I had it on vinyl and transferred it to CD-R like 20 years ago. And forgot about it. I will now go in the basement and dig it out and re-visit this. And leave you with this. Can you imagine a Glenn Hughes all inclusive BOX-SET ? It would be humongous.
@NowSpinningMagazine I was a 15 year old Brummie when this came out, heavily into Thrash and loved this album! By the time I was old enough to go to Costermongers in the late 80s it was VERY Hair metal (or maybe I just went on the wrong night!). Fell out of love with metal about that time and started listening to stuff like Neil Young, Tim Buckley, the Byrds etc. Annoyingly that meant I missed Grunge bringing back the edge I loved from Thrash! Always wished that Glenn had stayed, not knowing the background at the time. Fused shows us what could have been! Took my daughter to see Glenn at KKs Mill a short while back and so good to see how he overcame those demons to be still with us. Was hoping Tony might make a cameo, but it was a fantastic shoe regardless!
If I may say so phil ,this video highlights just why your show is the best for your reviews ,such passion ,and yes you are absolutely on the money in describing what happened to us rockers on Friday night .Finish work ,Bath ,tea ,in the pub with rock mates by 7/30 😂 The album was brought back in the day and I agree with everything you said in your review BRILlANT stuff phil ,loved every minute ,raised such a smile ,thank you 🎸🎸🎸🎸
Oh Phil you keep bringing me back. Yes I have the original vinyl of Seventh Star, overly excited at the time my two fave musos were working together, having just been 'born again' hearing Glen with Gary Moore on Run For cover and the brilliant Hughes/Thrall. And Tony being a hero, and having every Sab album and seen two recent Dio era shows, I was chuffed. This was different. Blues, metal, dirge; No Stranger to Love and Danger Zone hit hard and this album became personal...It brings me back to that time of mystique and having a personal spiritual connection with my musical heroes. Also on my playlist at the time Under Wraps, Tull; Misdemeanour, UFO; Sacred Heart, Dio. I was always right there with you. -Paul, Toronto Canada
I got really lucky a couple years back Mr. Aston. I found a new and used record store in Texas online... They had a sealed copy of Black Sabbath Seventh Star vinyl for 25 dollars US... I jumped on it.... It was brand spanking new and never opened... I was so stoked.... I still am every time I SPIN it.....
I'm only 36, so I got into this album without experiencing the public reaction in real time. I've always loved the blend of Glenn's voice with Tony's guitar, especially on "Heart Like a Wheel." I was fortunate to interview Glenn following the release of Black Country Communion's second album and he mentioned how much he enjoyed working on "Seventh Star" even though he admitted to spending most of his time at the bar. It always amazes me how great he sounds given his addiction struggles at the time.
When this album first came out I got it on cassette. I always liked it, but over the years my fondness of Seventh Star has grown into an absolute love for the entire album. I since have bought it on vinyl and now I have to go listen to it again, inspired by your enthusiasm. I also deeply love the last 2 tracks on side 2. Glenn’s vocals are exquisite in their emotive expression! Must seek out that double CD edition. Thanks, Phil!
One of the first couple of CD's I purchased and I still love it to this day. I now have the deluxe which is brilliant. Glenn Hughes is phenomenal on this album as is indeed the whole band. No Ozzy = Best sabbath 🙂
This is a magnificent album both Tony Iommi and Glenn Hughes were on fire in 1986 alongside Geoff Nicholls , Eric Singer Dave Spitz and Ray Gillen brought this in 2004 and the deluxe edition in 2010 and the deluxe edition sounds more polished more loud than the 1996 remaster i absolutely love in for the kill ,turn to stone, danger zone, seventh star and no stranger to love the alternate mix and especially live at Hammersmith Oden with Ray Gillen especially when he sings Black Sabbath just purely perfection and Seventh Star live just loved it this came out around the same time Ozzy Osbourne's The Ultimate Sin and even that got high praise but Seventh Star has the ingredients of Heavy Metal Blues and Hard Rock i give this 10 out of 10 because this shows what kind of guitarist Tony Iommi is and what kind of Vocalist Glenn Hughes is with his blues soul and rock influence but I would have loved for Glenn Hughes to play bass on this album on offence to Dave Splitz and Glenn Hughes playing bass in Deep Purple with Burn, Stormbringer and Come Taste The Band is perfect this would have shown what kind of bass player he would have brought to the table but overall I love this album
Fantabulistic!! Got the vinyl, when it came out, and still got it. Got several different CD versions, too. I’m a huge fan of Glenn, too. So, this is one of my fav Sabs albums. Love it! I remember having it on my Walkman, and having it playing everywhere I went, on the bus. 🤘😎🤘
As I get older, this album has climbed significantly on my list of favorite Sabbath albums. In fact there's only a few sabbath albums I don't like, and they were all released after 1987. I think Eternal Idol (another fave) would've been better if it had the heavy full sound that TYR had.
Black Sabbath are one of my all time favorite bands but having said that, I've never listened to this album. For whatever reason I've just always skipped over it. I've recently become a fan of the Tony Martin era since the release of the box set, so maybe after a listen to this album the same will happen again. I love hearing your stories of growing up in England and being in the Rock scene back in the day. It sounded like a great time to be around. That was way before my time though. Thanks for this video, Phil! Looking forward to the next one. - Dylan
Good stuff Phil. I actually only came by this album relatively recently and I can't believe how I missed it. Iommi and Hughes are always an irresistible musical team up.
Hi Phil , yes a great album, I have the original on viyl, Canadian pressing, and also the deluxe cd which is pretty hard to find now, and. yep he did want it to be a solo album especially as he was the the only original on it, and of cause it was the record company stupid idea & putting Featuring Tony Iommi was mire madness But it was a fantastic album , with a brilliant Glenn Hughes, addicted to Mars Bars at the time. There are a few clips with Glenn on UA-cam and pretty shall do have a live bootleg concert with Glenn. Top notch review again Phil Can not wait for the Rerelease of Born Again as well keep up the great reviews.🤘
Boy were you ever right Phil; pulled this album out (hadn't listened to it in years), Man are there some great tunes on it (like the pummeling "Danger Zone")... Cheers!!
For a moment then Phil I thought you weren't going to mention Danger Zone. What a magic riff, simple, but full of passion. Great vocals by Glen Hughes. Love the song. Cheers.
This is a simply FANTASTIC LP! Love every single song! Love the voice of Glenn Hughes. Its a standalone gem. If you have not listened to this record give it a try. Its magnificent.
Again a fantastic look back at a great album, well done I bought this album when it came out and loved it it came out the same week Ozzy’s Ultimate Sin came out and I really enjoyed them both, 1986 wow what a year as an American this music brings me back to a great time in my youth being from Chicago my Chicago Bears won the Super Bowl and we all witnessed the Space shuttle tragedy a few days later that’s when I bought that record as well as Ultimate sin, shortly after that part of the year I visited the UK for the first time and came back with all these great albums I bought from Shades Records in London, and I saw Dokken with Accept at the Hammersmith too same trip April of 1986, thanks for this great look back at a Great album, Great memories for me! Well done Phil!
