Customer Reviews

Sabbath Bloody Sabbath: The Battle for Black Sabbath

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I`ve read some negative reviews online for this book, but that didn`t stop me. I am very happy that I gave it a chance because this is one hell of a book. I have read some reviews that talk about the spelling and grammer problems but all that has been fixed with this second edition. Yes there is the odd spelling error but you can find that in most books. This author has gone to great lengths to provide detailed and accurate accounts of what went down, and most of the story is told through interviews done with actual band members throughout Sabbaths career. There is none of that third and fourth hand accounts of what went on during those times. I was really impressed with the stories of how albums were recorded, road stories, or even how various people got selected to play in Sabbath. I like the fact that the book covers Sabbath after the Ozzy years and also looks at Ozzy`s solo career. It goes album by album, year by year and nothing is left out. There are some real funny stories in the book, that I actually caught myself laughing out loud. I have never seen a book like this with this much info in it on the market. I read things that I had no clue about and it`s nice to have information regarding the "lean" sabbath years. Any Sabbath, or all around music fan would love this book. The price is right so check it out. Reading this book has actually inspired me to check out past Sabbath albums that I never really got around to buying. For instance I never owned the "Dehumanizer" album and after reading that chapter in the book, I ran out and picked it up. What a great album, I cannot believe that came out in 92` and I never owned it. I will also be trying "Headless Cross" and "Tyr". With news that Sabbath will reunite with Dio as "Heaven and Hell", there is no better time to get the book and read about everything that happened to make Sabbath what they are today.

I think I've started a review about 10 times now, I'm not a writer but trying to find the right words to tell you about this book. I assume that you must be a Black Sabbath or Ozzy fan if you are here reading this. I read through the editorial review several times and some of the past reviews on Garry Sharpe Young's previous books on Black Sabbath & Ozzy and feel those for the most part describe the book very well. So what can I really add..........

I found the book excellent in its detail given from all the band member's interviewed, clearing up all the holes and rumors floating around over the years. I've not read any of the other books out there on Black Sabbath or Ozzy so I can't really give you a comparison and perhaps none is really needed. The book should be in any Sabbath or Ozzy fans collection due to the array of pictures within, some never before seen concert shots as well as promotional pictures and offstage shots. Loaded with interviews from the array of band members that took part in this battle, reading what really went on in their own words. Garry has done a great job in getting interviews and getting all the different members to give their side of the story, again clearing up much of the void and silence on some subjects. Recent interviews, so this is going to be the most updated information out there........... So if you ever wondered about what really went on over the years I would highly recommend getting the book. It's a big read so get out the old LP's and Cd's and get started.
*Since this review was written a 2nd edition of the book has since come out. Over all it is the same except a slight change in print style allowing for a more compact book, yet also allowing for a few more pictures to be added. As the title states "The Battle for Black Sabbath" was written to cover the years after Ozzy left the band and everything that went on behind the scenes. Even though there is suppose to be freedom of speech it is my understanding that at times some of the interviews had to be withheld or not used. I feel that the author wrote from a neutral perspective, giving everyone a chance to tell their part of a story........so once again dust off those LP's, Cd's, crank them up and forget about that boring day job and relive a part of Rock history through the words of Garry Sharpe Young as told by the players that were Black Sabbath.......

I haven't found myself compelled to write a book review for Amazon before but after reading J. Fincher's review of Sabbath Bloody Sabbath: The Battle for Black Sabbath, (displayed below) I can see it's worth giving my two cents to defend a book that really impressed me. I must say I'm a little confused that this person can give the book a 3 out of 5 without even reading past the first several pages - actually that's quite an impressive grade to give a book without having really read it huh?

I've been a fan of Black Sabbath for many years and it's great to see that even after all this time, the author Garry Sharp-Young can still bring forth new and interesting facts about the band. I never realised just how much was going on between Ozzy's departure from Black Sabbath in 79' and the mark-1 reunions of 1997! Isn't it crazy that the band actually saw an increase in new album sales AFTER they fired Ozzy in 79' and replaced him with Ronnie James Dio!

Take the time to read this 5-star quality book by an author who has obviously been immersed in the Rock / Metal scene for a very long time.

