Iommi | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 17 October 2000 | |||
Recorded | 1996–2000 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 51:08 | |||
Label | Divine, Priority | |||
Producer | Bob Marlette | |||
Tony Iommi chronology | ||||
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Iommi is the debut solo studio album by British heavy metal guitarist Tony Iommi.
The album took nearly five years to make. All of the songs were written by Iommi, producer Bob Marlette and the respective vocalists of each track (except "Black Oblivion", which was written by Iommi and Billy Corgan).
According to Iommi, he and Phil Anselmo had recorded three tracks together for the album, but only one was put onto the album. Iommi has also said he "wrote a couple of tracks with Billy Idol and two with Billy Corgan, but you know, we could only use one of each".
In an interview with Cosmik Conversations, Iommi said that they "actually wrote a few tracks with Billy [Idol]...three with Phil Anselmo...and two tracks with Billy Corgan, but you know, we could only use one of each." [1] There is also a track entitled "Something Wicked This Way Comes" written and recorded with Scooter Ward of the band Cold that was not included on the album. The bulk of the music for that track was used for Peter Steele's song, "Just Say No to Love". The track has been available through various filesharing networks. One of the unreleased tracks with Phil Anselmo is a faster-paced song entitled "Inversion of the Saviours". [2] It has also been available through various file sharing networks.
Tony Iommi's career is closely linked to his time in Black Sabbath, a band he led from its formation in 1968 to its retirement in 2017. Iommi also formed the band Heaven & Hell, a group featuring a collection of former Black Sabbath band members that had performed together under the Black Sabbath name in the past.
A number of musicians associated with Black Sabbath appear on Iommi. Track 9 features Black Sabbath vocalist Ozzy Osbourne (1968–1978, 1978–1979, 1996–2006, 2011–2017) and drummer Bill Ward (1968–1980, 1983, 1984, 1994, 1997–2006, 2011–2012). The track also features bassist Laurence Cottle, who was a session musician on Black Sabbath's studio album Headless Cross . [3] Cottle also plays bass on tracks 3–5 and 7–9 on Iommi. Tracks 3 and 7 feature guitarist Brian May, of Queen, who had previously contributed a guitar solo to the Headless Cross album and performed with Black Sabbath on their 1989 tour. He also played alongside Iommi at The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert in 1992.
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [4] |
Rock Hard | 8/10 [5] |
The Village Voice | [6] |
In 2005, Iommi was ranked number 451 in Rock Hard magazine's book of The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time. [7]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Guest musicians | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Laughing Man (In the Devil Mask)" | Iommi, Marlette, Rollins |
| 3:42 |
2. | "Meat" | Iommi, Marlette, Skin |
| 4:55 |
3. | "Goodbye Lament" | Iommi, Marlette, Grohl |
| 4:52 |
4. | "Time Is Mine" | Iommi, Marlette, Anselmo |
| 4:58 |
5. | "Patterns" | Iommi, Marlette, Tankian |
| 4:22 |
6. | "Black Oblivion" | Iommi, Corgan |
| 8:22 |
7. | "Flame On" | Iommi, Marlette, Astbury |
| 4:31 |
8. | "Just Say No to Love" | Iommi, Marlette, Steele |
| 4:29 |
9. | "Who's Fooling Who" | Iommi, Marlette, Osbourne |
| 6:12 |
10. | "Into the Night" | Iommi, Marlette, Idol |
| 5:06 |
Total length: | 51:08 |
Writing, performance and production credits are adapted from the album liner notes.
Chart | Peak position |
---|---|
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [8] | 43 |
US Billboard 200 [9] | 129 |
Black Sabbath were an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler, and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy metal music. The band helped define the genre with their first three albums Black Sabbath, Paranoid, and Master of Reality (1971). Following Osbourne's departure in 1979, the band underwent multiple line-up changes, with Iommi being the only constant member throughout its history.
Never Say Die! is the eighth studio album by English rock band Black Sabbath, released on 29 September 1978. It was the last studio album with the band's original line-up and the last studio album to feature original vocalist Ozzy Osbourne until the 2013 album 13. It was certified Gold in the U.S. on 7 November 1997 and as of November 2011 has sold 133,000 copies in the United States since the SoundScan era. The album received mixed reviews, with critics calling it "unbalanced" and insisting its energy was scattered in too many directions.
Headless Cross is the fourteenth studio album by English heavy metal band Black Sabbath. Released in April 1989, it was the group's second album to feature singer Tony Martin, the first to feature drummer Cozy Powell, and the only album with session bassist Laurence Cottle.
