Born Again (Black Sabbath album)
Born Again is the eleventh studio album by English heavy metal band Black Sabbath. Released on 12 September 1983, it is the only album the group recorded with lead vocalist Ian Gillan, best known for his work with Deep Purple. It was also the last Black Sabbath album for nine years to feature original bassist Geezer Butler and the last to feature original drummer Bill Ward, though Ward did record a studio track with the band fifteen years later on their 1998 live album Reunion. The album has received mixed reviews from critics, but was a commercial success upon its 1983 release, reaching No. 4 in the UK charts. The album also hit the top 40 in the United States. In July 2021, guitarist and founding member Tony Iommi confirmed that the long lost original master tapes of the album had been finally located, and that he was considering remixing the album for a future re-release.
Born Again (Black Sabbath album)
Black Sabbath were an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy metal music. The band helped define the genre with their first three albums Black Sabbath (1970), Paranoid (1970) and Master of Reality (1971). Following Osbourne's departure in 1979, the band underwent multiple line-up changes, with Iommi being the only constant member throughout their history.
Black Sabbath in 1970. From left: Geezer Butler, Tony Iommi, Bill Ward and Ozzy Osbourne.
Black Sabbath at Piccadilly Circus, London in 1970 (left to right: Iommi, Ward, Osbourne, Butler)
Black Sabbath original line-up in 1973 (left to right: Osbourne, Butler, Iommi, Ward)
Black Sabbath at Madison Square Garden, New York City in 1977