There have been so many reports lately about a possible Black Sabbath reunion and album with Ozzy Osbourne. This actually made me sick to even think about. Don’t get me wrong, I understand the importance of the classic Black Sabbath but Ozzy is barely capable of doing a good show on his own. He’s already tarnished the legacy of his solo career and I would hate for him to do the same with the classic Sabbath stuff. The classic Black Sabbath lineup did try to record a new album 12 years ago, their first since 1978, but abandoned the attempt after just a couple of songs. Geezer Butler and Tony Iommi reunited with Ronnie James Dio and Vinnie Appice and in my opinion, they did it right. They did ONLY Dio era Sabbath songs and even went under a new moniker, HEAVEN AND HELL. This was a great and classy move to revisit the past and forge a new future by releasing the album “The Devil You Know.”
Ozzy and co. would never be able to do this and pull it off as well so I believe it’s best to just leave it alone. Ozzy’s constant on again and off again attitude about reuniting with Sabbath seems to have driven a wedge into the idea. Geezer Butter said, “I would like to make it clear, because of mounting speculation and rumors, that there will be definitely NO reunion of all four original members of BLACK SABBATH, whether to record an album or to tour.”
In an interview with AOL’s Noisecreep, Geezer stated that while all four of the band’s original members are interested in taking part in a reunion, Ozzy Osbourne’s current tour is what is keeping Black Sabbath on the back burner. Butler explained, “It’s not going to happen [in 2011]. Ozzy’s on tour with his own band for the next year or whatever . . . I’m sure Ozzy will say ‘yes’ and ‘no’ every week for the next year while he’s on tour. It’s one thing to want to do something like that just before you go out to tour a record. You say, ‘Oh yeah, I’m gonna tour for the next five years.’ And then six weeks into it, you can’t wait to get home. So we’ll just see how he feels when he finishes his Ozzy Osbourne tour.”
In a January 27 interview with the Los Angeles-based “Mark And Brian Show”, which airs on 95.5 KLOS Southern California’s Best Rock, SABBATH singer Ozzy Osbourne said, “I often get asked this question: ‘Will there ever be a [new BLACK SABBATH studio] album?’ One thing I can say for definite [is] we are all talking, we are all friends. But it’s been 30 years since we did a studio album — if it’s not something extra, extra special, the people are gonna go, ‘We waited 30 years [for this…]’ But before my life’s over, I would love… my dream is to do the ultimate BLACK SABBATH album; I would love to do that.”
In 2010, Sunday Mercury conducted an interview with Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi. Iommi said that he didn’t rule out another reunion with Osbourne. Following the death of singer Ronnie James Dio last May, with whom Iommi had been working in HEAVEN & HELL, Iommi said, “I spoke to Ozzy while I was in Los Angeles after Ronnie’s funeral. Ozzy and I have a complicated relationship but we’ve always kept in touch, no matter what else might have been going on. Would I play with Ozzy again? Who knows? It’s weird with me and Ozzy.”
Iommi added, “There can be all sorts of shit going on but when we talk, it’s like nothing bad has ever happened.”
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