Tony Iommi and Glenn Hughes were collaborating on Iommi’s first solo record in the summer of 1985, but both Warner Brothers Records and Iommi’s manager Don Arden (yes, Sharon Osbourne’s dad, the original music management OG) insisted upon it being marketed as a Black Sabbath album and that they tour to support it.
This was the second time that Iommi had raided the Deep Purple gene pool, after of course, singer Ian Gillan’s joining the Sabs for 1983’s legendary half brilliant/half cock-up, Born Again. I believe this speaks to Iommi’s respect for another Django influenced shredder, Mr. Ritchie Blackmore.
Blackmore is the only rockstar who ever asked that I be removed from his dressing room, but that’s another story for another day.
Neither Iommi nor Glenn wanted to follow this corporate and commercial path, yet the advance was seven figures, and once again, it had to be called Black Sabbath.
Glenn was in the throes of a catastrophic cocaine addiction, and was probably 40 pounds over weight. (note: Glenn’s condition today is a testament to what a person can do to turn their life around immeasurably)
As for the album, Seventh Star is a nearly unknown hard rock classic, just brilliant, but it had as much to do with Glenn’s work as Black Sabbath, and Glenn has never really been a metal guy. I think it confused their fanbase, and it may have all somehow worked out better if it had been marketed more organically, and with less marketing manipulation. This was never going to be a serviceable Black Sabbath, it’s really their own thing, which is incredibly unique, some material that largely got missed, but shouldn’t be missed.
"I was into the 'Tony Iommi Project', but I wasn't into joining up as Black Sabbath," Hughes told me, “The idea of being in Black Sabbath didn't appeal to me at all. Glenn Hughes singing in Black Sabbath is like James Brown with Metallica, it ain’t gonna work."
The tour? Glenn was not at his best and just before the tour began the band’s tour manager knocked Glenn out in a bar fight (wtf?), breaking the singer’s orbital bone, and subsequently after a handful of substandard shows Hughes was replaced by management.
This was all related to me by Glenn in our very first conversation back in 2010. That was a curious first interview. I was drunk as a lord, due to a scheduling mistake on my part, and Glenn was either unaware or being very kind about my obvious (to me at least) condition. Still, we had a fantastic chat, and Glenn kept insisting we knew one another. We didn’t, but this led to many subsequent talks, and Glenn was a huge factor in my getting sober, all by being kind and patiently showing me a better path.
My other personal connection to this moment in rock history is a bit more off the beaten path, but it relates what to me is a great rock memory
(never stay an outsider, get to know people!).
In the summer of 1985, I was working at the Guitar Center in Hollywood. I think at the time I was running the accessories counter, an initiation to management at GC.
I was selling this incredibly hirsute dude a fresh set of Rotosound bass strings. Every day for a week.
We were getting chummy, and finally I asked him what he was working on, as nobody buys a set of $25 (at the time) bass strings every day.
He introduced himself, saying, “I’m Dave Spitz, my friends call me “The Beast.”
I said, wait, aren’t you that guy in Anthrax’s brother (Dan Spitz)?
He said yes. I knew him from White Lion, too (I read Kerrang from cover to cover like religion at the time).
Then he looked at me like he was the Maharishi slipping me the keys to the universe.
He said, “Man, Tony, you wouldn’t believe it if I told you.
I said, “Try me.”
He says, “I’m making a record with Tony Iommi, it’s his first solo album.”
Then he leans closer.
He said, “That ain’t the half of it, but you have to promise me you won’t talk about it, it’s hush-hush.
“Glenn Hughes is doing all the singing, and it sounds in-fucking-credible.”
It turns out he was right, it did sound in-fucking-credible, and as I sit here listening to it this morning, all I can think is, damn, record companies and cocaine sure queered a lot of great things in those halcyon times of hard rock glory.
Obviously, Glenn and Tony are back to being friends, and they’ve subsequently made a couple of excellent records together (and I really hope they may work together again in the future).
On the way out the door I’d like to tip my hat to Ripple Music head chef and bottle washer, Todd Severin. Ripple Music is to my ears the finest heavy music record label on the planet, right next to Nuclear Blast, yes aunt Grizelda, there are great record labels.
If you don’t know Ripple Music, it should be homebase for any Iommi fan, I kid you not. Check it out
https://ripplemusic.bandcamp.com/
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