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Rating: There's no point beating around the bush, when Black Sabbath at the end of the seventies parted ways once again with Ozzy, who was lost in his problems, no one would have bet too much on a return in grand style for the four from Birmingham. The last studio effort, "Never Say Die!", was a half-flop and the popularity was no longer what it used to be. Ronnie James Dio, an Italian-American from New York with a glorious past in Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow, however, is the right man at the right time. With a voice and attitude completely different from his predecessor, the singer brought new life to a band on the verge of collapse, managing to direct the quartet towards sounds closer to the heavy metal scene of the time, enormously rejuvenating a musical proposal that was already starting to show its age. The production of the first album from this collaboration was troubled, Geezer Butler, the backbone of the Sabs, was unsure about staying, forcing the others to find replacements for him from time to time. In the end, the crisis, yet another, subsided and finally in 1980 "Heaven And Hell" hit the stores, an album that would make history in the genre, becoming a true point of reference for future generations and effectively reviving a band that many, perhaps too many, thought was already done for. The lyrics, fantastic and full of metaphors, are all Dio’s own and help to give this new incarnation of the Sabbath an epic flavor that the previous ones, of necessity, did not have and which would have a not insignificant influence on the epic metal scene that would emerge shortly thereafter. The subsequent "Mob Rules", of the following year, despite losing an irrecoverable Bill Ward, continues in the vein of the previous record, not matching its level, but still showing musicians in a state of grace. What better occasion to finally release a live album, the first in the long career of the English? "Live Evil", released in 1982, was intended to seal a two-year period of success, but in reality, it turned out to be the epitaph of yet another version of the group, with the quartet in fact already dissolved before the record even reached the stores. What happened? Let’s take it step by step. The evocative cover, with each character representing a classic of Black Sabbath, introduces an album that shows the Sabs at their peak form, as perhaps hadn't been seen since their golden days. Among the four there seems to be a good chemistry, or so it would appear, and the packed arenas confirm that they were heading in the right direction. Black Sabbath with Dio is not the same as with Ozzy, they could almost be considered a separate band, thanks to Ronnie James's strong personality, but that's fine, complaining about albums like "Heaven And Hell" would be madness. The setlist divides excellently between old and new classics, naturally with songs from "Mob Rules" asserting themselves over the others. Where is the problem? The record in question is indeed recorded live but sometimes you almost get the impression you're listening to a studio album with crowd noise added afterwards. Despite the name, "Live Evil" turned out to be one of the "live" albums most heavily edited in rock'n'roll history, the result of endless "fixes" that created more than a few disputes within the group and, as a final result, led to dear Ronnie James, always a somewhat difficult figure, storming off, taking his ally Vinny Appice with him. Regardless of the tampering, it remains a fact that "Live Evil", more than thirty years after its release, is a fascinating album, paradoxically also thanks to its "peculiar" sound, an authentic sum of a golden period, the first "Dio era", unrepeatable, which truly saw Black Sabbath reclaiming their status as one of the "heavy" names on the global rock scene. There is no need to say that Dio interprets the songs he wrote masterfully, while he seems a bit cold and detached when singing songs meant for Ozzy, but it is undeniable that his version of "Black Sabbath" is one of the best, perhaps even more sinister and chilling than the original. The long "Heaven And Hell", one of the few tracks where the audience’s presence is actually palpable, incorporates an exemplary "The Sign Of The Southern Cross", highlighting once again, as if needed, the greatness of this incarnation of the Sabs. A grand finale, even back then, entrusted to the classics of the classics, namely "Paranoid" and "Children Of The Grave". Dio's departure put a definitive end to a relative stability within Black Sabbath: from that moment, continuous lineup changes would ensue but, it must be acknowledged, the quality of the studio works would remain practically unchanged. Despite the setback, Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler decided to move forward, finding themselves putting together a rather questionable new lineup, with an Ian Gillan more interested in a Deep Purple reunion than being Black Sabbath's umpteenth singer, and inexplicably recalling even Bill Ward back to the fold, who was now more devoted to the bottle than to the drums. The result would be "Born Again" in 1983 but that really is another story.
"Live Evil":
- E5150
- Neon Knights
- N.I.B.
- Children Of The Sea
- Voodoo
- Black Sabbath
- War Pigs
- Iron Man
- The Mob Rules
- Heaven And Hell
- The Sign of the Southern Cross/Heaven And Hell (Continued)
- Paranoid
- Children Of The Grave
- Fluff
Black Sabbath:
- Ronnie James Dio, vocals
- Tony Iommi, guitar
- Geezer Butler, bass
- Vinny Appice, drums
- Geoff Nicholls, keyboards
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
02 Neon Knights (04:36)
Oh no, here it comes again
can't remember when we came so close to love before
Hold on, good things never last
nothing's in the past, it always seems to come again
again and again and again
Cry out to legions of the brave
time again to save us from the jackals of the street
Ride out, protectors of the realm
captain's at the helm, sail across the sea of lights
Circles and rings, dragons and kings
weaving a charm and a spell
Blessed by the night, holy and bright
called by the toll of the bell
Bloodied angels fast descending
moving on a never-bending light
phantom figures free forever
out of shadows, shining ever-bright
Neon Knights!
