Your favorite Ozzy-era Black Sabbath album?

[TAC]

Come on, Childen of the Grave is one of the essential classic Sabbath tunes! So heavy and aggressive for the 70's decade. 

I have never cared for it. Ever. I think it's one of their most boring songs. It does nothing for me.

which DT played on some occasions during the I/W tour btw. I imagine it worked whenever they played it.

I don't have any recollection of that and I can't remember ever hearing it on a boot.

[Stadler]

Here's a hot take for you (but I'm being sincere):  EVERY Ozzy record - except for Masters of Reality, which is my least favorite Ozzy-era Sabbath record - is better than every Dio Sabbath record, except for Heaven And Hell.    I actually LOVE Technical Ecstasy and Never Say Die.  I love that trebly sound that Iommi gets on those records.  Before he became the "Riffmaster General" and everything had to be bludgeoning (which is what I find most of the Dio-era material to be like, AFTER Heaven and Hell). 

[Art]

My ranking of all Sabbath's studio albums:
1 - Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
2 - Mob Rules
3 - Master Of Reality
4 - Tyr
5 - Heaven And Hell
6 - Headless Cross
7 - Born Again
8 - Black Sabbath
9 - Sabotage
10 - Dehumanizer
11 - Eternal Idol
12 - Vol. 4
13 - Paranoid
14 - Seventh Star
15 - 13
16 - Cross Purposes
17 - Never Say Die
18 - Technical Ecstasy
19 - Forbidden

[Trav86]

Eternal Idol is the only Martin-era album I've ever heard.  And I think it was only once.  Seventh Star isn't bad. No Stranger to Love is a good song.  I guess I should check out more of the Tony Martin stuff?

[Art]

I guess I should check out more of the Tony Martin stuff?

Yes.

[pg1067]

which DT played on some occasions during the I/W tour btw. I imagine it worked whenever they played it.

I don't have any recollection of that and I can't remember ever hearing it on a boot.

FWIW, setlist.fm (which I believe is consistent with MP's tourography) does not show DT as ever having played "Children of the Grave."


Since we're ranking Sabbath albums, I like the Ozzy albums mostly in their order of release, and I'm only familiar with one non-Ozzy/non-Dio album (although I recall a review of Tyr saying it should have been called Tired instead)...

1. Heaven and Hell
2. Paranoid
3. Mob Rules
4. Black Sabbath
5. Dehumanizer
6. Master of Reality
7T. Sabotage
7T. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
9. Vol. 4
10. The Eternal Idol
11. Never Say Die
12. Technical Ecstasy

[Orbert]

Here's a hot take for you (but I'm being sincere):  EVERY Ozzy record - except for Masters of Reality, which is my least favorite Ozzy-era Sabbath record - is better than every Dio Sabbath record, except for Heaven And Hell.

This is pretty much me, although "better" is obviously subjective.  As for what actually gets played, it matches up.

I grew up on old-school Sabbath, so even though I'm kinda burnt out on Ozzy's voice, it still doesn't sound like "real Sabbath" to me without him.  But I do love Dio's voice, more than Ozzy's really, so Heaven and Hell fucking rules.  For me, it was the perfect combination.  Somehow, however, I didn't stick them any further than that.

[wolfking]

Eternal Idol is the only Martin-era album I've ever heard.  And I think it was only once.  Seventh Star isn't bad. No Stranger to Love is a good song.  I guess I should check out more of the Tony Martin stuff?

Headless Cross and TYR.......go!

[Stadler]

Eternal Idol is the only Martin-era album I've ever heard.  And I think it was only once.  Seventh Star isn't bad. No Stranger to Love is a good song.  I guess I should check out more of the Tony Martin stuff?

Headless Cross and TYR.......go!

Cross Purposes slays them both (it's got Geezer, too!) and I actually don't mind Forbidden after "The Illusion of Power"; "Can't Get Close Enough" and "Rusty Angels" are good tunes.   

[TAC]

yeah, I was going to say, my favorite is easily Cross Purposes.

[robbob]

Went with Paranoid, hard to deny War Pigs, Faries, Iron Man, Electric Funeral.

Close second was Sabbath Bloody Sabbath. Killing Yourself to Live is one of their best, unknown tunes. Love the title track too amongst others on this great album.

[wolfking]

Yeah, Cross Purposes is stellar too, but I just like the consistency of the other two more.  Cross Purposes seems a bit up and down in its quality IMO.

