Summer of '76 family vacation down the coast to Tijuana and back, so I was 13. Also got a Zep 1 and a Vol 4 shirt, both in that monochrome black rubber stuff, on colour shirt, I believe red for one and orange for the other.


First thing, if you have my other Sabbath book, there is no overlap in interview footage or pretty much anything here! That was the challenge to myself – if I was going to write a second Sabbath book, I wanted folks who had the first one to get excellent value for the money, so yeah – all the interviews etc. are BRAND NEW, with no use of my past archive. This includes the proceeds of the last three or four chats I ever had with our dear Ronnie.

OK, what the heck is this thing? Well, it's 400 pages stuffed with arcane Sabbath knowledge, mostly, along with a bunch of memorabilia stuff, i.e. ads, backstage passes, ticket stubs, photography – again, there might be a handful of things also in Doom Let Loose but 90% is all new.

Best way to describe it is to show you the chapters. Now, this might be before one or two got moved around plus maybe some re-titling, but it is essentially, give or take a swap:

Foreword By Brian Tatler, Diamond Head

"What is this that stands before me?"
Important Dates in Sabbath History

"Well, we can't tell you that."
Black Sabbath Signs with Vertigo Records

"The Rebel, take million twelve"
Black Sabbath's Early Demos

The Mob Drools
A Sampling Of Black Sabbath's Collectible Records

"Joe Pass For 100 Quid, Alex"
Sabbath's Early Influences

Majors & Minors
Those Who Sang for Black Sabbath

"Bonham and Ozzy used to be the loudest two"
A Chat With Norman Hood

"I'm the Witchfinder General!"
Black Sabbath Inspires A Genre Called Doom Metal

"I don't hear a single."
The Top 30 Obscure Sabbath Tracks

Creepy Competition
Black Sabbath, Black Widow… What's The Difference?

Wicked World: Geezer The Peacenik
Geezer Butler on War

"The opening act on that show was Bruce Springsteen."
Bands Who Shared Bills With Sabbath Early On

Thrilling Billing
Black Sabbath's Tour Mates Through History

"Our new single… this is called Supertzar. Everybody sing along!"
Songs Black Sabbath Have Never Played Live

"Oh no you're NOT buying that!"
The Story Behind the Sabbath Bloody Sabbath Cover Art

Runnin' With The Devil
Black Sabbath's Controversial '78 Tour With Van Halen

Black Sabbath's Knob Jobs
The Sabbath Albums Ranked by Sound Quality

The Infamous Black And Blue Tour
Black Sabbath versus Blue Oyster Cult

Roomful Of Blues
The Studios In Which Sabbath Recorded

Headbangers Rock The Vote
Sabbath's Best As Picked By My Minions

"Puccini in Chains"
One-time Black Sabbath Manager Sandy Pearlman Genuflects On His Subjects

"The boys are in the kitchen having a little chat."
Craig Gruber On The Birth of Heaven And Hell

That's A Wrap!
Black Sabbaths Album Covers Ranked

Doom Gone Solo Pt. 1
Key Sabbath Members and Their Solo Accomplishments – A Timeline

Doom Gone Solo Pt. 2
Key Sabbath Members and Their Solo Accomplishments – A Critique

"Next on American Bandstand, a kooky bunch all the way from England…"
The 20 Most Shockingly Radio-Friendly Black Sabbath Songs

Math Pt. 1: Plaque Sabbath
Some Sabbath Sales Figures

Math Pt. 2: With A Bullet
Black Sabbath's Chart Positions

What I Think Pt. 1
Sabbath's Studio Albums Reviewed And Rated

What I Think Pt. 2
Sabbath's Live Albums Reviewed And Rated

Caught In A Heavy Metal Time Machine
Two Soundtrack Stories From The Ronnie Era

Slack Babbath
18 Bands Named After Black Sabbath Songs

"They wrote every single good riff... ever."
Praise For The Sabs From The Nativity In Blackers

Fancy A Blow?
Guest Cameos on Black Sabbath Records

Cross Pollinated Purposes
Black Sabbath Songs That Sound Like Other Black Sabbath Songs

"No matter what name you get behind it, the fans are going to know."
The Birth Of A Band Called Heaven And Hell

"It hasn't been a very happy world for awhile."
Heaven & Hell Unleash The Devil You Know

"Always."
Despite Heaven & Hell, Ronnie Never Gives Up On Dio

Books will be signed by me to you, so make clear if it's a Christmas present or whatever! One drag, given its 400 total pages, this doesn't even come close to fitting through this plastic mylar thing at Canada Post and thus has to go as "small packet" rather than "light packet" so the shipping cost is jacked – sorry.

This book is completely sold out!