LIVE EVIL

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Given the recent release & fanfare surrounding the remixed and remasterized 40th anniversary edition of LIVE EVIL, the “first official” live album from metal founding fathers BLACK SABBATH and the last official album to feature RONNIE JAMES DIO on vocals (until 1992 anyway), we felt obliged to share our own personal experiences regarding LIVE EVIL, from our first listen until now.

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With a setlist including a balanced mix of classic Ozzy era tracks blended with the more recent Dio era tracks from MOB RULES & HEAVEN AND HELL, it’s certainly a live album that any fan of Black Sabbath, Ronnie James Dio, and/or live concert albums in general, should have in their collection.

Released January 1983

Recorded April May 1982 in Seattle, Dallas and San Antonio

Label Vertigo

Producer Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler

Black Sabbath

Tony Iommi – guitar
Geezer Butler – bass guitar
Ronnie James Dio – vocals
Vinny Appice – drums

Track listing

Side A

No. Title Original album Length

1 E5150

2 Neon Knights

3 N.I.B.

4 Children of the Sea

5 Voodoo

Side B

6 Black Sabbath

7 War Pigs

8 Iron Man

Side C

9 The Mob Rules

10 Heaven and Hell

Side D

11 The Sign of the Southern Cross/Heaven and Hell

12 Paranoid

13 Children of the Grave

14 Fluff

Being that this is a “LIVE DIVE”, this episode is definitely BIG. Prepare to discover what might just be “the perfect beer” and understand that there’s definitely a BIG difference between “Brewering and Breuering”.

Get ready to “poon the peen” as you bear witness to the latest collab between “Ron Jeremy and Sammy Hagar” and find out how little it takes to entertain us in a BIG way.

Call up your “fluff person” for some BIG “bonus hole” maintenance and JOIN US in the Bunkerpoon as we reflect on 40 years of LIVE EVIL from the mighty and powerful (and also BIG) BLACK SABBATH.

The start of a metal show is always extremely high energy; the beginning of the show really sets the bar and the tone for the rest of the evening’s performance. Having said that, E5150 is a great way to open Live Evil. Not only does it heighten the excitement of what’s to come, but it helps to set the tone of the venue (and listening experience) to maximum darkness and heaviness, slowly fading in along with what sounds like the crackle of pyrotechnics going off elsewhere inside the venue. This version is a bit faster than the studio version and the ending is extended out just a bit to help build the intensity before NEON KNIGHTS begins.

The genius thing about live concert albums is that they convey the performance of a single concert yet are (usually) constructed and pieced together via various performances from throughout the tour in various cities and venues to give the illusion of a single evening’s show.

N.I.B. seems like a strange song for the number 2 spot. It still works, and it sounds good, but it seems like they might have played something else off of Heaven and Hell or Mob Rules first. But to be fair, R.J.D. still crushes N.I.B.

CHILDREN OF THE SEA, especially this particular performance, is one of the prime examples of how powerful the Ronnie James Dio era of Black Sabbath truly was. The music, the vibe, and the energy brilliantly showcase their devastating heaviness, groove, and power as a band in a live setting. Granted, the studio version does feel a bit eviler and more mystical, and of course it does have that beautiful soft intro, but given that this was the first version that was heard (by some of us), this one holds a very special place and possesses a certain kind of reverence (for some of us).

The keyboards filling in the space during the guitar solo adds another level of atmosphere to not only this song but this entire recording. Geoff Nicholls deserves all the kudos, commendments, and condiments for his performance on this and every other Black Sabbath album and performance he was a part of.

“Look out!” – The Mantra of Dio

VOODOO is also a bit faster than the studio version, yet it still maintains it’s heaviness and overall darker energy. This is one of those riffs that just seems unusual and weird for some reason, and perhaps it’s that very strangeness of the riff that totally fits with the darker subject matter and title of the song.

There seems to be a strangely disjointed segue between VOODOO and BLACK SABBATH, particularly regarding the banter before the intro to the song (which in typical Tony Iommi fashion is particularly dark, heavy, and mysterious). Iommi’s solo intro certainly sets the mood and paints the perfect audio-visual picture of the album cover from the band’s eponymous debut along with the ominous thunder, rain, and eerie ringing bell in the distance that leads up to those opening three evil chords. Not sure how it’s possible, but somehow that lone guitar intro almost makes it sound even heavier.

And somehow the fast part at the end sounds even faster while still maintaining all of its heaviness. Geezer Butler’s bass is so angry, gnarly, and in your face that it adds a tremendous amount of, shall we say “girth” (?) to the track.

That intro to WAR PIGS really shows just how hard Vinny Appice hits his drums. It’s like classic stoner doom metal goodness mixed with Dio, and now I want to hear a Dio themed stoner doom metal band with a singer like Dio.

Naturally, RJD crushes the vocal performance here as well. It’s like he sings even more angrily on this tune than on some of the other Ozzy era tunes on the album.

