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Don to miss Bengaluru gig
Blabbermouth reports that Don Airey will sit out the upcoming Deep Purple gig in India on December 17 “due to unforeseen illness”. Adam Wakeman will fill in on the keyboards in his stead. The article quotes band’s statement on unspecified “social media”:
Due to unforeseen illness, Don Airey is unable to perform at Bandland in Bengaluru later this month. Don is hugely disappointed not to be performing with the band in India, but wishes all fans a fantastic night in Bengaluru on 17th December. Adam Wakeman (BLACK SABBATH, OZZY OSBOURNE) will be performing with DEEP PURPLE at Bandland in Bengaluru on 17th December.
At the time of this publication, there is no confirmation of this on either of the band’s two official websites.
Adam Wakeman has a whimsical side project Jazz Sabbath that interprets Black Sabbath classics in jazz style. The project has two albums out, and Simon McBride played on one of them.
Check out Jazz Sabbath performing at Leverkusener Jazztage in 2022:
Thanks to Blabbermouth for the heads up.
Unauthorized copying, while sometimes necessary, is never as good as the real thing
It‘s all getting a little incestuous, isn‘t it? We‘ve had a Rick Emerson in the band, now we have a Wakeman jr. And just like Adam, Don did time with Black Sabbath and Ozzy.
Adam and Simon of course both played in Snakecharmer, that is where they most likely met.
https://youtu.be/eIeNluYO5TY?si=zC21B8l8HaFWRsKO
https://youtu.be/ykRi73Mv4IY?si=uPnAlYyUNF0Fo-1J
I hope that young Adam will concentrate on the music as opposed to Indian cuisine on stage … Did I hear the word curry?!
Seems like DP have now found the recipe to endless touring, rejuvenate the band via getting much younger players in!
December 16th, 2023 at 02:34We do hope Mr Airey is ok & recovers his health. Regarding another Wakeman, sheeesh these guys are everywhere, Ole Rick certainly knew all those years ago to keep the faith. The big question is will a Wakeman be able to handle all that tinkling of those Purple ivories. I think Adam was there at Black Sabbath in 2013. Cheers.
December 16th, 2023 at 05:45Yo,
Get well soon Don !!!
Peace !
December 16th, 2023 at 06:15The last time Don missed a show for DP was in Mexico and the whole world was hit by global COVID pandemic after he missed the show.
December 16th, 2023 at 08:04I hope it’s not the case after this time 🤞
Got well Don.
Peace ✌️
Jazz Sabbath !?…amazing ,love it !
December 16th, 2023 at 10:01I hope it’ s not that bad , and that the good Don is gettin better soon.
December 16th, 2023 at 14:31Is it just me that thinks that Don just don’t want to travel that long for just one show and then back (I would not like it either), next show is (for now) in June.
I do hope to see some footage with Adam though.
Have a nice Christmas (or what else you would celebrate).
Janbl
December 16th, 2023 at 22:36I might not have sent my previous reply to Uwe in regards to the Rick Wakeman curry eating ‘incident’ on stage with Yes in 1973. From my memory that didn’t happen as some journalists said it did. They hang on to that story of Wakeman not liking the Tales From Topographic Oceans double album, too much padding is the saying he went with. He liked some of it but said it should have been a single & not a double album. Also the religious elements being Eastern etc & not Christian was a thorn for him allegedly. The curry was for after the gig but delivered on stage so Rick being Rick & possibly having a break in the music then decided he couldn’t wait any longer. He didn’t do that as the journo said because he was ‘bored’ with playing the music at that time. From what I have read anyway & in case anyone is wondering what Uwe is going on about with the curry comment. Rick also had a number one solo album to keep him busy & the Yes gigs were getting in the way. So he did what has done since then about half a dozen times, he leaves the band. Has anyone been in & out of a band as much as that, I cannot recall that happening elsewhere. Times have changed from the days of Rick & Ozzy knowing each other back in the Sabbath Bloody Sabbath recording days. Wakeman cannot even remember which songs he recorded. He did do a lot of sessions for various artists back then so we forgive him for a slight memory fade of that. Adam Wakeman also plays a bit of guitar so Simon McBride had better keep on his toes. Oliver Wakeman is also a very talented keyboard player & was a member of ‘Yes’ during the 2009/10 era. There must have been something in the water all those years ago when Rick was ‘busy’. Cheers.
