Black Sabbath

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motorhead top 20

Black Sabbath

THE END IS NEAR! Final Tour in 2016 Check out the HISTORY and DISCOGRAPHY of

black Sabbath Motorhead CELEBRATE WITH LEMMY AS

he embarks on his

40th

Anniversary

Contents

crobot

Interview with

&

histor y discography

black sabbath

Brandon Yeagley

2

3

Contents

crobot

Interview with

&

histor y discography

black sabbath

Brandon Yeagley

2

3

motorhead xxxx

top 20 metal

albums

5 4

motorhead xxxx

top 20 metal

albums

5 4

interview

Crobot

is everything that is right about Hard Rock music right now. They push the limits with their music and their high energy shows. The bearded group from Pennsylvania just released their second studio album Something Supernatural in October and their show has become a staple of the Rock circuit every summer. They will be kicking off 2014 on the ShipRocked cruise with the likes of Limp Bizkit and Chevelle starting Super Bowl Sunday. AXS found time with front man Brandon Yeagley to preview the cruise and find out more about the band’s crazy life on the road.

AXS: What are you most excited about for the

ShipRocked show?

Brandon: We are really excited about all the bands, the fans and all the drinking and the debauchery that will be going down. It’s going to be a great vacation, a great time to get away from the cold of the northeast where we would usually be residing at that time of year. All around it is going to be a great adventure.

is bound to happen.

AXS: You guys have been

touring a lot. What is the best and worst part of being on the road for you?

Brandon: Well I think the worst part is finding a place to do laundry. I take that back, the worst part is bed bugs.

AXS: NO! Brandon: Last week, seriously. We have been on the road for about a year and a half touring consistently. We haven’t had bed bugs until this last week. Two times this happened to us.

AXS: Two times in a week? In a hotel?

Brandon: Yeah. Two separate hotels. It’s the sort

of thing that gives you the heebie jeebies. It’s one of those things when you close your eyes at night that makes it that much harder.

AXS: I spend my whole life in hotels and I have nev-

er ran into it but it is one of my worst fears.

Brandon: Yeah, I have bites all over me and I just feel boat. Have you thought about any collaborations or tainted. playing with anybody yet?

Brandon: We haven’t discussed anything but with AXS: I think I would have to burn my luggage. all those bands in one place, I am sure something Brandon: After it happened the first time, that’s

AXS: There are going to be a lot of bands on the

6

7

interview

Crobot

is everything that is right about Hard Rock music right now. They push the limits with their music and their high energy shows. The bearded group from Pennsylvania just released their second studio album Something Supernatural in October and their show has become a staple of the Rock circuit every summer. They will be kicking off 2014 on the ShipRocked cruise with the likes of Limp Bizkit and Chevelle starting Super Bowl Sunday. AXS found time with front man Brandon Yeagley to preview the cruise and find out more about the band’s crazy life on the road.

AXS: What are you most excited about for the

ShipRocked show?

Brandon: We are really excited about all the bands, the fans and all the drinking and the debauchery that will be going down. It’s going to be a great vacation, a great time to get away from the cold of the northeast where we would usually be residing at that time of year. All around it is going to be a great adventure.

is bound to happen.

AXS: You guys have been

touring a lot. What is the best and worst part of being on the road for you?

Brandon: Well I think the worst part is finding a place to do laundry. I take that back, the worst part is bed bugs.

AXS: NO! Brandon: Last week, seriously. We have been on the road for about a year and a half touring consistently. We haven’t had bed bugs until this last week. Two times this happened to us.

AXS: Two times in a week? In a hotel?

Brandon: Yeah. Two separate hotels. It’s the sort

of thing that gives you the heebie jeebies. It’s one of those things when you close your eyes at night that makes it that much harder.

AXS: I spend my whole life in hotels and I have nev-

er ran into it but it is one of my worst fears.

Brandon: Yeah, I have bites all over me and I just feel boat. Have you thought about any collaborations or tainted. playing with anybody yet?

Brandon: We haven’t discussed anything but with AXS: I think I would have to burn my luggage. all those bands in one place, I am sure something Brandon: After it happened the first time, that’s

AXS: There are going to be a lot of bands on the

6

7

interview [cont.]

when we started checking the blankets, and then we that’s when we found them. Maybe we weren’t looking before as much as we thought we were, and now we are looking.

8

ably the craziest thing on the road except bed bugs.

AXS: I love “Queen of the Light.”

Where did you get the idea for AXS: Maybe that is the answer to the next that song? question, but what is your craziest tour story Brandon: I remember it like so far? it was yesterday. I remember Brandon: Yeah, that is up there, but the being in the jam room and we craziest story that we have is when we played were in the Wind-Up Studios in Rock on the Range. The day we played, Guns New York cutting some pre-proN Roses also played. Axl Rose had a meet and duction demos to go into the algreet inside the artist tent at one point. Our bum. While we were jamming bass player Jake snuck into his meet and greet it, I just jotted some notes and I should mention he was definitely under down on this yellow tabthe influence. He snuck under the tent and ap- let paper and those endproached Axl Rose and there is photographic ed up being the words evidence of Jake pushing his face up against we used which never Axl Rose’s face. Axl actually looks happy. He happens for me. I still wasn’t a dick. He was really cool. That’s prob- have the yellow tablet of

paper that I wrote all the lyr- it helps the creative process ics down on and or hurts? How does it impact you when you are performing?