Angry Dio, now there’s a stoner doom metal band name for you.

If you listen to the vocals, there’s a strange effect that sounds like a weird reverb or another backing vocalist in the mix…it’s odd.

BTW, definitely check out the brief (but potent) drum solo at the end of War Pigs by Vinny Appice. It’s only about a 2-minute drum solo (really, its more like an extended fill) but it seamlessly segues the rest of the band into IRON MAN.

Something interesting about RJD: he has a real talent for filling in space with his presence, which is what any frontman of any significant caliber would do at an almost instinctual level.

If you listen really closely, you can hear the faint beginning of EV150 and/or E5150 before the beginning of THE MOB RULES.

(NOTE: The Rhino version of this track on Live Evil (at least on YouTube) is NOT live! It’s not even from Live Evil, it’s around the 50-minute mark and I can’t figure out what happened…it doesn’t fit, and it sounds totally out of place, like an outtake version of the song from the studio sessions that was just dropped right in the middle of LIVE EVIL. Not sure what happened there, but seriously: WTF!?)

LIVE EVIL resumes with HEAVEN AND HELL, including one of the greatest examples of crowd work and on-stage banter in rock and metal, not to mention an absolutely blistering guitar solo by the Lord of All Riffs himself, Mr. Tony Iommi.

The sing along that starts off is really cool and sets the stage for that “larger than life” concert feel you get when seeing one of your favorite bands performing in a huge venue. This is also where RJD reminds us that “our next album will be, finally, a live album from Black Sabbath” even though Live at Last is technically Black Sabbath’s first live album and was released without the band’s involvement 2 years prior.

The general rule that has applied ever since first hearing classic live concert albums is that whatever version of a given song you hear first, THAT will be THE version that the rest of the versions are compared to. The studio version of this, while impressive, just can’t live up to the energy and power of the live version presented here.

As a teenager, first learning to play guitar and completely fascinated by all things Iommi, I used to think that the phaser actually helped him solo better. Regardless, that solo is fucking SICK! The very end of the guitar solo sort of harkens back to the end of the solo segment from “The Warning” off the first album.

The beginning of THE SIGN OF THE SOUTHERN CROSS is a complete departure from the fretboard frenzy that just preceded it, way more subdued and laid back.

I will always like the studio version of this song better, but this version is solid even if it is blended together with part II of HEAVEN AND HELL. Strangely, the middle sections of “The Sign…” and “Heaven & Hell” actually go well together so it makes sense that the band would have chosen to arrange their setlist this way.

The extra vocal section with “The Big Black Shape” and “The Little White Shape” draws a stark contrast between the angels and demons which inhabit Heaven and Hell (respectively) creating powerful imagery of spiritual duality that only RJD is capable of conjuring.

The 2nd outro part of Heaven and Hell (i.e., the faster part) is so much more dynamic than the studio version and certainly quite a bit faster. The way it slides into PARANOID almost has a feeling of “Okay, lets wrap this up and so we can all go fuck some groupies and do some relaxers!!!”. Very cool how they transitioned at the very end back into the main Heaven and Hell riff to wrap everything up and end the show (before the encore, that is).

Just before CHILDREN OF THE GRAVE starts, there’s a short, abbreviated phrase that’s reminiscent of “Embryo” (from Master of Reality), but when it launches into the main riff, the sound is huge and heavy. And again, RJD pulls it off perfectly with his own style and presentation.

Let us note here (again) how Geoff Nicholls’ keyboards really helped to add some extra creepy texture and subtlety to that middle, ultra heavy, ultra creepy section.

“All the best, goodnight.”

OR…

“From all of us, goodnight.”

A little strange to have FLUFF as the closer. It’s not really even a closer, it’s more like the music that comes on when the houselights come on and everyone knows that the show is over and it’s time to go find a late-night diner somewhere to grab some post show grub.

Show Notes:

(00:01): #bonushole / “That’s the pooned peen…” / #aftermarket #transam #bonushole / ***WARNING: #listenerdiscretionisadvised *** / #thisepisodesclinkyoftheepisode #thekraken #blackroast / ***WELCOME BACK TO THE METAL NERDERY PODCAST!!!*** #bunkerpooninternational / #thisepisodesbeeroftheepisode / #GoldenRoadBrewing #MangoCart #daydrinkingbeer #fourpercentABV / “This has the refreshment factor…Every time I have this beer, I smile…” / “It’s the finish…” /

#subtletyisyourfriend (“Like the bass on …And Justice For All…”) / #brewering and/or #Breuring / “I would pair it with…” / “He’s got THAT, we’ve got beer…” / “I look good in pink btw…” / #miamiviceextra #facetattoo #fannyfloss / “Is that difficult?” / #RussellsReflections regarding the recent #ActusReus and #SillyGoose show at #SmithsOldeBar / “Did your balls tingle a little bit?” / Stop, drop, and ROW! / #ilikebeer #alcoholismASMR / “Just keep doing it!” / “What if he doesn’t want to?” / #SillyGoose OUT OF THE PICTURE #RageAgainstTheLimpThreeElevenBizkitMachine / “It’s a good pairing…”

