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Cyrille Renouvin _yrille_enouvin — This slim volume is an oral history on everyone’s favorite devil rockers, Black Sabbath. There’s a lot of Bill Ward rambling away in his lovable fashion. He’s better to watch being interviewed than read, but it’s still pretty entertaining. Obviously, the book is light on details. It’s kind of like skimming someone’s career as you would skim a book. Highlights, if you will. One of the interesting things about this book are the many, many grey boxes containing a list of the various Black Sabbath lineups that formed and unformed (deformed?) through the years. I should mention I have heard nothing after Born Again. Wait, no, I remember I bought Seventh Star, took it home, did not like it and traded it for something else. Probably some Maiden or something. But, full disclosure, as much as I dig the Ronnie James Dio (except Dehumanizer, which I have not heard) and Ian Gillan stuff, the rest is of no use to me and I won’t attempt to comment on the relative quality of any of it. Anyway, since it’s all there in black and grey, let’s take a look at the Black Sabbath lineup dance from 1968ish to 1998ish: Ozzy Osbourne: vocals Tony Iommi: guitar Geezer Butler: bass Bill Ward: drums That’s the easy one. That’s also the best one. That’s also, I would argue, the only one. When they got Dio back in the fold for the third time, they decided to call it Heaven And Hell. Good call, ‘cause the only Sabbath that really Sabbathed was Black Sabbath and that’s Ozzy, Tony, Billy and Geez. Technical Ecstasy is kind of a mess and Never Say Die is a lot better than Technical Ecstasy, but those first six Sabbath LPs, the self titled one through Sabotage, are the prize. That’s where all these bands got their influence from, the blueprint to a thousand bands. Ten thousand. A hundred thousand. You get the point. Dave Walker: vocals Tony Iommi: guitar Geezer Butler: bass Bill Ward: drums This lineup was actually between the recording of Technical Ecstasy in 1976 and Never Say Die in 1978. It is noted that, “This version of Black Sabbath made no released recordings.” Walker started in The Redcaps, joined the Idle Race in 1970, left to join Savoy Brown in 1971, joined Fleetwood Mac (pre Lindsey and Stevie) then joined former Fleetwood Mac-er Danny Kirwan in Hungry Fighter and- no, no, stop right there. Once you’re in a band called Hungry Fighter, Danny Kirwan or no, your legacy is at its nadir. Moving right along… Ronnie James Dio: vocals Tony Iommi: guitar Geezer Butler: bass Bill Ward: drums Geoff Nicholls: keyboards This lineup recorded Heaven And Hell and was evidence of the success of Sabbath without Ozzy. Dio was the right man for he job. This is good stuff, ladies and gentlemen. Good stuff, indeed. It is noted Geoff Nichols is not listed as a full member of the band. Quite a bit was made in this volume regarding acknowledgement of Nicholls’ membership in Black Sabbath. Ronnie James Dio: vocals Tony Iommi: guitar Geezer Butler: bass Vinny Appice: drums Geoff Nicholls: keyboards This is the lineup that recorded Mob Rules and Live Evil. Bill couldn’t make it and that’s too bad because he was so integral, so vitally important to what Black Sabbath was. But he had some things going on so in comes Vinny. All concerned parties should, by now, be well aware that Ronnie was in Elf before hooking up with Deep Purple guitar grump, Ritchie Blackmore, in Rainbow, but some may not be aware that Vinny played with Rick Derringer and John Lennon! Ian Gillan: vocals Tony Iommi: guitar Geezer Butler: bass Vinny Appice: drums Geoff Nicholls: keyboards Ron and Vinny leave to form Dio. Deep Purple singer, Ian Gillan joins for the recording of Born Again. Born Again has gotten a lot of flack since its release in 1983. I went to the music section of