Brandon: We are very well practiced at being high. We are drunk sometimes. We practice that as well. That is really all we do. We drink and we smoke our weed. We find it helps. Maybe for other people it doesn’t help. It they gets us comfortable. I find it all came makes me more creative. In at once. That is not usually the way we analyze it, it’s a my process. Because of that science now. You can go to I will always remember that Denver and choose a strain song, that special one where that will make you more once the pen touched the creative. I find it is not all on piece of paper it just flowed paper, sometimes there are from there. It was about strains that make you more the bride of the Devil who focused and really put you in wants nothing more to be a different perspective and something she can be proud I am all about that. There is of instead of being the Dev- a time and a place for it for il’s wife and has everything sure, but we are really good at her fingertips. She wants about knowing the time and something more. She wants place for it. It certainly helps to do something good. us.

AXS: Speaking of being under the influence, the band has been open about their love of smoking weed from time to time. Do you think

AXS: A lot of people are saying that Rock music is dying with the growing popularity of EDM and other genres.

Obviously you guys are try-

9

interview [cont.]

when we started checking the blankets, and then we that’s when we found them. Maybe we weren’t looking before as much as we thought we were, and now we are looking.

8

ably the craziest thing on the road except bed bugs.

AXS: I love “Queen of the Light.”

Where did you get the idea for AXS: Maybe that is the answer to the next that song? question, but what is your craziest tour story Brandon: I remember it like so far? it was yesterday. I remember Brandon: Yeah, that is up there, but the being in the jam room and we craziest story that we have is when we played were in the Wind-Up Studios in Rock on the Range. The day we played, Guns New York cutting some pre-proN Roses also played. Axl Rose had a meet and duction demos to go into the algreet inside the artist tent at one point. Our bum. While we were jamming bass player Jake snuck into his meet and greet it, I just jotted some notes and I should mention he was definitely under down on this yellow tabthe influence. He snuck under the tent and ap- let paper and those endproached Axl Rose and there is photographic ed up being the words evidence of Jake pushing his face up against we used which never Axl Rose’s face. Axl actually looks happy. He happens for me. I still wasn’t a dick. He was really cool. That’s prob- have the yellow tablet of

paper that I wrote all the lyr- it helps the creative process ics down on and or hurts? How does it impact you when you are performing?

Brandon: We are very well practiced at being high. We are drunk sometimes. We practice that as well. That is really all we do. We drink and we smoke our weed. We find it helps. Maybe for other people it doesn’t help. It they gets us comfortable. I find it all came makes me more creative. In at once. That is not usually the way we analyze it, it’s a my process. Because of that science now. You can go to I will always remember that Denver and choose a strain song, that special one where that will make you more once the pen touched the creative. I find it is not all on piece of paper it just flowed paper, sometimes there are from there. It was about strains that make you more the bride of the Devil who focused and really put you in wants nothing more to be a different perspective and something she can be proud I am all about that. There is of instead of being the Dev- a time and a place for it for il’s wife and has everything sure, but we are really good at her fingertips. She wants about knowing the time and something more. She wants place for it. It certainly helps to do something good. us.

AXS: Speaking of being under the influence, the band has been open about their love of smoking weed from time to time. Do you think

AXS: A lot of people are saying that Rock music is dying with the growing popularity of EDM and other genres.

Obviously you guys are try-

9

ing to keep it alive. How do you feel about that?

Brandon: I think the people who are saying Rock is dead want to be able to say that. Rock isn’t dead, Rock never was dead, and Rock never will die. It is just about whether people are paying attention to it or not.

People like Gene Simmons are so far from what Rock is anymore, I don’t think he is able to get it. He always puts numbers and figures to things and once you start doing that; that is the most un-Rock N Roll thing you can do. From what I know about KISS, that is all they have ever done, and a quote that comes from somebody like that, my apologies to any KISS fans out there, I am not one of them. It may be easier for me to say this about Gene Simmons, but I don’t get why he says that. There are a lot of awesome bands out there and a lot of under the radar Rock N Roll bands out there like Only Living Boy, our friends from New Jersey, just a killer three piece Rock N Roll band that is groovy and gritty and very much alive. It is out there. You just have to know where to look nowadays. With the internet,

, il

a h l

l a the

there is so much out there for you to leaf through and try to tailor a playlist of stuff you have never heard of. You have to have that hunger to hear something new and digging for new music which is what brought me to singing and music in the first place. I think music lovers know Rock isn’t dead. People that put price tags on everything are ready to jump ship which is cool with us. We are proud to be out here doing what we are doing without a price tag. It’s a double-edged sword in one hand, everything costs money, and it certainly costs money to be out on the road. We are all about the music, however you get it, whether you download it or listen to us on Spotify, as long as you’re listening to it. I don’t think Rock is dead by any means.

I think it is very alive. I think there is a rebirth in the making and the people are hungry for it.

o r c e n cer n a m

10

Brandon: I’d love to be an astronaut. I’m going to

hold onto that from being a kid. That is something I’ve always told the guys. I want to be the first band to play outer space. I think I would want to trade places with an astronaut, maybe for a day, maybe go through the training.

11

ing to keep it alive. How do you feel about that?

Brandon: I think the people who are saying Rock is dead want to be able to say that. Rock isn’t dead, Rock never was dead, and Rock never will die. It is just about whether people are paying attention to it or not.

People like Gene Simmons are so far from what Rock is anymore, I don’t think he is able to get it. He always puts numbers and figures to things and once you start doing that; that is the most un-Rock N Roll thing you can do. From what I know about KISS, that is all they have ever done, and a quote that comes from somebody like that, my apologies to any KISS fans out there, I am not one of them. It may be easier for me to say this about Gene Simmons, but I don’t get why he says that. There are a lot of awesome bands out there and a lot of under the radar Rock N Roll bands out there like Only Living Boy, our friends from New Jersey, just a killer three piece Rock N Roll band that is groovy and gritty and very much alive. It is out there. You just have to know where to look nowadays. With the internet,

, il

a h l

l a the

there is so much out there for you to leaf through and try to tailor a playlist of stuff you have never heard of. You have to have that hunger to hear something new and digging for new music which is what brought me to singing and music in the first place. I think music lovers know Rock isn’t dead. People that put price tags on everything are ready to jump ship which is cool with us. We are proud to be out here doing what we are doing without a price tag. It’s a double-edged sword in one hand, everything costs money, and it certainly costs money to be out on the road. We are all about the music, however you get it, whether you download it or listen to us on Spotify, as long as you’re listening to it. I don’t think Rock is dead by any means.

