for the first time this morning.  This is a really nice idea both for fans and archivists alike, as Bill is taking the time to keep a journal of his activities during the current 2005 tour.  He talks about the walks he and Tony have been taking together as they visit different cities in Europe, which provide them both physical and mental therapy for the upcoming shows.  These epic walks (sometimes up to 10 miles!) are helping him build the sort of stamina it takes to play a full Black Sabbath show.

In part 2, Bill also talks about watching and hanging out with some of the opening acts on the tour, as well as his impressions on the first shows they've done.  If you're looking for an intimate insiders view of the current tour in progress, don't miss any one of Bill's installments from the road!

Bill's Audio Diaries

(Kudos again to Mr. Siegler for providing this excellent content!)

June 14th, 2005

TONY IOMMI’s NEW CD, FUSED, OUT IN JULY

After many years of begging and pleading for an official release of the 1996 album that Glenn and Tony left in hiatus, we finally got to hear the songs polished up for 'THE DEP SESSIONS' last year.  Following on the heels of that release, Tony and Glenn have joined forces once again for even heavier record that is sure to please fans of both artists.  That album is FUSED - a more thourougly blended amalgam of their respective musical styles.  The release date is just weeks away, so be sure to get yourselves a copy!!  I have more promos, pictures and reviews shortly.

Press release from Electric Artists

Tony Iommi, the legendary Black Sabbath guitarist, will release his new album Fused on July 12, 2005, via Sanctuary Records. Joining Iommi is former Deep Purple vocalist/bassist Glenn Hughes and former John Mellencamp drummer Kenny Aronoff, who has also played sessions with the likes of the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Rod Stewart, Alice Cooper, Bob Seger, Lynyrd Skynyrd and countless others. The trio will hit the road to promote Fused later this year after Black Sabbath finishes headlining the 10th anniversary Ozzfest tour.

Iommi's lethal guitar crunch leads the charge. Hughes truly pushes himself to the edge and adjusts his voice to fit the overall direction of each song while simultaneously propelling the rhythm with his pounding bass guitar. The volcanic thunder Aronoff unleashes from his drums sounds like nothing he has done before. Bob Marlette's sparkling, crisp production results in a hard-hitting, modern, in-your-face sound.

Full song sample courtesy of Iommi.com

"Dopamine" (128 kbps Windows Media)

SABBATH HONORED AT METAL HAMMER'S GOLDEN GODS AWARDS

From Blabbermouth (June 14th)

BLACK SABBATH, SLIPKNOT and Lemmy (MOTÖRHEAD) were honored Monday night (June 13) at the Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards ceremony. The trophies, which feature a skull, a snake, a cloak, and a bony hand making the metal sign, were handed out at the London Astoria.

Over 1,000 metal fans plus over 500 of the world's rock elite gathered together in a heaving, sweaty mess to celebrate the best music and best bands in heavy metal. There were excellent live performances from TRIVIUM, BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE, SHADOWS FALL, NIGHTWISH and ANTHRAX, plus the presenting of 14 awards to the most deserved metal winners — as voted for by the readers of Metal Hammer magazine.

Winners on the night were:

Best U.K. Band: LOSTPROPHETS
Best Live Band: SLIPKNOT
Best International Band: THE USED
Best Underground Band: MESHUGGAH/MASTODON
Best Metal Record Label: Roadrunner
Incoming Award For Best Newcomer: NIGHTWISH
Best Video: MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE's "Helena"
Riff Lord Award: Zakk Wylde (BLACK LABEL SOCIETY)
Shredder Award: Herman Li (DRAGONFORCE)
Best Metal Band: ANTHRAX
Best album: JUDAS PRIEST's "Angel of Retribution"
Icon Award: Ville Valo (H.I.M.)
The Spirit Of Hammer: BLACK SABBATH
The Golden God Award: Lemmy (MOTÖRHEAD)

Check out pictures from Wire Image, Film Magic.

From Iommi.com (June 14th)

Tony and Geezer picked up the ‘Spirit of Hammer’ award for Black Sabbath at the Metal Hammer awards in London last night. The ‘Golden Gods’ event, which is in its third year, was held at the Astoria and was attended by the likes of Motorhead’s Lemmy, Zakk Wylde, Anthrax, Lost Prophets, plus members of Slipknot and HIM amongst others. Glenn Hughes & Chad Smith, fresh from two fantastic shows in Holland, were watching the show from the balcony before Chad headed down to present the Sabbath award. Tony was also on hand to judge the winners of the Air Guitar competition.