December 17th, 2023 at 05:51“Is it just me that thinks that Don just don’t want to travel that long …”
I read around the time of Infinite in a lengthy and very articulate article on the then touring line-up that Don and his son Keith are by far the most active sightseers in the DP touring organisation – just like he says in the Hindustan Times interview posted below, a “big tourist in the mornings”. Big Ian doesn’t go out much anymore, he’s seen everything at least once he says after more or less 60 years of touring the world. Paicey holes up in his hotel room and reads until the gig (he’s apparently an avid book reader) and Steve used to practice guitar. (I forgot what Roger does, but bassists never do anything interesting.
)
So if anything, Don probably has severe regrets on missing out on playing in India of all places. Who wouldn’t want to take a glance at the rich culture there if like Don he’s never been there before? I just hope he has nothing too serious.
December 17th, 2023 at 12:05The “curry incident” is a great piece of rock’n’roll lore, but I never believed that it was an intentional slight by Rick of Steve Howe during his guitar solo piece. The curry was just there and Rick was hungry so why not eat it quickly at your keyboard while you are waiting for the other guy to finish? Howe being Howe, he of course saw it as an insult. It’s in any case a hilarious story and fits in perfectly with Rick’s (entertaining) stage persona (he can eat as many curry dishes on stage as he likes if you ask me, but I have already noticed in the past that YES audiences are VERY SERIOUS about the music they prefer and how it is presented).
And yet I have to thank you, Herr MacGregor – it is only through your post that I have now come to realize belatedly that there are actually two Wakeman jrs playing keyboards in contemporary rock and that the guy who played with Yes is Oliver (born ’72) while Adam (born 74′) has played with Ozzy/Sabbath/Headspace/Snakecharmer. Somehow I always morphed these two together as “Rick Wakeman’s keyboard playing only son”. But there’s aczually two, now I do know, danke!
https://i.pinimg.com/1200x/7e/30/9f/7e309ffb03b4cbd83e20a96477bd1fb3.jpg
December 17th, 2023 at 12:35A good photo that one Uwe, three Wakeman’s & can the world handle that, well it appears that it can, hooray. I haven’t heard about Steve Howe being annoyed at that curry time, however he is known for being a genuine Mr Grumpy in regards to certain musical things with Yes, especially whilst on stage. We often notice him gesturing to the sound man either out front or off stage & also looking peeved about other things, especially audience yelling out at quieter moments & I agree with him being peeved about that one. There is nothing more annoying at any concert than disrespectful so called music followers. Howe is somewhat a perfectionist & there isn’t anything wrong with that as many things can go wrong. Regarding the double trouble Wakeman sons, Oliver is a spitting image of his dad ha ha ha, classic. However Adam looks nothing like Rick. I bet that has been a joke or three many times over the years. They are easy going people & excellent keyboard players & composers. I knew Adam was with Sabbath in 2013 & it is that no one can see him & the others over the years playing off stage keyboards & additional guitar. Geoff Nichols for many years & Scott Warren in Heaven & Hell. I am not sure why Sabbath ‘need’ additional guitar while Iommi is soloing, what for as Geezer’s bass rumbles wonderfully & is more than enough. Cheers.
December 17th, 2023 at 20:19I just thought of the guitar noodling thing with Rick Wakeman eating his curry. At least Rick stayed on stage ready for the cue back in when required. Ian Gillan would have still been in the pub wouldn’t he, imagine Blackmore cuing the others to get back into it then? Cheers.
December 17th, 2023 at 20:34I wonder if Adam will play offstage like he did in Sabbath. As a side note back in the mid 90’s I saw Sabbath on the Cross Purposes and Forbidden tours, I met a guy who was a huge Sabbath fan, but hadn’t seen them, so talking to him was like if I met Jesus Christ! He wanted to know details about the shows etc.