I think it is very alive. I think there is a rebirth in the making and the people are hungry for it.

o r c e n cer n a m

10

Brandon: I’d love to be an astronaut. I’m going to

hold onto that from being a kid. That is something I’ve always told the guys. I want to be the first band to play outer space. I think I would want to trade places with an astronaut, maybe for a day, maybe go through the training.

11

the beginning of the end

the beginning of the end

history

sabbath Black Sabbath is credited with creating heavy metal. The success of their first two albums - Black Sabbath and Paranoid marked a paradigm shift in the world of rock. Not until Black Sabbath upended the music scene did the term “heavy metal” enter the popular vocabulary to describe the denser, more thunderous offshoot of rock over which they presided.

With their riff-based songs, extreme volume, and dark, demonic subject matter, Black Sabbath embodied key aspects of the heavy-metal aesthetic. Yet in their own words, Black Sabbath saw themselves as a “heavy underground” band. That term denoted both the intensity of their music and the network of fans who found them long before critics and the music industry took notice. In a sense, though they’ve sold more than 75 million albums worldwide, they still are a heavy under-

14

of

ground band. Although they became eligible for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995, they weren’t inducted until 2006. The truth is, they remain one of the most misunderstood bands in rock history.

The Black Sabbath story began in Birmingham, England, where Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward were looking to escape a life of factory work through music. The four musicians got their start in such psychedelic outfits as the Rare Breed and Mythology (although Osbourne had been a shorthaired Mod who loved soul music). Influenced by the reigning British blues bands - Led Zeppelin, Cream, John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers - the four of them formed Earth Blues Company (shortened to Earth), in 1968.

stumbled onto something powerful and unique.

Forced to change their name because there was already another band named Earth, they made an obvious choice: Black Sabbath.

With Butler serving as principal lyricist and Iommi as the musical architect, Black Sabbath pursued such themes as war, social chaos, the supernatural, the afterlife, and the timeless conflict between good and evil. The group was a product of the late Six“That’s when it all started to happen, “ Tony Iommi ties. It was a time when youthful idealism had betold writer Mick Wall. “The name sounded mysgun to ebb amid the war in Vietnam, the influx of terious, it gave people something to think about, hard drugs, clashes with authority figures, and the and it gave us a direction to follow.” Black Sabbath bruising realities of working-class life (low wages, was the polar opposite of the Beatles (though they grim labor) that lay ahead for many of them. all liked the Beatles). Whereas the Fab Four sang “yeah, yeah, yeah,” Osbourne pleaded “no, no, please, no” in “Black Sabbath.”

“We arrived at the height of the Vietnam War and on the other side of the hippie era, so there was a “It’s a satanic world,” Butler told Rolling Stone in mood of doom and aggression,” guitarist Iommi 1971. “The devil’s more in control now. People can’t told writer Chris Welch in 2003. That’s not to say come together, there’s no equality. It’s a sin to put Black Sabbath were devil worshippers or practiyourself above other people, and yet that’s what tioners or witchcraft, as many believed. Quite a difpeople do.” ferent picture of the band is painted in such songs

Everything changed when Butler came to the band with an idea for a song inspired by a disturbing apparition. A fan of horror films and the black magic-themed novels of Dennis Wheatley, he flirted briefly with the black arts. But when he saw what he believed to be a figure from the dark side at the foot of his bed one night, he ceased his dabblings in the goth world. With lyrics by Osbourne, the group composed a song about the visitation, entitling it “Black Sabbath” (after the 1963 Boris Karloff film). It provoked a reaction in audiences unlike anything else in their repertoire, and they knew they’d

15

history

sabbath Black Sabbath is credited with creating heavy metal. The success of their first two albums - Black Sabbath and Paranoid marked a paradigm shift in the world of rock. Not until Black Sabbath upended the music scene did the term “heavy metal” enter the popular vocabulary to describe the denser, more thunderous offshoot of rock over which they presided.

With their riff-based songs, extreme volume, and dark, demonic subject matter, Black Sabbath embodied key aspects of the heavy-metal aesthetic. Yet in their own words, Black Sabbath saw themselves as a “heavy underground” band. That term denoted both the intensity of their music and the network of fans who found them long before critics and the music industry took notice. In a sense, though they’ve sold more than 75 million albums worldwide, they still are a heavy under-

14

of

ground band. Although they became eligible for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995, they weren’t inducted until 2006. The truth is, they remain one of the most misunderstood bands in rock history.

The Black Sabbath story began in Birmingham, England, where Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward were looking to escape a life of factory work through music. The four musicians got their start in such psychedelic outfits as the Rare Breed and Mythology (although Osbourne had been a shorthaired Mod who loved soul music). Influenced by the reigning British blues bands - Led Zeppelin, Cream, John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers - the four of them formed Earth Blues Company (shortened to Earth), in 1968.

stumbled onto something powerful and unique.

Forced to change their name because there was already another band named Earth, they made an obvious choice: Black Sabbath.

With Butler serving as principal lyricist and Iommi as the musical architect, Black Sabbath pursued such themes as war, social chaos, the supernatural, the afterlife, and the timeless conflict between good and evil. The group was a product of the late Six“That’s when it all started to happen, “ Tony Iommi ties. It was a time when youthful idealism had betold writer Mick Wall. “The name sounded mysgun to ebb amid the war in Vietnam, the influx of terious, it gave people something to think about, hard drugs, clashes with authority figures, and the and it gave us a direction to follow.” Black Sabbath bruising realities of working-class life (low wages, was the polar opposite of the Beatles (though they grim labor) that lay ahead for many of them. all liked the Beatles). Whereas the Fab Four sang “yeah, yeah, yeah,” Osbourne pleaded “no, no, please, no” in “Black Sabbath.”

