Black Sabbath FAQ: All That's Left to Know on the First Name in Metal

by Martin Popoff

Overview

(FAQ). Unlike any Sabbath book thus far, Black Sabbath FAQ digs deep into quirks, obscure anecdotes, and burning questions surrounding the Sabs. In a fast-moving, topical format, this book covers a tremendous amount of information, delectable to any Sabbath fan, but hard to find in a traditional biography. This rich history lives and breathes and shouts right here. And the voice behind it could not be stronger: Martin Popoff is a heavy metal expert who has authored over 30 books on the subject, including Doom Let Loose , which is widely considered the definitive biography of the band. In Black Sabbath FAQ , Popoff is like a rabid detective unearthing (and sometimes debunking) ancient lore, valiantly covering new ground, applying academic rigor, but then wildly sounding off with lurid opinion. The pendulum swings, and, though disoriented, the serious Sabbath studier is better for it come the book's doomy conclusion. Dozens of images of rare memorabilia make this book a must-have for fans.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780879309572
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	05/01/2011
Series:	FAQ
Pages:	418
Sales rank:	730,010
Product dimensions:	6.16(w) x 8.82(h) x 0.98(d)

About the Author

Martin Popoff (Toronto, Ontario) has written 30 books on heavy metal, classic rock, and record collecting, including biographies on Rush, UFO, Rainbow, Judas Priest, Deep Purple, Blue Oyster Cult, and Black Sabbath. At approximately 9 000 published record reviews, Martin has (unofficially) written more record reviews than anybody living or passed on. Martin is currently working on a 16-episode documentary on heavy metal for VH1 Classic.

Table of Contents

Foreword ix

Acknowledgments xiii

Introduction xv

1 "Well, we can't Tell You That. "Black Sabbath Sign with Vertigo Records 1

2 "Oh My God--What Is That Sound?! ":Sabbath's Early Influences 12

What Is This That Stands Before Me? Important Dates in Sabbath History: The '70s 32

3 Major & Minors: Those Who Sang for Black Sabbath 40

4 Bonham and Ozzy Used to Be the Loudest Two": A Chat with Norman Hood 44

5 "I'm the Witchfinder General!" Black Sabbath Inspire a Genre Called Doom Metal 54

6 "I Don't Hear a Single." The Top 40 Obscure Sabbath Tracks 64

7 Creepy Competition: Black Sabbath, Black Widow... What's the Difference? 76

8 Wicked World: Geezer the Peacenik: Geezer Butler on War 87

9 "The Opening Act on That Show Was Bruce Springsteen" Bands Who Shared Bills with Sabbath Early On 99

10 Thrilling Billing: Black Sabbath's Tour Mates Through History 101

11 "Our New Single ... This Is Called 'Supetyzar' Everybody Sing Along! Songs Black Sabbath Have Never Played Live 111

12 "Oh No, You're Not Buying That! "The Story Behind the sabbath Bloody Sabbath Cover Art 115

13 Runnin' with the Devil: Black Sabbath's Controversial 1978 Tour with Van Halen 127

14 Black Sabbath's Knob Jobs: The Sabbath Albums Ranked by Sound Quality 138

15 The Infamous Black and Blue Tour: Black Sabbath Versus Blue Oyster Cult 146

Turn Up the Night: Important Dates in Sabbath History: The '80s 161

16 Roomful of Blues: The Studios in Which Sabbath Recorded 168

17 "Puccini in Chains": Onetime Black Sabbath Manager Sandy Pearlman Genuflects on His Subjects 186

18 'The Boys Are in the Kitchen Having a Little Chat." Craig Gruber on the Birth of Heaven and Hell 194

19 That's a Wrap! Black Sabbath's Album Covers Ranked 199

20 Doom Gone Solo: Key Sabbath Members and Their Solo Accomplishments—A Critique 210

21 "Next on American Bandstand, a Kooky Bunch All the Way from England ...": The 20 Most Shockingly Radio-Friendly Black Sabbath Songs 216

22 Math Pt. 1: Plaque Sabbath: Some Sabbath Sales Figures 223

23 Math Pt. 2: With a Bullet: Black Sabbath's Chart Positions 227

24 What I Think Pt. 1: Sabbath's Studio Albums Reviewed and Rated 234

25 What I Think Pt. 2: Sabbath's Live Albums Reviewed and Rated 259

"We've All Grown Up." Important Dates in Sabbath History: The '90s 268

26 Caught in a Heavy Metal Time Machine: Two Soundtrack Stories from the Ronnie Era 274

27 Slack Babbath: Bands Named After Black Sabbath Songs 278

28 'They Wrote Every Single Good Riff... Ever." Praise for the Sabs from the Nativity in Blockers 281

29 Fancy a Blow?: Guest Cameos on Black Sabbath Records 287

30 "Have You Heard About Vinny?" Producer Thorn Panunzio Talks Reunion 289

31 At Cross Purposes: Black Sabbath Songs That Sound Like Other Black Sabbath Songs 293

32 "No Matter What Name You Get Behind It, the Fans Are Going to Know." The Birth of a Band Called Heaven & Hell 295

I Must Have the Bible Black: Important Dates in Sabbath History: The '00s and '10s 315

33 "It Hasn't Been a Very Happy World for a While." Heaven &Hell Unleash The Devil You Know 321

34 'That Was The Whole Journey, Right There." Neon Nights: A Goodbye Gift to Ronnie 337

35 "Always." Despite Heaven & Hell, Ronnie Never Gives Up on Dio 342

Appendix 1 'The Rebel,' Take Million Twelve": Black Sabbath's Early Demos 347

Appendix 2 The Mob Drools: A Sampling of Black Sabbath's Collectible Records 357

Appendix 3 I've Got My Own Album to Do: Key Sabbath Members and Their Solo Accomplishments—A Timeline 367

Selected Bibliography 381

Photo Credits 383

Index 385