Technical Ecstasy Tour '76-'77
An excerpt from the tour program
Some of the songs you will hear tonight are from
Black Sabbath's latest album "Technical Ecstasy" and it is undoubtedly true to
say that this elpee marks the birth of a new era for the band in general and
Tony Iommi in particular. Tony has long been regarded as one of the premier hard
rock guitarists. His style, commitment and sheer attack are envied by many of
his peers and admired by laymen. But today he stands as a more complete rock
musician than ever before. Take Ozzy Osbourne's description of the album "It was
enjoyable to make. At least Tony enjoyed it - 'cos he made it."
When Ozzy said that, Tony and he were in a
hotel bar in Birmingham, England. Tony reacted to his colleagues praise
characteristically. He took a pull at his beer, grinned slightly embarrassed and
merely said, "I wouldn't go as far as to say that." This is the face that Tony
shows to most people outside of the band. Slightly shy, extremely serious,
deeply concerned that people understand what Black Sabbath represents in the
world of rock and to the members of Sabbath themselves.
With this album Iommi displayed a new devotion to the public representation of
Sabbath's music on record. As Bill Ward says "Tony followed it all the way
through from the first scratch - sitting in a room and writing the songs - to
the last scratch, in the mastering and cutting rooms" Iommi was again
characteristically shy. "If you want something right" he asserted "you've got to
follow it through yourself".
Is it difficult to reconcile this mild character with the demon axeman that Tony
becomes on stage? Relax, there ain't no way he's the professor type. Serious
when necessary for sure, but inside the inner circle of the band he's regarded
as one of the wickedest practical jokers around. It was his idea to fill Bill
Ward's sneakers with mayonnaise just before a gig. When Bill put them on it was
too late to change - he played the whole gig with salad cream slopping out over
his ankles. At home - a mansion-sized establishment in the English Midlands - he
has a dog called Brandy, which causes endless amusement. Unwary readies have
been bitten in the head and legs. When Tony was once explaining to a cop that
his gentle little dog never hurt anyone it emerged from the shrubbery and took a
piece of the cop's backside. It's my theory the dog learnt it's sense of humour
from Tony.
Tony has mild hysterics when he hears about things like that but when it's down
to talking about Sabbath the man gets serious. He's more dedicated to his music:
than China was to Chairman Mao. Over the last three years Sabbath have emerged
from a welter of management hassles, which might have put a lesser band six feet
under. But Tony regards that as the past. He sees it as a landmark period in the
band, which is good for recording as an historical event and nothing more. "This
album we've just done is the first since all those hassles" he explains "and
it's our best ever. The whole band is better than ever. Most of the songs on
'Technical Ecstasy' are stage songs so I think well be performing most of them
on this tour. They're songs I feel good about because they're all ours, in every
sense of the phrase. People will see the difference, I'm sure."
And what of this tour, this concert tonight. "It's important to us" explains
Tony. "We're a playing band anyway. We need to be on stage and to play to
people. It's what Sabbath has always done and it's something we always will do,
if we can.
"The feeling you get from playing to a good audience is hard to describe without
sounding as though you're talking silly. But reaction is important. How good do
you know you are unless you feel that other people are telling you? You might
feel in yourself that you're doing it okay but it's when you get the live
reaction that you know you're doing it right."
Black Sabbath now - tonight - is an intriguing mixture of the past and the
present. You'll hear them doing their classic songs and you'll recognize Tony's
inimitable licks on some songs. But on others you'll be pleasantly surprised -
this I can guarantee.
"With our new songs we're taking a different sort of path" explains Tony. "I
think people will recognize the feel and the sort of content of the songs as
Sabbath but I hope they'll find more and more in them than they've ever done
before.
"Our new songs are different. They're a different direction for us. Instead of
being out and out heavy the songs are being tackled in a different way. Our
previous stuff was as heavy as anything you care to mention and we liked them
that way. They were a sort of expression of what we stood for and how we felt.
No I think we've got a bit more mature over the years. We've developed new ideas
- every band has to if it's going to stay alive - but I don't think anyone needs
to worry about us changing completely.
"That would be impossible. We're still heavy but there's more in our songs now
than ever before. I think people will be surprised and I hope they'll enjoy
themselves."
It's impossible to get inside another person's mind completely and fully
understand what they feel and what they actually think. With Tony Iommi it's
probably more difficult than with most.
He is a man of contrasts. Already we've found that he's both shy and extrovert,
serious and humorous. So let's see what the other members of the band feel about
him. Bill Ward has a respect for Tony, which borders on the fanatical. "That
bloke is amazing. With the new songs he's written he's surprised me more than
ever. The dedication he's put into Sabbath is incredible. His guitar playing is
better than ever and some of his new licks just amaze me."
Geezer Butler and Ozzy Osbourne agree. Ozzy likes to say that the new Sabbath is
Tony's creation. Geezer admires him as a musician and a person. And that doesn't
even do the guy justice. Simply say that he has grown and matured over the last
eight years into an excellent musician and a man who deserves respect. When you
see him playing tonight try and imagine you're sitting somewhere with him having
a beer. The conversation will be good and it'll be all about Sabbath. Well, did
you imagine he'd rather talk about anything else?
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