“We arrived at the height of the Vietnam War and on the other side of the hippie era, so there was a “It’s a satanic world,” Butler told Rolling Stone in mood of doom and aggression,” guitarist Iommi 1971. “The devil’s more in control now. People can’t told writer Chris Welch in 2003. That’s not to say come together, there’s no equality. It’s a sin to put Black Sabbath were devil worshippers or practiyourself above other people, and yet that’s what tioners or witchcraft, as many believed. Quite a difpeople do.” ferent picture of the band is painted in such songs

Everything changed when Butler came to the band with an idea for a song inspired by a disturbing apparition. A fan of horror films and the black magic-themed novels of Dennis Wheatley, he flirted briefly with the black arts. But when he saw what he believed to be a figure from the dark side at the foot of his bed one night, he ceased his dabblings in the goth world. With lyrics by Osbourne, the group composed a song about the visitation, entitling it “Black Sabbath” (after the 1963 Boris Karloff film). It provoked a reaction in audiences unlike anything else in their repertoire, and they knew they’d

15

discography 1

born again 12

black sabbath

2 paranoid

3 master

5

seventh star 13

of reality

4 vol

4 black sabbath

6sabbath

headless cross 15 black sabbath

bloody sabbath

7 sabatage 8 technical ecstasy 9 never say die 10 heaven and hell 11 mob rules 16

the eternal idol 14

16

tyr 17 dehumanizer 18 cross purposes forbidden

19

200

13 21 17

discography 1

born again 12

black sabbath

2 paranoid

3 master

5

seventh star 13

of reality

4 vol

4 black sabbath

6sabbath

headless cross 15 black sabbath

bloody sabbath

7 sabatage 8 technical ecstasy 9 never say die 10 heaven and hell 11 mob rules 16

the eternal idol 14

16

tyr 17 dehumanizer 18 cross purposes forbidden

19

200

13 21 17

Ironman Tony Iommi Tony Iommi is synonymous with heavy rock, his innovative, de-tuned, dark riffs are considered to be the blueprint for hundreds of bands that followed.

Born on February 19, 1948, in Birmingham, England, left-handed Tony picked up the guitar after being inspired by the likes of Hank Marvin & the Shadows as a teenager. By 1967, he had played with several blues-based rock bands, one of which evolved into Polka Tulk (later Earth), with bassist Terry “Geezer” Butler, drummer Bill Ward, and singer John “Ozzy” Osbourne.

Iommi’s musical career was nearly derailed prematurely as he suffered a horrible accident at a sheet metal factory, when a machine sliced off the tips of the fingers on his right hand. Depressed and figuring that his guitar playing days were behind him, a friend turned him onto guitarist Django Reinhardt (who lost use of two fingers in a

18

gypsy caravan campfire accident), inspiring Tony to give the six-string another go, with soft plastic tips attached to the ends of his fingers.

Shortly thereafter, Iommi received a tempting offer to join Jethro Tull’s band in 1968, which he reluctantly accepted. After only a single performance with Tull (miming the track “Song for Jeffrey” on the Rolling Stones’ never-aired TV special “Rock & Roll Circus”), Iommi split from Tull to return back to his pals in Earth.

With another band already playing around England by the name of Earth, Iommi & co. were forced to change their name, taking “Black Sabbath” from the American title of the classic Italian horror movie “I Tre Volti Della Paura”.

With the name switch came a change in musical direction — the band would explore dark lyrical subjects, while the music would be repetitive, plodding and heavy. In the process, Sabbath created the blueprint for heavy metal with such incredibly influential, all-time classic releases as their 1970 self-titled debut and Paranoid, 71’s Master of Reality, 1972’s Vol. 4, and 1973’s Sabbath Bloody Sabbath. These albums lifted Black Sabbath to one of the world’s top hard rock bands in the process. Iommi’s guitar playing propelled such metal standards as “Black Sabbath,” “N.I.B.,” “Paranoid,” “Iron Man,” “War Pigs,” “Into the Void,” and “Children of the Grave,” which boast some of the most recognizable guitar riffs in rock history.

But by the mid- to late ’70s, constant

touring and drug abuse began to fracture the band, leading to Osbourne’s exit in 1979. However, like a Phoenix rising from the ashes, the Black Sabbath name was reborn with the inclusion of Ronnie James Dio (RIP) on vocals, then right out of Rainbow. Ronnie brought a new and fresh angle to the gig, and from these sessions a masterpiece was born, the Heaven & Hell album. The sound on this album was unlike anything that Black Sabbath had done to this point. It contained a fresh new sound under the banner of Black Sabbath. This album was part of the metal revival in 1980, and of course the revival of Black Sabbath itself. The Heaven and Hell tour cost Black Sabbath its original drummer, Bill Ward, and Bill was replaced quite capably by Vinny Appice (then of Axis/Rick Derringer).

A couple of more albums with Ronnie and Vinny followed (Mob Rules, Live Evil), but the Sabbath lineup was not to stay stable for long after this.

After Ronnie & Vinny left to form the Dio band, Tony, Geezer, & Geoff Nicholls were tasked with putting together another incarnation of Black Sabbath. After a few changes already, they decided they wanted some more stability, so Bill Ward was convinced to return to the band, and a search for a new vocalist ensued. They eventually settled on former 70’s rival, Ian Gillan (Deep Purple) to handle vocals for the aptly named Born Again album. The lineup wasn’t to stay the same, as Bill Ward bowed out from touring. Old Brum friend and former ELO dummer Bev Bevan handled the skins for the Born Again Tour which lasted into the Spring of 1984.

