Released 9/21/09
Towards the end of 1977, Black Sabbath were in a state of turmoil. Problems of all description were having an adverse effect on the band?s ability to function and finally Ozzy Osbourne could take no more and would quit at the end of the Technical Ecstasy World Tour. Briefly replaced by ex-Savoy Brown vocalist Dave Walker and resulting in the first line-up change since the band began ten years earlier, Walker?s tenure would however, be extremely short lived and Ozzy returned to resume lead vocal duty and a re-location to Toronto, Canada for recording sessions and the resultant Never Say Die! album.Despite continuing problems both internal and external, the title track would impact on the singles chart and reach number 21 in June 1978 and would secure an appearance for the band on the influential chart show, Top Of The Pops. Not since ?Paranoid? in 1970 had Black Sabbath enjoyed such coverage.A second single, ?Hard Road? also got to 33 in the charts but the resultant full album release during October ?78 was met with mixed reaction from the die-hard fans despite further strong material on offer in the shape of ?Johnny Blade? and ?Junior?s Eyes?.The clarion call provided by the album?s title might have been a mission statement for the band members to rise above their problems despite all the odds but unfortunately, Never Say Die! would prove to have the very opposite effect and during the U.S. tour for album, Ozzy would leave his band mates a second time and seemingly now for good as he plotted to put together a new band project called Blizzard Of Ozz with Quiet Riot guitar virtuoso, Randy Rhoads.This re-mastered and sumptuous gatefold digipak edition of the album boasts comprehensive story of the album sleeve-notes by renowned Rock critic Jerry Ewing (Classic Rock & Metal Hammer magazine and TotalRock Radio) and a plethora of rare and previously unseen photographs and items of memorabilia.
Disc 1: NEVER SAY DIE JOHNNY BLADE JUNIOR'S EYES A HARD ROAD SHOCK WAVE AIR DANCE OVER TO YOU BREAKOUT SWINGING THE CHAIN