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BLACK SABBATH TO RELEASE “SABOTAGE: SUPER DELUXE EDITION:” FEATURING REMASTERED VERSION OF THE ORIGINAL ALBUM, PLUS COMPLETE LIVE SHOW RECORDED DURING 1975 TOUR; AVAILABLE JUNE 11TH

Black Sabbath was embroiled in a protracted legal battle with its former manager in 1975 when the band started recording its sixth studio album, Sabotage. The group felt sabotaged at every turn – hence the album’s title – but that feeling helped fuel the intensity of the new music they were making. In spite of the distractions, the band created one of the most dynamic – and underappreciated – albums of its legendary career.

Rhino pays tribute to the patron saints of heavy metal with a collection that includes a newly remastered version of the original album along with a complete live show recorded during the band’s 1975 tour. Sabotage: Super Deluxe Edition will be available on June 11th as both a 4-CD set ($49.98) and a 4-LP set on 180-gram vinyl ($109.98), with the latter including a bonus 7-inch with the single edit for Am I Going Insane (Radio) and Hole In The Sky on the flipside with artwork replicating the very rare Japanese release of the single. Both the 4-CD and 4-LP versions are available for pre-order now at the Rhino.com store.

The newly remastered version of the original album will be available via digital download and streaming services on the same day. Click here to listen to the newly remastered version of “Am I Going Insane (Radio),” available today digitally.

Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward recorded the album in London and Brussels and co-produced the album with Mike Butcher. The eight songs were released first in the U.S. in July 1975, and then in the U.K. that September. Certified gold in America and silver in the UK, Sabotage earned positive reviews for hard-hitting tracks like Hole In The Sky and Symptom Of The Universe, as well as more experimental music like Supertzar, which featured harp, Mellotron, and the English Chamber Choir.

Sabotage: Super Deluxe Edition introduces 16 live tracks (13 of which are previously unreleased) that were recorded in 1975 during the quartet’s U.S. tour for the album. The performances include songs that span the group’s career, from the title track to its 1970 debut Black Sabbath to Spiral Architect and Sabbra Cadabra from its previous album, Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (1973). Sabotage is represented as well with live takes of Hole In The Sky and Megalomania.

The music is accompanied by in-depth liner notes that tell the story of the album through quotes from band members and the music media along with rare photos and press clippings from the era. Also included is a 1975 Madison Square Garden replica concert book and Sabotage 1975 tour color poster.

Sabotage: Super Deluxe Edition: CD Track Listing  Disc One: Original Album Remastered: 1. Hole In The Sky 2. Don’t Start (Too Late) 3. Symptom Of The Universe 4. Megalomania 5. Thrill Of It All 6. Supertzar 7. Am I Going Insane (Radio) 8. The Writ Disc Two: North American Tour Live ’75: 1. Supertzar/Killing Yourself To Live * 2. Hole In The Sky  3. Snowblind * 4. Symptom Of The Universe  5. War Pigs * 6. Megalomania” 7.  Sabbra Cadabra* 8. Jam 1 including guitar solo * 9. Jam 2 including drum solo * 10. Supernaut * 11. Iron Man *  Disc Three: North American Tour Live ’75: 1. Guitar Solo including excerpts of Orchid and Rock ’n’ Roll Doctor* 2. Black Sabbath * 3. Spiral Architect * 4. Embryo”/“Children Of The Grave * 5. Paranoid *  Disc Four: 1. Am I Going Insane (Radio) – Single Edit 2.. Hole In The Sky  LP One: Original Album Remastered: Side One: 1. Hole In The Sky 2. Don’t Start (Too Late) 3. Symptom Of The Universe 4. Megalomania  Side Two: 1. Thrill Of It All 2. Supertzar 3. Am I Going Insane (Radio) 4. The Writ  LP Two: North American Tour Live ’75: Side Three: 1. Supertzar/Killing Yourself To Live * 2. Hole In The Sky  3. Snowblind *  Side Four: 1. Symptom Of The Universe  2. War Pigs *  LP Three: North American Tour Live ’75 Side Five: 1. Megalomania * 2. Sabbra Cadabra * Side Six: 1. Jam 1 including guitar solo * 2. Jam 2 including drum solo * 3. Supernaut  LP Four: North American Tour Live ’75: Side Seven: 1. Iron Man * 2. Guitar Solo including excerpts of Orchid and Rock ’n’ Roll Doctor* 3. Black Sabbath *  Side Eight: 1. Spiral Architect * 2. Embryo/Children Of The Grave * 3. Paranoid *  7” Single: 1. Am I Going Insane (Radio) – Single Edit 2. Hole In The Sky * previously unreleased

