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CHILDREN OF THE GRAVE RETURN

From page 6 of Classic Rock Magazine July 2000

Cover of July 2000 issue.

New Black Sabbath 'best of' double and tribute albums in stores as solo Ozzy Osbourne returns

A 'though Black Sabbath have put an end to the reunion of their classic line-up of Ozzy Osbourne (vocals), Tony lommi (guitar), Terry 'Geezer' Butler (bass) and Bill Ward (drums), Castle Music have just issued a double CD of the band's most celebrated line-up.

Assembled for the first time with the group's approval and digitally remastered, 'The Best Of Black Sabbath' features a monumental 31 tracks with all but three featuring the classic Ozzy-era line-up. The full track listing is as follows: CD One: 'Black Sabbath', 'The Wizard', 'N.I.B:, 'Evil Woman (Don't Play Games With Me', 'Wicked World', 'War Pigs', 'Paranoid', 'Planet Caravan', 'Iron Man', 'Electric Funeral', 'Fairies Wear Boots', 'Sweet Leaf', 'Embryo', 'Children Of The Grave', 'Lord Of This World' and 'Into The Void'.

CD Two: 'Tomorrow's Dream', `Supernaut', `Snowblind', 'Sabbath Bloody Sabbath', 'Killing Yourself To Live', 'Spiral Architect', 'Hole In The Sky', 'Don't Start (Too Late)', 'Symptom Of The Universe', 'Am I Going Insane (Radio)', 'Dirty Women', 'Never Say Die', 'Hard Road', 'Heaven And Hell' (from 1980's album of the same name, featuring Ronnie James Dio on vocals), 'Turn Up The Night' (also featuring Dio, from the following year's 'Mob Rules') and 'The Dark'/'Zero The Hero' (from 1983's 'Born Again', with vocals from Deep Purple frontman Ian Gillan).

Ozzy Osbourne, meanwhile, is believed to have much of the material ready for his post-Sabbath solo album, and is due to start pre production right after the last Ozzfest date at Blockbuster Pavilion in San Bernadino in September.

By the time you read this, the frontman's first solo performance of the new millennium will have taken place. Osbourne made a low-key, industry-only appearance at the Roxy on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, in May, as part of a weekend-long radio convention in Hollywood called LA2K.

The public were not admitted to see Ozzy playing Sabbath's 'NIB? with Primus backing him as part of a showcase for Divine Records, the label who have just released 'Nativity In Black II: A Tribute To Black Sabbath'. Its 1994 predecessor sold 500,000 copies. Also on the bill at the Roxy were Slayer and raprockers (hed)pe, who both have songs on the Sabbath tribute album, plus Slaves On Dope, the first signing to Ozzy's Divine Recordings label.

The full listing for the 'Nativity II' album includes: Godsmack 'Sweet Leaf'; Machine Head 'Hole In The Sky'; Static-X 'Behind The Wall Of Sleep'; Megadeth 'Never Say Die'; System Of A Down 'Snowblind'; Pantera 'Electric Funeral'; Primus With Ozzy Slayer 'Hand Of Doom'; Soulfly 'Under The Sun'; (hed)pe 'Sabbra Cadabra'; Monster Magnet 'Into The Void'; and Busta Rhymes 'Iron Man (This Means War)'.

Upcoming releases on Divine Recordings also include the longawaited Tony Iommi solo album, Slaves On Dope's debut album, and the soundtrack to the much anticipated Penelope Spheerisdirected Ozzfest documentary, due for general release later this year.