Born Again

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Lore & Background

Following the 1982 departure of Ronnie James Dio and Vinny Appice, Black Sabbath's future was uncertain. Management shifted to Don Arden, who suggested Ian Gillan as the new frontman after the band considered Robert Plant and David Coverdale. While Iommi had hoped to form a supergroup with Coverdale and Cozy Powell, those plans fell through when Whitesnake continued. Rumors of an audition tape from Michael Bolton were dismissed by both Butler and Bolton himself as jokes or mere rumors. Gillan, initially reluctant, committed to the project in February 1983 after a night of heavy drinking at The Bear pub in Oxford with Iommi and Butler; he reportedly had no memory of the meeting the next morning but claimed he didn't even like Black Sabbath's music. The group originally intended this as a new supergroup without the Sabbath name, but Arden insisted on using the brand to secure a sizable record company advance.

In Their Own Story

Recording began in May 1983 at Richard Branson's Manor Studio in Oxfordshire. Engineer Robin Black co-produced alongside the band. While members lived at the studio, Gillan chose to reside alone in a large marquee tent on the grounds, complete with a cooking area and bedroom—a move Butler later interpreted as a sign that Gillan didn't view himself as a true member. The sessions were marked by unique moments: Gillan crashed Ward's car into flames after racing it around a go-cart track at the studio, an event inspiring the opening track 'Trashed.' For 'Disturbing the Priest,' Ward used a bucket of water and a heavy anvil lowered on a rope to create sound effects over hours. However, tensions rose as Gillan's lyrics focused on sexual themes or local facts rather than Butler's style. Ward began drinking during sessions and was hospitalized after hallucinating; upon release, he quit the band again with his parts recorded. The final mix horrified the band due to muffled sound caused by Gillan inadvertently blowing studio tweeters, a flaw Iommi noted remained uncorrected as they were already on tour.

Reader's Guide

The album features Ian Gillan on vocals, Geezer Butler on bass, Tony Iommi on guitar, and Bill Ward on drums. Following the recording, Ward left for rehab, and former Electric Light Orchestra drummer Bev Bevan was hired for the subsequent tour. The tour became a breaking point; Gillan refused to learn lyrics to much of the band's Osbourne-era material, and Butler grew disillusioned. Butler left in 1984 after the Born Again tour, citing family issues with his newborn child rather than falling out with the band. He noted that Gillan's commitment was questioned due to his refusal to cover older songs and the looming Deep Purple reunion as a deciding factor for his departure. In 2021, Tony Iommi confirmed that the long-lost original master tapes had been located, and he considered remixing the album for a future re-release.

Did You Know?

• Ian Gillan officially committed to the band in February 1983 after a night of heavy drinking at The Bear pub in Oxford, with no memory of the agreement the next morning.
• Gillan lived alone in a large marquee tent on the Manor Studio grounds during recording, complete with its own cooking area and bedroom.
• The opening track 'Trashed' was written about Gillan crashing drummer Bill Ward's car into flames after racing it around a go-cart track at the studio.
• Bill Ward used a heavy anvil and a bucket of water lowered on a rope to create sound effects for the song 'Disturbing the Priest', a process that took hours.
• The album's muffled sound was caused by Gillan accidentally blowing tweeters in the studio speakers while playing backing tracks too loud, an issue never corrected.