Geezer Butler: Back in Black

Black Sabbath’s Ronnie James Dio-fronted Heaven and Hell and Mob Rules Albums Get Deluxe Edition Remasters

Geezer Butler: Back in Black

Black Sabbath’s Ronnie James Dio-fronted Heaven and Hell and Mob Rules Albums Get Deluxe Edition Remasters

Black Sabbath performing in the 80'sIn 1978, Black Sabbath was running on fumes. Internal turmoil, exacerbated by years of drug and alcohol abuse, was literally tearing the band apart. Guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler and drummer Bill Ward had even tried to replace their iconic frontman, Ozzy Osbourne, with former Savoy Brown vocalist Dave Walker. Instead, they rallied for one more go-round, 1978’s Never Say Die! [Vertigo], a mixed affair, equally loved and loathed. But dig it or despise it, one thing was certain: the album would be Sabbath’s ’70s swan song with Ozzy.  A year later, in the immediate aftermath of Never Say Die! tour, during which they were historically upstaged by Van Halen every night, Sabbath rented a house in Beverly Hills. There they started writing and recording what was presumed to be another Ozzy-fronted record, when into their lives walked American singer and former Rainbow frontman, Ronnie James Dio. Ironically, he and Iommi were introdu
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