Never Say Die - Black Sabbath

A good album in its' own right, a worthy Black Sabbath album, and as a metal album it holds its' own as respectable and memorable. Side one of the LP record is the best - the title track: Never Say Die, Johnny Blade and Juniors' Eyes being three out of the four great songs on it, and on side two there is Air Dance which is the fourth great song. The other half of the songs on the album are what let it down; it's not that they are exactly 'filler', just that they don't grab the listener as being that exciting or beckoning to be listened to again and again. Overall then, an album worth getting for some great songs and some okay songs. My favourites are Never Say Die and Air Dance.

The last album to be released from Black Sabbath’s ‘classic’ line-up proved to be something of a disappointment. Although initially seeming more impressive than their previous offering, the watered down, poorly experimental ‘Technical Ecstasy,’ Never Say Die soon descends into a confusing and mediocre effort. But incomplete and half-arsed though it is, the Black Sabbath touches that remain make me return to this album every once in a while. HARD ROAD The original Black Sabbath line-up of Ozzy Osbourne (vocals), Tony Iommi (guitar), Geezer Butler (bass) and Bill Ward (drums) produced eight studio albums through the seventies, their music ...  Read the complete review

Apparently, most Sabbath fans hate Never Say Die, and in fact Technical Ecstasy as well. I couldn't disagree more. These last two albums (for after Ozzy left, it wasn't really Sabbath anymore, was it?) let show the troubles the band was having, but that doesn't stop them from being great music. "Johnny Blade", "Air Dance", "Junior's Eyes", and "Shock Wave" top my list of great songs from this record. Maybe it's that some listeners pigeonhole Sabbath after hearing stuff from Paranoid, Masters of Reality, et cetera, and don't take the time to consider all 8 albums as a whole. If you sat down and listened ...  Read the complete review