I loved this album when it emerged and I continue to play my original CD copy from time to time. I saw them at Leicester De Montfort Hall on the Seventh Star tour ( with Zeno opening for them) on 27 May 1986 to a disappointingly small audience. I liked what I heard and bought the vinyl album and was absolutely thrilled to bits by it. Heart Like A Wheel, Danger Zone, No Stranger To Love, etc were all great tracks and Hughes's vocal delivery still makes the hairs stand up on the back of my neck. I do remember Sounds reviewing the album and the reviewer ( Geoff Barton ?) gave it a bit of a kicking. I already had my ticket for the gig at the time but held off buying the LP until post gig. It is a shame that Glenn couldn't replicate the quality of his recorded vocals on the early tour dates ( for various reasons ) and the band discarded him for Ray Gillen. No slight on Ray but he didn't have the vocal power and presence of Glenn. I've never seen that double CD version with the live recording so I must see if it is still available at a sensible price. Loving the channel Phil, keep it up, although I do wonder how you ever find the time to listen to all those box sets. I wonder if Mrs Aston ever sees you!😂
Phil, thanks a forgotten gem indeed which I will dig out. Beatties in Solihull is long gone and last time I drove past the building remains empty. Kind regards
I remember buying this album and playing it a lot! Always a fan of Sabbath and Glenn Hughes I admit Glenn was still struggling with addiction at this time but a terrific performance from him! Yes a high point!
Back in my vinyl days the first two releases I had by Black Sabbath were Seventh Star and that legendary debut from 1970. I remember liking both pretty much equally, perhaps for different reasons, but it does show that they are quite equal in terms of musical quality - at least for me. Great album, fave track for me is the first cut on side two of the vinyl album, Danger Zone.
Great review as always Phil. I purchased this album when it came out then went to the concert. I was totally confused when they announced Ray Gillen as the singer though. It was my very first concert so I have fond memories of the album and it being sung by Ray.
Hi Phil, tbh it’s one of the Sabbath albums I’ve never listened to but after your review I’ll definitely give it a listen to and nice to hear you give a mention to a classic rock album Hughes and Thrall 👍 maybe worth a review one day in the future, great review as always Phil.
I can share my story about this special album, this was my very first introduction to Black Sabbath. Today i am 45 but back in 1986 i would have been 6 years old and my birthday is same birthday as David Byron(Uriah Heep) Jan.29th i had heard some kids on the school bus talk about Ozzy and Black Sabbath, now i knew about Ozzy as a solo artist because at the time he was, but then i heard some kids mention Ozzy and Sabbath so i asked my dad to get me a Black Sabbath cassette for my seventh birthday. Well my dad went to a local record store here in Canada (Sam the record man) and probably picked it out from a "New Releases" wall or shelf. I never questioned why Ozzy wasn't on it and just enjoyed the album as is, i remember quite liking the title track "In for the kill" and "Turn to Stone" with the classic Iommi chugging riffs. "Seventh Star" and "Heart like a Wheel" have some great soloing from the riff master. The album had left an indelible mark on me but it was years later (my mid to late teens) when i rediscovered and learned to listen to Black Sabbath "properly" that i revisited this album. This is when i discovered that my favorite tracks from this record are the last two tracks "Angry Heart/In Memory" the slow tempo "doom metal" like chugging riffs. I always thought it would make a great song to cover, anyway there isn't much else to say i agree with you Iommi is Sabbath !
Took your advice, listened to the LP, not sure I have before... it is really good, it has aged well. Always enjoy your personal stories, keep up the great work Phil...
I wasn’t partisan or a stick in the mud regarding the comings and goings in Black Sabbath. I listened to the album with an open mind. I also just getting into the Glenn Hughes catalogue. I have two CD editions. A friend of mine had the cassette initially,another friend had the album. I played this album a lot along with Hughes/Thrall and John Norum’s Face The Truth, and Trapeze and Glenn’s solo album ‘Play Me Out’. I would like to see Tony Iommi and Glenn play a full live gig with the Dep session Fused & Seventh Star material. I did see Tony guest at the Wolverhampton Civic when Glenn was touring the ‘Addiction’ album.They jammed on ‘Heart Like A Wheel’.
I've had this album since the mid 90s on cd and I've always enjoyed it one of the more unique albums in sabbaths back catalogue I think would love to get that 2cd version Phil!
I watched your review of this record a few days ago on Sea of Tranquility but obviously you were able to go into more detail on your own channel, which I’ve never watched before. I very much enjoyed this review so I’ll have to start watching your channel more regularly. I bought this record in the late 1980’s when I was living in Halesowen. I have never been a big Black Sabbath fan, I bought the record because Glenn Hughes was and still is my favourite singer and there wasn’t much new Hughes material at the time, I was so disappointed when he left Gary Moore’s band. Hughes/Thrall is my favourite studio album full stop ! Looking forward to your review of Hughes/Thrall which you promised somebody else in the comments ! I doubt I played Seventh Star more than three or four times and it was only after watching you on “SoT” that some 35 years later I finally took the record out of the sleeve again and put it on my (brand new) turntable. There was a hair on the record, probably from my beloved cat at the time who died in about 1990, and I’ve spun the record a lot more now than when I originally bought it ! Funny after all those years the title track and No Stranger to Love seemed very familiar (I’m sure I’ve never heard them on the radio or anywhere else) but the rest of the record wasn’t familiar at all. The title track stands out but I agree with you that I prefer side two overall. I do like Tony Iommi’s playing but Glenn’s voice doesn’t particularly stand out to my ears, which is why I think I gave up on this record all those years ago. Perhaps I expected too much back in the day, although the more I listen to side 2 the more I like Glenn’s singing. I’ve got some great records produced by Jeff Glixman so I’m not going to blame the production. Overall it’s a much better record than I remembered it to be. Some of the track titles are a bit unoriginal and I would have preferred either Turn to Stone or Danger Zone as the opening track as I think In for the Kill is a bit weak. No Stranger to Love is let down a bit by the chorus but I don’t find anything disappointing about side 2 with Heart Like a Wheel being a great track with blistering guitar. I’m not from the West Midlands but I was a student at Aston and worked in Halesowen for several years. The closest I came to bumping into Black Sabbath in a Birmingham pub was when Geezer Butler turned up at Aston University Student Union to support his nephew whose band were playing that night. Thanks once more for making me listen to this record again ! 🇬🇧
Yay - a shout out for Costers. I may have had a pint or two in there. Often at lunchtime after visiting Reddington's or Swordfish, sometimes before a gig at the Odeon. Sometimes for the whole night. I didn't buy 7th star for decades. I grabbed a mint vinyl copy from a charity shop a couple of years ago for a quid. It's pretty good. So I got it on CD as well. That was a bit more than a quid.
February 1986 I bought "Seventh Star" with Elvis Costello's "King Of America" both on cassette and years later on CD and yes just heard both again after decades - I always heard "Seventh Star" as Tony's solo - it was cooler that way with Glenn Hughes on vocals and the sidemen - Glenn's emotive vocals stand the test of time sounding even better now than back in '86 - Loved Badlands as well - Good work Phil🎸
One of my favorite albums and "Angry Heart"/"In Memory" (yes I consider them one song) is my favorite song of all time. Glenn was not at his best in life, but I think he was at his best vocally. Allegedly, he delivered most of his vocals while sitting in a chair. Simply amazing.