Neon Knights! all right!
Cry out to legions of the brave
time again to save us from the jackals of the street
Ride out, protectors of the realm
captain's at the helm, sail across the sea of lights
again and again, again and again and again
Neon Knights!
Neon Knights!
all right!
03 N.I.B. (05:09)
Some people say my love cannot be true
Please believe me, my love, and I'll show you
I will give you those things you thought unreal
The sun, the moon, the stars all bear my seal
Oh yeah!
Follow me now and you will not regret
Leaving the life you led before we met
You are the first to have this love of mine
Forever with me 'till the end of time
Your love for me has just got to be real
Before you know the way I'm going to feel
I'm going to feel
I'm going to feel
Oh yeah!
Now I have you with me, under my power
Our love grows stronger now with every hour
Look into my eyes, you will see who I am
My name is Lucifer, please take my hand
Oh yeah!
Follow me now and you will not regret
Leaving the life you led before we met
You are the first to have this love of mine
Forever with me 'till the end of time
Your love for me has just got to be real
Before you know the way I'm going to feel
I'm going to feel
I'm going to feel
Oh yeah!
Now I have you with me, under my power
Our love grows stronger now with every hour
Look into my eyes, you will see who I am
My name is Lucifer, please take my hand
05 Voodoo (06:07)
Say you don't know me, you'll burn
You can refuse, but you'll lose, it's by me
Say you don't want me, you'll learn
Nothin' you do will be new, 'cause I'm through
Call me a liar, you knew
You were a fool, but that's cool, it's all right
Call me the Devil, it's true
Some can't accept but I crept inside you
So if a stranger calls you
Don't let him whisper his name
'Cause it's Voodoo, oh!
Fade into shadow, you'll burn
Your fortune is free, I can see it's no good
Never look back, never turn
It's a question of time 'till your mine and you learn
So if a stranger sees you
Don't look in his eyes
'Cause he's Voodoo!
Say you don't know me, you'll burn
You can refuse, but you'll lose, it's by me
Say you don't want me, you'll learn
Nothin' you do will be new, 'cause I'm through
Voodoo!
Bring me your children, they'll burn!
Never look back, never turn!
Cry me a river, you'll learn Voodoo!!
06 Black Sabbath (08:39)
What is this that stands before me
Figure in black which points at me
Turn 'round quick and start to run
Find out I'm the chosen one
Oh, no
Big black shape with eyes of fire
Telling people their desire
Satan sitting there, he's smiling
Watches those flame get higher and higher
Oh, God--please help me
Oh, no--no
Child cries out for its mother
Mother screaming in the fire
Satan points at me again
Opens the door to push me in
Oh, no
Oh, God
Is it the end my friend
Satan's coming 'round the bend
People running 'cause they're scared
You people better go and beware
No, no
Please, God--no
07 War Pigs (09:19)
Generals gathered in their masses
Just like witches at black masses
Evil minds that plot destruction
Sorcerers of death's construction
In the fields the bodies burning
As the war machine keeps turning
Death and hatred to mankind
poisoning their brainwashed minds
Oh Lord yeah!
Politicians hide themselves away
They only started the war
Why should they go out to fight
They leave their role to the poor
Time will tell on their power minds
Making war just for fun
Treating people just like pawns in chess
Wait 'till their judgment day comes
Now in darkness world stops turning
Ashes where their bodies burning
No more war pigs have the power
Hand of God has struck the hour
Day of judgment God is calling
On their knees, the war pigs crawling
Begging mercy for their sins
Satan laughing spreads his wings
Oh Lord yeah!
08 Iron Man (07:30)
Has he lost his mind
Can he see or is he blind
Can he walk at all
Or if he moves will he fall
Is he alive or dead
Has he thoughts within his head
We'll just pass him there
Why should we even care
He was turned to steel
In the great magnetic field
When he traveled time
For the future of mankind
Nobody wants him
He just stares at the world
Planning his vengeance
That he will soon unfurl
Now the time is here
For Iron Man to spread fear
Vengeance from the grave
Kills the people he once saved
Nobody wants him
They just turn their heads
Nobody helps him
Now he has his revenge
Heavy boots of lead
Fills his victims full of dread
Running as fast as they can
Iron Man lives again!
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Other reviews
By MaZo1
Dio quickly shows all the fans what he’s made of in the two albums from the Dio era.
A great live show with magnificent performances by Tony Iommi and the band.
