Black Sabbath FAQ

All That's Left to Know on the First Name in Metal

Martin Popoff

• Publisher: Backbeat
• Year: 2011
• eBook ISBN: 9781617131134
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Media & Performing Arts
• Subtopic: Music Biographies

Unlike any Sabbath book thus far, Black Sabbath FAQ digs deep into quirks, obscure anecdotes, and burning questions surrounding the Sabs. In a fast-moving, topical format, this book covers a tremendous amount of information, delectable to any Sabbath fan, but hard to find in a traditional biography. This rich history lives and breathes and shouts right here. And the voice behind it could not be stronger: Martin Popoff is a heavy metal expert who has authored over 30 books on the subject, including Doom Let Loose, which is widely considered the definitive biography of the band. In Black Sabbath FAQ, Popoff is like a rabid detective unearthing (and sometimes debunking) ancient lore, valiantly covering new ground, applying academic rigor, but then wildly sounding off with lurid opinion. The pendulum swings, and, though disoriented, the serious Sabbath studier is better for it come the book's doomy conclusion. Dozens of images of rare memorabilia make this book a must-have for fans.

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Contents
• Foreword
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• 1: “Well, We Can’t Tell You That.” Black Sabbath Sign with Vertigo Records
• 2: “Oh My God—What Is That Sound?!”: Sabbath’s Early Influences
• 3: Majors & Minors: Those Who Sang for Black Sabbath
• 4: “Bonham and Ozzy Used to Be the Loudest Two”: A Chat with Norman Hood
• 5: “I’m the Witchfinder General!” Black Sabbath Inspire a Genre Called Doom Metal
• 6: “I Don’t Hear a Single.” The Top 40 Obscure Sabbath Tracks
• 7: Creepy Competition: Black Sabbath, Black Widow…What’s the Difference?
• 8: Wicked World: Geezer the Peacenik: Geezer Butler on War
• 9: “The Opening Act on That Show Was Bruce Springsteen”: Bands Who Shared Bills with Sabbath Early On
• 10: Thrilling Billing: Black Sabbath’s Tour Mates Through History
• 11: “Our New Single…This Is Called ‘Supertzar.’ Everybody Sing Along!” Songs Black Sabbath Have Never Played Live
• 12: “Oh No, You’re NOT Buying That!” The Story Behind the Sabbath Bloody Sabbath Cover Art
• 13: Runnin’ with the Devil: Black Sabbath’s Controversial 1978 Tour with Van Halen
• 14: Black Sabbath’s Knob Jobs: The Sabbath Albums Ranked by Sound Quality
• 15: The Infamous Black and Blue Tour: Black Sabbath Versus Blue Öyster Cult
• 16: Roomful of Blues: The Studios in Which Sabbath Recorded
• 17: “Puccini in Chains”: Onetime Black Sabbath Manager Sandy Pearlman Genuflects on His Subjects
• 18: “The Boys Are in the Kitchen Having a Little Chat.” Craig Gruber on the Birth of Heaven and Hell
• 19: That’s a Wrap! Black Sabbath’s Album Covers Ranked
• 20: Doom Gone Solo: Key Sabbath Members and Their Solo Accomplishments—A Critique
• 21: “Next on American Bandstand, a Kooky Bunch All the Way from England…”: The 20 Most Shockingly Radio-Friendly Black Sabbath Songs
• 22: Math Pt. 1: Plaque Sabbath: Some Sabbath Sales Figures
• 23: Math Pt. 2: With a Bullet: Black Sabbath’s Chart Positions
• 24: What I Think Pt. 1: Sabbath’s Studio Albums Reviewed and Rated
• 25: What I Think Pt. 2: Sabbath’s Live Albums Reviewed and Rated
• 26: Caught in a Heavy Metal Time Machine: Two Soundtrack Stories from the Ronnie Era
• 27: Slack Babbath: Bands Named After Black Sabbath Songs
• 28: “They Wrote Every Single Good Riff…Ever.” Praise for the Sabs from the Nativity in Blackers
• 29: Fancy a Blow?: Guest Cameos on Black Sabbath Records
• 30: “Have You Heard About Vinny?” Producer Thom Panunzio Talks Reunion
• 31: At Cross Purposes: Black Sabbath Songs That Sound Like Other Black Sabbath Songs
• 32: “No Matter What Name You Get Behind It, the Fans Are Going to Know.” The Birth of a Band Called Heaven & Hell
• 33: “It Hasn’t Been a Very Happy World for a While.” Heaven & Hell Unleash The Devil You Know
• 34: “That Was The Whole Journey, Right There.” Neon Nights: A Goodbye Gift to Ronnie
• 35: “Always.” Despite Heaven & Hell, Ronnie Never Gives Up on Dio
• Appendix 1. “‘The Rebel,’ Take Million Twelve”: Black Sabbath’s Early Demos
• Appendix 2. The Mob Drools: A Sampling of Black Sabbath’s Collectible Records
• Appendix 3. I’ve Got My Own Album to Do: Key Sabbath Members and Their Solo Accomplishments—A Timeline
• Selected Bibliography
• Photo Credits