1984 brought a season of change, as Ian Gillan left to

pursue a reunion of Deep Purple, and Black Sabbath tried a few times to work with new singers (Dave Donato, Ron Keel), but nothing materialized from these sessions (which again included Bill Ward). After this, it became just Tony when Geezer and Bill departed to pursue other options.

During this period the original Black Sabbath reunited for one day in Philadelphia on July 13, 1985. This was to play the Live Aid benefit concert, along with a slew of other artists in Philadelphia and in London.

This was short lived, though, was just a reunion for that day.

Not long after that, Tony began work on a solo album initially using vocalist Jeff Fenholt, and later using several folks including long time pal Glenn Hughes on vocals, Eric Singer (Alice Cooper/ Kiss) on drums, as well as others like Dave Spitz, as well as Sabbath stalwart Geoff Nicholls. As the album neared completion, a struggle ensued with the record label. The Seventh Star album was originally intended to be the first Tony Iommi solo album, but the label wanted a Black Sabbath album. All this caused the released album to have the hybrid name of “Black Sabbath featuring Tony Iommi”. The Seventh Star tour started off well, included a really nice stage set and show, but quickly it became obvious that a change in singer was needed.

Enter Ray Gillen (RIP), who took over early on in the Seventh Star tour. Ray was a friend of Dave’s, and the tour finished well, played to crowds around the world. But when the tour ended, thoughts turned to the next album, which ended up being “The Eternal Idol”.

The Eternal Idol turned out to be one the most tumultuous parts of Sabbath history. Featuring two singers, two credited drummers, two bassists (three if you count music videos), two producers and studios; the album took quite a path to completion. The live shows surrounding The Eternal Idol included Greece (then a first time Sabbath stop), South Africa, and mostly centered around Italy.

19

Ironman Tony Iommi Tony Iommi is synonymous with heavy rock, his innovative, de-tuned, dark riffs are considered to be the blueprint for hundreds of bands that followed.

Born on February 19, 1948, in Birmingham, England, left-handed Tony picked up the guitar after being inspired by the likes of Hank Marvin & the Shadows as a teenager. By 1967, he had played with several blues-based rock bands, one of which evolved into Polka Tulk (later Earth), with bassist Terry “Geezer” Butler, drummer Bill Ward, and singer John “Ozzy” Osbourne.

Iommi’s musical career was nearly derailed prematurely as he suffered a horrible accident at a sheet metal factory, when a machine sliced off the tips of the fingers on his right hand. Depressed and figuring that his guitar playing days were behind him, a friend turned him onto guitarist Django Reinhardt (who lost use of two fingers in a

18

gypsy caravan campfire accident), inspiring Tony to give the six-string another go, with soft plastic tips attached to the ends of his fingers.

Shortly thereafter, Iommi received a tempting offer to join Jethro Tull’s band in 1968, which he reluctantly accepted. After only a single performance with Tull (miming the track “Song for Jeffrey” on the Rolling Stones’ never-aired TV special “Rock & Roll Circus”), Iommi split from Tull to return back to his pals in Earth.

With another band already playing around England by the name of Earth, Iommi & co. were forced to change their name, taking “Black Sabbath” from the American title of the classic Italian horror movie “I Tre Volti Della Paura”.

With the name switch came a change in musical direction — the band would explore dark lyrical subjects, while the music would be repetitive, plodding and heavy. In the process, Sabbath created the blueprint for heavy metal with such incredibly influential, all-time classic releases as their 1970 self-titled debut and Paranoid, 71’s Master of Reality, 1972’s Vol. 4, and 1973’s Sabbath Bloody Sabbath. These albums lifted Black Sabbath to one of the world’s top hard rock bands in the process. Iommi’s guitar playing propelled such metal standards as “Black Sabbath,” “N.I.B.,” “Paranoid,” “Iron Man,” “War Pigs,” “Into the Void,” and “Children of the Grave,” which boast some of the most recognizable guitar riffs in rock history.

But by the mid- to late ’70s, constant

touring and drug abuse began to fracture the band, leading to Osbourne’s exit in 1979. However, like a Phoenix rising from the ashes, the Black Sabbath name was reborn with the inclusion of Ronnie James Dio (RIP) on vocals, then right out of Rainbow. Ronnie brought a new and fresh angle to the gig, and from these sessions a masterpiece was born, the Heaven & Hell album. The sound on this album was unlike anything that Black Sabbath had done to this point. It contained a fresh new sound under the banner of Black Sabbath. This album was part of the metal revival in 1980, and of course the revival of Black Sabbath itself. The Heaven and Hell tour cost Black Sabbath its original drummer, Bill Ward, and Bill was replaced quite capably by Vinny Appice (then of Axis/Rick Derringer).

A couple of more albums with Ronnie and Vinny followed (Mob Rules, Live Evil), but the Sabbath lineup was not to stay stable for long after this.

After Ronnie & Vinny left to form the Dio band, Tony, Geezer, & Geoff Nicholls were tasked with putting together another incarnation of Black Sabbath. After a few changes already, they decided they wanted some more stability, so Bill Ward was convinced to return to the band, and a search for a new vocalist ensued. They eventually settled on former 70’s rival, Ian Gillan (Deep Purple) to handle vocals for the aptly named Born Again album. The lineup wasn’t to stay the same, as Bill Ward bowed out from touring. Old Brum friend and former ELO dummer Bev Bevan handled the skins for the Born Again Tour which lasted into the Spring of 1984.

1984 brought a season of change, as Ian Gillan left to

pursue a reunion of Deep Purple, and Black Sabbath tried a few times to work with new singers (Dave Donato, Ron Keel), but nothing materialized from these sessions (which again included Bill Ward). After this, it became just Tony when Geezer and Bill departed to pursue other options.

