Audio Creations - Black Sabbath: Collection Featuring Vocalist Tony Martin, Sometimes Overlooked
When Black Sabbath's name comes up, people usually think of Ozzy Osbourne. The collaborations with the iconic Ronnie James Dio also have a following. Ian Gillan sometimes gets a mention as well. However, the singer of a British heavy metal band is often overlooked.
"Sadly, Tony Martin was always overshadowed," Black Sabbath founder and guitarist Tony Iommi (76) said in an interview with dpa in London. This is set to change with a new Black Sabbath box set.
"Anno Domini 1989-1995" highlights this often-forgotten frontman who sang for the heavy metal institution for a brief period in the 80s and 90s. For this well-presented collection, Iommi remastered the albums "Headless Cross" (1989), "Tyr" (1990), and "Cross Purposes" (1994) and even remixed "Forbidden" (1995). In 2021, when he started working on it, he said, "The Tony Martin stuff is fantastic."
Overshadowed by Ozzy and Dio
"It was challenging because not everyone embraced the band's new lineup," Iommi recalled about the time with Martin. "I financed the whole project back then and funded everything myself. We made albums, and the band was enjoyable for me, and I liked our music." However, many people wanted the previous vocalists Ozzy and Dio back. Today, that's changed, said the guitarist. "It's amusing how now the music with Tony is more popular than ever before. There's a new generation that wants to hear it now."
Guitarist Iommi was the only remaining original member of Black Sabbath at the time. The band also featured legendary drummer Cozy Powell, who had previously played with Rainbow and Whitesnake. In the 90s, founding member Geezer Butler returned to the band.
With the powerful Tony Martin leading the vocals, the band moved away from dark heavy metal and more towards atmospheric hard rock, evident on the excellent "Headless Cross" which reached the top 20 of the German album charts at the time. Tracks like the powerful title track and the chilling "When Death Calls," featuring a guitar solo from Queen's Brian May, showcase their evolution.
Hearing "Forbidden" in the new mix is a treat, and the CDs have more bonus tracks - a B-side and two previously released in Japan - than the vinyl LPs. Regrettably, there are no other added musical treats.
Enlightening box set with some gaps
Lamentably, the wishes of many fans for concert recordings from the Tony Martin era - some do exist online - were not granted. The live album "Cross Purposes Live," which included a concert video on VHS in 1995, was also excluded. A massive letdown is the fact that the remarkable album "The Eternal Idol" (1987) was not included. The reason: The rights for Tony Martin's Black Sabbath debut belong to another record label.
Regardless, "Anno Domini 1989-1995" is an intriguing collection of this underrated Black Sabbath era and hopefully earns the 67-year-old Tony Martin the overdue recognition. As a result of the set's release, he met with Tony Iommi to reminisce about their past experiences in front of the camera. With Iommi retiring from touring, it's unlikely there will be more from this and the two Tonys will perform together again.
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Source: www.stern.de
