The Best of Black Sabbath

Several different compilations over the years have been released under the name "The Best of Black Sabbath". None of these are "official" releases, meaning none of them were ever released on the band's actual label with the band's consent and knowledge. This article covers the one released in 2000.

Untitled

The Best of Black Sabbath is a 2000 compilation album by Black Sabbath released on the Sanctuary Records Label. It spans a total recording period from 1970 to 1983, begins with Ozzy Osbourne on vocals, ends with Ian Gillan, former Deep Purple vocalist heading the band, begins with Black Sabbath in 1970, and ends with the album Born Again in 1983. The band omitted the later work that included Ronnie James Dio fronting the album Dehumanizer but did include his work on the album Heaven and Hell in the compilation. They also omitted Tony Martin's work from the collection, whom they fired at various times during the 90s.

As this album is a compilation album released by a record label, and not by "Black Sabbath management", it is not considered an official Black Sabbath album, and isn't in their official catalogue of albums. There are roughly half a dozen albums released through Black Sabbath's career all with the same album title. None of which were released by the band, but were some sort of record label compilation like this one is.

The album includes over twenty-five of Black Sabbath's greatest works, including "Paranoid", from the album of the same name; "Iron Man" from the same album; "N.I.B.", from their debut album; "War Pigs" and "Electric Funeral".

Track listing

The track listing shows the song title first after the track number. Then it cites the album from whence the song appears, and finally its duration. All songs written by Iommi/Butler/Ward/Osbourne except where noted thus: (*).

Disc one

1. "Black Sabbath" (Iommi/Butler/Osbourne/Ward), from Black Sabbath
2. "The Wizard", from Black Sabbath
3. "N.I.B.", from Black Sabbath
4. "Evil Woman (Don't Play Your Games With Me)"* (Larry Weigand), from Black Sabbath
5. "Wicked World", from Black Sabbath
6. "War Pigs", from Paranoid
7. "Paranoid", from Paranoid
8. "Planet Caravan", from Paranoid
9. "Iron Man", from Paranoid
10. "Electric Funeral", from Paranoid
11. "Fairies Wear Boots", from Paranoid
12. "Sweet Leaf", from Master of Reality
13. "Embryo"* (Iommi), from Master of Reality
14. "Children of the Grave", from Master of Reality
15. "Lord of This World", from Master of Reality
16. "Into the Void", from Master of Reality

Disc two

1. "Tomorrow's Dream", from Vol. 4
2. "Supernaut", from Vol. 4
3. "Snowblind", from Vol. 4
4. "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath", from Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
5. "Killing Yourself To Live", from Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
6. "Spiral Architect", from Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
7. "Hole In the Sky", from Sabotage
8. "Don't Start (Too Late)", from Sabotage
9. "Symptom of the Universe", from Sabotage
10. "Am I Going Insane (Radio)", from Sabotage
11. "Dirty Women", from Technical Ecstasy
12. "Never Say Die", from Never Say Die!
13. "A Hard Road", from Never Say Die!
14. "Heaven and Hell"* (Dio/Butler/Ward/Iommi), from Heaven and Hell
15. "Turn Up the Night"* (Dio/Butler/Iommi), from Mob Rules
16. "The Dark/Zero the Hero"* (Gillan/Butler/Ward/Iommi), from Born Again

Album cover

The album cover features in the foreground four filled sarcophaguses, which are in fact graves dating back to the 11th Century. The location is at Heysham, North West England overlooking Morecambe Bay. In the background the sun is setting, so apparently it is at dusk. It has a "The Best of Black Sabbath" title which appears in a Greek style font. On the back of the liner notes, and misc. there is a silhouette of Geezer Butler playing in the moonlight.

Miscellanea

• N.I.B. has been covered by the rock band Primus which also featured original Black Sabbath singer Ozzy Osbourne. This cover made the song a very memorable one, and it features a famous bass rhythm in the beginning of the song, originally played by "Geezer" Butler in 1970 and appeared on the debut album. Contrary to popular belief, the song does not stand for "Nativity in Black", but in fact refers to an inside joke about Ozzy's strange figure while playing at a concert.

• War Pigs is the longest song in terms of duration on the album, clocking in at 7 m and 56 s. It has been covered by the alternative rock band Faith No More and was originally written to condemn the war in Vietnam, deliberately blaming the United States for the atrocities. A verse goes like this:

Treating people just like pawns in chess,
wait until their judgement day comes.

• Another cover of a Black Sabbath song is Planet Caravan also covered by Pantera. It also appears on the compilation. The other cover by Pantera is Hole in the Sky.

• Sweet Leaf was written as an ode to marijuana just as Snowblind was written as ode to cocaine.

• Into the Void was later covered by bands like Kyuss, and an independent non-cover by Nine Inch Nails appeared in the 1990s. KISS released a song with the same name in 1998 (appearing on the Psycho Circus album).

• Embryo, attributed to Iommi, is purely instrumental.

Personnel

1969-1979

The albums that this line-up is featured on are Black Sabbath, Paranoid, Master of Reality, Vol. 4, Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, Sabotage, Technical Ecstasy, and Never Say Die!.

• Ozzy Osbourne, Vocals, Harmonica (Only Track 2 on Disc I)
• Tony Iommi, Guitar, Piano, etc.
• Bill Ward, Drums
• Geezer Butler, Bass
• Rodger Bain, Producer (Black Sabbath, Paranoid, and Master Of Reality)
• Patrick Meehan, Producer (Vol. 4)
• Mike Butcher, Co-Producer (Sabotage, Technical Ecstasy, Never Say Die!)
• Robin Black, Co-Producer (Sabotage, Technical Ecstasy, Never Say Die!)

1980

The album that this line-up is featured on is Heaven and Hell.

• Ronnie James Dio, Vocals
• Tony Iommi, Guitar
• Bill Ward, Drums
• Geezer Butler, Bass

1981-1982

The album that this line-up is featured on is Mob Rules.

• Ronnie James Dio, Vocals
• Tony Iommi, Guitar
• Vinny Appice, Drums
• Geezer Butler, Bass

1983-1984

The album that this line-up is featured on is Born Again.

• Ian Gillan, Vocals
• Tony Iommi, Guitar
• Geezer Butler, Bass
• Bill Ward, Drums