During this period the original Black Sabbath reunited for one day in Philadelphia on July 13, 1985. This was to play the Live Aid benefit concert, along with a slew of other artists in Philadelphia and in London.

This was short lived, though, was just a reunion for that day.

Not long after that, Tony began work on a solo album initially using vocalist Jeff Fenholt, and later using several folks including long time pal Glenn Hughes on vocals, Eric Singer (Alice Cooper/ Kiss) on drums, as well as others like Dave Spitz, as well as Sabbath stalwart Geoff Nicholls. As the album neared completion, a struggle ensued with the record label. The Seventh Star album was originally intended to be the first Tony Iommi solo album, but the label wanted a Black Sabbath album. All this caused the released album to have the hybrid name of “Black Sabbath featuring Tony Iommi”. The Seventh Star tour started off well, included a really nice stage set and show, but quickly it became obvious that a change in singer was needed.

Enter Ray Gillen (RIP), who took over early on in the Seventh Star tour. Ray was a friend of Dave’s, and the tour finished well, played to crowds around the world. But when the tour ended, thoughts turned to the next album, which ended up being “The Eternal Idol”.

The Eternal Idol turned out to be one the most tumultuous parts of Sabbath history. Featuring two singers, two credited drummers, two bassists (three if you count music videos), two producers and studios; the album took quite a path to completion. The live shows surrounding The Eternal Idol included Greece (then a first time Sabbath stop), South Africa, and mostly centered around Italy.

19

This is the usual opening line for a live Motörhead show and everyone can be sure that this band will kick some ass, because Motörhead’s approach has remained the same over the band’s career, preferring to play what they enjoy and do best – bone-crunching rock’n’roll! Their appreciation of said-music is enriched with a dash of punk, a pinch of heavy metal and their well known sound intensity with lots of decibels, the bass rumbling in your stomach and suggesting you’d maybe better protect your ear canals. And nobody does it quite like Ian ‘Lemmy’ Kilmister (1975present, founding father) on bass and vocals, PhilCampbell (1984-present) on guitar and Mikkey Dee (1992-present) on drums. “I come from way before Metal,” states Lemmy, “I’m playing Rock’ n’ Roll and I think Rock’ n’ Roll should be sacred – it is to me. I don’t see why it should not be for everybody else.”

20

Motörhead was and is unquestionable influential to many, many other bands.The famous ‘snaggletooth’, or war pig, one

21

This is the usual opening line for a live Motörhead show and everyone can be sure that this band will kick some ass, because Motörhead’s approach has remained the same over the band’s career, preferring to play what they enjoy and do best – bone-crunching rock’n’roll! Their appreciation of said-music is enriched with a dash of punk, a pinch of heavy metal and their well known sound intensity with lots of decibels, the bass rumbling in your stomach and suggesting you’d maybe better protect your ear canals. And nobody does it quite like Ian ‘Lemmy’ Kilmister (1975present, founding father) on bass and vocals, PhilCampbell (1984-present) on guitar and Mikkey Dee (1992-present) on drums. “I come from way before Metal,” states Lemmy, “I’m playing Rock’ n’ Roll and I think Rock’ n’ Roll should be sacred – it is to me. I don’t see why it should not be for everybody else.”

20

Motörhead was and is unquestionable influential to many, many other bands.The famous ‘snaggletooth’, or war pig, one

21

of the best known logos around the world, is the fanged ace that serves as the symbol of Motörhead. Collaborating with Lemmy to create this iconic masterpiece, artist Joe Petagno drew it in 1977 for the cover of the band’s debut album. Petagno stated: “The inspiration came from just being a naturally pissed off bastard! And Lemmy is the same way! So it was bound to be an alchemal wedding of a more ‘primordial nature’. I did a lot of research on skull types and found an x-breed gorilla-wolf-dog combination would work nicely with some oversized boars horns. Lemmy added helmet, chains, spit, spikes and grit.”

But before that, there had to be a band. A band that would NOT be called Bastard (this was the early front-runner for a name!) and a band to be formed in 1975 by bassist, singer and songwriter Ian Frazer Kilmister, AKA, Lemmy. Lemmy had been fired from Hawkwind in May 1975 for, as he says, “ oing the wrong drugs”. He was arrested on suspicion of possessing cocaine at the Canadian border and spent five days in prison, causing the band to cancel some of their North America tour dates. Now on his own, Lemmy decided to form his own band and call them Motörhead, inspired by the final song he had written for Hawkwind. Lemmy always concentrated on very basic music: loud, fast, raucous, rock n roll... By April 1977, living in squats and with little recognition, and after some debate, the band agreed to do a farewell show at the Marquee Club in London. Lemmy had become acquainted with Ted Carroll from Chiswick Records and asked him to bring a mobile studio to the show to record it for posterity. Carroll was unable to get the mobile unit to the 22

Marquee Club but showed up backstage after the gig and offered two days at Escape Studios with producer Speedy Keen to record a single. The band took the chance, and instead of recording a single they laid down 11 unfinished tracks. Carroll gave them a few more days at Olympic Studios to finish the vocals and the band completed 13 tracks for release as an album. Chiswick issued the single “Motörhead” in June, followed by the album Motörhead in August, which spent one week in the UK Albums Chart at number 43. The band toured the UK supporting Hawkwind in June, then from late July they commenced the ‘Beyond the Threshold of Pain’ tour with The Count Bishops. The 1976–1982 Motörhead line up: Lemmy Kilmister, Phil “Philthy Animal” Taylor and “Fast” Eddie Clarke In September 1978, the single “Louie Louie” was issued peaking at number 68 on the UK Singles Chart, and the band toured the UK to promote it and appeared for the first time on BBC Television’s Top of the Pops on 25 October. Chiswick capitalized on this new level of success by re-issuing the debut album Motörhead on white vinyl through EMI Records. By this time, the standard of their performances had improved considerably, and the uncompromising nature of their music was beginning to garner a following from enthusiasts of both metal and punk. The single’s success led to the studio to record an album On 9 March 1979 when the band played “Overkill” on Top of the Pops to support the release of the single ahead of the Overkill album, which was released on 24 March. It became Motörhead’s first album to break into the top 40 of the UK Albums chart, reaching number 24, with the single reaching number 39 on the UK Singles A year later the band were working on their 23