ICONIC GUITARIST GEORGE LYNCH DISCUSSES GUITAR LEGEND RANDY RHOADS AND HOW HE WAS UP FOR THE GUITAR PLAYER POSITION IN OZZY OSBOURNE’S BAND “ON THREE DIFFERENT OCCASIONS”

Iconic guitarist George Lynch was recently interview with Canada’s The Metal Voice where he was asked if he had any kind of contact with legendary Ozzy Osbourne axeman Randy Rhoads when they were both on the Los Angeles rock scene in the late 1970s. He responded (as transcribed by blabbermouth.net), “We played shows together frequently. We rehearsed at the same rehearsal facility and shared the same rooms, so we had a lot of opportunities to hang out and share licks and talk occasionally. We weren’t friends or anything, but we were in the same business and we ran in the same circles and ran into each other all the time. I’d known that he appreciated my playing and liked my playing, and he would bring people to see me frequently, including his mom.”

He continued, “We were both [up] for Ozzy a number of times, and I was up for it on three different occasions, and one of them was the time that Randy got it over me. And then the understanding was that between whichever one of us got it, the other one would teach at Musonia [School Of Music, which was founded more than 70 years ago by Randy’s mother, Delores Rhoads]. Well, I got the consolation prize. He told his mom that if anything ever happened with him that he would want me to maybe fill in if possible, if I’d be willing to, so I did.”

Lynch reportedly tried out for the position of Ozzy’s lead guitarist in 1979 — losing to Rhoads — and another time in 1982, when Osbourne was looking for someone to replace Brad Gillis. According to Lynch, he was preparing to step into the role before Ozzy changed his mind and decided to go with Jake E. Lee instead.

George went into more detail about his Ozzy auditions during a 2019 interview with Ultimate Guitar. At the time, he said, “I never played a show [with Ozzy]. I played soundchecks. [Laughs] So I would travel with the band to kind of see how everything worked, and they would get to know me, and that kind of thing. But, I never went on stage during a show. But I would be in the wings at soundcheck, and Brad Gillis, who was the guitar player at the time, would come over and hand me his guitar and I would play a song or two. And then we went into rehearsals. I rehearsed with them. I brought in a bass player, Don Costa, who was Ozzy’s bass player for a little while. We rehearsed in Texas for a while.”

“The touring was in Scotland and England and Ireland,” he continued. “And then we moved everything over to Los Angeles, and that’s where I was told that they wouldn’t be needing my services in the 11th hour after I’d been working with them for a couple of months.”

Lynch remembered that he was “very devastated” when Osbourne offered the gig to Lee over him. “My wife was with me,” he said. “I had quit my job. We had two little kids. We had an apartment. We really didn’t have much money, so it was a great opportunity for me. I was a delivery driver for a liquor company, and I would kind of deliver booze into the not-so-good areas; nobody else wanted to drive into those areas so I took that job. It was a good union job, so I made enough money to support us. And I had to quit that job to go do the Ozzy thing. And when they fired me like that… And they didn’t pay me, and they didn’t give me any compensation. They didn’t ask me if I was okay or anything. They just didn’t care. They just said… It was literally, like… It took, like, a minute. Ozzy just said, ‘Hey, it’s not gonna be working out. Thanks a lot for your time. And see ya later. Bye.’ [Laughs] Yeah, my jaw dropped. I couldn’t believe it. My heart just dropped and… Yeah, I think I cried on the way home. [Laughs] It was very devastating.”

Lynch also believed there were other factors that ultimately contributed to Osbourne choosing Jake as his new guitar player.

“I remember [Ozzy] was bald at the time,” George told Ultimate Guitar. “He kept coming into my room and asking me why I cut my hair. Because I had short hair for my job. I told him that he was bald. [Laughs] So I thought, ‘Well, maybe I could just go bald like you, and then we could be a couple of cue balls up there. Or I can wear a wig until my hair grows out.’ He had a problem with that.”

