Original Black Sabbath drummer Bill Ward admits that he could not bring himself to listen to the band’s latest album, 13, and switched off the opening track after less than a minute.
He bowed out of the band’s reunion with Ozzy Osbourne ahead of recording sessions last year, stating that he had not been offered a “signable” contract. After considering a series of replacements, Sabbath recorded 13 with Rage Against The Machine drummer Brad Wilk. The resulting album went all the way to No.1 in the charts.
But Ward tells Rock Cellar, “The only thing I’ve heard from 13 is maybe forty seconds of the first song. Then I turned it off. I just said, ‘I can’t listen to this any more.’ I haven’t heard anything off that album, and to be quite honest I don’t care to either. It’s too painful. I wish them all the luck – well, they don’t need luck, but I wish them all the best in the world. But I can’t listen to it; it’s too close to home. If I want to rip my guts out I’ll put it on.”
He accepts there have been some positives from the drama, reflecting, “The fans have been brilliant. I feel like I’ve got a real close contact with them – I’ve never reached such a point of having such closeness with everybody. I’m getting letters from all over the world and they completely support me. I’m forever grateful that they’ve reacted in a really positive way. It’s been a huge endearing experience.”
Ward continues, “It tears me up. Even as I’m talking now I’m not far away from a tear.” But he insists: “I had to follow my heart under the most difficult circumstances.”
Ward revealed that he has a new album called Accountable Beasts in the works, as well as, his fine art project called Absence of Corners which was released on August 1st.
additional source: classicrockmagazine.com
24 Responses
Follow his heart, signable contract……geezus, he had no contract and it was the group’s heartfelt decision: he couldn’t hack it.
Im with you there!!! if he cant sign it I dont get why he cant send it right back to them and tell them to re-do the fkg thing and send it back so he can sign it….this doesnt make any sense
so the band says “oh he didnt send it back? I guess we need to find another drummer” wow 40-50 yrs in the band and this is how they communicate? makes no sense at all but i only know what he states above…it makes nooooooooooooo sense at all.
Oh here we go again…
He quit! He needs to stop crying.
Eddie you should have Bill come in and play house drums on TMS. IT would be fantastic. Bugger off Oz & Sharon!
Why does everyone kill Ozzy and Sharon on this issue and completely let Tony and Geezer off the hook? Do you really think Ozzy and Sharon control Black Sabbath? Sharon manages Ozzy, not Sabbath. I’m no fan of Sharon Osbourne, but it gets tiring listening to people bitch specifically about those two, and think that Tony and Geezer have nothing to do with this. Its actually disrespectful to the two guys who created and kept Sabbath alive all these years to now think they have no influence on what happens and think Sharon just took control over Sabbath. Got news for you, that never happened.
I’m happy Bill said no to Ozzy and Sharon. Someone had to stand up to them and say it was not right to be working for peanuts, when he had as much to do with Black Sabbath’s success and history as any other member. Hell Ozzy probably deserves less for being such a mess in the late 70’s, and getting himself fired. Sharon ruined this tour and the CD for me. I didn’t listen to it. I wanted the whole band back, and 13 wasn’t the whole band.