December 18th, 2023 at 05:19I did get a bit sick of him after awhile and asked if he liked anyone besides Sabbath, and I brought up Deep Purple. He said “yeah they’re cool, but they should get rid of the keyboard player.”! I told him that would be like the Doors without Ray Manzarek!
Btw on the Forbidden tour Geoff Nicholls was onstage for that show.
Hey guys
Anyone knows if the band is working in a new album. I hope is an album not covers. I hate covers and the last so called. Album ws shite
December 18th, 2023 at 05:32I really hope Don is well and ready to tour again soon.
However, Adam Wakeman is an excellent substitute when you consider that he has only had a few days to learn the set. I found a few clips from their concert yesterday (December 17th)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eM6Q-feBHi0
December 18th, 2023 at 06:34https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKTddODZTW8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXUMy0mm854
Al @14: No worries. They were holed up in the Chameleon Studios in Hamburg for several weeks in October/November this year. The new album seems to be in the can already (Paicey has mentioned as much too), penciled in for a release sometime in the first or second quarter of 2024.
They also met with dignitaries from their record company earMusic/EDEL there to discuss new projects.
https://images.creativebase.com/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fs3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com%2Fzone.busch.store.image%2Fdf8adcc9-2e19-4af2-8c0c-4cac6c2d6336.jpg&w=2048&q=100
I have no intel though whether Bob Ezrin was involved as producer in the recording process. Does he even record outside of his Nashville confines? Or perhaps the band wanted a change after four albums with him?
December 18th, 2023 at 13:48“I wonder if Adam will play offstage like he did in Sabbath.”
Shudder the thought, sidroman, no way would Purple do such a dastardly thing! I hate that “hidden keyboarder” thing bands like the Sabs, 70ies Status Quo (it took them quite a while until they showed Andy Bown on stage and even longer to make him a full band member though he co-wrote a lot of their hits), Sykes-era Whitesnake (after Jon’s departure, they hid Richard Bailey away at the side of the stage) and Van Halen (Alan Fitzgerald of Montrose and Night Ranger was their off-stage keyboarder from the 90ies onward) all did. A despicable practice if I’ve ever seen one. In contrast, Pink Floyd never hid Snowy White as their second guitarist.
With Sabbath especially, the keyboards (beginning with the Dio years, though they already had off-stage keyboarders in the mid-seventies) were often so loud live (a constant wall of synths creating atmosphere, harmony for Tony’s solos and even eerie vocals and dissonant sounds in places) that NOT showing the guy who audibly played them was bordering on the ridiculous. And why would you not want second generation rock royalty like Wakeman jr on stage with you? He looks great behind his keyboards. That “Sabbath needs to be a four piece visually” never convinced me. Fact was that they needed a fifth guy on keyboards to reproduce their songs live once their music became more ornamental, i.e. after pretty much the first three albums.
December 18th, 2023 at 14:54Thanks for the Bangalore clips, janbl, very illuminating! Young Adam sounds at first listen more Jon Lord’y than Don ever did. Of course, he’s not as dominating in the sound as Don is these days; small wonder given how he had to step in quickly. But he’s doing a more than respectable job. Filling Jon’s AND Don’s shoes is a daunting task.
Rick Wakeman’s son playing Jon Lord’s organ lines – who’d have thought that back in 1974 when Adam was born?
December 18th, 2023 at 17:17Well done Adam Wakeman. His old man Rick would be so proud of him playing the Jon Lord keyboards on those songs & who would have ever thought that. Was that a Stratocaster McBride was playing on Perfect Strangers? Cheers.
December 18th, 2023 at 19:58@ 15 – thanks for posting those clips, good to see Wakeman passed the pub test. In regards to Sabbath hiding the keyboard player Uwe, I agree whole heartedly. A despicable & silly act indeed. Why? Did they think the keyboard not relevant or as you said it was probably the ‘we are only a four piece band’ stupidity. The other thing I mentioned previously was the ‘additional guitar’ issue & I call it an issue because that is pointless indeed. But then again it is Sabbath trying to sound like something they are not. One six string guitar & one bass guitar is more than enough in a hard rock band. However I do feel it was the fact of trying to keep up with the modern two guitar over the top heavy metal scenario. Let’s face it, two guitars in a heavy rock band is utterly irrelevant to my ears. Cheers.