I bought Seventh Star when it came out and liked it. I know the people I hung around with in high school didn’t. I also purchased the reissue on cd that you featured when it came out as well. Ray Gillian live, WOW! What a set of pipes. I hope this gets reissued like the other Sabbath albums in the future. I do know that there were early tracks which featured Jeff Fenholt and some of the final tracks on Seventh Star seem to be in the same key that Glenn Hughes sang, just different lyrics, like the title track as an example. But overall, great album and definitely worth revisiting!!
I went down the post punk indie path, so hearing about the parallel journey you took is fascinating to me, Phil, and over the last few years I've been diving into the bands I missed out on. I think this is the only Sabbath album I haven't heard yet, so I'm looking forward to that now.
@@NowSpinningMagazine I listened to the album last night and really enjoyed it - it got better and better as it went along for me, which is unusual as a lot of albums are front-loaded. Even Tony's bluesy outing had his distinctive take on it.
You really went in for the kill on this album overview! No matter that is was originally meant to be an Iommi solo album, it's still great nonetheless.
Many thanks for this "Birmingham inside" and your view of this album. Any yes: one can trust each Iommi äh Sabbath album. Tony never lost his - and so to our delight - track over the decades. Whenever there will be a new solo album in the future; it will fit.
Back in the early 90's, I was upstairs in Musical Exchanges, Birmingham, and Toni casually walks in carrying a mixing desk for one of the technicians to have a look at.
Great record I've got a gold stamp promo copy of seventh star saw Glenn Hughes with David Coverdale with deep purple at Long Beach arena 1976 with Tommy bolin on guitar which is now available on a 3lp set remastered call the overseas series Glenn Hughes must have been wasted because David Coverdale actually left the stage for a while and let Glenn Hughes go crazy it was a badass concert I've been a big fan ever since
Hi Phil, it is always good to hear someone praising the Black Sabbath albums, I agree with your observations and comments. I discovered this album a little bit late, buying the '96 "Castle import version" (single disc) back then. Out of all of the vocalists that have been in Sabb. , I would have to say that Glenn Hughes is my least fave, but he is a great singer, somehow he does not fit the "darker/heavier" Sabbath sound that I love. I was thrilled when the "Dehumanizer" album came out, which was a return to that heavy sound (Headless Cross was another one). IMO, there are no bad Black Sabbath albums...brilliant stuff !!!
Although Glenn Hughes' input into Gary Moore's Run for Cover, possibly Gary's best album, was great (especially on Reach for the Sky), you could tell Glenn wasn't personally in great shape. It came as a surprise that he was going to tour with Tony Iommi and Black Sabbath. Although that went wrong on the road, the quality of Seventh Star is undeniable - it's a great album. (RiP to Ray Gillen.)
Hi Phil, I will have to give this album a listen as I did not get another Sabbath album after Dio left until The Eternal idol. I think revisiting that one would be interesting as I have read that sleeve credits were wrong, vocalists changed during recording etc. Far from straightforward! love that album, The shining off that is brilliant.
This album is not easy to find in my country. I own it anyway. Not the worst album by Sabbath, not one of their best. Melodic heavy metal flavoured with some of the better 80's trademarks stylings in most songs. From good to excellent material in my opinion. Some people hate it, - at least in America -. It was supposed to be a solo album but the company rejected and was released as Black Sabbath. Glenn Hughes was very important on this recording. Not many people know about this LP. Another great Sabbath and one of the best 80s british mainstream rock albums. Saludos desde México.
Black Sabbath are my all time favourite band. Only saw them twice, at Hammersmith Odeon and the following weekend at Lewisham Odeon. They were supported both nights by Van Halen. I love Seventh Star, it was a relief to hear it sounding like Black Sabbath. The Sabbath album that I have trouble with is Dehumanizer, too thrashy for my liking. As I loved Ian Gillan on Born Again I will now have to get a copy of the double album. My all time second favourite band is Stray. Saw them numerous times around London and at The Winning Post. Any chance of having a look at them sometime?
This album sounds as if Tony Iommi & Glenn Hughes took over Rainbow after Blackmore put the band on ice to reform Deep Purple. Opening track has shades of Kill the King, the title track & lead-in instrumental have Egyptian themes, there's a power ballad, a bluesy number, & even a song called Danger Zone.
Great album, I had the ‘96 Castle remaster for years, I now had the original Vertigo cd. Louder is not better folks! Compressed remasters are to be avoided. The original plan for this album was multiple singers, Dio, Halford, even Robert Plant was mentioned.
For me, this is not a Black Sabbath album. It might say "Black Sabbath" on it, but it isn't. This is a Tony Iommi solo album, writtren and recorded as such with the "Black Sabbath" name stuck on it afterwards for financial reasons. That being said, it is fantastic and I love it. And I agree Danger Zone is great and it's on of the songs I go back to the most. This album sits well with The DEP Sessions and Fused. As always I really enjoy hearing your thoughts on these albums. Keep up the good work :)
I'm with you 100% on the Hughes/Thrall album,a classic and happily a cd I often play....As for Seventh Star I'm surprised that Glenn Hughes didn't demand his name be on the front cover,mind you with his weight gain you would have struggled to get his ego and his image on the cover-without having a gatefold sleeve.Due to my rapidly growing love for Thrash Metal at the time-at 25 years of age back then, i had grown up with the classic Rock bands who were running out of steam.After seeing the video for Stranger of Love,I assumed that Black Sabbath had become an AOR/MOR act and so I never bought or heard the album at all.
thanks Phil to show some love to this album. I've got the 1996 reissue on cd for ages and recently I bought this 2010 expanded edition. I like the album and Glenn being part of it and I always wanted to love the record. However, as much as I tried to love it, I don't. I think it is a good decent album though.
Great album. Better than never say die and technical ecstasy. Great guitar and superb vocals. For me also lot better than Born Again and most of Tony Martin era. Glad you liked Hughes Thrall Phil. Have waxed lyrical about that collaboration on my own channel. Pat Thrall did some great work in Pat Travers Band and with Stomu Yamashta too. Drums are great on this album too. Especially on Turn to Stone. In for the kill, Seventh Star, Danger Zone, Heart like a wheel are great tracks. In short a worthy addition to any rock fans collection.
@ shame they only recorded one album. Personally I think it’s terrific. Especially the first two tracks. Pat Thrall was a great guitarist. Saw him once with PTB. His solo on crossing The Line live version with Stomu Yamashta is sublime
I think Iommi is from jazz as well, he was a big fan of Django Reinhardt and there's a lot jazz-sounding stuff on Sabbath albums, especially on Never Say Die.
Unwisely I wrote this comment before watching the video, but it's too late to do so now, or rather too early. Bought 7th Star when it was first released, played and liked it a lot. Bought the CD probably sometime during the 90s. I would like to single out No Stranger to Love, the best downright commercial thing Iommi ever wrote imho, and In Memory , which still gives me goosebumps. One gripe, it's too short, or at least I thought so at the time. Nowadays I prefer its running time to studio albums that go on for 60 or 70 minutes.