That was one of the reasons, I think, I didn’t get [the Ozzy gig] — was my image,” Lynch added. “Jake E. had a great image — hair down his ass, [and he] showed up all leathered. He looked great. He admittedly didn’t play that great [at the audition], but he looked fantastic. And I think Sharon [Ozzy’s wife and manager] was really calling the shots, and Sharon wanted somebody that looked right. And she felt that Jake E. was the look they were going for. I don’t think she cared too much about the playing. Not that Jake E. wasn’t capable — Jake E. is great, obviously — he didn’t have a great audition. But he plays fantastic.”

RECORD STORE DAY RELEASES INCLUDE 40TH-ANNIVERSARY CASSETTE BOX SET BY MÖTLEY CRÜE, AN AC/DC PICTURE DISC AND ANTHRAX CUSTOM MINI-TURNTABLE AND BUNDLE

Record Store Day, which will be on June 12th and July 17th will feature some interesting releases.

On June 12th, Mötley Crue will release a 40th-anniversary cassette box set containing tapes of the band’s first five albums. The set includes the band’s core catalog titles (Too Fast For Love, Shout At The Devil, Theatre Of Pain, Girls, Girls, Girls and Dr. Feelgoo”) with artwork. This product is an exclusive limited run for RSD. 

Also, on the 12th, AC/DC will release a 12-inch picture disc including the songs Through The Mists Of Time and Witch’s Spell, from the band’s global chart-topping album Power Up, housed in a PVC jacket with an OBI strip at the top.

Finally, Anthrax has will release a limited-edition, custom mini-turntable, as well as a vinyl disc bundle consisting of four three-inch singles (sold separately). For the vinyl discs, the band reached way back into its rich catalogue for four favorites: Madhouse, I Am The Law, Got The Time and Discharge. Taking inspiration from the 3″ turntable creation in Japan, drummer Charlie Benante, who oversees all of the band’s artwork, orchestrated creating the minis’ cover art in the style of the seven-inch record covers he collected from Iron Maiden and KISS. One thousand of the turntables and 1000 of the vinyl bundles will be exclusively available on RSD.

But wait, there’s more: one of the 1000 mini-turntables will include a Golden Ticket, the winner to be the recipient of a personal Zoom call from frontman Joey Belladonna and bassist Frank Bello.

“I’m really happy about being part of this,” said Belladonna. “I love being able to reach out and connect with our fans, so being a ‘first prize’ in this contest and having the opportunity to have a real conversation with one of our fans is really terrific.” Added Bello, “I love the idea of the golden ticket, it’s a cool ‘Willy Wonka’ moment, and it’ll be fun to just shoot the s–t with one of our fans.”

Record Store Day, a global celebration of the culture of the record store, will be broken up into two “Drops” this year, similar to the way it was done in 2020. The two “Drop” dates will be June 12th, and the second July 17th; the Anthrax custom turntables 17 and vinyl bundles will be available in conjunction with the second RDS “Drop”, on July 17 and July 9 respectivel

For a full list of participating Record Store Day retailers, visit RecordStoreDay.com.

SAMMY HAGAR AND THE CIRCLE ANNOUNCE MINI FLORIDA TOUR STARTING MAY 23RD IN KEY WEST

Sammy Hagar & The Circle (including drummer Jason Bonham, bassist Michael Anthony and guitarist Vic Johnson) has announced a handful of Florida shows in May and June. The five-date trek will begin on May 23rd in Key West and include two shows each in Orlando and St. Augustine.

Sammy Hagar & The Circle said in a statement, “Sammy & The Circle are heading back on the road. NEW tour dates. Excited to bring back live music while keeping fans’ safety in mind. Find more info about COVID protocol & safety measures by visiting each venues’ website. Go to http://redrocker.com/events for tickets & more details.”

Tour dates:

May 23 – Key West, FL @ Key West Amphitheater 
May 25 – Orlando, FL @ Dr. Phillips Center 
May 26 – Orlando, FL @ Dr. Phillips Center 
Jun. 1 – St. Augustine, FL @ St. Augustine Amphitheater 
Jun. 2 – St. Augustine, FL @ St. Augustine Amphitheater

Tickets for all five shows will go on sale Friday, April 9th.

Each venue is enforcing a social distancing policy, including the St. Augustine Amphitheatre concerts, which will have a limited capacity with distanced seating and enhanced safety measures. These changes include digital ticketing and mobile concession ordering..