[jjrock88]

I'm interested to see what's on the upcoming Forbidden deluxe edition that Tony is working on.  And I'm assuming Headless Cross, Tyr and Cross Purposes are on deck.  It would be cool if he brought in Martin to record something new

[wolfking]

I'm interested to see what's on the upcoming Forbidden deluxe edition that Tony is working on.  And I'm assuming Headless Cross, Tyr and Cross Purposes are on deck.  It would be cool if he brought in Martin to record something new

Are these different to the ones released a few years ago?

Forbidden is pretty decent.  I Won't Cry For You, Shaking off the Chains, Forbidden and Kiss of Death all up there with the top tier Martin era songs.  Special mention to possibly my fav song, the bonus track Loser Gets it All.  Check it out if you haven't heard it.

[Stadler]

From what I understand, there were two-disk deluxe versions of Heaven and Hell, Mob Rules, Born Again, Seventh Star, Eternal Idol and Dehumanizer.   I didn't know Forbidden was next (I figured they may go chronologically) but in my book, they are must haves.  Compared to Ozzy/Sharon (who left off stuff, like "You Said It All", from the Blizzard deluxe versions), they've been pretty thorough and complete in putting b-sides and stuff on there.   

I haven't done a detailed comparison of the sound, but generally they sound pretty good (Born Again is a sure improvement over previous releases).

[jjrock88]

The only Sabbath ones remaining to get the deluxe treatment were Forbidden, Headless Cross, Tyr and Cross Purposes.

I read Tony was working on Forbidden right now and remixing it.  I would say this is easily my least favorite of the Tony Martin albums.

[Podaar]

Because of the song Sabbath Bloody Sabbath I voted SBS, but just barely over Sabotage.

[El Barto]

Eternal Idol is the only Martin-era album I've ever heard.  And I think it was only once.  Seventh Star isn't bad. No Stranger to Love is a good song.  I guess I should check out more of the Tony Martin stuff?

Headless Cross and TYR.......go!

Cross Purposes slays them both (it's got Geezer, too!) and I actually don't mind Forbidden after "The Illusion of Power"; "Can't Get Close Enough" and "Rusty Angels" are good tunes.

Cross Purposes was tolerable, whereas Forbidden was shit. And I say this as a huge Tony Martin Sabbath fan. The first three really kill the next two (and not virtually). I Witness is the only song that really stood out to me from CP.

What I can say is that when I listen to Sabbath it's mostly split between three Martin albums and three Ozzy albums. The rest of them I'll listen to bits and pieces of but that's about it.

[Stadler]

The only Sabbath ones remaining to get the deluxe treatment were Forbidden, Headless Cross, Tyr and Cross Purposes.

I read Tony was working on Forbidden right now and remixing it.  I would say this is easily my least favorite of the Tony Martin albums.

Well, of the post-Ozzy records.  They never did deluxe versions of Vol. 4 through Never Say Die.  (And I don't say that to be a smart-ass know-it-all, but rather to plant the bug in someone's ear; I'd LOVE to have those redone.  Put some live stuff on there, put the Dave Walker stuff on there...).

[Stadler]

Eternal Idol is the only Martin-era album I've ever heard.  And I think it was only once.  Seventh Star isn't bad. No Stranger to Love is a good song.  I guess I should check out more of the Tony Martin stuff?

Headless Cross and TYR.......go!

Cross Purposes slays them both (it's got Geezer, too!) and I actually don't mind Forbidden after "The Illusion of Power"; "Can't Get Close Enough" and "Rusty Angels" are good tunes.

Cross Purposes was tolerable, whereas Forbidden was shit. And I say this as a huge Tony Martin Sabbath fan. The first three really kill the next two (and not virtually). I Witness is the only song that really stood out to me from CP.

What I can say is that when I listen to Sabbath it's mostly split between three Martin albums and three Ozzy albums. The rest of them I'll listen to bits and pieces of but that's about it.

I'm partial to both of those, because I saw both those tours, almost exactly one year apart, and in the same venue with the same opening act (Motorhead).  The CP show was noticeably better - Geezer vs. Neil Murray, plus Tony had a bad cold that night (both shows were in February and at least the second one was during a wicked snow storm).   

[IDontNotDoThings]

1. Paranoid
(Heaven And Hell)
2. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
3. Self-Titled
(Mob Rules)
4. Vol. 4
5. Sabotage
6. Technical Ecstacy
7. Master Of Reality
8. Never Say Die!
(Born Again)

The rest I haven't heard

[?]

My top 4:

Master of Reality
Paranoid
SBS
Sabotage