Heaven and Hell

   In nineteen sixty ~ nine , Black Sabbath was officially born. It consisted of Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward. From 1970 to '78 , they produced a total of eight albums , before Osbourne left the band for good in '79.
   Dave Walker , of Savoy Brown was initially Osbourne's replacement , but it didn't work out and he was quickly released. Dio soon joined the band , and the rest is rock and roll history.
   Dio produced two studio albums with the band , including a live one. By the time Live Evil was released , Dio was out of the band.
   Vinnie Appice , who had previously played with Axxe , and Rick Derringer , appeared on The Mob Rules , and Live Evil. He too , left the band after the Mob Rules tour. However , in 1991 , both he and Dio reunited with Butler and Iommi for De humanizer. After the following tour , the two had left again.
   In late '06 Dio , Iommi , Butler , and Appice reunited once again , this time as Heaven And Hell , did the second Heaven And Hell tour , and in the spring of the following year , produced Heaven And Hell Live From Radio City.
   It contains some of the following classics : Heaven And Hell , Falling Off The Edge Of The World , and Neon Knights , plus two of the three new tracks that were produced for The Dio Years.
   Last year , they continued to tour , and a new CD was released earlier this year , The Devil You Know.
   These guys are getting older , but they continue to show their fans , and critics alike , that they have nothing to prove , and they continue to show their younger rivals how it's done.
   Last summer , I spoke with Tony Iommi , the original Iron Man , The Eternal Idol , The Godfather Of Heavy Metal. This is what he had to say :

   Q: Why did you keep Black Sabbath going after Ozzy left?

   Iommi: Well , we had a good thing going. We were like a family , even though we had our differences , and I didn't want it to end. I wanted it to continue as long as possible. But , as with all good things , everything comes to an end , and Black Sabbath was no exception.

   Q: Some people think that Black Sabbath was never the same after Ozzy was let go. What are your thoughts on that?

   Iommi: Well , Sabbath was not the same band after Ozzy. We were a completely different band. But it was still Sabbath , no matter who was in the band. I'd seen so many players come and go , but I never once said to myself , I can't take this anymore : this isn't the same band it used to be. It will always be Sabbath. Everyone that has been in this band , has contributed something. Each of them had their own unique voice or style of playing. Ozzy , Ronnie , Ian , Glen , and Tony Martin. Each of them gave something to this band that will forever be remembered.