December 18th, 2023 at 20:17Upon closer inspection it isn’t a Stratocaster.
December 18th, 2023 at 20:55I agree 100 percent Uwe, I don’t like using hidden keyboard players or other musicians either.
December 18th, 2023 at 23:17I think with Sabbath usually keeping keyboard players offstage was a HEAVY METAL thing, that if the audience saw a keyboard player, that keyboards aren’t cool. Also, I remember reading an interview with Ronnie when he joined Sabbath, that Geoff Nicholls was there mainly to fill out the sound of the band for the most part and not going to be playing organ solos like Keith Emerson. So he wasn’t an official member, just a sideman, and that’s why he wasn’t featured onstage.
December 19th, 2023 at 08:52@ 23- correct indeed regarding both the heavy metal image & Dio’s comments. Geoff Nicholls did also play bass guitar & guitar a little so yes fill out the sound live on stage. However not being seen, I guess he didn’t mind that for all those years. It does make me wonder about the image thing although if they are not playing an instrument constantly that also could be a reason. Interesting that you said he was on stage for the Forbidden tour, I wonder what prompted that & why it reverted back to being off stage again. Geoff may have preferred being out of the limelight. Cheers.
December 19th, 2023 at 19:48It would be nice to make a living as a musician without the people running after you and commenting on how you look and behave on stage. 🙂
December 19th, 2023 at 22:16Hey Mac,
December 19th, 2023 at 23:18Regarding the Forbidden tour, it was an outdoor show, and I remember the stage was not very big, so maybe that’s why Geoff was onstage. Also, he was a friend of the guys from Sabbath going back to the 60’s. I read that when he had the chance to be a sideman with Sabbath, he had already been a musician for a long time, and figured it was probably the best opportunity he had so he took it. But he was talented, could play keyboards, bass, a bit of guitar, and even sing some background vocals. Peace.
Yo,
At some stage, whether by design or producers idea etc, bands had to / or could expand on their recorded sounds, especially through the early 1970’s, when recording studios suddenly grew from 4-track into 8-track into 16-track into 24-track availability etc etc. So the opportunity arrived to really secure a top-notch recording along with filling in all gaps, & adding bits & pieces of extra enhancements, that you couldn’t have before. So extra guitar parts, & / or the addition of piano / keyboards or even sampled sounds became possible, & successfully used.
And since some songs needed say a keyboard part, you’d hire someone for the role, & in some circumstances, take him / her out on the road to tour with you, to keep the music quality high, & closer to what you heard on the record. But bands also chose to keep these people generally hidden, so as to not let people think that “a new guy” has joined the band.
People like Nicky Hopkins were doing this for many bands as far back as the 1960’s, on many WHO recordings as an example. Black Sabbath did this too through the 1970’s. And even Queen in their last 4-5 years of touring were doing the same thing, but revealing the player towards the end-of-the-show, like Spike Edney, who not only played keyboards through the show, but jumped in on 2nd guitar with Brian for “Hammer to fall”. ( Freddie preferred to jump around the stage rather than play piano or guitar by this stage ).
I see it as a good thing to have & do, but I reckon the “additional musician” should be revealed, & not hidden away. Simply announce him as an employee for the tour after a few songs, & all would be well imo.
Peace !
December 19th, 2023 at 23:36“Let’s face it, two guitars in a heavy rock band is utterly irrelevant to my ears.”
Drummers … say no more! Wot a nonsense-wordy wild wombat you are!!!
https://qph.cf2.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-8595ff55ebbc6d03cc5138b59806caf3
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/19/92/a1/1992a12bcb524e8ca9dd8d2757ff2147.gif
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTdZ89Ac1fU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYM-Vw58T5c
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=893KDHvSLOA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_xqb416S7o
I die for harmonized guitars!
