Interestingly enough, Gillan has repeatedly stated that although the album didn't do so well, that period of time was some of the most fun he had ever had. He said that year was like one giant party.
Born Again is a killer album. Ian Gillan's vocal performance is incredible. The album is basically original Black Sabbath with Gillan on vocals. Born Again is my favorite post Ozzy Black Sabbath album.
I love Born Again. Never had a problem with the production and I even like the instrumental intros to Disturbing the Priest and Zero the Hero. Maybe I'm in the minority, but I enjoy this album more than Heaven and Hell, which is also a magnificent album..
I'm with you. I prefer Born Again over Heaven And Hell. I also prefer Born Again over Mob Rules. That said I love Heaven And Hell and Mob Rules. I just love Born Again even more.
Born Again obviously deserves to be prominently ranked in Sabbath's discog, but the Dio-era albums top that ranking, immediately followed by first 7 with Ozzy. Falling Off The Edge Of The World off of Mob Rules alone is better than anything off Born Again. That said, Ian could take a lesson or two from the Ronnie lyric playbook or Butler's for that matter.
Nice video! Born Again was my introduction to Black Sabbath. The first album of theirs that I heard as a Sophomore in High School right after it came out. Loved it, especially Zero the Hero and Disturbing the Priest. And I would mess with my mom by waving the album cover at her. Looking back, I still like the album, those two tracks made the album for me. And....oh crap.... this album is now 40 years old?!?! Where did the years go!?!
I saw this version of Sabbath in LA at a packed Forum and they absolutely kicked unholy ass and were loud as hell. Everyone went nuts when Ian busted out his bongos for Supernaut and when they did Smoke On The Water. The band all looked happy and like they were truly enjoying themselves. I thought Ian's approach to Ozzy's songs was great. Loved this line up! Thanks for your articulate thoughts and your wonderful post about a great (IMO) period from my favorite band of all time.
Heard Iommi found the Born Again master tapes a couple years back. I love the original release but would love to hear a remix as well if Tony decides to put it out.
The synth parts on this album always blew my mind. Geoff Nichols was never more effective in Sabbath. Creepy as hell! Born Again sits at #5 in my ranking. I think Gillan was perfect and wish we got at least 1 other album with Sabbath out of him. I also love the "awful album cover." I stood in a record store holding that album in my hands when it came out and I HAD to have it! Seen them on this tour, as well with Quiet Riot opening. It was one of my first shows! Also, if you compare bootleg recordings from this tour, Bev's drumming got better as the tour went on. He added more fills, accents, etc. I'm guessing he wasn't well rehearsed with the material at the beginning of the tour.
I come from Eastern Europe and I was a kid just right after the time the iron curtain fell. Having said that, it was still really difficult to get records of rock bands from the west (although not as difficult as when my dad was a teenager) and at first I just listened to whatever my dad had managed to get his hands on. And one of the tapes he had was Born Again by Black Sabbath. It literally blew my mind and it was the first time ever I was hearing Sabbath. THere is probably a bit of sentimental value to it as well, but this is my favorite sabbath album
BLACK PURPLE 😁I honestly just thought of that for the first time and am extremely pleased with myself. I love your style of presentation & your understated humour. Very much appreciated because you always cheer me up whilst being educational. Man you deserve many many more subscribers & views which I believe will happen . ( I saw this line up headline at Reading Festival in 1983 & will give a brief story after taking big dog out for Sunday outing ). Thanks fella 😁👍🏴❤️
I bought this album in 93 when it came out.I loved it immediatly then and still do now.I own all Black Sabbath album, i've been listening to them for over 40 years now and i am telling this album is in my top 5. ( Mon Rules, Heaven and Hell, Master of Reality and Paranoid )
I’ve loved this album since it came out. At the time I didn’t know any better to hate the production. Now, as you mentioned, it is part of the atmosphere of the album. Excellent video and my introduction to your channel. Great commentary! Subscribed!
Over the past 5 years I have watched, let's say, too much content on Black Sabbath and you, surprisingly, gave me new information, specifically concerning Sharon and her father. Well done!
brilliant album with Gillan's most brutal vocals.... a better fit for sabbath than Dio....Ronnie was best with rainbow.... saw them READING FESTIVAL 83 and he screamed all night....Gillan did most of the old songs well.... when sabbath did smoke on the water and paranoid at the end....everybody went apeshit.... wish Ian could have done another album with Tony, Geezer and Bill....