Fred Meyer in Richland many times, looking at the demon baby on the cover, trying to get up the gumption to just buy the damned thing. Finally, I did and I was pleased. My mother not so much; she hated that album cover. Not as much as she hated the Hellhammer album cover, though! As maligned as this album is, it is wonderful. It’s at least as good as the Dio stuff and for all the same reasons. In fact, it trumps Mob Rules because, hey, who’s that behind the kit for Born Again? Bill Ward. They found out he was sober and they were, like, “Hey, let’s get Bill. Good ol’ Bill.” Well, Bill kicks butt on Born Again. And Ian Gillan is one of the best rock singers, ever. Ian Gillan: vocals Tony Iommi: guitar Geezer Butler: bass Bev Bevan: drums Geoff Nicholls: keyboards Bev Bevan was a member of The Move (!) and, before and after his time with Sabbath, ELO (?). He was brought in for the Born Again tour because, well, Mr. Ward was having some more problems. Fine. Understandable. Moving on… Dave Donato: vocals Tony Iommi: guitar Geezer Butler: bass Geoff Nicholls: keyboards I don’t understand how this constitutes a lineup, as there is no drummer. Ian Gillan went back to reform Deep Purple and Mr. Bevan goes back to ELO. I can see why Mr. Gillan did what he did but… ELO? Really? I don’t know what Dave Donato did before Sabbath but he went on to join White Tiger with former Kiss guitarist, Mark St. John. Ozzy Osbourne: vocals Tony Iommi: guitar Geezer Butler: bass Bill Ward: drums Wait, hold up. They’re back together? The original lineup? Oh, no, wait, it’s just for Live Aid. Then Iommi formed a whole new Black Sabbath lineup: Glenn Huges: vocals Tony Iommi: guitar Dave Spitz: bass Eric Singer: drums Geoff Nicholls: keyboards Apparently, this lineup was meant to be a Tony Iommi solo band but instead called themselves Black Sabbath and recorded Seventh Star. As I said, I owned Seventh Star once but can’t remember a riff, lick or drum fill off the thing. Dave Spitz, incidentally, is the older brother of Anthrax guitarist, Dan Spitz and was nicknamed “The Beast.” Glenn Hughes replaced Roger Glover in Deep Purple when Glover and Gillan left (Gillan being replaced by David Coverdale). Ray Gillen: vocals Tony Iommi: guitar Dave Spitz: bass Eric Singer: drums Geoff Nicholls: keyboards Ray is no relation to Ian. Their last names are even spelled differently. There is some confusion, however, because Ian Gillan is listed as singer for this lineup and is referred to in the accompanying text. When I first read this book in 1998, this was pretty difficult to comprehend. Ray Gillen was brought in to replace Mr. Hughes, who went off to do a bunch of nutty stuff. Then Dave Spitz leaves and you get: Tony Martin: vocals Tony Iommi: guitar Bob Daisley: bass Eric Singer: drums Geoff Nicholls: keyboards I don’t know where Tony Martin came from but he went on to sing for a lot of bands. Eric Singer joined Sabbath after a stint with Lita Ford and would go on to drum for Alice Cooper and Kiss. Bob Daisley is Australian. He was in Mungo Jerry after they had their hit. He ended up in Ozzy’s band, got fired (along with drummer Lee Kerslake) and (with Kerslake) sued Sharon Osbourne’s pops (Don Arden) then Ozzy and Sharon over performance royalties. So what did the Osbournes do? They deleted the records in the back catalog that featured Daisley and Kerslake (don't worry, it was just Blizzard Of Oz and Diary Of A Madman, y'know, the two most classic Ozzy albums ever) and had Mike Bordin (Faith No More) and Robert Trujillo (every band since 1990) come in and re-record the drums and bass, respectively. Daisley and Kerslake’s case was then thrown out of court. That’s how far the Osbournes went to not have to pay Daisley and Kerslake. I’m not sure which is the bigger crime, ripping these guys off or essentially destroying those LPs