I bought this in cassette format probably in 1989? Back then (at least where I grew up) you never really new when a band was putting out a new album until you stumbled across it at your record store. Sure there were some rock bands where the radio station would make a big announcement that a new album was coming out and they would play the entire album on a certain day and time, but those were radio friendly bands like Queen or Phil Collins. However, you wouldnt know if Black Sabbath had something new during the late 80's. I first saw Sabbath with Dio fronting for The Mob Rules tour, and again a couple of years later with Ian Gillan the Born again tour, but after that you never heard of them again. I honestly didnt even know who Glenn Hughes was at the time Seventh Star came out. The songs never got any air time and in my opinion it flew under the radar and then disappeared. I always liked the riffs on this album and being a vinyl guy I recently bought a used copy on eBay. I would love to see this album be reissued again on vinyl along with a complete remix and reissue of Born Again. Thanks for the review, it makes me feel good to know that there is at least one other person that knows this album exists and actually likes it.
I have the 2004 remaster from Glimcastle/Sanctuary & the 2010 remaster by Andy Pearce. Just got my last 2010 remaster by Andy Pearce for Dehumanizer. I think I'm good to go now for 1980 Sabbath onward.
Absolute banger, perhaps the most underrated album in the catalogue. I personally don’t buy the whole “meant to be a solo album” thing as I think there’s a lot of evidence that disputes this story but that doesn’t change the fact it’s one hell of an album.
I absolutely adore The Seventh Star album. I love every song on it. Got the deluxe edition that has a live album with Ray Gillen singing. Black Sabbath's catalog in my opinion is close to being flawless. 13 is the only album that I don't really care for.
But, Phil, surely you caught Glenn Hughes on that wonderful "Phenomena" album from a year before in 1985? I was always disappointed by "Gillan Sabbath" though I think you said once that you were there at Reading Festival also when they played live - it was certainly an interesting watch but I have never truly got over Ian Gillan singing "Paranoid" and Tony Iommi playing "Smoke On The Water"! But the "Phenomena" album is the Glenn Hughes "return" that absolutely blew me away first, and made "Seventh Star" a bit less impactful for me, even though it's a great album and was a huge improvement on "Born Again". Having said that, "Born Again" does deserve a proper rework, even that 2015 remaster was missing something.
@@NowSpinningMagazine The first album was definitely the very best of them, but there's some very good material in the rest of the series too, if you've not heard them.
My heart sank when Dio joined, but I still bought the albums, and saw them both tours. When Gillan joined the ranks, it was worse! It meant the end of my fave Purple off-shoot band, Gillan. But, I loved that "Born Again" performance, but of course, the production was, how do you say ... HORRIBLE! Now, with Hughes, it was almost like, who's left from the Purple ranks to join Sabbath? Anyway, of course I bought the album, I do like "No Stranger To Love", "Seventh Star", "Danger Zone" & "Angry Heart". Saw the band in Detroit, it was a disaster to say the least! Hughes left out entire verses and choruses, drawing boos from the crowd. I did meet Glenn after the gig at the band's hotel, but after such a poor gig, I was happy just to have a short chat, get a couple of things signed, and head home.
A very solid album. Some people just need to embrace that Tony made a lot of great music without Ozzy or Dio. Ray Gillen could have bridged the gap between Ozzy and Dio. He was immense.
The songs off Seventh Star worked well live - obviously more with Ray Gillen as Glenn Hughes couldn't sing properly due to blood caking his throat after the aftermath of a fight. A shame that only Heart Like A Wheel made it to Tony Martin's era - I think he would have done great on Danger Zone. Jeff Fenholt had different melodies and lyrics for his demo period before Glenn became involved, but he had a good voice - but more in the vein of Michael Bolton.
I loved this Album from the day it first came out .. Its a Tony Iommi solo Album .. calling it Black Sabbath does not make it Black Sabbath.. The last Black Sabbath album was "Never Say Die"
Not a bad album but I do wish this was put out a originally intended as a Tony Iommi album. Or an Iommi Hughes alnum. Black Sabbath to me were a band. Each member adding their own bit to make it so. , Tony was the riff writer of course but without the others Sabbath simply would not have been Sabbath
Totally disagree with the comments on the NWOBHM. The movement whilst had a very specific sound but definitely was clearly linked to keeping the sound of the old bands like Zeppelin and Purple alive and also fighting against sounds that were totally opposed to them such as the punk bands. Even Maiden who were clearly a NWOBHM band had roots in the prog rock scene (nothing whatsoever to do with punk as seems to be regurgitated regularly)
Totally agree with your experience but I am simply relaying what the feeling that was in my part of Brum back then and how my mates and bands talked about it. I think with Maiden I think it was The vocals on those early singles.
Its all relative really isn't it, Phil? If this was the first Sabbath album you heard, at say, age 11-14, it will always be 'the one'. Just because its not as good as Paranoid doesn't make it crap for some people. Like the first Bowie album i heard and bought on release, was Tin Machine (shut up!), most people say its awful. But not for me. Its good to see a fair minded review of this album, which i remember coming out and it being universally slagged. It must've been super hard for Iommi at that moment in metal/rock. Ozzy peaking, Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax etc coming along and really game changing again, like Sabbath had not much more than a decade previously.
I had it on vinyl and transferred it to CD-R like 20 years ago. And forgot about it. I will now go in the basement and dig it out and re-visit this. And leave you with this. Can you imagine a Glenn Hughes all inclusive BOX-SET ? It would be humongous.
It would be awesome 🤩
@NowSpinningMagazine I was a 15 year old Brummie when this came out, heavily into Thrash and loved this album! By the time I was old enough to go to Costermongers in the late 80s it was VERY Hair metal (or maybe I just went on the wrong night!). Fell out of love with metal about that time and started listening to stuff like Neil Young, Tim Buckley, the Byrds etc. Annoyingly that meant I missed Grunge bringing back the edge I loved from Thrash!
Always wished that Glenn had stayed, not knowing the background at the time. Fused shows us what could have been!
Took my daughter to see Glenn at KKs Mill a short while back and so good to see how he overcame those demons to be still with us. Was hoping Tony might make a cameo, but it was a fantastic shoe regardless!
@@prestigepea1235 Now I just ordered the 1996 Dep sessions for my Christmas ! Good times !
If I may say so phil ,this video highlights just why your show is the best for your reviews ,such passion ,and yes you are absolutely on the money in describing what happened to us rockers on Friday night .Finish work ,Bath ,tea ,in the pub with rock mates by 7/30 😂
The album was brought back in the day and I agree with everything you said in your review
BRILlANT stuff phil ,loved every minute ,raised such a smile ,thank you 🎸🎸🎸🎸
I appreciate that!, I really do. Thank you for all your support and kind words this year. It really makes a difference - Phil
Forgotten gem indeed. Fine album. Still remember buying it from Woolworths.
I still have the original vinyl and play it from time to time. Toni Iommi is as you say the Riff Master!
Wonderful album! What a turn from the so-so Born Again! Bought the vinyl and cassette back then.
Oh Phil you keep bringing me back. Yes I have the original vinyl of Seventh Star, overly excited at the time my two fave musos were working together, having just been 'born again' hearing Glen with Gary Moore on Run For cover and the brilliant Hughes/Thrall. And Tony being a hero, and having every Sab album and seen two recent Dio era shows, I was chuffed. This was different. Blues, metal, dirge; No Stranger to Love and Danger Zone hit hard and this album became personal...It brings me back to that time of mystique and having a personal spiritual connection with my musical heroes. Also on my playlist at the time Under Wraps, Tull; Misdemeanour, UFO; Sacred Heart, Dio. I was always right there with you. -Paul, Toronto Canada
I got really lucky a couple years back Mr. Aston. I found a new and used record store in Texas online... They had a sealed copy of Black Sabbath Seventh Star vinyl for 25 dollars US... I jumped on it.... It was brand spanking new and never opened... I was so stoked.... I still am every time I SPIN it.....