I think this is definitely top 5 material. It brings Sabbath back to the ground and those classic heavy riffs. I am not bothered one bit by the bass pedal experiments of Stonehenge and The Dark, because they are teasers for the awesome processed bassline that forms the foundation of the title track, one of the most incredible songs of their career. The power that Ian sings with on this song, and the entire album, dwarfs anything he'd done before or since. Ian's performances with Purple are a bit tongue-in-cheek, nonchalant and ha ha we're having fun. With Sabbath he embraced the dark nature of the songs and performed seriously and with emotional depth. Disturbing the Priest is the scariest song since Black Sabbath, and none have equaled it for pure uneasy tension and terror. The multi layered vocals giving the sound of Legion being voiced, this song is what demons being summoned sounds like. BTW, they rented a decommissioned church to rehearse the record, but the pastor was still living next door in the rectory, and would bitch about the volume. Ta dah Disturbing the Priest was born.
Born Again reached the highest chart position togheter with Sabbath Bloody Sabbath. The album is just great, the title track is a masterpiece and the Worcester '83 show is just superb. Gillan did wonderful renditions of War pigs, Paranoid and the best version ever of Black Sabbath (the song).
Saw them in 83 on that tour. New Haven Coliseum. Say what you will about this lineup and album. It was my first Sabbath show. That whole thing was like "when world's collide." Absolutely Awesome and one of the loudest concerts I ever saw.
I am in the camp of this is a gold standard of rock/metal greatness. This one lights my fuse, and god damn, the album cover is my favorite, yellow and purple just work, with the screaming red. My Dio, this is heavy metal, and it should be shockingly evil.
Thank you for giving Sabotage the props it deserves. I'm one of those guys that's mainly just a 70's Sabbath fan. They may even be my favorite band in that era next to AC/DC at their peak and what Metallica were doing in the 80's. With Sabbath it's predominantly their first 6. The self titled through Sabotage, with Vol-4 and Sabotage (one of the most underrated albums ever) as my two favorites. Hell, Master of Reality is a monster sludge of doom at its finest. The Dio years are great metal albums in their own right and honestly, I've always loved what Iommi did throughout the rest of the bands discography. I think Born Again is one of their most spooky, demonic sounding albums musically, I just don't know about the mix of Ian Gillan with that style of music. I suppose the songs he wrote with them are good in their own way, but when hearing that version of the band live, I CANNOT get into what Ian does with the classics wrote with Ozzy in the band. Since when did War Pigs need Ian moaning over half the guitar parts and then run to his bongo drums and start slapping away? Give me a break!!😂
I absolutely loved "Born Again". I still do to this day. It's one of the heaviest Black Sabbath albums ever and Ian Gillan's finest hour vocally. Don't get me wrong, I love the original Sabbath the best with Ozzy and I love Deep Purple, but this was a killer album. I love all of the Sabbath singers including Dio and Tony Martin as well, but to me, this was a definite classic and an amazing album, so wickedly heavy and vocally incredible. Ian Gillan just kicked ass vocally on this album and the band was delivering monster songs. I actually like the production. Its raw and abrasive and heavy.
The Smiths in the background. Respect. Born again was really good. I remember going to the record store and seeing the record and Ian as a singer. I freaked out. My parents lost their minds when they saw the cover.
I love this Sabbath album! I was also lucky enough to have seen this tour at Cobo Hall, in Detroit. I was also lucky enough to have seen the little red baby devil running around Stonehenge at the opening of the show, it was epic! And nobody was laughing. From start to finish the audience was like one giant Sabbath cult. Awesome show!
I freakin love the born again album!..it freakin jams!..i never once thought that the sound was off in it in any way..didnt learn about that until i got the internet in the 2000's and read ppl saying it was..its nothing less than a kick ass rock album that we cranked up hard on our home stereos!!..live evil also, ive played that album so many times i practically know it front to back..cranked that one up so loud!!..speak of the devil also!
I saw them tour the album in Offenbach Germany in 1983. About 2,500 fans. It was the first concert that I went to while living in Darmstadt. I remember Gillian mostly screaming. The album shreds.