for future generations who won’t know better. Well, they wouldn’t know better except for boring, old music geeks like myself. Y’know, “Get the vinyl! Make sure you download the ‘bootleg’ and not that horrid re-recording!” But it’s indicative of a pattern that, if you study the matter, reveals itself over time. It’s a pattern that involves the Osbournes being rather rude to the help. Bill gets it in a bit, just you wait. Anyway, let’s get back to the Sabbath member parade… Tony Martin: vocals Tony Iommi: guitar Bob Daisley: bass Bev Bevan: drums Geoff Nicholls: keyboards Eric goes off to join Badlands with Ray Gillen, not Ian Gillan, as the text states. Whoever proofread this thing probably never even heard of Black Sabbath. Anyway, off goes Eric and in comes Bev. Again. Somehow, the last three lineups managed to record Eternal Idol. Tony Martin: vocals Tony Iommi: guitar Jo Burt: bass Terry Chimes: drums Geoff Nicholls: keyboards Daisley goes off to noodle around with Gary Moore. He is replaced by Jo Burt, who, at various times in his career, was bassist for The Troggs, The Sweet, Brian Setzer and so forth. He is now in The Jo Burt Experience, who’s sound he describes as, “Nashville rock with an English accent.” Tra la la. This lineup tours to support Eternal Idol. And, no, that’s not a typo; Terry Chimes of The Clash played drums. Imagine that. Tony Martin: vocals Tony Iommi: guitar Geoff Nicholls: bass Terry Chimes: drums Several months later, this lineup plays a benefit show. Terry is still clashing away on drums but now Geoff, who no one has bothered to credit on record sleeves for his keyboard work, gallantly switches to bass because Jo Burt has wandered off. Tony Martin: vocals Tony Iommi: guitar Laurence Cottle: bass Cozy Powell: drums Geoff Nicholls: keyboards This lineup comes to light several months after the benefit and records Headless Cross. Laurence Cottle was a jazz-fusion bassist previous to his hiring by Black Sabbath. Cozy Powell has played for The Jeff Beck Group, Whitesnake, Rainbow, Mike Schenker, all kinds of people. Tony Martin: vocals Tony Iommi: guitar Neil Murray: bass Cozy Powell: drums Geoff Nicholls: keyboards Laurence is replaced by Neil Murray, who is Scottish and has played bass with Whitesnake, Mikey Schenker, Brian May, Peter Green, etc. Even better, he was in a band called Gogmagog with former Iron Maidens Paul Di’Anno, Clive Burr and Pete Willis and current Iron Maiden Janick Gers but is somehow not related to Iron Maiden guitarist, Dave Murray. This lineup records Tyr. Tony Martin: vocals Tony Iommi: guitar Geezer Butler: bass Cozy Powell: drums Geoff Nicholls: keyboards Geezer’s back, but this lineup does not record or tour. Then Dio comes back: Ronnie James Dio: vocals Tony Iommi: guitar Geezer Butler: bass Cozy Powell: drums Geoff Nicholls: keyboards Cozy goes to get a sandwich. The guys were gonna’ wait for Cozy to get back before recording but the label said, I would imagine, something along the lines of, “Tony, seriously, who cares? How many drummers have been in Black Sabbath? Just get another one and get on with it!” Ronnie James Dio: vocals Tony Iommi: guitar Geezer Butler: bass Vinny Appice: drums Geoff Nicholls: keyboards It’s the Mob Rules lineup! They record Dehumanizer and get set for worldwide domination. It couldn’t last. Ron found out they were supposed to open some show for Ozzy and said, “No way in heck, I’m out.” Rob Halford: vocals Tony Iommi: guitar Geezer Butler: bass Vinny Appice: drums Geoff Nicholls: keyboards Rob Halford stepped in and opened for Ozzy. Dio took his toys (and Vinny) and reformed Dio. Then, don’t look now… Ozzy Osbourne: vocals Tony Iommi: guitar Geezer Butler: bass Bill Ward: drums It’s Black Sabbath! Alright! What are they gonna’ do? Oh, just four songs at Ozzy’s retirement show? Huh. I guess that’s… neat. Now