Never Say Die! is the eighth studio album by English rock band Black Sabbath, released on 29 September 1978. It was the last studio album with the band's original lineup and the last studio album to feature original vocalist Ozzy Osbourne until the 2013 album 13. It was certified Gold in the U.S. on 7 November 1997 and as of November 2011 has sold 133,000 copies in the United States since the SoundScan era. The album received mixed reviews, with critics calling it "unbalanced" and insisting its energy was scattered in too many directions.
Cover design by Hipgnosis
Tony Iommi in 1978.
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, Paranoid 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