of the best known logos around the world, is the fanged ace that serves as the symbol of Motörhead. Collaborating with Lemmy to create this iconic masterpiece, artist Joe Petagno drew it in 1977 for the cover of the band’s debut album. Petagno stated: “The inspiration came from just being a naturally pissed off bastard! And Lemmy is the same way! So it was bound to be an alchemal wedding of a more ‘primordial nature’. I did a lot of research on skull types and found an x-breed gorilla-wolf-dog combination would work nicely with some oversized boars horns. Lemmy added helmet, chains, spit, spikes and grit.”

But before that, there had to be a band. A band that would NOT be called Bastard (this was the early front-runner for a name!) and a band to be formed in 1975 by bassist, singer and songwriter Ian Frazer Kilmister, AKA, Lemmy. Lemmy had been fired from Hawkwind in May 1975 for, as he says, “ oing the wrong drugs”. He was arrested on suspicion of possessing cocaine at the Canadian border and spent five days in prison, causing the band to cancel some of their North America tour dates. Now on his own, Lemmy decided to form his own band and call them Motörhead, inspired by the final song he had written for Hawkwind. Lemmy always concentrated on very basic music: loud, fast, raucous, rock n roll... By April 1977, living in squats and with little recognition, and after some debate, the band agreed to do a farewell show at the Marquee Club in London. Lemmy had become acquainted with Ted Carroll from Chiswick Records and asked him to bring a mobile studio to the show to record it for posterity. Carroll was unable to get the mobile unit to the 22

Marquee Club but showed up backstage after the gig and offered two days at Escape Studios with producer Speedy Keen to record a single. The band took the chance, and instead of recording a single they laid down 11 unfinished tracks. Carroll gave them a few more days at Olympic Studios to finish the vocals and the band completed 13 tracks for release as an album. Chiswick issued the single “Motörhead” in June, followed by the album Motörhead in August, which spent one week in the UK Albums Chart at number 43. The band toured the UK supporting Hawkwind in June, then from late July they commenced the ‘Beyond the Threshold of Pain’ tour with The Count Bishops. The 1976–1982 Motörhead line up: Lemmy Kilmister, Phil “Philthy Animal” Taylor and “Fast” Eddie Clarke In September 1978, the single “Louie Louie” was issued peaking at number 68 on the UK Singles Chart, and the band toured the UK to promote it and appeared for the first time on BBC Television’s Top of the Pops on 25 October. Chiswick capitalized on this new level of success by re-issuing the debut album Motörhead on white vinyl through EMI Records. By this time, the standard of their performances had improved considerably, and the uncompromising nature of their music was beginning to garner a following from enthusiasts of both metal and punk. The single’s success led to the studio to record an album On 9 March 1979 when the band played “Overkill” on Top of the Pops to support the release of the single ahead of the Overkill album, which was released on 24 March. It became Motörhead’s first album to break into the top 40 of the UK Albums chart, reaching number 24, with the single reaching number 39 on the UK Singles A year later the band were working on their 23

next album, Bomber. It reached number 12 on the UK Albums Chart. On 1 December, it was followed by the “Bomber” single, which reached number 34 on the UK Singles Chart. The ‘Bomber’ Europe and UK tour followed, with support from Saxon. The stage show featured a spectacular aircraft bomber-shaped lighting rig. The title-track of the Bomber album was inspired by the Len Deighton novel Bomber, which was a real-time chronicle of an RAF bombing raid from the points of view of all concerned: from the RAF crews, the Luftwaffe, and the civilians on the ground.

During the ‘Bomber’ tour, United Artists put together tapes recorded during the Rockfield Studios sessions in 1975/6 and released them as the album On Parole, which peaked at number 65 on the UK Albums Chart in December.

recording Stand By Your Man, a cover version of the Tammy Wynette classic, in collaboration with Wendy O. Williams and the Plasmatics. Clarke felt that this compromised the band’s principles, refused to play on the recording and resigned, later forming his own band, Fastway. Lemmy and Taylor made numerous telephone calls to find a guitarist, including one to Brian Robertson, formerly with Thin Lizzy, who was recording a solo album in Canada. He agreed to help out and complete the tour with them. Robertson signed a one-album deal resulting in 1983’s Another Perfect Day and the two singles from it, “Shine” and “I Got Mine”.