Great story!
I'm only 36, so I got into this album without experiencing the public reaction in real time. I've always loved the blend of Glenn's voice with Tony's guitar, especially on "Heart Like a Wheel." I was fortunate to interview Glenn following the release of Black Country Communion's second album and he mentioned how much he enjoyed working on "Seventh Star" even though he admitted to spending most of his time at the bar. It always amazes me how great he sounds given his addiction struggles at the time.
Thank you for sharing - Phil
A vastly underrated album. I love it and have it in my collection, as OP, reissue and the cd. Nice one Phil 🫡
Thank you 🙏
When this album first came out I got it on cassette. I always liked it, but over the years my fondness of Seventh Star has grown into an absolute love for the entire album. I since have bought it on vinyl and now I have to go listen to it again, inspired by your enthusiasm. I also deeply love the last 2 tracks on side 2. Glenn’s vocals are exquisite in their emotive expression! Must seek out that double CD edition. Thanks, Phil!
Your welcome 🙏
One of the first couple of CD's I purchased and I still love it to this day. I now have the deluxe which is brilliant. Glenn Hughes is phenomenal on this album as is indeed the whole band. No Ozzy = Best sabbath 🙂
Love this album, power and elegance perfectly combined. And to me, the same applies to all 80's Sabbath/Iommi albums 🍺🤘
Love the breakdown in Danger Zone, and the chunky riff afterwards, the whole album is underated
Thank you 🙏
Loved it in 86….still love it.Great album!
This is a magnificent album both Tony Iommi and Glenn Hughes were on fire in 1986 alongside Geoff Nicholls , Eric Singer Dave Spitz and Ray Gillen brought this in 2004 and the deluxe edition in 2010 and the deluxe edition sounds more polished more loud than the 1996 remaster i absolutely love in for the kill ,turn to stone, danger zone, seventh star and no stranger to love the alternate mix and especially live at Hammersmith Oden with Ray Gillen especially when he sings Black Sabbath just purely perfection and Seventh Star live just loved it this came out around the same time Ozzy Osbourne's The Ultimate Sin and even that got high praise but Seventh Star has the ingredients of Heavy Metal Blues and Hard Rock i give this 10 out of 10 because this shows what kind of guitarist Tony Iommi is and what kind of Vocalist Glenn Hughes is with his blues soul and rock influence but I would have loved for Glenn Hughes to play bass on this album on offence to Dave Splitz and Glenn Hughes playing bass in Deep Purple with Burn, Stormbringer and Come Taste The Band is perfect this would have shown what kind of bass player he would have brought to the table but overall I love this album
Fantastic comment and observations - thank you 🙏
@NowSpinningMagazine your welcome great review as always Phil Aston you rock 🎸🤘
Fantabulistic!!
Got the vinyl, when it came out, and still got it. Got several different CD versions, too. I’m a huge fan of Glenn, too. So, this is one of my fav Sabs albums. Love it!
I remember having it on my Walkman, and having it playing everywhere I went, on the bus.
🤘😎🤘
Rock on! Thank you 🙏
As I get older, this album has climbed significantly on my list of favorite Sabbath albums. In fact there's only a few sabbath albums I don't like, and they were all released after 1987. I think Eternal Idol (another fave) would've been better if it had the heavy full sound that TYR had.
Black Sabbath are one of my all time favorite bands but having said that, I've never listened to this album. For whatever reason I've just always skipped over it. I've recently become a fan of the Tony Martin era since the release of the box set, so maybe after a listen to this album the same will happen again. I love hearing your stories of growing up in England and being in the Rock scene back in the day. It sounded like a great time to be around. That was way before my time though. Thanks for this video, Phil! Looking forward to the next one.
- Dylan
Thank you 🙏
Good stuff Phil. I actually only came by this album relatively recently and I can't believe how I missed it. Iommi and Hughes are always an irresistible musical team up.
Fabulous! It’s an important part of the Sabbath story
Hi Phil , yes a great album, I have the original on viyl, Canadian pressing, and also the deluxe cd which is pretty hard to find now, and. yep he did want it to be a solo album especially as he was the the only original on it, and of cause it was the record company stupid idea & putting Featuring Tony Iommi was mire madness But it was a fantastic album , with a brilliant Glenn Hughes, addicted to Mars Bars at the time. There are a few clips with Glenn on UA-cam and pretty shall do have a live bootleg concert with Glenn. Top notch review again Phil Can not wait for the Rerelease of Born Again as well keep up the great reviews.🤘
As always, I appreciate the discussion of the music just as much as the context and the discussion AROUND the music!
Boy were you ever right Phil; pulled this album out (hadn't listened to it in years), Man are there some great tunes on it (like the pummeling "Danger Zone")... Cheers!!
For a moment then Phil I thought you weren't going to mention Danger Zone. What a magic riff, simple, but full of passion. Great vocals by Glen Hughes. Love the song. Cheers.
Thank you 🙏
This is a simply FANTASTIC LP! Love every single song! Love the voice of Glenn Hughes. Its a standalone gem. If you have not listened to this record give it a try. Its magnificent.
Again a fantastic look back at a great album, well done I bought this album when it came out and loved it it came out the same week Ozzy’s Ultimate Sin came out and I really enjoyed them both, 1986 wow what a year as an American this music brings me back to a great time in my youth being from Chicago my Chicago Bears won the Super Bowl and we all witnessed the Space shuttle tragedy a few days later that’s when I bought that record as well as Ultimate sin, shortly after that part of the year I visited the UK for the first time and came back with all these great albums I bought from Shades Records in London, and I saw Dokken with Accept at the Hammersmith too same trip April of 1986, thanks for this great look back at a Great album, Great memories for me! Well done Phil!
Thank you for sharing and watching
I loved this album when it emerged and I continue to play my original CD copy from time to time. I saw them at Leicester De Montfort Hall on the Seventh Star tour ( with Zeno opening for them) on 27 May 1986 to a disappointingly small audience. I liked what I heard and bought the vinyl album and was absolutely thrilled to bits by it. Heart Like A Wheel, Danger Zone, No Stranger To Love, etc were all great tracks and Hughes's vocal delivery still makes the hairs stand up on the back of my neck.
I do remember Sounds reviewing the album and the reviewer ( Geoff Barton ?) gave it a bit of a kicking. I already had my ticket for the gig at the time but held off buying the LP until post gig.
It is a shame that Glenn couldn't replicate the quality of his recorded vocals on the early tour dates ( for various reasons ) and the band discarded him for Ray Gillen. No slight on Ray but he didn't have the vocal power and presence of Glenn.
I've never seen that double CD version with the live recording so I must see if it is still available at a sensible price.
Loving the channel Phil, keep it up, although I do wonder how you ever find the time to listen to all those box sets. I wonder if Mrs Aston ever sees you!😂
Yes! bought Seventh Star on its release and still a great favourite album.
