When Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Terry “Geezer” Butler and Bill Ward formed Black Sabbath in 1969, they created a signature sound that set the blueprint for heavy music and influenced generations of disciples for years to come. For the first time, the full catalog from the original Black Sabbath lineup is now available digitally in the U.S. and has been mastered specifically for iTunes, ensuring the delivery of the music to listeners with increased audio fidelity, more closely replicating what the artists, recording engineers, and producers intended. Available exclusively on the iTunes Store worldwide, fans now have the ability to download all albums in one newly created bundle (“The Complete Studio Albums 1970-1978”), eight legendary studio albums, two classic compilations, or simply purchase each song individually.
“It’s about fucking time the first eight Black Sabbath albums were made available on iTunes in the U.S.,” said Ozzy Osbourne.
“Great news. [It’s] been a long time trying to explain to fans why the music wasn’t available,” Tony Iommi commented.
“It’s going to be great to finally have the catalogue accessible on iTunes,” Geezer Butler noted.
“Black Sabbath: The Complete Studio Albums 1970-1978” features the band’s collected studio works for Warner Bros. Records from the 1970s, including their iconic eponymous debut (1970), the multi-platinum landmark Paranoid (1970), the platinum albums Master Of Reality (1971), Vol. 4 (1972), and Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (1973), and the gold-certified Sabotage (1975), Technical Ecstasy (1976), and Never Say Die! (1978). Also available is their classic 1976 compilation We Sold Our Soul For Rock ‘N’ Roll as well as 2006’s Greatest Hits 1970-1978, which was released in connection with their induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.
Following wildly successful shows in North and South America, Australia, Asia and Europe, Black Sabbath will launch another North American tour with dates starting March 31st at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The traveling road show will also hit ten cities in Canada, including stops in Quebec, Montreal, Ottawa, Calgary and Edmonton, before wrapping April 26th at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, California. These dates will be part of the band’s final shows of their 2013-2014 world tour in support of their first studio album in 35 years, 13, which entered the charts at #1 in 13 countries (including their first #1 in the U.S.). Another run of European festivals and headlining shows will follow this summer.
First formed in Birmingham, England, Black Sabbath’s doom-laden sound pioneered a new kind of heavy rock music, a sound that would later influence hundreds of other bands. Many consider Black Sabbath to be the godfathers of heavy metal, but Sabbath were capable of surprising their fans with songs that showed other facets of their skills besides darkness and monstrous decibels. Thirty years after their initial impact, guitarists are still stunned by Tony Iommi’s jaw-dropping riffs, Geezer Butler’s swooping bass lines, and Bill Ward’s thunderous drums. And, of course, in Ozzy Osbourne the band had one of the most magnetic and unpredictable front men ever in rock, with a maniacal voice like few others before or since.
Black Sabbath titles now available at iTunes:
* Black Sabbath (1970)
* Paranoid (1970)
* Master Of Reality (1971)
* Vol. 4 (1972)
* Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (1973)
* Sabotage (1975)
* Technical Ecstasy (1976)
* We Sold Our Soul For Rock ‘N’ Roll (1976)
* Never Say Die! (1978)
* Greatest Hits 1970-1978 (2006)
* The Complete Studio Albums 1970-1978 (2014)
source: blacksabbath.com
11 Responses
This is fine but who doesn’t have those albums? I am interested in a few songs off of HEADLESS CROSS, TYR, FORBIDDEN and CROSS PURPOSES. I think there’s a live one with Butler and Martin as well. That stuff is hard to find. Not the best SABBATH if SABBATH at all but cool novelties with Iommi and Cozy Powell. Worth sampling a few songs. WHEN DEATH CALLS off of HEADLESS CROSS is a killer cut.
I agree. The Tony Martin era albums need to be remastered and released. Hopefully they’re on the horizon soon. By the way, the “live one” you’re thinking of is “Cross Purposes – Live”, which was a special packaged VHS and CD release only. Martin on vocals, Iommi on guitar (duh), Geezer on bass and Bobby Rondinelli on drums. Oh yeah, as usual Geoff Nicholls on keyboards and backing vocals.
Good post. Thank you. Obviously none of this stuff matches up with original OZZY era which is why it’s hard to find. Ironically iTUNES format of selecting individual songs is ideal for the Martin era stuff. I had HEADLESS CROSS on tape so I remember individual songs that I would love to hear again rather than buy the entire CD on import for $60. The bad part of ITUNES is that portions of some bands catalogs are being erased. Lesser live albums like SPEAK OF THE DEVIL and MAIDEN JAPAN are extinct while I think that they have minor significance and historical and sentimental value.
ed.
. forever to go on ITUNES but once they did it was ALL there. ’74. JAILBREAK, WHO MADE WHO, IF YOU WANT BLOOD(…). A catalogue is ever
AC/DC did it right. It’s all there and it’s all great.
You can find the Tony Martin stuff on Amazon, but the prices are pretty high.
I think that there are record company issues and possible lawyer bullshit involved with the albums of that era. All of those albums have one thing in common: IOMMI. His performances and writing are always interesting. I hope to purchase a few songs from that time period. As far as the OZZY era, I’d bet you could get THE BLACK BOX used somewhere fairly inexpensive.
CORRECTION: THE BLACK BOX is not inexpensive (used or new). I just checked.
When you don’t own your catalog you are at the mercy of Warner Music Group. Def Leppard was a rubber duck floating around quacking assorted crap fer years about I-Tunes and their songs. They don’t own them and it cost them millions.
I have the first 5 albums through Sabbath Bloody Sabbath. I also have Heaven & Hell. Don’t have the others though.
I know a lot of people who consider SABOTAGE to be a underrated masterpiece. I personally think it is the best album in heavy metal history. TECHNICAL ECSTACY and NEVER SAY DIE are collections of okay songs that lack the structure and focus of the first six. Make SABOTAGE in full be your next download and your next ride to work will be an evil experience in a good way. Watch your speed ’cause HOLE IN THE SKY and SYMPTOM OF THE UNIVERSE have monster riffs.
I thought it was always Sharon that prevented the distribution of these first Ozzy albums? Whats the real reason?