(20:02): “I do have an email…” / ***HIT US UP AND SEND US AN EMAIL AT metalnerdery@gmail.com or check us out on the socials *** / “Did your haunted potty yell at you for your pee-pee?” / “Y’know, they do have #ectoplasm…” / #livingectoplasm / So NOW do you want to do #thevoicemailsegment? ***GIVE US A FUCKIN CALL AT FUCKIN 980-666-8182 AND LEAVE US A FUCKIN VOICEMAIL!!!*** #ThanksRocky (“You all look SO different from what I imagined…”) #TravelersRest / Radio DJs and their face vs their voice (“We all have #radiofaces”) / “I can’t drive…” / #96RockInTheDaytime

(26:52): #TheDocket / METAL NERDERY PODCAST PRESENTS: BLACK SABBATH – LIVE EVIL / The timing of the release of #LiveEvil (from #BlackSabbath) and #SpeakOfTheDevil (from #OzzyOsbourne) / “The brains and the tits…” / “It’s the aftermarket shit I’ve got issues with…” / Speculation, gossip and rumors regarding #RonnieJamesDio departure from #bolth #BlackSabbath and #Rainbow / “Have you ever #cockedup anything?” / #Shoutout regarding #GeezerButlersAutobiography #IntoTheVoid / E5150 (#scaryviolins) / NEON KNIGHTS #killeropener / “No more evil down there, I promise…” / Recorded in multiple cities at multiple venues and crafted into a single seamless show / “btw they all have #allthecokelines …”/ N.I.B. (“It’d still be a little odd…”) / “He could sing the dictionary…” / #MetalNerderyConspiracyTheory #threenames (“Hold on, stay with me now…”) / #phonebook / “See, he’s a #serialkiller…” / “Me and #FuckinSlayer” / #JFKASMR

(42:55): “The very first time I ever heard this song was this version…” / CHILDREN OF THE SEA #mistymorningASMR / “Anytime there’s a #No…” / “It’s a skill…one you don’t have…I hope.” / #thedance / “What we’re gonna do…” / The difference between the #LiveEvil live version vs the #HeavenAndHell studio version / VOODOO #justsayno / “First we’d like you to say hello to #TonyIommi…” / BLACK SABBATH (“I thought this was a weird intro, but it totally works…”) #beerme #cantbeloudenough / “That was unintended…” / “Get ready Bill…” / #NO / #BigBlackShape #dontdenythepowerof #getready #LMAOASMR / “Sometimes our #entertainment means more…” / “Have you ever done that?” / #gravy / The album tracking vs cassette tracking / WAR PIGS (NOTE: Sorry, we forgot to include the #drumsolo part…) / The conundrum and/or conflict of a new vocalist performing #backcatalog songs from an established band… / “Unless you’re at a porn shoot…” / #recordfluffer / “Sadly, now, I WANT to talk about this…”

(1:01:17): IRON MAN (#killeropener on the #cassetteversion) / “It almost sounds slower…heavier…” / “Ohhh come on!!!” MOB RULES / #RussellsReflections regarding #IronMaiden with regard to this particular tune / “It’s big…and Black…Sabbath…” / HEAVEN AND HELL #stagebanter #OnAndOn (Has anyone ever seen the video of the #LiveEvil concert? If so, send us an email at metalnerdery@gmail.com and give us your feedback!) / The similarities between #RimeOfTheAncientMariner and #HeavenAndHell / “It’s the thimbles…and his mustache…” / #TonyIommiGuitarSolo (“That’s cool as shit!”) / “Get ready for #mouthshapes in 3-2-1…” / ***Be sure to go check out the 40th anniversary #deluxeedition of #LiveEvil*** / THE SIGN OF THE SOUTHERN CROSS/HEAVEN AND HELL #shiver #HeavenAndHellReprise #ohwell #readthoselyrics / “If my balls are golden and they fall…” / PARANOID (“I must be blind…I can’t see…”) / “You can’t do that…” / “Unless that thing is real long…” / #killercloser CHILDREN OF THE GRAVE (Mosh?) / FLUFF (“All the best, goodnight.”) / Other great songs to close out #LiveEvil / “That’s what makes our show our show…” / #SAGAFTRA strike (“Why do we still have unions?”) / #ballsarefull / The coolness of the #albumcover (which corresponds with each track on the album) & the lightning / ***THANK YOU FOR JOINING US!!!*** #untilthenext / ***STOP BY THE #BUNKERPOONGIFTSHOPPE AND PURCHANDISE YOUR MERCHANDISE AT metalnerdery.com/merch *** / #outroreel #goodstuff #bigblackshape