ALBUM (1980)
Heaven and Hell Black Sabbath (Vertigo)
During what was billed as the 'Black and Blue' tour at New York's Madison Square Garden in 1980, it seemed as if every derelict in the city was crammed in to see Blue Oyster Cult and Black Sabbath. Marijuana smoke sat high in the tiers like a cloud, and many concert-goers claimed they saw people thrown off the balconies.
While Judas Priest were carving their own niche in Britain and AC/DC's massive ascent was just around the corner, Blue Oyster Cult and Black Sabbath were the ultimate in dark, dangerous metal. Taking to the stage, though, the groups seemed to have more in common with Spinal Tap than anything else. The Cult's 12-metre Godzilla, unveiled during the signature song of the same name, did little except sport bright red lights for eyes. As for Sabbath, giant crosses spread over the stage looked like they were about to tumble over due to the massive bass vibrations.
Long Island's Blue Oyster Cult certainly had their fans, but everyone wanted to see how newcomer Ronnie James Dio would fare. After all, the former Elf and Rainbow singer was taking over from Ozzy Osbourne, responsible for barking out such Black Sabbath classics as Paranoid, War Pigs and, of course, Sweet Leaf. Yet if you asked audience members, most were there because the ninth and latest Black Sabbath album, Heaven and Hell, just seemed so classic.
That sense started with the cover. Things don't get more sinister than three angels smoking cigarettes. Lynn Curlee, who also did some of Blue Oyster Cult's covers, was commissioned for this one and based it on her painting Smoking Angels.
Then there were the eight epic songs. For many, Osbourne's departure due to alcohol and drug issues, combined with declining sales, meant Sabbath was dead. But Tony Iommi's monstrous, arena-ready guitar riffs and a singer who waxed lyrical about 'circles and rings, dragons and kings', breathed new life into the beast.
The opening song, Neon Knights, has it all. Front and centre is Iommi with a fast, bass-like riff that set a template for many 1980s hair-metal bands to follow. Keeping up is Bill Ward on drums (later replaced by Dio's friend Vinny Appice, due to alcohol issues) and the always dependable Geezer Butler on bass.
Dio kept the mysticism going throughout. On the up-tempo follow-up, Lady Evil, he would set the scene by describing 'a place just south of Witches' Valley'. During the prototypical speedy and riffy metal song Die Young, which launched a thousand imitators, he would sing of 'life's fantasy' where you have to live for today because 'tomorrow never comes'.
The epic seven-minute title track is the ultimate example of what made this new edition of Black Sabbath such a potent force. The song transforms slowly from soft classical guitar into a tempo where all musical hell breaks loose and back again. Dio handles the vocal transitions with ease as he sings about the 'heaven and hell' that exists inside everyone.
Dio stood just 1.62 metres, but his command of the stage, conviction in his words and powerful vocal range made everyone forget about Ozzy Osbourne that night. And once everyone dodged members of the Hell's Angels on the way out, Dio, his voice and charisma were on the minds of the 18,000 psyched fans who knew they had just witnessed the rebirth of Black Sabbath.
That version of the group only lasted for one more studio album, but their impact on the metal world was huge. Heaven and Hell would be a mainstay of Dio's solo shows and, due to legal issues, the reunited members of Black Sabbath even renamed themselves that for their studio album and tour last year. As for Dio, who died of stomach cancer last month aged 67 with Butler at his side, he's now no doubt singing his own words, 'The lover of life's not a sinner/The ending is just a beginner', in one place or another.