I simply fell in love with born again album. I was in my last years of school, getting ready to go to basic training. I joined the war machine. As a hard ass deep purple and black sabbath fan, this was right up my alley. What you have mentioned and others about the recording, reminded me of an article I read whereas it was said, that the early Sabbath days gave recording engineers a difficult task. Due to technology at the time, they struggled recording Ozzy's voice across the band the right way. It was so strong and present. Born Again recaptured that sound almost seeming garage bandish. Which is awesome. Even though not on purpose. Shortly thereafter Ian's screaming with the purple in the knocking at your back door tour. I saw it at the Worcester centrum in Mass. At the same time, Ozzy released his live Black Sabbath tribute album. I was in Heaven those days. All this great shit on vynil right in my hands! My 79's radio shack stereo just wasn't good enough anymore. I bought some expensive shit. Polk audios on my b Chanelle which handled unbelievable deep bass, and Boston Acoustics on the a channel , delivering clarity and excellent mids n highs. I would crank crazy train while getting ready to go boozing it up n toking with my buds, and doing donuts somewhere. They liked regular radio music. I was the weird one who liked more of the extremitys of music. Like Frank Zappa, Captain Beefheart, Alice Cooper, etc. The Captain invented punk grudge obviously. Alice capitalized early on theatrical rock, paving the way for idiots like kiss. Lol! I stopped hanging around with people quickly when they were turned on by kiss journey, foreigner and the likes. I figured, if this is what people's are going for,... There goes the neighborhood! Lol!
This is a tremendous retrospective of Born Again, well done. New subscriber here! Born Again has always been pretty underrated. I think it's largely due to a combination of all the factors you mentioned i.e. poor production, Gillan (great as he was) not perhaps being the best fit for Sabbath, the infamous cover/ tour etc etc. Although it does seem to be getting something of a reappraisal now and I truly hope we get a proper remix done for this year since 2023 will be its 40th anniversary.
There are many fans of this album and I get it, I'm one of those. Gillan's vocals are killer as never before or since, Iommi's riffs are, as usual, spot on. Disturbing the priest, digital bitch, zero the hero, trashed are great heavy metal songs, but... this album is not a legendary record because of the ef'ing production! I know everybody was drinking, snorting and partying as never, but at least make sure the producers, sound engineer and the recording crew are sober! Last but not least, the album cover is great, it's legendary.
I could never understand why this album wasn’t well received… I loved this record… I thought most if not all the songs were real good…. Sabbath made a lot of great music with Ozzy, also both Dio albums were really good too… I’ve always liked the work Ian Gillan did with the early deep purple.. to me, Ian always had one of the best rock voices…. Born again album is a great album in my opinion…
They made 2 more studio albums with dio also. The 92 album was actually really good but the last one made in 07 was under the name heaven and hell (the bands name not the album). You should check these out if you haven't already they're good.
That album is magnificent. While the sound may be muffled and its different from prior albums this album kicks ass in my opinion. Disturbing the priest.
Gillan has said he still has a cassette of the monitor mixes and it sounds fantastic. If Tony isn't going to re-mix the album maybe they should release THAT.
Loved this album since I bought the vinyl when it came out. I maintain that Zero The Hero is their heaviest song ever. It is the birth of Death Metal. IMHO
Absolutely LOVE this album. Was so hard core, lo fi recording, just brutal for its time. Only thing heavier were the underground bands such as Venom, Celtic Frost, Mercyful fate, Bathory etc.
Gillan is one of my favorite singers. Born Again is a good album, Gillan definitely was the highlight on it. Black Sabbath has always been my all time favorite band but after Born Again i don't think they should have kept drugging the name through the mud.
Wow, you pretty much much echoed my thoughts to a T on this album. I loved it when I first discovered it almost 20 years ago, and still like giving it a good listen every now and then. You also researched this pretty well, as you hit on every single notable thing written about it and its production. And regarding that album cover...I love it, but I do admit that it is an acquired taste.
Easily my favorite Sabbath album hands down. Love the cover, Ian's work and the crappy sound. It felt like this was for true metalheads and a big middle finger to glam rock in general whether intentional or not. This was for us, not them. One last note, if the tweeters were blown during mixing, the album would have too many highs from trying to compensate, not sound muffled. So that story is bs on its face. They just hired a crappy engineer who didn't care enough to take a tape out to the car and double check their work.