they’ve got that out of the way… Tony Martin: vocals Tony Iommi: guitar Geezer Butler: bass Bobby Rondinelli: drums Geoff Nicholls: keyboards Bobby Rondinelli (Quiet Riot, Blue Oyster Cult, Rainbow) comes in on drums, Tony Martin’s back singin’ and these guys record Cross Purposes. After fourteen years in the band, Nicholls gets listed on the LP. Tony Martin: vocals Tony Iommi: guitar Geezer Butler: bass Bill Ward: drums Geoff Nicholls: keyboards Bobby quits. They get Bill back. They play South America. Tony and Geez have a lover’s quarrel. Tony Martin: vocals Tony Iommi: guitar Neil Murray: bass Cozy Powell: drums Geoff Nicholls: keyboards The Tyr lineup, back for more. They record Forbidden with Ernie C. (Ice-T’s Bodycount) in the producer’s chair. Tony Martin: vocals Tony Iommi: guitar Neil Murray: bass Bobby Rondinelli: drums Geoff Nicholls: keyboards Cozy suffers exhaustion and has to leave the tour. Bobby comes back and finishes out the tour. Nice one, Bobby. Then Ozzy (i.e. Sharon) invites Tony and Geez to play some Sabbath numbers with Oz at Ozzfest but NOT THAT AWFUL BILL WARD. Bill takes it like a gentleman. I don’t know what the deal was but it’s happening again. Sharon’s organizing a reunion of the “original lineup” but Bill won’t be participating. You can find out more online. I don’t know the whole story but I’ve heard it’s because they don’t want to pay him 25% of the earnings. If that’s the case, why wouldn’t he receive a quarter of the monies earned by this four piece band? I wonder what sort of percentage Tony and Geezer are getting. Y'know, for all the short shrift Mr. Ward has received over the years, his quotes account for about 50% of this book. That's partly 'cause he talks a lot, I guess, but still. He’s a nutter but he’s a talented nutter who was responsible, at least as much as his fellows, for the sound of Black Sabbath, for what Black Sabbath was and what they became in terms of cultural influence. So I find it disgusting that anyone would have the audacity to not bend over backward to make it possible for Bill Ward to be part of “this thing” because “this thing” is Black Sabbath and all that’s ever meant is Geezer Butler, Tony Iommi, Ozzy Osbourne and BILL f*cking WARD. That’s Black Sabbath. End of story. And I have to say, I think Tony Iommi using the name Black Sabbath to cover a “band” that went through something like twenty five lineup changes involving one guitarist, one keyboardist, nine vocalists, six bassists and seven drummers is at least suspect. I’ve had people argue, “More power to him for keeping the band together,” but he didn’t. He didn’t keep the band together at all. He did go out with Lita Ford for a while, though. I don’t know if that counts.

Victor Roman victoroman — I picked up this book in an airport between flights, it's been pretty hyped up and was obviously the most-purchased book from the store. Even the girl on the plane next to me, obviously not an english-speaker, took great efforts to tell me that she loved this book. The book's protagonist is an adolescent shepherd and reads as if it were written by one. Coelho abandons all subtlety, capitalizing the phrase "Personal Legend" and using it every other page in a story that has the ingredients of a successful fairy tale but stitches them together in such a barebones superficial way that reminds me of $1.50 starbucks cups wisdom or motivational stories told by commencement speakers with a religious agenda. It's initial message of 'follow your passion' is soon altered to 'the story of your life is written by the same hand who wrote the story of the world' and then to 'the heart of alchemy is the Soul of the World [sic] which all should strive to join.' 80 pages was more than fair. Very willing to sell/swap. Needless to say I didn't read any of the "Plus" aspects of this edition.