Black Sabbath The Best Of Black Sabbath (2000)

2000 UK limited edition 5-track promotional-only sampler CD including Paranoid, The Wizard, Symptom Of The Universe, Sabbath Bloody Sabbath & Evil Woman. Issued in a custom card picture sleeve with an individually numbered sticker RAWPR-145.

Black Sabbath's classic 1970s output has been repackaged countless times over the years, but undoubtedly one of the best collections to surface is the aptly titled Best of Black Sabbath on Sanctuary. Comprised of 32 tracks on a pair of discs, Best Of focuses primarily on the "Ozzy years," but does include a small sampling of the short-lived Ronnie James Dio and Ian Gillan eras. What makes this collection such an appealing one is that it manages to include all the favorites, as well as a multitude of oft-overlooked (but just as strong and classic) album cuts…

With its dark, mystical and obsessive sound, Black Sabbath built a unique brand that has influenced countless groups since its inception in the late 60s until today. As usual in our series The Many Faces, we will take you into the fantastic and great world of Black Sabbath. We will revisit his forgotten collaborations, its best songs and the artists (and even music styles) that the band have influenced.
We started with Disc 1, entitled "The Players (and more)" that features musicians who have been part the band. To begin with, who else than Tony Iommi, the founding guitarist and the only member who has been in all the band s formations…

After years of playing a dispiriting game of musical chairs with various lead singers during the early '80s, Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi finally stumbled upon a dependable frontman when he admitted relative unknown Tony Martin into the fold, thereby initiating the original heavy metal band's long awaited return to respectability – if not chart-topping success. Martin joined the oft-interrupted sessions for what would become 1987's The Eternal Idol album already in progress, stepping in for an unreliable Ray Gillen when the latter moved on to Jake E. Lee's Badlands, and helping Iommi rescue an astonishingly solid long-player from the jaws of complete and utter chaos.

After years of playing a dispiriting game of musical chairs with various lead singers during the early '80s, Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi finally stumbled upon a dependable frontman when he admitted relative unknown Tony Martin into the fold, thereby initiating the original heavy metal band's long awaited return to respectability – if not chart-topping success…

Poor Black Sabbath had really fallen on hard times after the departure of Ronnie James Dio. He might have been the last truly respected singer in their history, and even his efforts couldn't win over the Ozzy Osbourne fans who had jumped ship and started following Osbourne's solo career…