1985 THE YEAR THAT ALMOST BROKE Sabbath

Considering Black Sabbath’s iconic status, and the triumphant manner in which the band finished in 2017, it’s amazing to look back at their situation in the mid-80s. To be brutal, the band were in a state of continuous confusion.

The problems began with the arrival of one-time Deep Purple man Ian Gillan at the end of 1982, replacing vocalist Ronnie James Dio. While the Born Again album recorded with Ian was far from the disaster many claim it to be, the subsequent tour is best forgotten. For a start, guitarist Tony Iommi and bassist Geezer Butler insisted Ian’s arrival didn’t mean there would be any Deep Purple songs in the Sabbath live set.

“Ian has joined Black Sabbath,” stated Geezer firmly when the singer was recruited. “This is not some new supergroup called Deep Sabbath. So we shan’t be doing ” Fair enough. So,