Master of Reality is the third studio album by English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, released in the United Kingdom on 6 August 1971 by Vertigo Records. It is regarded by some critics as the foundation of doom metal, stoner rock, and sludge metal. Produced by Rodger Bain, who also produced the band's prior two albums, Master of Reality was recorded at Island Studios in London from February to April 1971. Guitarist Tony Iommi and bassist Geezer Butler downtuned their instruments during the production, achieving what Iommi called a "bigger, heavier sound".
Black Sabbath is the debut studio album by English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, released on 13 February 1970 by Vertigo Records in the United Kingdom and on 1 June 1970 by Warner Bros. Records in the United States. The album is widely regarded as the first true heavy metal album, and the opening track, "Black Sabbath", was named the greatest heavy metal song of all time by Rolling Stone, and has been referred to as the first doom metal song.
Cozy Powell was an English drummer who made his name with major rock bands and artists such as The Jeff Beck Group, Rainbow, Michael Schenker Group, Gary Moore, Graham Bonnet, Brian May, Whitesnake, Emerson, Lake & Powell, and Black Sabbath.
Anthony Frank Iommi Jr. is an English musician. He co-founded the pioneering heavy metal band Black Sabbath, and was the band's guitarist, leader, primary composer, and sole continuous member for over five decades. He is considered one of the pioneers of heavy metal music and is responsible for inspiring numerous subgenres of metal, most notably doom metal. Iommi was ranked number 13 on Rolling Stone's 2023 list of the “250 Greatest Guitarists of all Time.
Technical Ecstasy is the seventh studio album by English rock band Black Sabbath, produced by guitarist Tony Iommi and released in October 1976 by Vertigo Records. The album received mixed reviews from critics but was a commercial success, peaking at number 13 on the UK Albums Chart and number 51 on the US Billboard 200 Album chart, later being certified Gold by the RIAA in 1997.
Reunion is a live album by English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, released on 19 October 1998. As implied by the title, the album features a reunion of the original Black Sabbath lineup of vocalist Ozzy Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler and drummer Bill Ward. The album represents the first new release featuring that version of the group since 1978's Never Say Die! and Osbourne's subsequent firing the following year. Black Sabbath received their first ever Grammy Award in 2000 for the live recording of "Iron Man" taken from Reunion.
"Sweet Leaf" is a song by English heavy metal band Black Sabbath from their third studio album Master of Reality, released in August, 1971. A single of the song was released in the Philippines. It is considered one of the band's best songs. It was later included on their 1976 greatest hits compilation We Sold Our Soul for Rock 'n' Roll.
The Eternal Idol is the thirteenth studio album by English rock band Black Sabbath, released in November 1987 in the UK and on 8 December 1987 in the US. It is the first Black Sabbath album to feature vocalist Tony Martin. It spent six weeks on the Billboard 200 chart, peaking at 168. It was also the last full album of new material by Black Sabbath to be released by Warner Bros. Records, and the final album through their original label Vertigo Records until the release of 13 in 2013.
Anthony Philip Harford, better known by his stage name Tony Martin, is an English heavy metal vocalist, best known for his time fronting Black Sabbath, initially from 1987 to 1991 and again from 1993 to 1997. Martin was the band's second-longest-serving vocalist after Ozzy Osbourne. He has since been involved in many other projects.
Fused is the second solo album by Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi, released in 2005. The album also features vocalist/bassist Glenn Hughes and drummer Kenny Aronoff.
The Sabbath Stones (1996) is a compilation album of Black Sabbath songs taken from albums ranging from 1983's Born Again to 1995's Forbidden. It was never formally released in the US or Canada, and was the last album to be released by Black Sabbath with I.R.S. Records.
Laurence Cottle is a Welsh bass guitarist and composer.
Heaven & Hell was a British-American heavy metal supergroup active from 2006 to 2010, featuring guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler, vocalist Ronnie James Dio and drummer Vinny Appice.
"Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" is the opening title track of English rock band Black Sabbath's 1973 album of the same name.
Robert Roy Marlette is an American record producer, recording engineer, mixer, and songwriter. His production, writing and mixing credits include Black Sabbath, Marilyn Manson, Rob Zombie, Shinedown, Seether, Saliva, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Alice Cooper, and Sheryl Crow.
Anno Domini 1989–1995 is a box set by English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, released on 31 May 2024. It includes four of five albums from the 1987–1997 Tony Martin-era of the band, with Headless Cross (1989), Tyr (1990) and Cross Purposes (1994) all remastered, and Forbidden (1995) remixed by guitarist Tony Iommi, making this the first time those albums have officially been reissued or remastered.