Born Again: the 40th Anniversary
The Blind Eternities forum
Posted on Aug. 27, 2023, 7:59 a.m. by DemonDragonJ
This year is the 40th anniversary of Born Again, the eleventh studio album by Black Sabbath and their only album with vocalist Ian Gillan.
At that time, Black Sabbath had recently released two albums with vocalist Ronnie James Dio, which were widely praised by critics and also beloved by their fans, so everything seemed to be going well for them, but Dio abruptly left the band due to a dispute with guitarist Tony Iommi and bassist Geezer Butler, taking drummer Vinnie Appice with him to form their own band, which left Black Sabbath in a state of uncertainty regarding their future. Fortunately, original drummer Bill Ward returned to the band, but the band was still in need of a vocalist, and they happened to recruit Ian Gillan, who had been embarking on a solo career since leaving Deep Purple a decade earlier, an unusual choice, but one that ultimately proved to be excellent, since Gillan's wailing vocals gave Black Sabbath's music a powerful and fearsome edge. Ultimately, however, Gillan was dissatisfied with the album, and he left Black Sabbath after being a member of the band for only a year to join a reformed Deep Purple.
Born Again is an anomaly in Black Sabbath's catalog, but I am very fond of that album, and it is actually my favorite Black Sabbath album with a vocalist other than Ozzy Osbourne or Ronnie James Dio, as I believe that Ian Gillan's vocals were the most distinctive part of that album, giving it an edge and tone that none of the other albums in their discography had. It is unfortunate that Gillan did not remain with the band, but at least his brief tenure with them produced an excellent album.
What does everyone else think about this year being the 40th anniversary of Born Again?
DemonDragonJ says... #3
Abaques, I understand that, since I do not have any Black Sabbath albums with Tony Martin, although I may possibly listen to them, to simply give them a chance.
Yes, 1983 was a great year for heavy metal, but 1986 also was a good year, since numerous awesome albums were released in that year, as well.
August 27, 2023 3:02 p.m.
I mean, yeah, I think 1986 has got to be the year for heavy metal. Master of Puppets and Reign in Blood are arguably the two best metal albums of all time. Add to that The Ultimate Sin, Somewhere in Time and Peace Sells and it's just hard to top.
August 28, 2023 11:32 a.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #5
Abaques, also, do not forget Pleasure to Kill, Darkness Descends, and Doomsday for the Deceiver, which were also released that year and are regarded as classic heavy metal albums, as well, and I also think that Turbo is unfairly maligned, as it contained a number of excellent songs, as well.
Abaques says... #2
Meh. For me Black Sabbath isn't Black Sabbath if Ozzy or Ronnie James aren't on vocals. Both Ozzy and Dio have incredibly iconic and recognizable vocal styles. No one else is Ozzy and no one else is Dio. The same just isn't true of Gillan in my book. But hey, music is art and if you dig the album that's the important part.
Looking back to '83 (and I was only 7 at the time and not yet into metal), what stands out to me is Piece of Mind, Bark at the Moon, Holy Diver and of course Kill 'Em All. Honestly a really great year based only on those albums.
August 27, 2023 2:15 p.m.