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Thursday October 24th, 2002
Vintage Sabbath is back; win Tony Iommi's Signature SG
In the '70s, before the house and kids and MTV, Ozzy Osbourne fronted Black Sabbath and guitarist Tony Iommi launched a thousand riffs on his Gibson SG.
Vintage Sabbath is back with the release of Symptom Of The Universe: The Original Black Sabbath (1970-1978) (Rhino Records), a two-disc collection that celebrates their reign with 29 tracks, including the rare non-LP single "Evil Woman," available for the first time in the U.S. The set is packaged in a special embossed slipcase with two digi-packs and a full-color booklet, which includes authoritative liner notes by noted Sabbath historian Mick Wall and photos from the band's personal archives.
To celebrate Sabbath, Gibson USA and Rhino are giving away a Tony Iommi Signature SG. This bad-in-black, screaming guitar is a tribute to the distinct sound and legendary rock anthems from Iommi's twenty-five years with Black Sabbath. It features an ebony finish, dual Tony Iommi Signature pickups and a pickguard personally signed by Tony. The truss rod cover features a signature decal and the inlays are silver crosses. Go here to enter. Contest ends November 22. Read the rules here.
Black Sabbath grew out of the late-'60s blues-rock and embraced muscular riffs that veered from standard blues constructions. Sabbath sowed the seeds of heavy metal.
In 1969, four teenagers from the north of England -- Tony Iommi (guitar), Bill Ward (bass), John "Ozzy" Osbourne (vocals), and Terence "Geezer" Butler (drums) -- formed a band that would briefly be known as Polka Tulk. After a short stint as Earth, they finally settled on Black Sabbath, the title of a novel by occult writer Dennis Wheatley. In early 1970 they released their debut single, "Evil Woman (Don't Play Your Games With Me)." By the end of the year, their eponymous LP was a fixture on both the U.K. and U.S. charts. While critics didn't know what to make of this menacing new sound, Sabbath's fan base was growing by leaps and bounds. Their 1971 follow-up, Paranoid, sold more than four million copies and remains one of the cornerstones of hard rock.
Photo by Michael OchsBlack Sabbath's trademark sound continued to pound through 1971's Masters Of Reality and 1972's Vol. 4. With their fifth consecutive masterpiece, Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, their creative scope widened to include additional instrumentation and more elaborate production. But Sabbath's increased musical experimentation brought creative differences, and after three more studio albums, Ozzy left the band to pursue a solo career, the immense success of which still resonates through Ozzfest, MTV's The Osbournes, and the music of generations of kids who love to rock.
Enter now to celebrate Sabbath and a chance to win a Gibson Tony Iommi Signature SG.
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