Great video,glad to see love for Born Again, it definitely has a fascinating history behind it I always found this album to be underappreciated. The production surely doesn't do it much favors (although for Zero The Hero it kinda works in my opinion),but songs themselves are quite good with Disturbing The Priest,Zero The Hero and Born Again being one of my absolute Sabbath favourites. This is also the last (and arguably the first) album,when Sabbath sounded truly EVIL. Tony Iommi is a guitar genius, cause he can create so much atmosphere with so little and this album proves it.
I saw sabbath on the first us tour in November of 1970 at the whiskey in Hollywood I was 17 and it was life changing ! I had the first lp on the import vertigo label ' they played paranoid which I hadn't heard yet just fuc$%ng awesome!
Both Ozzie and Dio are the ultimate Metal vocalists. Purple's 1 of the premier RnR bands with every member world class at their instruments, but I never considered them Metal.
I remember born again. Well, it came out when I was in high school at the same time when we were listening to merciful Fate Melissa and don't break the oath album. I always like this album but it's always been known that the recording engineering was terrible. I sure wish they would remaster this thing so it was nice and clear. I'm not sure put on your whining and complaining about is because I think it's a fantastic album and Ian was perfect for it.
Loving Sabbath and Purple I never got this mix, would have been left alone. I've listened to the album on numerous occasions but never sits comfortably with me!
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Interestingly enough, Gillan has repeatedly stated that although the album didn't do so well, that period of time was some of the most fun he had ever had. He said that year was like one giant party.
Snowblind
I was at the party
I caught a live version of this lineup doing the song “Black Sabbath”. Gillans vocals were literally terrifying.
The screaming is intense.
Worcester '83. I am suggesting It from years...
I was at that show!@@robsco1249
Born Again is a killer album. Ian Gillan's vocal performance is incredible. The album is basically original Black Sabbath with Gillan on vocals. Born Again is my favorite post Ozzy Black Sabbath album.
Same as me man. I don’t understand the why it gets slagged.
You da man Superstrik
Better than heaven and hell and mob rules?. Definately not. It is probably their best album since mob rules.
This kid doesn't get it. The first albums ok and "It's Alright" is good. Glad I was there.
When did I say the first album was only okay? I can tell you were there at the time because you may have Alzheimer's.
Don't care what anyone says Disturbing the Priest is an absolute bop
Agreed 👍
Killer track🤘
One of the BEST Sabbath album&Ian's vocal performance!!!
I love Born Again. Never had a problem with the production and I even like the instrumental intros to Disturbing the Priest and Zero the Hero. Maybe I'm in the minority, but I enjoy this album more than Heaven and Hell, which is also a magnificent album..
I'm with you. I prefer Born Again over Heaven And Hell. I also prefer Born Again over Mob Rules. That said I love Heaven And Hell and Mob Rules. I just love Born Again even more.
You're not in the minority. Zero The Hero was the best Sabbath song I've ever heard.
But the question is what you gonna be brothers ?
Born Again obviously deserves to be prominently ranked in Sabbath's discog, but the Dio-era albums top that ranking, immediately followed by first 7 with Ozzy. Falling Off The Edge Of The World off of Mob Rules alone is better than anything off Born Again. That said, Ian could take a lesson or two from the Ronnie lyric playbook or Butler's for that matter.
Yeah!!!!!
Nice video! Born Again was my introduction to Black Sabbath. The first album of theirs that I heard as a Sophomore in High School right after it came out. Loved it, especially Zero the Hero and Disturbing the Priest. And I would mess with my mom by waving the album cover at her.
Looking back, I still like the album, those two tracks made the album for me.
And....oh crap.... this album is now 40 years old?!?!
Where did the years go!?!
I saw this version of Sabbath in LA at a packed Forum and they absolutely kicked unholy ass and were loud as hell. Everyone went nuts when Ian busted out his bongos for Supernaut and when they did Smoke On The Water. The band all looked happy and like they were truly enjoying themselves. I thought Ian's approach to Ozzy's songs was great. Loved this line up! Thanks for your articulate thoughts and your wonderful post about a great (IMO) period from my favorite band of all time.
You are mistaken this version of Sabbath played at the Long Beach arena NOT the LA forum and that concert was held on January 26th 1984
@@zigmonger6646 Yup, you are correct, thanks. Regardless, the concert was as described-100% kick ass!
I just discovered this album and it’s become one of my favorites. Ian Gillian fucking rocks.