Black Sabbath is one of those bands that has never had a really deep history written - until now. I guess this is because $haron wont let anybody write a book about the real story but thankfully this book really does a great job even though its not official.
It is actually about the period AFTER Ozzy left. There is a really neat introduction leading up to the split, that has a ton of info I never knew before. I'm a great fan of everything to do with Sabbath so it was amazing to read first hand accounts of Ozzy leaving the band and trying to build solo projects. This chapter also introduces Geof Nicholls, one of the unsung heroes, Geoff talks at great length all the way through the book.
From there it's a very, very, VERY detailed history of both Black Sabbath and the Ozzy band. There are a ton og great UNSEEN photos all the way through too. None of these I've seen before, backstage pictures, studio pictures, private pics - great stuff for Sabbath fans.
The list of people interviewed in this book is just amazing. Too many to list biut Gary Sharpe-Young has obviously done some major detective work to put this book into one. I t really is an amazing piece of work. The writing style is very fluid and detailed. It's very hard to put this book down and I am already starting to read it again to get the most out of the detail.
Nothing is glossed over, everybody is interviewed, even guys who just auditioned. This was the material I found amazing. How the songs were made, who wrote them, all the background politics between the musos and the managers. Amazing stories from Ian Gillan (very funny), Ronnie Dio and even Ray Gillen and Dave Donato.
Amazing book. Necessity for any self respecting Black Sabbath fan. I hope Sharpe-Young can do similar with Maiden, Priest or Heep.

I must agree with some of the other reviewers here- this book is just loaded with errors of grammar and spelling- it can be quite distracting at times. Someone has stuffed up badly here- it needs to be proofread/edited again, properly and carefully this time. Having said that, this book is so loaded with interesting and exclusive Sabbath material, that fans will thoroughly enjoy the book anyway. There are tons of exlusive interviews with key players and so much detailed information about the band that most will learn something. It is also unique in that it focuses in detail on the non-Ozzy era of Sabbath, so if your a fan of the Dio or Martin era your in for a treat. There is also a very intersting chapter on the involvement of one Jeff Fenholt in the Sabbath story, a grey area if ever there was one. Was Fenholt ever lead singer for Black Sabbath? Well, yes and no, you'll have to read this and make up your own mind. Anyway, a good buy for Sabbath nuts, but it looses one star because of the sloppy editing.

If you're looking for a comprehensive account of the comings and goings of singers and drummers during the 80's and 90's, this book is very interesting. It's extremely detailed. Much of the information seems to come from Geoff Nichols, the unheralded keyboardist (unheralded to the point where he was off the stage half the time) who was with Sabbath for more years than anyone but Tony and Geezer.

As a piece of writing, this is not the best. It tends to read like a very long high school term paper. There is little concept of flow and readability. Every incident is given equal weight no matter how important or how insignificant. It seems like the author literally took every bit of information at his disposal and put it here, leaving some situations underappreciated and some boringly overdeveloped.

As stated before, the editing and production are also pretty abysmal. I'm not trying to be overcritical here but, let's face it, this is something they want us to pay for. If this information was something I came across on a free website I would be a little more forgiving.

That being said, if you're going to buy this book you are, more likely than not, a big fan. You'll find something here to justify the purchase. Just don't expect to sit next to the fire with this one sipping chardonnay and eating bon bons to achieve literary orgasm. It's not gonna happen.

Everything you wanted to know about the history of Black Sabbath..and then some.The only criticism i have is that maybe it details just a little too deeply,but a good read and i learnt some things i didn't know before.

This book starts off near the end of the Ozzy era Sabbath. Then proceeds to mention ALL the players who have been in,or worked with the Sabbs over the years. Lots of cool pics,unless you are a complete Sabbath freak you will learn afew things from this book about there long and glorious history. Must agree with other reviewers,did no one proof read this before it was published?

I'm simply astonished by the sheer amount pf information contained in this book. Dont'get it wrong: this is a HUGE book, with A4 paper format, more than three hundred pages with two columns in each one. But, if you're into Black Sabbath and Ozzy, you will read it really fast.

The books gives detailed information about almost everything. It has good taste without relaying in useless gossip. This was one of most gratifying readings I've had in years. Highly recommended!

An excellent read for the most devoted of Sabbath fans. However, this is by far the worst editing I've ever seen of any publication in my entire life! Blatant mispellings & poor grammar abound.