June 9th, 2005

SABBATHLIVE'S 1ST EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH BILL WARD!

I'm very proud to be publishing Sabbathlive's very 1st exclusive interview with one of the founding members of Black Sabbath - Mr. Bill Ward!!! I must first thank Guillaume Roos for all he has done for Sabbathlive. This is just one of many great things he has been working on Sabbath fans, so I want to make a point to underline that. I'm blessed to have him working with me. 

And of course, a loving thank you to Bill Ward for taking the time to answer Guillaume's questions. I think you'll find Bill's answers to be honest, forthright and full of heart. This humble man is not only one of the most influential drummers in the hard rock genre, he is also a great human being as well.

And of course, thanks to Liese Rugo for making this all possible! Cheers to you both!

Guillaume's Interview With Bill Ward

May 19th, 2005

A WHIRLWIND WEEK FOR SABBATHLIVE

Sheesh, where do I begin?  Between the Dumfries '69 find and my unexpected trip to Hollywood, I've surely been blessed beyond imagination this month.  As a result, I've been getting an unprecedented amount of e-mail from people who are inquiring about those latest news items AND bringing forth even more great stuff.  I'd like to thank everyone who took the time to give me a "hi five" on my JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE! appearance with Ozzy last week.  It made me realize that I not only lived my own dreams but also those of other Sabbath / Ozzy fans around the world.  This was a tremendous honor and I promise not to let this detract from the work I've been doing here.  If anything, it has given this project even more exposure.  Another BIG discovery will be announced soon, so stay tuned to this news page!

I also want to apologize to anyone whom I've not yet responded to via e-mail.   My time has been very limited over the past few weeks and will probably remain that way through the beginning of June.  I do plan on responding to everyone in time, so please be patient with me!

VIDEO CLIP FROM JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE! - "WHO KNOWS OZZY?"

Believe it or not, I hadn't even seen this program until yesterday evening!  I'm grateful to be able to share my experience with everyone, so here's the entire "Who Knows Ozzy?" game show sequence I appeared in with Ozzy.  This is in Windows Media format and is about 13 MB.  This was filmed at the Masonic Temple on Hollywood Boulevard at 7 PM on Thursday night (May 12th).  It aired the following night on ABC-TV (in most markets) at 12:05 PM.

PLAY VIDEO

Just a few remarks on this segment.  Jimmy Kimmel introduced me as having "one of the largest collections of Ozzy memorabilia and live recordings in the world, if not the biggest."  You can't see my reaction in the clip, but I put my hand out as to say "well, I wouldn't say that..."  It was a very Hollywood thing to Jimmy to say, but not at all a boast I would have made.  While I do collect some Black Sabbath memorabilia, I'm not really into buying trinkets.  Also, I've never specialized in collecting Ozzy memorabilia or live tapes - mainly Black Sabbath stuff.  I know many Ozzy fans who have bigger collections, as well as some Sabbath guys who have me beat on the live tapes!  I wish he had simply plugged my web site, but I guess that wasn't exciting enough for broadcast TV.

Plenty of people have pointed out how I was "ROBBED" on the question about where the name Black Sabbath came from.  The judges had even buzzed Ozzy on that one, but Jimmy Kimmel seemed to misinterpret my response about Boris Karloff.  Ah well, who cares!  I do give Ozzy a lot of credit for having such quick reflexes - especially on that question about the ants he snorted!

By the way, I got to keep the prizes that were wagered at the beginning of the show.  My wife had given me that Ozzy doll a few years ago.  It was the only thing I could think of to bring along, since I didn't have a ton of Ozzy memorabilia that would seem interesting on TV.  But I do thank the Osbournes for letting me keep my Ozzy doll AND upgrading it to the deluxe BLIZZARD OF OZZ model!

Special thanks to Ron Mann, Dave Griffin, Doug Darnell & Tara Vanlek for getting me copies of the show within a week's time!

May 14th, 2005

A DREAM COME TRUE - OZZY VS. ROB ON JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE!

Me and Ozzy on JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE! - May 12th, 2005

An incredible opportunity appeared for me on Wednesday night.  I was sitting at my kitchen table eating dinner when the phone rang.  Strangely enough, it was the producer for the Jimmy Kimmel Live! show (on ABC) and he wanted to know if I'd be interested in appearing on the show with Ozzy on Friday night.  Already punch drunk from the recent discovery of the Dumfries '69, I sat there for a moment trying to determine whether I had somehow been transported into some other alternate universe by alien