...we are motorhead

After Robertson’s departure in 1983, the band received tapes from all over the world from potential guitarists. The group The “Ace of Spades” single was returned to the concept of released on 27 October 1980 as dual lead guitars by hiring una preview of the Ace of Spades knowns Würzel and Phil Campalbum, which followed on 8 Nobell (ex-Persian Risk). In February vember. The single reached #15 1984, the Lemmy, Campbell, Würand the album reached #4 on the UK zel and Taylor line-up recorded “Ace charts and reached gold. The album has of Spades” for the “Bambi” episode in the been described as “one of the British television series, The best metal albums by any band, Young Ones. Taylor quit the ever”.The band had more band after that recording, chart hits in 1981 with the causing releases St. Valentine’s Day Lemmy to quip: “Did I leave Massacre EP, their collaboration with Girlschool which them or did they leave me?” Before joining Motörhead, reached #5 on the UK Singles Chart in February; the Phil Campbell had met ex-Saxon drummer Pete Gill, live version of “Motörhead”, which reached #6 on the and the trio decided to call him to see if he would like UK Singles Chart in July; and the album it was taken to visit London. The try-outs went well and Gill was from, No Sleep ‘til Hammersmith, which reached #1 hired. During the sessions between 19 May and 25 on the UK Albums Chart in June. Between 26 and 28 May 1984 at Britannia Row Studios, London, the band January 1982, the band started recording their self-pro- recorded six tracks for the single’s B-side and a new duced new album. On 3 April the single “Iron Fist” album. The single “Killed by Death” was released on 1 was released, reaching #29 on the UK Singles Chart, September and reached #51 in the UK Singles Chart, followed by the parent album Iron Fist, the double album No Remorse released on 17 April and peaking at #6 was released on 15 September and on the UK Albums Chart. reached silver disc status, attaining the position of #14 in the UK AlClarke left as a consequence of the band bum charts.

and we play rock n’ roll!

24

top 20 metal

albums

25

next album, Bomber. It reached number 12 on the UK Albums Chart. On 1 December, it was followed by the “Bomber” single, which reached number 34 on the UK Singles Chart. The ‘Bomber’ Europe and UK tour followed, with support from Saxon. The stage show featured a spectacular aircraft bomber-shaped lighting rig. The title-track of the Bomber album was inspired by the Len Deighton novel Bomber, which was a real-time chronicle of an RAF bombing raid from the points of view of all concerned: from the RAF crews, the Luftwaffe, and the civilians on the ground.

During the ‘Bomber’ tour, United Artists put together tapes recorded during the Rockfield Studios sessions in 1975/6 and released them as the album On Parole, which peaked at number 65 on the UK Albums Chart in December.

recording Stand By Your Man, a cover version of the Tammy Wynette classic, in collaboration with Wendy O. Williams and the Plasmatics. Clarke felt that this compromised the band’s principles, refused to play on the recording and resigned, later forming his own band, Fastway. Lemmy and Taylor made numerous telephone calls to find a guitarist, including one to Brian Robertson, formerly with Thin Lizzy, who was recording a solo album in Canada. He agreed to help out and complete the tour with them. Robertson signed a one-album deal resulting in 1983’s Another Perfect Day and the two singles from it, “Shine” and “I Got Mine”.

...we are motorhead

After Robertson’s departure in 1983, the band received tapes from all over the world from potential guitarists. The group The “Ace of Spades” single was returned to the concept of released on 27 October 1980 as dual lead guitars by hiring una preview of the Ace of Spades knowns Würzel and Phil Campalbum, which followed on 8 Nobell (ex-Persian Risk). In February vember. The single reached #15 1984, the Lemmy, Campbell, Würand the album reached #4 on the UK zel and Taylor line-up recorded “Ace charts and reached gold. The album has of Spades” for the “Bambi” episode in the been described as “one of the British television series, The best metal albums by any band, Young Ones. Taylor quit the ever”.The band had more band after that recording, chart hits in 1981 with the causing releases St. Valentine’s Day Lemmy to quip: “Did I leave Massacre EP, their collaboration with Girlschool which them or did they leave me?” Before joining Motörhead, reached #5 on the UK Singles Chart in February; the Phil Campbell had met ex-Saxon drummer Pete Gill, live version of “Motörhead”, which reached #6 on the and the trio decided to call him to see if he would like UK Singles Chart in July; and the album it was taken to visit London. The try-outs went well and Gill was from, No Sleep ‘til Hammersmith, which reached #1 hired. During the sessions between 19 May and 25 on the UK Albums Chart in June. Between 26 and 28 May 1984 at Britannia Row Studios, London, the band January 1982, the band started recording their self-pro- recorded six tracks for the single’s B-side and a new duced new album. On 3 April the single “Iron Fist” album. The single “Killed by Death” was released on 1 was released, reaching #29 on the UK Singles Chart, September and reached #51 in the UK Singles Chart, followed by the parent album Iron Fist, the double album No Remorse released on 17 April and peaking at #6 was released on 15 September and on the UK Albums Chart. reached silver disc status, attaining the position of #14 in the UK AlClarke left as a consequence of the band bum charts.

and we play rock n’ roll!

24

top 20 metal

albums

25

venom black metal

iron maiden number of the beast bathory bathory

slayer reign in blood

1982

meryful fate dont break the oath

1984

racer x street lethal

1984 1986

motorhead ace of spades

king diamond abigail 1987

1980

megadeth rust in peace

1990

judas priest painkiller

1990

venom black metal

iron maiden number of the beast bathory bathory

slayer reign in blood

1982

meryful fate dont break the oath

1984

racer x street lethal

1984 1986

motorhead ace of spades

king diamond abigail 1987

1980

megadeth rust in peace

1990

judas priest painkiller

1990

b.l.s mafia

metallica ride the lightning

1984

pantera

cowboys from hell

black sabbath paranoid 1970

black sabbath 13

black sabbath black sabbath

dio holy diver

metal church metal church

2013

1983

ozzy osbourne blizzard of oz 1981

1970

1985 1976

rainbow rising

b.l.s mafia

metallica ride the lightning

1984

pantera

cowboys from hell

black sabbath paranoid 1970

black sabbath 13

black sabbath black sabbath

dio holy diver

metal church metal church

2013

1983

ozzy osbourne blizzard of oz 1981

1970

1985 1976

rainbow rising

own it on september, 4th, 2015!

own it on september, 4th, 2015!

crobot

motorhead top 20

Black Sabbath

THE END IS NEAR! Final Tour in 2016 Check out the HISTORY and DISCOGRAPHY of

black Sabbath Motorhead CELEBRATE WITH LEMMY AS

he embarks on his

40th

Anniversary