Born again is a gem
I have been obsessed with Born Again since it was released. Love it
Hell yeah🤘Us Born Again fans represent!🤘
Heard Iommi found the Born Again master tapes a couple years back. I love the original release but would love to hear a remix as well if Tony decides to put it out.
Loved the album. I saw that Sabbath lineup play in Chicago and the concert was awesome.
Disturbing the Priest and Zero the Hero; two of the best Sabbath songs regardless of lineup
19:46 Tony sneakily looking at his watch 🎉
Great album..Heavy and groovy..Gillan does a great job...One of my faves ever..!!!
The synth parts on this album always blew my mind. Geoff Nichols was never more effective in Sabbath. Creepy as hell! Born Again sits at #5 in my ranking. I think Gillan was perfect and wish we got at least 1 other album with Sabbath out of him. I also love the "awful album cover." I stood in a record store holding that album in my hands when it came out and I HAD to have it! Seen them on this tour, as well with Quiet Riot opening. It was one of my first shows! Also, if you compare bootleg recordings from this tour, Bev's drumming got better as the tour went on. He added more fills, accents, etc. I'm guessing he wasn't well rehearsed with the material at the beginning of the tour.
Love everything about this album.. the cover the songs the production the lineup
I can't believe you don't like this album? Been a Sabbath fan or many years and I love the darkness of this album. Heavy as fuck too🤟🏻
I come from Eastern Europe and I was a kid just right after the time the iron curtain fell. Having said that, it was still really difficult to get records of rock bands from the west (although not as difficult as when my dad was a teenager) and at first I just listened to whatever my dad had managed to get his hands on. And one of the tapes he had was Born Again by Black Sabbath. It literally blew my mind and it was the first time ever I was hearing Sabbath. THere is probably a bit of sentimental value to it as well, but this is my favorite sabbath album
BLACK PURPLE 😁I honestly just thought of that for the first time and am extremely pleased with myself. I love your style of presentation & your understated humour. Very much appreciated because you always cheer me up whilst being educational. Man you deserve many many more subscribers & views which I believe will happen . ( I saw this line up headline at Reading Festival in 1983 & will give a brief story after taking big dog out for Sunday outing ). Thanks fella 😁👍🏴❤️
I absotively LOVE this album!!&! 😎👿🎸🎶
I love this LP.. & saw the tour in San Antonio as well.,,, blew our minds!!!
I bought this album in 93 when it came out.I loved it immediatly then and still do now.I own all Black Sabbath album, i've been listening to them for over 40 years now and i am telling this album is in my top 5. ( Mon Rules, Heaven and Hell, Master of Reality and Paranoid )
Fookin awesome album. I don’t care what anyone says. Gillan has the scream, plus, best album cover ever.
I fkn love this album 💿
I really hope it gets a remix and gets Put out as a Super Deluxe
I’ve loved this album since it came out. At the time I didn’t know any better to hate the production. Now, as you mentioned, it is part of the atmosphere of the album. Excellent video and my introduction to your channel. Great commentary! Subscribed!
Over the past 5 years I have watched, let's say, too much content on Black Sabbath and you, surprisingly, gave me new information, specifically concerning Sharon and her father. Well done!
IMHO, NOBODY sang the song Black Sabbath better and most diabolically than Ian Gillan.
Ain't that the truth !
I've been following that band since 1970
brilliant album with Gillan's most brutal vocals....
a better fit for sabbath than Dio....Ronnie was best
with rainbow....
saw them READING FESTIVAL 83 and he screamed all night....Gillan did most of the old songs well....
when sabbath did smoke on the water and paranoid at the end....everybody went apeshit....
wish Ian could have done another album with Tony,
Geezer and Bill....
One of the best albums.
Disturbing the Priest was just unbelievable, it was like Black Sabbath part 2 after the big Black Shape with eyes of fire takes possession
Born Again is a banger! Awesome album.
Amazing Album! Hopefully Tony releases a remaster because it deserves it more than any album I have ever heard
Great episode! I love 'Disturbing the Priest' and 'Zero the Hero'.
Thanks!
Personally I think this is one of the best sabbath albums.
I LOVE BORN AGAIN!!!
This line up sounded great live. Ian's takes on ozzy songs were brilliant.
Exactly. Dio didn’t sing the Ozzy stuff good.