********************
Re Geoff Nichols, true, he didn’t (= wasn’t allowed to) play solos (lots of keyboarders didn’t and don’t), but he was always clearly audible live. You had to be deaf not to hear the keyboard. And on the Seventh Star Tour with Glenn (on the initial dates) he was even visibly on stage with the band (stage far-left, rather dimly lit, the camera doesn’t focus on him much) and you can hear his Hammond riff-roar along with Iommi’s guitar on tracks like Children of the Sea or War Pigs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QQMEPMQbD4
Geoff looked fine as a keyboarder and was a good musician who even co-wrote uncredited with the Sabs, no reason to hide the man.
And judging from this particular gig, Glenn’s live tenure with Sabbath wasn’t the musical catastrophe it was sometimes reported to be. Sure, it’s not really his music and he’s a little lost/awkward without his bass, but it’s not like he can’t sing and pitch the stuff! Until, of course, spitting blood clots from his broken facial bones put an end to all that. Audience seemed to enjoy it too, I’m genuinely surprised after all I’ve heard.
December 19th, 2023 at 23:51Here’s part two of the Detroit Sabs gig with Glenn and Geoff Nicholls – you catch a glimpse of him e.g. during Heaven & Hell at 12:48 on an elevated stage platform to the left of Eric Singer, the drummer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0WoWfvVBdI
December 20th, 2023 at 00:00Dream Theater seem to do ok with a keyboard player, so some ‘metal’ seems to be ok for that instrument. However they have always had a keyboardist in their lineup from my memory. Sabbath never had one so is it a guitar only hangup of sorts. I do remember the flak Judas Priest copped when they dared to be different with the Nostradamus album. Being a touch progressive & symphonic, sheesh they were lucky to survive that from all accounts. With Rob ‘coming out’ earlier & that Nostro album & tour the Priest have managed to lay a few demons to rest & survive. I guess the moral of the story could be that even most die hard metal heads do have some compassion & empathy after all, who would have ever thought that, he he he. Cheers.
December 20th, 2023 at 05:14I seem to remember that DP (later years with Ritchie) and (post DP) Rainbow had offstage female backing vocals (Candice).
December 20th, 2023 at 06:57@ 26 – Geoff Nicholls & Iommi were close friends apparently & there was a connection there from many years past. Didn’t he play bass on some of the original Heaven & Hell album songs? They also had Craig Gruber laying down bass on most of the other album songs until Geezer finished spitting the dummy & returned & re recorded all the bass guitar. Geoff was there for decades to come & was over looked for whatever reason for the H&H tour in 2007. I think his last playing with Sabbath were the Ozzfest gigs in the early 2000’s. Cheers.
December 20th, 2023 at 08:19janbl: True (I think on Anya and Ariel, respectively), but I didn’t like that either. Nothing wrong with backing vocals chicks, but do be a gentleman and have them on stage plus introduce them, it’s not that hard.
I’ve been writing for a while that Big Ian would do his voice a favor if he had backing vocalists on stage or let Simon sing more. Why shouldn’t be ok for him what’s ok for Mick Jagger or Rod Stewart?
That whole ‘tough heavy rock image’ thing bores me, most of these guys are approaching 80, come on!
December 20th, 2023 at 15:43Here’s the Jazz Sabbath track with “Steven Stringer” aka Simon McBride.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhZN-HO07ZM
The whole album is lovely and a tribute to Bill Ward’s jazzy improvisational feel on those early Sabbath albums. Well worth getting and not just for Simon’s contribution. Sabbath’s music in a jazz trio format doesn’t sound at all as incongruous as you might expect.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjZV7rd8r2w
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCfSRb-HGaM
December 20th, 2023 at 18:11I seem to recall a mention somewhere years ago of backup vocalist in the Morse era DP? Agin from my memory which is pretty good still thankfully but like any human it has it’s frailties. Cheers.
December 20th, 2023 at 21:07Not that I’m aware of. Big Ian had a backing vocalist on stage on the Naked Thunder Tour
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dFQdvYh59A
and on the Eastern Europe “Contractual Obligation” Tour with Don and Simon,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBxXdMskdM8
also on his regular appearances with Rock Meets Classic:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvW1s5EL7Ec
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epKKhKJXlfU
Why the same thing shouldn’t be working with Purple is anybody’s guess, but I don’t think it has been attempted yet (Candice’s off-stage singing on the TBRO-Tour excepted).