This one got me through a rough patch in my life. For that it will always hold a special place in my heart. Thank you for the great video!
Phil, thanks a forgotten gem indeed which I will dig out. Beatties in Solihull is long gone and last time I drove past the building remains empty. Kind regards
I remember buying this album and playing it a lot! Always a fan of Sabbath and Glenn Hughes I admit Glenn was still struggling with addiction at this time but a terrific performance from him! Yes a high point!
Great job. Phil. I like this album a lot. Have since it came out. You pumped me up to spin it right now. 👍💯
Enjoy!
I am just listening to it for the first time this year and I enjoyed it much better than I thought I would.
Great video Phil Have to go back and listen to this again
Back in my vinyl days the first two releases I had by Black Sabbath were Seventh Star and that legendary debut from 1970. I remember liking both pretty much equally, perhaps for different reasons, but it does show that they are quite equal in terms of musical quality - at least for me. Great album, fave track for me is the first cut on side two of the vinyl album, Danger Zone.
Great review as always Phil. I purchased this album when it came out then went to the concert. I was totally confused when they announced Ray Gillen as the singer though. It was my very first concert so I have fond memories of the album and it being sung by Ray.
Thank you 🙏
Hi Phil, tbh it’s one of the Sabbath albums I’ve never listened to but after your review I’ll definitely give it a listen to and nice to hear you give a mention to a classic rock album Hughes and Thrall 👍 maybe worth a review one day in the future, great review as always Phil.
Hughes Thrall is now on the list
I can share my story about this special album, this was my very first introduction to Black Sabbath. Today i am 45 but back in 1986 i would have been 6 years old and my birthday is same birthday as David Byron(Uriah Heep) Jan.29th i had heard some kids on the school bus talk about Ozzy and Black Sabbath, now i knew about Ozzy as a solo artist because at the time he was, but then i heard some kids mention Ozzy and Sabbath so i asked my dad to get me a Black Sabbath cassette for my seventh birthday. Well my dad went to a local record store here in Canada (Sam the record man) and probably picked it out from a "New Releases" wall or shelf. I never questioned why Ozzy wasn't on it and just enjoyed the album as is, i remember quite liking the title track "In for the kill" and "Turn to Stone" with the classic Iommi chugging riffs. "Seventh Star" and "Heart like a Wheel" have some great soloing from the riff master. The album had left an indelible mark on me but it was years later (my mid to late teens) when i rediscovered and learned to listen to Black Sabbath "properly" that i revisited this album. This is when i discovered that my favorite tracks from this record are the last two tracks "Angry Heart/In Memory" the slow tempo "doom metal" like chugging riffs. I always thought it would make a great song to cover, anyway there isn't much else to say i agree with you Iommi is Sabbath !
Great memories- thank you for sharing
Took your advice, listened to the LP, not sure I have before... it is really good, it has aged well. Always enjoy your personal stories, keep up the great work Phil...
Thank you 🙏
Fantastic review.
What a great album.
I was talking to Glenn about this very album a few weeks ago when he toured Oz land.
A great of an album.
🔥🤘🏾🙏🏾
Thank you 🙏
I wasn’t partisan or a stick in the mud regarding the comings and goings in Black Sabbath. I listened to the album with an open mind. I also just getting into the Glenn Hughes catalogue. I have two CD editions. A friend of mine had the cassette initially,another friend had the album. I played this album a lot along with Hughes/Thrall and John Norum’s Face The Truth, and Trapeze and Glenn’s solo album ‘Play Me Out’. I would like to see Tony Iommi and Glenn play a full live gig with the Dep session Fused & Seventh Star material. I did see Tony guest at the Wolverhampton Civic when Glenn was touring the ‘Addiction’ album.They jammed on ‘Heart Like A Wheel’.
I've had this album since the mid 90s on cd and I've always enjoyed it one of the more unique albums in sabbaths back catalogue I think would love to get that 2cd version Phil!
I watched your review of this record a few days ago on Sea of Tranquility but obviously you were able to go into more detail on your own channel, which I’ve never watched before. I very much enjoyed this review so I’ll have to start watching your channel more regularly.
I bought this record in the late 1980’s when I was living in Halesowen. I have never been a big Black Sabbath fan, I bought the record because Glenn Hughes was and still is my favourite singer and there wasn’t much new Hughes material at the time, I was so disappointed when he left Gary Moore’s band. Hughes/Thrall is my favourite studio album full stop ! Looking forward to your review of Hughes/Thrall which you promised somebody else in the comments !
I doubt I played Seventh Star more than three or four times and it was only after watching you on “SoT” that some 35 years later I finally took the record out of the sleeve again and put it on my (brand new) turntable.
There was a hair on the record, probably from my beloved cat at the time who died in about 1990, and I’ve spun the record a lot more now than when I originally bought it ! Funny after all those years the title track and No Stranger to Love seemed very familiar (I’m sure I’ve never heard them on the radio or anywhere else) but the rest of the record wasn’t familiar at all. The title track stands out but I agree with you that I prefer side two overall. I do like Tony Iommi’s playing but Glenn’s voice doesn’t particularly stand out to my ears, which is why I think I gave up on this record all those years ago. Perhaps I expected too much back in the day, although the more I listen to side 2 the more I like Glenn’s singing. I’ve got some great records produced by Jeff Glixman so I’m not going to blame the production.
Overall it’s a much better record than I remembered it to be. Some of the track titles are a bit unoriginal and I would have preferred either Turn to Stone or Danger Zone as the opening track as I think In for the Kill is a bit weak. No Stranger to Love is let down a bit by the chorus but I don’t find anything disappointing about side 2 with Heart Like a Wheel being a great track with blistering guitar.
I’m not from the West Midlands but I was a student at Aston and worked in Halesowen for several years. The closest I came to bumping into Black Sabbath in a Birmingham pub was when Geezer Butler turned up at Aston University Student Union to support his nephew whose band were playing that night.
Thanks once more for making me listen to this record again ! 🇬🇧
Yay - a shout out for Costers. I may have had a pint or two in there. Often at lunchtime after visiting Reddington's or Swordfish, sometimes before a gig at the Odeon. Sometimes for the whole night. I didn't buy 7th star for decades. I grabbed a mint vinyl copy from a charity shop a couple of years ago for a quid. It's pretty good. So I got it on CD as well. That was a bit more than a quid.
Swordfish, great shop ! Thank you for reminding me
Got this on vinyl will have to listen again to it, cheers Phil
Ive had the vinyl copy for 30 + yrs. Rips! I prefer the fast-paced metal songs but love it all👍👍
One of my favorite albums.
February 1986 I bought "Seventh Star" with Elvis Costello's "King Of America" both on cassette and years later on CD and yes just heard both again after decades - I always heard "Seventh Star" as Tony's solo - it was cooler that way with Glenn Hughes on vocals and the sidemen - Glenn's emotive vocals stand the test of time sounding even better now than back in '86 - Loved Badlands as well - Good work Phil🎸
One of my favorite albums and "Angry Heart"/"In Memory" (yes I consider them one song) is my favorite song of all time. Glenn was not at his best in life, but I think he was at his best vocally. Allegedly, he delivered most of his vocals while sitting in a chair. Simply amazing.