I think this is definitely top 5 material. It brings Sabbath back to the ground and those classic heavy riffs. I am not bothered one bit by the bass pedal experiments of Stonehenge and The Dark, because they are teasers for the awesome processed bassline that forms the foundation of the title track, one of the most incredible songs of their career. The power that Ian sings with on this song, and the entire album, dwarfs anything he'd done before or since. Ian's performances with Purple are a bit tongue-in-cheek, nonchalant and ha ha we're having fun. With Sabbath he embraced the dark nature of the songs and performed seriously and with emotional depth. Disturbing the Priest is the scariest song since Black Sabbath, and none have equaled it for pure uneasy tension and terror. The multi layered vocals giving the sound of Legion being voiced, this song is what demons being summoned sounds like.
BTW, they rented a decommissioned church to rehearse the record, but the pastor was still living next door in the rectory, and would bitch about the volume. Ta dah Disturbing the Priest was born.
Born Again reached the highest chart position togheter with Sabbath Bloody Sabbath.
The album is just great, the title track is a masterpiece and the Worcester '83 show is just superb. Gillan did wonderful renditions of War pigs, Paranoid and the best version ever of Black Sabbath (the song).
Born Again is my favorite BSab album !!! The heaviest.
Saw them in 83 on that tour. New Haven Coliseum.
Say what you will about this lineup and album. It was my first Sabbath show. That whole thing was like "when world's collide."
Absolutely Awesome and one of the loudest concerts I ever saw.
I was at that show. My first concert. Do you remember parts of the ceiling falling down on the crowd?
I was stationed in Okinawa when this came out, when I played it in the barracks everyone was like Peter and the Greenfly laughing like drains! 😃
Kick ass RnR drunken antics and hilarity makes great fun seriously
I am in the camp of this is a gold standard of rock/metal greatness. This one lights my fuse, and god damn, the album cover is my favorite, yellow and purple just work, with the screaming red. My Dio, this is heavy metal, and it should be shockingly evil.
I freaking love that album
I bought this at the mall in Waco, Tx when it came out. We were on acid. The synths were unexpected...
I've not seen a video of yours before, and this is a fabulous presentation! I'll watch more. Very professionally done.
Thanks, bro
Thank you for giving Sabotage the props it deserves.
I'm one of those guys that's mainly just a 70's Sabbath fan. They may even be my favorite band in that era next to AC/DC at their peak and what Metallica were doing in the 80's. With Sabbath it's predominantly their first 6. The self titled through Sabotage, with Vol-4 and Sabotage (one of the most underrated albums ever) as my two favorites. Hell, Master of Reality is a monster sludge of doom at its finest.
The Dio years are great metal albums in their own right and honestly, I've always loved what Iommi did throughout the rest of the bands discography. I think Born Again is one of their most spooky, demonic sounding albums musically, I just don't know about the mix of Ian Gillan with that style of music. I suppose the songs he wrote with them are good in their own way, but when hearing that version of the band live, I CANNOT get into what Ian does with the classics wrote with Ozzy in the band.
Since when did War Pigs need Ian moaning over half the guitar parts and then run to his bongo drums and start slapping away? Give me a break!!😂
This is the most underrated sabbs album ever. Rocked it all through the ages. Try it you'll like it
I absolutely loved "Born Again". I still do to this day. It's one of the heaviest Black Sabbath albums ever and Ian Gillan's finest hour vocally. Don't get me wrong, I love the original Sabbath the best with Ozzy and I love Deep Purple, but this was a killer album. I love all of the Sabbath singers including Dio and Tony Martin as well, but to me, this was a definite classic and an amazing album, so wickedly heavy and vocally incredible. Ian Gillan just kicked ass vocally on this album and the band was delivering monster songs. I actually like the production. Its raw and abrasive and heavy.
It’s good,but Ian’s finest hour is Made in Japan.
Completely agree billjannusch. Could not have said it better.
The Smiths in the background. Respect. Born again was really good. I remember going to the record store and seeing the record and Ian as a singer. I freaked out. My parents lost their minds when they saw the cover.
Disturbing the Priest is a towering achivement without peer.
I'm glad to see this record get some love.
It could've been done better, but it was a decent attempt at "commerciality."
Absolutely killer album. I love everything about it, including the cover & production.
Born Again is a great album.
i saw them at the Cow Palace in San Francisco, in Jan '84. Plenty big normal venue all the way into rhe mid '90's.
