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Thu 15 October 2026 21:09, UK
Black Sabbath’s farewell at Back to the Beginning in 2025 was a fitting conclusion to one of rock music’s most extraordinary careers. However, the road to that final performance was anything but smooth, with the band enduring decades of turmoil, bitter disputes and personal struggles along the way.
If any band deserved to get the perfect ending, it was Black Sabbath, after everything they’ve been through. Even then, tragedy was awaiting just around the corner with Ozzy Osbourne sadly dying just three weeks after Black Sabbath took to the stage for the final time, just a stone’s throw from where they were raised in Aston, Birmingham.
It was also the first time in more than 20 years that Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Bill Ward, and Geezer Butler, the original line-up, had performed together. But, over the years, while those four were always viewed as the true Black Sabbath, many others came and went during their tenure.
Following the acrimonious (second) departure of Osbourne in 1979, Black Sabbath managed to procure the talents of Ronnie James Dio, who filled the void that once seemed irreplaceable. Dio was a fine addition to the heavy rock outfit, and at first, it seemed to be a match made in heaven, but the good times didn’t roll forever.
Eventually, it all came to a head in 1982, when a power struggle ensued over the mixing of Live Evil, and ultimately, Dio left the band.
While he’d later return to the fold in 1991, the rest of the 1980s saw Black Sabbath in the midst of an identity crisis. During this era, they rotated frontmen like they were underwear, cycling through a grand total of five different singers. Unlike many who assumed the position, former Deep Purple frontman Ian Gillan was at least fortunate enough to complete a studio album.
Gillan contributed to their 1983 album Born Again, which was supposed to kickstart a bright new chapter in their career. He had a pedigree in the music business that seemed to make him a wise pick, but Tony Iommi was never convinced, and the final product only confirmed his fears.
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Years later, while assessing the album with Guitar World, the guitarist divulged: “When we first put that line-up together [Ian Gillan, Iommi, Butler, Ward], it was only on paper – done purely by lawyers. Ian is a great singer, but he’s from a completely different background [Deep Purple], and it was difficult for him to come in and sing Sabbath material”.
“To be honest, I didn’t like some of the songs on that album – and the production was awful.”
Iommi isn’t alone in holding negative feelings towards the production of Born Again, which is equally despised by Gillan. Before he heard the final mix, the singer was excited and believed they may have made a magical record, but those hopes dissipated instantly.
During an interview with Spain’s Rock FM, Gillan said of the album: “Look, I was disappointed. I didn’t have the mentality of all the guys in Black Sabbath. I loved it. I had a fantastic year; it was insane. But when we finished the mixes… I still have a cassette at my home of the monitor mixes of Born Again, and it sounds fantastic — just on a cassette. And that’s the last thing I heard in the recording studio. When I heard the album, I went, ‘What is this?’ The bass rumble was a bit too much for me.”
The former Deep Purple frontman compared the final mixes to a scene from Spinal Tap, highlighting how they were “unplayable on the radio”, adding, “I was disappointed in the final production mix. I don’t know what happened between the studio and the factory, but something happened. So that was a disappointment.”
Gillan, highlighting that he didn’t have the same “mentality” as the rest of the band, was a warning sign that it was never built to last. With that in mind, after the experience of Born Again, Gillan didn’t take a moment to consider reuniting with Deep Purple, which seemed a far more tantalising opportunity than staying with Black Sabbath for a moment longer.
Despite Iommi and Gillan’s ill feelings towards the final mix, it still did sell 1,400,000 copies, according to Chart Masters, and the relationship could have been their chance at stability that they desperately needed. After Gillan left, Bill Ward and Geezer Butler were also soon out of the door, with Iommi left as the only founding member, yet somehow those four would always find a way back to one another.