Totally agree 👍
I bought Seventh Star when it came out and liked it. I know the people I hung around with in high school didn’t. I also purchased the reissue on cd that you featured when it came out as well. Ray Gillian live, WOW! What a set of pipes. I hope this gets reissued like the other Sabbath albums in the future.
I do know that there were early tracks which featured Jeff Fenholt and some of the final tracks on Seventh Star seem to be in the same key that Glenn Hughes sang, just different lyrics, like the title track as an example.
But overall, great album and definitely worth revisiting!!
I went down the post punk indie path, so hearing about the parallel journey you took is fascinating to me, Phil, and over the last few years I've been diving into the bands I missed out on. I think this is the only Sabbath album I haven't heard yet, so I'm looking forward to that now.
Thank you 🙏
@@NowSpinningMagazine I listened to the album last night and really enjoyed it - it got better and better as it went along for me, which is unusual as a lot of albums are front-loaded. Even Tony's bluesy outing had his distinctive take on it.
You really went in for the kill on this album overview! No matter that is was originally meant to be an Iommi solo album, it's still great nonetheless.
I bought it on vinyl then but have it on CD now. I'm going to put this on over the weekend. Thanks Phil.
Thank you 🙏
Many thanks for this "Birmingham inside" and your view of this album. Any yes: one can trust each Iommi äh Sabbath album. Tony never lost his - and so to our delight - track over the decades. Whenever there will be a new solo album in the future; it will fit.
Thank you 🙏
Back in the early 90's, I was upstairs in Musical Exchanges, Birmingham, and Toni casually walks in carrying a mixing desk for one of the technicians to have a look at.
Great video Phil, love BS Seventh Star!
Going to get this album after this- loved your thoughts it looks likeee I misisee a great album thank
you
Hope you enjoy it!
Great record I've got a gold stamp promo copy of seventh star saw Glenn Hughes with David Coverdale with deep purple at Long Beach arena 1976 with Tommy bolin on guitar which is now available on a 3lp set remastered call the overseas series Glenn Hughes must have been wasted because David Coverdale actually left the stage for a while and let Glenn Hughes go crazy it was a badass concert I've been a big fan ever since
Hi John, wow you were at that Long Beach gig, that is amazing. One of the few examples that hint at what could have been. Huge Bolin fan here !
I remember of this record in the time. So strange for me and cool in the same time. Its like a new Sabbath.
Hi Phil, it is always good to hear someone praising the Black Sabbath albums, I agree with your observations and comments. I discovered this album a little bit late, buying the '96 "Castle import version" (single disc) back then. Out of all of the vocalists that have been in Sabb. , I would have to say that Glenn Hughes is my least fave, but he is a great singer, somehow he does not fit the "darker/heavier" Sabbath sound that I love. I was thrilled when the "Dehumanizer" album came out, which was a return to that heavy sound (Headless Cross was another one). IMO, there are no bad Black Sabbath albums...brilliant stuff !!!
Thank you 🙏
Although Glenn Hughes' input into Gary Moore's Run for Cover, possibly Gary's best album, was great (especially on Reach for the Sky), you could tell Glenn wasn't personally in great shape. It came as a surprise that he was going to tour with Tony Iommi and Black Sabbath. Although that went wrong on the road, the quality of Seventh Star is undeniable - it's a great album. (RiP to Ray Gillen.)
I absolutely love Reach for the Sky on Run for Cover ! 🇬🇧
I think this is where Glenn Hughes sings the best ever. It's the one time where he doesn't over do it.
Hi Phil, I will have to give this album a listen as I did not get another Sabbath album after Dio left until The Eternal idol. I think revisiting that one would be interesting as I have read that sleeve credits were wrong, vocalists changed during recording etc. Far from straightforward! love that album, The shining off that is brilliant.
I bought this on release, great album.
Well, this album is nothing less thanTREMENDOUS!!! I used to be addicted to it!
Thank you for watching
This album is not easy to find in my country. I own it anyway. Not the worst album by Sabbath, not one of their best. Melodic heavy metal flavoured with some of the better 80's trademarks stylings in most songs. From good to excellent material in my opinion. Some people hate it, - at least in America -. It was supposed to be a solo album but the company rejected and was released as Black Sabbath. Glenn Hughes was very important on this recording. Not many people know about this LP. Another great Sabbath and one of the best 80s british mainstream rock albums. Saludos desde México.
The last Black Sabbath album I fell in love with! Anthony Iommi’s Rainbow if you will
Black Sabbath are my all time favourite band. Only saw them twice, at Hammersmith Odeon and the following weekend at Lewisham Odeon. They were supported both nights by Van Halen. I love Seventh Star, it was a relief to hear it sounding like Black Sabbath. The Sabbath album that I have trouble with is Dehumanizer, too thrashy for my liking. As I loved Ian Gillan on Born Again I will now have to get a copy of the double album.
My all time second favourite band is Stray. Saw them numerous times around London and at The Winning Post. Any chance of having a look at them sometime?
Great album, my fav songs are Turn to Stone and the title track.
I also have the demos for Seventh Star with Glenn.
My vinyl copy has a "promo use only" stamp on it!
This album sounds as if Tony Iommi & Glenn Hughes took over Rainbow after Blackmore put the band on ice to reform Deep Purple. Opening track has shades of Kill the King, the title track & lead-in instrumental have Egyptian themes, there's a power ballad, a bluesy number, & even a song called Danger Zone.
Excellent observation
Your heart’s like a wheel
Just waiting to roll
Great album, I had the ‘96 Castle remaster for years, I now had the original Vertigo cd. Louder is not better folks! Compressed remasters are to be avoided.
The original plan for this album was multiple singers, Dio, Halford, even Robert Plant was mentioned.
For me, this is not a Black Sabbath album. It might say "Black Sabbath" on it, but it isn't. This is a Tony Iommi solo album, writtren and recorded as such with the "Black Sabbath" name stuck on it afterwards for financial reasons.
That being said, it is fantastic and I love it. And I agree Danger Zone is great and it's on of the songs I go back to the most.
This album sits well with The DEP Sessions and Fused.
As always I really enjoy hearing your thoughts on these albums. Keep up the good work :)
7th Star and DEP and Fused are so good. Really overlooked part of the Iommi catalog.
I'm with you 100% on the Hughes/Thrall album,a classic and happily a cd I often play....As for Seventh Star I'm surprised that Glenn Hughes didn't demand his name be on the front cover,mind you with his weight gain you would have struggled to get his ego and his image on the cover-without having a gatefold sleeve.Due to my rapidly growing love for Thrash Metal at the time-at 25 years of age back then, i had grown up with the classic Rock bands who were running out of steam.After seeing the video for Stranger of Love,I assumed that Black Sabbath had become an AOR/MOR act and so I never bought or heard the album at all.
Still living the dream .
thanks Phil to show some love to this album. I've got the 1996 reissue on cd for ages and recently I bought this 2010 expanded edition. I like the album and Glenn being part of it and I always wanted to love the record. However, as much as I tried to love it, I don't. I think it is a good decent album though.
Great album. Better than never say die and technical ecstasy. Great guitar and superb vocals. For me also lot better than Born Again and most of Tony Martin era. Glad you liked Hughes Thrall Phil. Have waxed lyrical about that collaboration on my own channel. Pat Thrall did some great work in Pat Travers Band and with Stomu Yamashta too.