Born Again, IMO is a great album, I loved it right away, and the cover, I listen to it often, I saw them on the tour, they were fantastic
I love this Sabbath album! I was also lucky enough to have seen this tour at Cobo Hall, in Detroit. I was also lucky enough to have seen the little red baby devil running around Stonehenge at the opening of the show, it was epic! And nobody was laughing. From start to finish the audience was like one giant Sabbath cult. Awesome show!
Thanks for the great video, love your English-isms and humour.
👍
I freakin love the born again album!..it freakin jams!..i never once thought that the sound was off in it in any way..didnt learn about that until i got the internet in the 2000's and read ppl saying it was..its nothing less than a kick ass rock album that we cranked up hard on our home stereos!!..live evil also, ive played that album so many times i practically know it front to back..cranked that one up so loud!!..speak of the devil also!
I saw them tour the album in Offenbach Germany in 1983. About 2,500 fans. It was the first concert that I went to while living in Darmstadt. I remember Gillian mostly screaming. The album shreds.
Good video! Made me check out the album and I am really enjoying it at the moment lol
Nice!
8:22 Bill startee drinking again when he was trold a world tour would come..as stated by himself "this was the first album I recorded sober"
I simply fell in love with born again album. I was in my last years of school, getting ready to go to basic training. I joined the war machine. As a hard ass deep purple and black sabbath fan, this was right up my alley. What you have mentioned and others about the recording, reminded me of an article I read whereas it was said, that the early Sabbath days gave recording engineers a difficult task. Due to technology at the time, they struggled recording Ozzy's voice across the band the right way. It was so strong and present. Born Again recaptured that sound almost seeming garage bandish. Which is awesome. Even though not on purpose. Shortly thereafter Ian's screaming with the purple in the knocking at your back door tour. I saw it at the Worcester centrum in Mass. At the same time, Ozzy released his live Black Sabbath tribute album. I was in Heaven those days.
All this great shit on vynil right in my hands! My 79's radio shack stereo just wasn't good enough anymore. I bought some expensive shit. Polk audios on my b Chanelle which handled unbelievable deep bass, and Boston Acoustics on the a channel , delivering clarity and excellent mids n highs. I would crank crazy train while getting ready to go boozing it up n toking with my buds, and doing donuts somewhere. They liked regular radio music. I was the weird one who liked more of the extremitys of music. Like Frank Zappa, Captain Beefheart, Alice Cooper, etc. The Captain invented punk grudge obviously. Alice capitalized early on theatrical rock, paving the way for idiots like kiss. Lol! I stopped hanging around with people quickly when they were turned on by kiss journey, foreigner and the likes. I figured, if this is what people's are going for,... There goes the neighborhood! Lol!
I loved the album its a shame you can't find it any more
I'm pretty sure it's still in print. You might just have to buy it online.
People usually either love or hate this album. I LOVE it. You seem to be the only person who's come down somewhere in the middle.
Saw them with Thin Lizzy at the Reading Festival - amazing stuff!
This is a tremendous retrospective of Born Again, well done. New subscriber here! Born Again has always been pretty underrated. I think it's largely due to a combination of all the factors you mentioned i.e. poor production, Gillan (great as he was) not perhaps being the best fit for Sabbath, the infamous cover/ tour etc etc. Although it does seem to be getting something of a reappraisal now and I truly hope we get a proper remix done for this year since 2023 will be its 40th anniversary.
Becoming a metal head in ‘83 was so confusing, thinking Ozzy and Dio just materialized with no history. Trashed was my intro to sab 😂
If zero the hero was released as the first single , instead of trashed, the album would have been seen in a more positive light from the jump.
There are many fans of this album and I get it, I'm one of those. Gillan's vocals are killer as never before or since, Iommi's riffs are, as usual, spot on. Disturbing the priest, digital bitch, zero the hero, trashed are great heavy metal songs, but... this album is not a legendary record because of the ef'ing production! I know everybody was drinking, snorting and partying as never, but at least make sure the producers, sound engineer and the recording crew are sober!
Last but not least, the album cover is great, it's legendary.
Ok, my first Scooped Mids video, and I'm in love. Great job, and looking forward to more. New subscriber as of now.
enjoy your stay in the garbage fire, homie.
thanks for this amazing retrospective
I saw this tour at the Cow Palace in San Francisco and it was packed, parents brought their children, I felt like I was the youngest adult there!