December 21st, 2023 at 02:02Geoff did play bass on the title track Heaven and Hell. Geezer confirmed this saying that he would not have played such a simple bass line. Supposedly Craig Gruber claimed he played on that album as well, but the guys in the band said that was untrue. Geoff was there from 79-2004. I don’t know exactly why he left, I heard that it could have been Sharon Osbournes decision, because the Osbournes bought the name from Iommi in the late 90’s. Apparently Tony did some time in a Modesto, California jail for unpaid child support. Sharon paid Tony’s fine but one of the conditions was she wanted the rights to the Black sabbath name, meaning there couldn’t be anymore Black Sabbath lineups without Ozzy as the singer. All the original Sabbath guys were friends with Geoff, probably the closest was Tony, especially since he was with him for 25 years.
December 21st, 2023 at 04:09Jazz interpretations of Black Sabbath, hmmmm I am still trying to get into it, anyway it is good to hear variations of many of the classic era songs. The tribute to Sabbath I like is the Estonian band Rondellus. The total opposite of Jazz Sabbath which is upbeat & not capturing the dark feel of those songs, it would be impossible to do that with that jazz formant I think. Rondellus is dark indeed, really getting into that vibe, vocally wonderful with traditional instruments accompanying at times. Two totally different takes on Sabbath which in itself is interesting. All top notch musicians of course & kudos to them all for indulging us all with their wonderful playing. Cheers.
https://www.google.com/search?q=rondellus+sabbatum&oq=Rondellus+Sabbatum&aqs=chrome.0.0i355i512j46i512.5485j0j1&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:deafa7c7,vid:GKmP61RAypY,st:0
December 21st, 2023 at 05:35Now do Jazz Purple (maybe with Paice).
I know that Air Jazz Quartet did one in 1995 but another would be nice.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUCZgxgAaVU
December 21st, 2023 at 06:39I did a fair bit of searching yesterday & couldn’t find anything regarding a backup vocalist or two on stage with Purple. Although as you said I did see some mention of Blackmore’s missus on TBRO tour at certain gigs. Why I can’t tell, well it isn’t hard to see why but at that stage Gillan’s voice was still strong etc. On the Rapture album there is one song it said that a support vocalist was singing on. It could have possibly been that that I read back then & I have crossed the proverbial wires. The Gillan solo gigs I read a little about & thanks for that info. The Crimson jazz trio including ex member Ian Wallace who is a jazz drummer, I listened to as well yesterday & as their early 70’s (2nd, 3rd & 4th albums) are very jazz leaning at times it was a little easier to get into, although some of it still sounds a little odd at times. I don’t think it would work with Purple’s music at all, but maybe that is just me & my aversion to all that jazz piano etc. It is a genre I have never been able to get into. Thanks for the initial Sabbath jazz links as it sent me down an interesting musical hole there for a while.@ 37 – Apparently in Tony Iommi’s Iron Man book he says they did initially have Craig Gruber on bass on many tracks, that is what I found yesterday. They denied it for years apparently, not sure why, royalties or something perhaps. In regards to the O$bourne’s buying Sabbath name rights I thought they only bought a share of the Sabbath name & rightly so. She who must be obeyed was whinging & complaining about concerts & merchandise etc going to Iommi only. Typical isn’t it, Iommi had the name as everyone else had left the band years ago. But we know what talks at times, the filthy lucre. We would hope that deal was one quarter each. I have never heard about Iommi spending time inside, the Iron Man indeed. Cheers.
December 21st, 2023 at 21:22Yo,
It’s ironic in-a-way that so-called fans paid-out on Sabbath with the “Never Say Die” album for being too jazzy, with awesome tunes like “Air-dance” & here we have a jazz ensemble playing their music…
Quite a twist in the tale.
Ozzy was told by Iommi in 1979 to “*uck off”, & paid a then healthy 90-K USD for his severance pay…We’ll never know the ins-&-outs of the dealings between Patrick Meehan jr & Mr.Ardon, yet alone Sharon & her interests…But Ozzy remains popular, & the TV show seemed to do him some good, yet alone his very successful solo career.
