Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath Story Volume 1


Year of Release: 2002
Label: Sanctuary Records Group
Catalog Number: 88326
Format: DVD
Total Time: 85:00:00

[Keith reviewed both volumes of this series in one review, each is listed separately in the database ed.]

Black Sabbath, the original heavy metal gods, have been through their share of changes, so many since their inception in 1969 that it takes two volumes of DVDs for proper coverage of what the group has accomplished. The first disc covers the Ozzy Osbourne years, which were the best years. There is some great footage of the group playing live gigs overseas. ?Paranoid? and ?War Pigs? show how the Sabs were the undisputed inventors of Metal. Ozzy is in excellent voice up until the ?Sabotage? footage, were his voice sounded as if they were on the last leg of a tour. Ozzy's on and offstage antics are legendary and well documented over the years. He openly shares with the audience his love for cocaine as he keeps repeating it during many of the songs he sings. Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler are the main interview subjects and Ozzy is missing, which I found disappointing. However, the two soul mates of rock cover a lot of ground and give some insight into the original lineup's dynamics. Tony talks about how the new breed of guitar players use techniques that they learn by observing rather than using the old school methods, meaning that the technical players do not play from their hearts, it does not come from the inside where music is supposed to derive from. Tony's roots are blues and you can hear that influence strongly on the first self-titled album, particularly on ?Black Sabbath? You can actually hear Iommi go off into a jazz influenced guitar riff, something that you would never hear again on a Sabbath album.

For those of you that have often wondered how they came up with their name, they got it from a Boris Karloff film entitled Black Sabbath. They originally were a jazz-blues band called Polka Tulk, then later renamed Earth, and finally metamorphosing into the group we know today. Any other satanic symbolism that was created was done by the record label, like the inverted cross, and from there it just grew and grew, and it actually proved to be a successful facade that elevated their popularity. Bill Ward mentioned during a short interview piece that he believed in the original lineup so much that he vowed not to play with any other replacement members after Ozzy left, which he did shortly then those feelings became overwhelming, coupled with a drug addiction spelled the end for Ward with the group and then he went home. I remember after the release of the Never Say Die album there was a rumor that Oz had been booted out the group for his drunkard behavior, this however was not the case, but more on that later.

Sabbath, Bloody Sabbath was indeed their finest hour in the studio, in my opinion, which this DVD indicates as well. I played the shit out of that album. I remember my father bitching about it and telling me to turn it down, finally he got so pissed one day he stormed into my room and banged his fist on top of the album while it was spinning and I was horrified. This was the ultimate heavy metal album, complete with the dark and foreboding artwork on the cover. The band had reached the very pinnacle of their success and from that point on it was all downhill, a lot of times that is what happens when a group reaches that point and there is no where else to go and nothing more to accomplish, although their next album Technical Ecstasy was a decent recording. In a rare moment, Bill Ward sings a cut off that album called ?It's Alright,? which was a ballad and very much out of character for the group. The film is terribly fuzzy unfortunately. That is the only segment in both DVD's that was not top-notch quality.

Getting back to the Ozman's departure? According to Tony, he became bored and disinterested in the group, showed up a month into the very beginning of the Heaven And Hell sessions then quit. Ronnie James Dio stepped in admirably to take his place to record what I thought was an excellent album. Hence, the Dio era began and that is what the second DVD covers, the post Ozzy years. I saw the ?Black And Blue? tour that year, which featured Sabbath and BOC, but alas, I was too smashed and stoned to enjoy it or remember a thing. I also never saw the original Sabbath play live unfortunately. After Dio left, Ian Gillan of all people became their lead singer, but only for one album, thank god, titled Born Again, they should have titled it Died For Awhile instead. Just when you thought it could not get any worse, it did when Tony Martin, whom was a Dio rip-off, was their lead man for a few albums. That period was atrocious and better left forgotten. Ward was right on when he said the original band was a phenomena and it would not be the same when not all of them were together. The band was never the same after Ozzy left. Oz would go on to an enormously successful solo career and the others you never heard too much more about after the release of Dehumanizer, which was the reunion album with the Dio and Vinny Appice configuration. Now with the advent of remastered tracks and collections documenting their career popping up left and right they are enjoying a definite resurgence.

