The Black Sabbath album Tony Iommi called “confusing”
Throughout their illustrious career, Black Sabbath encountered a continuous stream of never-ending challenges. Just as they addressed one issue, another would unexpectedly arise, with trouble always looming on the horizon. This constant cycle of setbacks was particularly frustrating for Tony Iommi, who remained relentlessly committed to keeping the band together despite the obstacles they faced.
After 1978’s Never Say Die, it became abundantly clear Black Sabbath couldn’t continue unless something significant changed. Before recording the album, Osbourne had already quit before suffering a change of heart and returning to the fold, but the relationship was beyond fractured. He’d become disillusioned with life in the group and turned even further to drugs and alcohol, ultimately leading to Iommi firing him.
While Osbourne leaving could have been the final straw, Black Sabbath recruited wisely with Ronnie James Dio, who proved to be a clever addition. His first record with the band, 1980’s Heaven and Hell, signified a return to form for the heavy rock outfit, but they were soon thrown into disarray once more once drummer Bill Ward quit the band while on tour.
With new drummer Vinny Apprice in tow and Dio on vocals, Black Sabbath was a vastly different group than its original incarnation. Fortunately, from a musical perspective, he slotted into the band seamlessly, and their first album together, 1981’s Mob Rules, proved to be a fitting successor to Heaven and Hell. However, despite the accomplished final result, the recording process was fiercely challenging.
During an interview with Guitar World in 1992, Iommi reflected: “We were all going through a lot of problems at that time, most of it related to drugs. Even the producer, Martin Birch, was having drug problems, and it hurt the sound of that record. Once that happens to your producer, you’re really screwed.”
He continued: “Mob Rules was a confusing album for us. We started writing songs differently for some reason, and ended up not using a lot of really great material. That lineup [Iommi, Dio, Butler, Ward] was really great, and the whole thing fell apart for very silly reasons – we were all acting like children. But I think we needed to split with Ronnie and gain a little breathing space to be able to do what we’re doing with him now.”
Although they could hold it together musically, it was a recipe for disaster behind the scenes, and how they behaved was wholly unsustainable. Following the success of Heaven and Hell, Dio demanded greater creative control, which led to conflict in the camp and him pursuing a solo career.
Mob Rules set the wheels in motion for a tumultuous decade for Black Sabbath, which would witness them employing a rotating cast of vocalists and a loss of form. However, despite the problems, they found a way to bravely continue and eventually return to the top.