Peace !
December 23rd, 2023 at 12:46Yo,
I forgot to mention in the last post, that it was Ozzie who spent time in “the can” for burglary, not Tony Iommi…3-months I think he spent in “the can”, simply because he couldn’t pay the fine issued, which is why he burgles a place, for money to survive. This is where his “Ozzy” tattoo on his knuckles came from, & the smiley-faces on his knee-caps…
The worst thing that happened to Tony Iommi was being busted within a group of band-friends & members for possession of cannabis / smoking weed…Apparently the “News of the World” ran with the story & ultimately the bad-press killed-off the band. Bill Ward was playing with them too. “Mythology”was the name of the band.
Peace !
Both of these events were pre-Sabbath.
December 25th, 2023 at 12:34Uwe, totally agree, hiding the keyboard player was a crappy thing to do. Back in the day, I read that Geoff Nicholls was originally a second guitarist for Sabbath in the late 70s. Then when Dio joined, he went ballistic, demanding that Sabbath had to appear as a “four-piece” (probably wanted more on-stage space for himself). So Nicholls was pushed off to the side, forced to switch from guitar to keyboards, and treated like a session player for most of his Sabbath career. Dio even claimed that “my dog is a better keyboard player than Geoff Nicholls” – this when they weren’t even really letting him play.
December 30th, 2023 at 03:19This is where his “Ozzy” tattoo on his knuckles came from, & the smiley-faces on his knee-caps… Now that I have never seen, smiley face tattoos on Ozzy’s knee caps. Hmmmmmmm I wonder if our resident finder of all things on the internet Uwe can dig up a photo. Come to think of it this could indeed stump him perhaps, for the first time in history Uwe cannot find an image, now that would be an interesting start to the New Year he he he. Cheers.
December 30th, 2023 at 21:00Hi
December 31st, 2023 at 12:56I’m Geoff Nicholls keyboard player for Black Sabbath! Yes I am in the band! Well if you’re in the first 3 rows and you look offstage left, you can see me! Yes, I’m playing keyboards. They don’t let me onstage because I’m taller and better looking than the guys onstage. Oh, and people have asked me if I’m Tony Iommi and I dyed my hair blonde. Tony is nice to me though, we do coke in his dressing room and I laugh at his jokes. I Also get a really nice black jacket with Black Sabbath on the back. I’m licensed to drive a bus, so if our bus driver wants to drink or take a nap, I drive the tour bus as well.
Yo,
One wonders why people need to see to believe, but here’s a link to an image of Ozzy sitting on the can, & you can zoom in on his legs to see the smiley faces…
https://i.redd.it/ab8zojpd46g91.jpg
Peace !
January 1st, 2024 at 10:21Ah the bog photo of his Ozzness, yes I have seen that image before but never stopped to look any further (why would we) same as the Frank Zappa one. Those ‘tatts’ do looked penciled in but homemade tattoos cans look like that. Cheers.
January 1st, 2024 at 21:59Ozzy at least had the decency to show Don Airey on stage on the Bark At The Moon Tour
https://youtu.be/ofGP51Q4PRI
and to only half-hide John Sinclair on the No Rest For The Wicked Tour with then new boy Zakk Wylde which featured a raised stage with John underneath the main stage in a mock-dungeon behind a small barred opening, but still clearly visible to the fans upfront. He obviously preferred the money he could earn with Ozzy that way to being featured in full view of everyone with Uriah Heep.
January 2nd, 2024 at 03:45That Ozzy reference reminds me of the Mr Crowley ‘live’ in the studio or sound check clip from 1981. It starts with the keyboards which as we know are the heavily featured intro but as soon as the rest of the band kick in we don’t see him ever again. It makes me wonder as to the editing or the camera operators mentality, ‘well now that is out of the way & we can now focus only on the rock band’ mentality. Meaning the guitar, drums & vocal image thing. Keyboards, what keyboard player, oh him, but he wasn’t necessary after the intro’. Cheers.
January 2nd, 2024 at 23:11