I could never understand why this album wasn’t well received… I loved this record… I thought most if not all the songs were real good…. Sabbath made a lot of great music with Ozzy, also both Dio albums were really good too… I’ve always liked the work Ian Gillan did with the early deep purple.. to me, Ian always had one of the best rock voices…. Born again album is a great album in my opinion…
They made 2 more studio albums with dio also. The 92 album was actually really good but the last one made in 07 was under the name heaven and hell (the bands name not the album). You should check these out if you haven't already they're good.
That album is magnificent. While the sound may be muffled and its different from prior albums this album kicks ass in my opinion. Disturbing the priest.
Gillan has said he still has a cassette of the monitor mixes and it sounds fantastic. If Tony isn't going to re-mix the album maybe they should release THAT.
I love born again
Great tour. 👍 Smoke on the Water.....was AMAZING.
Instant subscriber here. Very thoughtful and informative review. I’m looking forward to seeing more of your reviews!
By the way, I’m going out to buy this album today!
Loved this album since I bought the vinyl when it came out. I maintain that Zero The Hero is their heaviest song ever. It is the birth of Death Metal. IMHO
Absolutely LOVE this album. Was so hard core, lo fi recording, just brutal for its time. Only thing heavier were the underground bands such as Venom, Celtic Frost, Mercyful fate, Bathory etc.
Gillan is one of my favorite singers. Born Again is a good album, Gillan definitely was the highlight on it. Black Sabbath has always been my all time favorite band but after Born Again i don't think they should have kept drugging the name through the mud.
Wow, you pretty much much echoed my thoughts to a T on this album. I loved it when I first discovered it almost 20 years ago, and still like giving it a good listen every now and then. You also researched this pretty well, as you hit on every single notable thing written about it and its production. And regarding that album cover...I love it, but I do admit that it is an acquired taste.
Easily my favorite Sabbath album hands down. Love the cover, Ian's work and the crappy sound. It felt like this was for true metalheads and a big middle finger to glam rock in general whether intentional or not. This was for us, not them. One last note, if the tweeters were blown during mixing, the album would have too many highs from trying to compensate, not sound muffled. So that story is bs on its face. They just hired a crappy engineer who didn't care enough to take a tape out to the car and double check their work.
I've always loved this album
always felt alone😄
I saw this tour when I was 13 at Cobo hall in Detroit
They were incredible
Bev Bevin was awesome
Great video,glad to see love for Born Again, it definitely has a fascinating history behind it
I always found this album to be underappreciated. The production surely doesn't do it much favors (although for Zero The Hero it kinda works in my opinion),but songs themselves are quite good with Disturbing The Priest,Zero The Hero and Born Again being one of my absolute Sabbath favourites. This is also the last (and arguably the first) album,when Sabbath sounded truly EVIL. Tony Iommi is a guitar genius, cause he can create so much atmosphere with so little and this album proves it.
Thanks for the kind words!
Thanks for the kind words!
Simply, this album kicks ass , wish they would have done another with Ian
my favourite black sabbath album.
I saw sabbath on the first us tour in November of 1970 at the whiskey in Hollywood I was 17 and it was life changing ! I had the first lp on the import vertigo label ' they played paranoid which I hadn't heard yet just fuc$%ng awesome!
Both Ozzie and Dio are the ultimate Metal vocalists. Purple's 1 of the premier RnR bands with every member world class at their instruments, but I never considered them Metal.
Best Sabbath album without Ozzy 🤘I fucking love the album cover don't understand why that's such an issue
i loved Born Again from the 1st time I listened it. Also loved the cover :) IMHO best Sabbath album...
I remember born again. Well, it came out when I was in high school at the same time when we were listening to merciful Fate Melissa and don't break the oath album. I always like this album but it's always been known that the recording engineering was terrible. I sure wish they would remaster this thing so it was nice and clear. I'm not sure put on your whining and complaining about is because I think it's a fantastic album and Ian was perfect for it.
I love this album ❤. I saw this tour !!
Cool watch man.Well done.
Loving Sabbath and Purple I never got this mix, would have been left alone. I've listened to the album on numerous occasions but never sits comfortably with me!
Zero the Hero and Trashed are really great songs, I can leave the rest behind