Ozzy’s Speak of the Devil still sounds great today.”ĭr. The truth is, the only great Sabbath live album isnt even a Sabbath album. It’s like he is bored with them and he appeases the singer in himself. Uncle Meat: “As good as Dio was as a singer, I never really liked some of his takes on Ozzy Sabbath songs.
I asked two of my esteemed Sausagefest rock scholar friends for their opinion on it, to make sure we’ve covered all the bases. Live Evil remained a controversial album for a decade after its releasing, dividing fan and band opinions. Shame that this was the last album of the original Dio era, but of course Dio and the band felt there needed to be additional chapters later on. (But don’t let that stop you from tracking down a vinyl copy so you can see it in its 12×12 glory!) This is one of Sabbath’s all-time best covers (perhaps second only to their first album) and it definitely shines in this edition. There are ample and interesting liner notes, and the front cover looks absolutely stunning. Dio talks a lot between songs and that’s part of the album. Since this is a 2CD set, all the between-song banter that was deleted on single disc versions has been restored. The remastered edition allows us to hear with real clarity every massive note, and his bass is like a jolt of caffeine to the brain! The fact is that Dio made it work live as best he could, and that’s commendable. Two completely different singers with their own personalities. Not to say they’re bad, they’re just…different. Basically, all the Dio-era material here is excellent, while the Ozzy-era stuff leaves you feeling just a little bit underwhelmed. This version, melded with a long extended “Heaven and Hell”, is among the very best moments in Dio’s career. The set list for this album was pretty cool, including Mob Rules favourites “Voodoo” and an absolutely killer “Sign of the Southern Cross”. (Appice also gets a drum solo on “War Pigs” thunderous but not necessary.) But I’ve yet to hear any lineup that can do that song as well as the original album version, including the reunited (1997-2012) Sabbath with Ozzy and Bill. Ward played it very subtle, almost tribal, and Vinny plays it straight ahead. I also find that Vinny Appice just can’t cop the vibe that Bill Ward got on the drums. Find out I’m the chosen one…oh no, please God help me!”) Dio camps it up quite a bit, which is not my personal preference. (“What is this that stands before me? Figure in black which points at me. Ozzy sounded genuinely disturbed and terrified on “Black Sabbath”. It is true most singers that Sabbath have had couldn’t do the Ozzy material convincingly. Well, until Dio’s heartbreaking 2010 death, that is. “Dio sucks!” or “Dio rules!” Today we all have the perspective to know that you can have both Ozzy and Dio, like having your cake and eating it too. This remastered edition of the CD leaves me with few qualms about the sound.īack in the 80’s and 90’s, you used to see a lot of fan rivalry.
There was also apparently a lot of behind the scenes bitching about instrument levels and whatnot that supposedly lead to the disintegration of the band.
Black Sabbath didn’t do much with live keyboards in the original Ozzy era, but they were a part of every Sabbath lineup since. In the end though, it’s part of the scenery. The audible keyboards in the middle of a heavy metal song like “Neon Nights” do take a little getting used to, admittedly. When Iommi takes a guitar solo, the gap is filled by bassist Geezer Butler and keyboardist Geoff Nicholls. Some folks may not enjoy that live, there’s only one guitar. Hard to believe that their first “official” live release was with Ronnie James Dio at the mic and not Ozzy Osbourne! This infamous live album was the last thing Sabbath did before Dio left (the first time) and it’s actually a lot better than people generally give it credit for. Live Evil: Not only a palindrome, but also the last gasp of the Dio/Appice/Iommi/Butler lineup of Black Sabbath. BLACK SABBATH – Live Evil (1982 Warner, 2008 Rhino)
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