Drums are great on this album too. Especially on Turn to Stone. In for the kill, Seventh Star, Danger Zone, Heart like a wheel are great tracks.
In short a worthy addition to any rock fans collection.
I feel a Hughes Thrall feature is due !
@ shame they only recorded one album. Personally I think it’s terrific. Especially the first two tracks. Pat Thrall was a great guitarist. Saw him once with PTB. His solo on crossing The Line live version with Stomu Yamashta is sublime
Great album. Snappy Jacket. All good 👍
Thank you 🙏
I think Iommi is from jazz as well, he was a big fan of Django Reinhardt and there's a lot jazz-sounding stuff on Sabbath albums, especially on Never Say Die.
Your right, I should have mentioned that
Unwisely I wrote this comment before watching the video, but it's too late to do so now, or rather too early. Bought 7th Star when it was first released, played and liked it a lot. Bought the CD probably sometime during the 90s. I would like to single out No Stranger to Love, the best downright commercial thing Iommi ever wrote imho, and In Memory , which still gives me goosebumps. One gripe, it's too short, or at least I thought so at the time. Nowadays I prefer its running time to studio albums that go on for 60 or 70 minutes.
I bought this in cassette format probably in 1989? Back then (at least where I grew up) you never really new when a band was putting out a new album until you stumbled across it at your record store. Sure there were some rock bands where the radio station would make a big announcement that a new album was coming out and they would play the entire album on a certain day and time, but those were radio friendly bands like Queen or Phil Collins. However, you wouldnt know if Black Sabbath had something new during the late 80's. I first saw Sabbath with Dio fronting for The Mob Rules tour, and again a couple of years later with Ian Gillan the Born again tour, but after that you never heard of them again. I honestly didnt even know who Glenn Hughes was at the time Seventh Star came out. The songs never got any air time and in my opinion it flew under the radar and then disappeared. I always liked the riffs on this album and being a vinyl guy I recently bought a used copy on eBay. I would love to see this album be reissued again on vinyl along with a complete remix and reissue of Born Again. Thanks for the review, it makes me feel good to know that there is at least one other person that knows this album exists and actually likes it.
Check the unofficial Eighth Star, some good songs on it and a kiiler opening too
I have the 2004 remaster from Glimcastle/Sanctuary & the 2010 remaster by Andy Pearce. Just got my last 2010 remaster by Andy Pearce for Dehumanizer. I think I'm good to go now for 1980 Sabbath onward.
Great album!
Absolute banger, perhaps the most underrated album in the catalogue. I personally don’t buy the whole “meant to be a solo album” thing as I think there’s a lot of evidence that disputes this story but that doesn’t change the fact it’s one hell of an album.
Thank you 🤩
the vocals on “No Stranger to Love” remind me of the singer for Living Colour (Corey Glover)
Oh Phil... I have just rinsed £70 on a BOOK! The Island Book of Records 1969 1970.
You must review it...what a read!
Very underrated album. Glenn Hughes sings great on this album
I absolutely adore The Seventh Star album. I love every song on it. Got the deluxe edition that has a live album with Ray Gillen singing. Black Sabbath's catalog in my opinion is close to being flawless. 13 is the only album that I don't really care for.
I loved this album, though I do think it should have been IOMMI solo album, but i get it it'll sell more albums
But, Phil, surely you caught Glenn Hughes on that wonderful "Phenomena" album from a year before in 1985?
I was always disappointed by "Gillan Sabbath" though I think you said once that you were there at Reading Festival also when they played live - it was certainly an interesting watch but I have never truly got over Ian Gillan singing "Paranoid" and Tony Iommi playing "Smoke On The Water"!
But the "Phenomena" album is the Glenn Hughes "return" that absolutely blew me away first, and made "Seventh Star" a bit less impactful for me, even though it's a great album and was a huge improvement on "Born Again".
Having said that, "Born Again" does deserve a proper rework, even that 2015 remaster was missing something.
The vocals on Phenomena is among the finest singing I have ever heard. The Music was very nice as well.
Hi Terry, excellent point. Phenomena is an excellent album. Very much overlooked at the time.
@@joakimkarlsson8995 I was absolutely stunned by that album when I first heard it, there's bits of it that give me "goose bumps" even today.
@@NowSpinningMagazine The first album was definitely the very best of them, but there's some very good material in the rest of the series too, if you've not heard them.
My heart sank when Dio joined, but I still bought the albums, and saw them both tours. When Gillan joined the ranks, it was worse! It meant the end of my fave Purple off-shoot band, Gillan. But, I loved that "Born Again" performance, but of course, the production was, how do you say ... HORRIBLE! Now, with Hughes, it was almost like, who's left from the Purple ranks to join Sabbath? Anyway, of course I bought the album, I do like "No Stranger To Love", "Seventh Star", "Danger Zone" & "Angry Heart". Saw the band in Detroit, it was a disaster to say the least! Hughes left out entire verses and choruses, drawing boos from the crowd. I did meet Glenn after the gig at the band's hotel, but after such a poor gig, I was happy just to have a short chat, get a couple of things signed, and head home.
Thank you for sharing your perspective and memories.
A very solid album. Some people just need to embrace that Tony made a lot of great music without Ozzy or Dio. Ray Gillen could have bridged the gap between Ozzy and Dio. He was immense.
The songs off Seventh Star worked well live - obviously more with Ray Gillen as Glenn Hughes couldn't sing properly due to blood caking his throat after the aftermath of a fight. A shame that only Heart Like A Wheel made it to Tony Martin's era - I think he would have done great on Danger Zone. Jeff Fenholt had different melodies and lyrics for his demo period before Glenn became involved, but he had a good voice - but more in the vein of Michael Bolton.
See it made such an impact on me that I managed to mangle the actual song title.
I loved this Album from the day it first came out .. Its a Tony Iommi solo Album .. calling it Black Sabbath does not make it Black Sabbath.. The last Black Sabbath album was "Never Say Die"
Uooooh! Controversial.
😉
Not a bad album but I do wish this was put out a originally intended as a Tony Iommi album. Or an Iommi Hughes alnum. Black Sabbath to me were a band. Each member adding their own bit to make it so. , Tony was the riff writer of course but without the others Sabbath simply would not have been Sabbath
Totally disagree with the comments on the NWOBHM. The movement whilst had a very specific sound but definitely was clearly linked to keeping the sound of the old bands like Zeppelin and Purple alive and also fighting against sounds that were totally opposed to them such as the punk bands. Even Maiden who were clearly a NWOBHM band had roots in the prog rock scene (nothing whatsoever to do with punk as seems to be regurgitated regularly)
Totally agree with your experience but I am simply relaying what the feeling that was in my part of Brum back then and how my mates and bands talked about it. I think with Maiden I think it was The vocals on those early singles.
Its all relative really isn't it, Phil? If this was the first Sabbath album you heard, at say, age 11-14, it will always be 'the one'. Just because its not as good as Paranoid doesn't make it crap for some people. Like the first Bowie album i heard and bought on release, was Tin Machine (shut up!), most people say its awful. But not for me.
Its good to see a fair minded review of this album, which i remember coming out and it being universally slagged. It must've been super hard for Iommi at that moment in metal/rock. Ozzy peaking, Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax etc coming along and really game changing again, like Sabbath had not much more than a decade previously.