CACTUS RELEASES MUSIC VIDEO FOR “TIGHTROPE TITLE TRACK FROM NEW ALBUM OUT TODAY

’70s classic rock legends Cactus have released their new album, Tightrope, on all formats today. (April 5th) The band filmed a slick performance video for the title track, which offers one of the album’s most killer and memorably groovy hooks (see it below).

Founding member and drum legend Carmine Appice had this to say about the song: “Tightrope is one of my favorite songs from the album. The drum and bass groove plus the cool guitar riff rock. Cool melodies on top make this is a great classic heavy blues rock track. I love it!!!”

Cactus came to be known as “the American Led Zeppelin,” a moniker they owned by virtue of their explosive blues rock stylings, subdued yet undeniably brilliant musicianship, not to mention their energetic and vivacious stage presence which made them a staple of arena rock venues around the globe. Now the band has returned with a smashing new album called Tightrope that strikes a delicate balance between powerful, driving rockers and more complex, heady album tracks. Still led by Appice alongside longtime members Jimmy Kunes on vocals and Randy Pratt on harmonica, Tightrope is, according to Appice, “one of the best Cactus albums we’ve ever done. From playing to production and songs, we really took a step up.” They are joined by new lead guitarist/vocalist Paul Warren (ex-Rod Stewart, Tina Turner, Joe Cocker) and James Caputo on bass. Tightrope will also give longtime Cactus fans a reason to cheer as it includes special guest appearances from original Cactus guitarist Jim McCarty and singer Phil Naro.

Tightrope track listing:

01. Tightrope 
02. Papa Was A Rolling Stone 
03. All Shook Up 
04. Poison In Paradise 
05. Third Time Gone
06. Shake That Thing
07. Primitive Touch
08. Preaching Woman Man Blues
09. Elevation
10. Suite 1 & 2: Everlong, All The Madmen
11. Headed For A Fall
12. Wear It Out

Cactus has had a long and turbulent history. Formed in 1970 from the ashes of Vanilla Fudge by Carmine Appice and Tim Bogert, the initial lineup also featured McCarty and vocalist Rusty Day. (Appice and Bogert had originally planned a new band with Jeff Beckwhich was put off until 1973, because of Beck’s near-fatal car crash in 1969.) Jim McCartyhad come from Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels and was playing with The Buddy Miles Express. Tim and Carmine also found vocalist Day in The Amboy Dukes with Ted Nugent. Together, the four musicians formed Cactus, named after the peyote cactus, which provided a key ingredient in mind-altering drugs.

While Cactus saw success from the start and soon built a loyal fan base, by early 1973, the band had collapsed mainly due to lack of real support from its label, and the fact that Beck was now ready play with Carmine and Tim. It would not be until 2006, three decades after the tragic death of Rusty Day, that the group reformed with Pratt and Kunes. When Tim Bogert was forced into retirement after a serious motorcycle accident, Pete Bremy jumped in both in Cactus and Vanilla Fudge. 

GUITARIST GEORGE LYNCH DISCUSSES A POSSIBLE REPLACEMENT NAME FOR LYNCH MOB

Iconic guitarist George Lynch was a recent guest on Aftershocks TV, where he discussed retiring the Lynch Mob band name and what he use as his new moniker.

Lynch said, per blabbermouth.net, “”I’ll always have my touring entity. It won’t be Lynch Mob. I’m thinking of calling it George Lynch And The New West. The New West is a name I’ve had kicking around since freakin’ the ’80s, and I told some of my friends about it. And recently I [have been] kind of searching for a new name for a touring entity, and one friend brought that up. He goes, ‘What about The New West? That was a cool-ass name.’ And I’m, like, ‘You know what? Yeah. I do like that. George Lynch And The New West. Why not?’ So I think that might be what I’ll use. That’s what I’ve been putting out there with my agent. And that way, it’ll give me the freedom to play a wider variety of stuff. It’s not just gonna be Lynch Mob-centric. I mean, I’ll probably play some of that, and Dokken, but also all kinds of other stuff. I can play anything. I can change it up every night.”

Last August, Lynch Mob celebrated the 30th anniversary of Wicked Sensation with a special limited print/deluxe edition of the albumWicked Sensation Reimagined features re-worked and re-recorded versions of the LP’s classic songs, and was made available via Rat Pak Records.