One only hopes that they could mend their ways and start a reunion album and tour. Well, they did try that but it did not work for long. In 1998, Reunion was released with live tracks and two new studio tracks. Nothing has jelled since then. Maybe it will happen some day. I grew up with this great band and I still enjoy their music. They certainly helped to make me more rambunctious while I was a teenager and now their effect on me is different yet the same, the heavy metal of Black Sabbath still pumps me up and provides many memories of my youth, and I find that very pleasing.

This volume first released in 1993 (on VHS) by Polygram (0883383); Sanctuary also released it on VHS in 2002


Tracklisting:
N.I.B. / Paranoid / War Pigs / Children Of The Grave / Snowblind / Sabbath Bloody Sabbath / Symptom Of The Universe / It's Alright / Rock 'N Roll Doctor / Never Say Die

Musicians:
Ozzy Osbourne - vocals
Geezer Butler - bass
Tony Iommi - guitar
Bill Ward - drums

Discography:
Black Sabbath (1970)
Paranoid (1971)
Master Of Reality (1971)
Black Sabbath, Vol 4 (1972)
Sabbath, Bloody Sabbath (1973)
Sabotage (1975)
Best Of Black Sabbath, Vol. 2 (1975)
We Sold Our Soul For Rock And Roll (1976)* Technical Ecstasy (1976)
Black Sabbath (1976)
Children Of The Grave (1976)
Never Say Die! (1978)
Heaven & Hell (1980)
Live At Last (1980)
Greatest Hits (1980)
The Mob Rules (1981)
Live Evil (1982)
Born Again (1983)
Seventh Star (1986)
Black Sabbath Greatest Hits (1986)
The Eternal Idol (1987)
We Sold Our Soul For Rock And Roll (1988)* Headless Cross (1989)
T Y R (1990)
Greatest Hits (1991)
Dehumanizer (1992)
The Collection (1992)
Cross Purposes (1994)
The Ozzy Osbourne Years (1994)
Black Sabbath (comp.) (1994)
20th Anniversary (1994)
Iron Main (1994)
The Ozzy Osbourne Years (1994)
Forbidden (1995)
Between Heaven & Hell 1970-1983 (1995)
Under Wheels Of Confusion: 1970-1987 (1996)
The Sabbath Stones (1996)
Greatest Hits (1996)
Rock Giants (1998)
Iron Man (1998)
Reunion (1998)
Best Of Ozzy Osbourne Years (1999)
Best Of Black Sabbath (2000)
Singles Box Set (2000)
Rock Champions (2001)
Complete 70's Replica CD Collection (2001)
Masters Of Rock (2002)
Symptom Of The Universe: The Original Black Sabbath 1970-1978 (2002)
Past Lives (2002)
Black Box: The Complete Original Black Sabbath 1970-1978 (2004)
Inside Black Sabbath: 1970-1992 (2005)
Greatest Hits 1970-1978 (2006)
Past Lives, Vol. 2 (2006)
Dead Or Alive (2006)
Dio Years (2007)
Live At Hammersmith Odeon (2007)
The Rules Of Hell (2008)
The Greatest Hits (2009)
Best Of Black Sabbath (2009)

Never Say Die (VHS/DVD) (1984/2003)
The Black Sabbath Story, Vol. 1: 1970-1978 (VHS/DVD) (1992/2002)
The Black Sabbath Story, Vol. 2: 1978-1992 (VHS/DVD) (1992/2002)
Ozzy Rules Budapest (DVD) (1998)
The Last Supper (DVD) (1999)
The Best Of Musikladen (DVD) (1999)
Cross Purposes (DVD) (2003)
Songs (DVD) (2003)
Critical Review 1970-1992 (DVD) (2005)
Black And Blue (DVD) (2005)
Rock Review: A Critical Retrospective (2005)
Critical Review: Paranoid (2006)
Total Rock Review (2006)
Black Sabbath In Their Own Words (2007)
Up Close & Personal (2007)
Children Of The Grave (DVD) (2008)
In Concert (DVD) (2008)
Madman Alive In Athens (DVD) (2008)

Genre: Rock

Origin UK

Added: December 2nd 2002
Reviewer: Keith "Muzikman" Hannaleck
Score:
Artist website: www.blacksabbath.com
Hits: 2060
Language: english

  

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