Live Evil

by Black Sabbath

Overview

Black Sabbath's first attempt at an official live album, 1982's Live Evil was also the straw that broke the camel's back -- or rather, split the legendary group's second lineup right down the middle. Band tensions were already at an all-time high leading into the album's mixing sessions, but when founding members Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler accused singer Ronnie James Dio of sneaking into the studio to raise the volume on his vocal tracks, the pint-sized warbler decided he'd had enough and, guilty or not, departed to pursue a solo career, taking drummer Vinny Appice with him. Fateful accusations aside, Live Evil does benefit from a crystal clear, in-your-face sound, and by showcasing even amounts of both Ozzy and Dio material, effectively documents Black Sabbath's renascent tours of the early '80s. Ronnie certainly has the vocal chops, if not the same everyman charm, to handle the Osbourne classics, but his incessant banter between (and during!) songs sometimes verges on the unbearable. And even though the album's only truly transcendent moments may be the vicious introductory pairing of "E5150"/"Neon Knights" and the extended "Heaven and Hell"/"Sign of the Southern Cross" suite, there's also nothing really amiss with solid interpretations of such all-time metal classics as "Children of the Sea," "Black Sabbath," "War Pigs," and "Children of the Grave" either. And considering the as yet unknown travails awaiting Black Sabbath in the post-Dio era, Live Evil's troubled gestation has come to seem positively idyllic in retrospect. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia

Product Details

Release Date:	11/01/2024
Label:	Warner Records
UPC:	0081227813871

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Black Sabbath   Primary Artist
Ira Ferguson   Guitar
Geezer Butler   Bass,Guitar (Bass)
Geoff Nicholls   Keyboards
Vinny Appice   Drums
Ronnie James Dio   Vocals
Peter Restey   Keyboards
Michael Howse   Bass
Bill Russell   Drums
Tony Iommi   Guitar

Technical Credits

Bill Russell   Technician
Masaki Koike   Art Direction
Stan Watts   Illustrations
Matt Wortham   Mastering Engineer,Remastering Engineer
Ira Ferguson   Guitar Technician
Geezer Butler   Composer,Engineer,Lyricist,Producer
Steve Woolard   Project Assistant
Lee DeCarlo   Engineer
Jim Scott   Engineer
Martin Birch   Producer
Ozzy Osbourne   Composer,Lyricist
Wyn Davis   Mixing
Black Sabbath   Composer
Ronnie James Dio   Composer
Andy Pearce   Mastering Engineer,Remastering Engineer
Hugh Gilmour   Liner Notes,Cover Design
Mason Williams   A&R
Mark Weiss   Photography
Sheryl Farber   Editorial Supervision
Steffan Chirazi   Liner Notes
Scott Stogel   Engineer
Bill Hutcheson   Engineer
Paul Clark   Concept
Joe Halbardier   Project Assistant
Chris Walter   Photography
Ross Halfin   Photography
Patrick Harbron   Photography
Jay Vigon   Design,Art Direction
Daniel Hersch   Remastering
William Ward   Composer,Lyricist
Tony Iommi   Composer,Engineer,Lyricist,Producer
Bill Freesh   Engineer
Bill Ward   Composer,Lyricist
John Osbourne   Composer,Lyricist