never say die tour set times

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[ Lyrics | Tour Dates ]

2009 CD [ Amazon UK | Amazon US ] | MP3 [ Amazon UK ] 1996 CD [ Amazon US | Amazon UK ] | 2004 Black Box [ Amazon US   | Amazon UK ] Original CD [ Amazon US | Amazon UK ]

Track Listing

Johnny Blade

Junior’s Eyes

A Hard Road

• Over To You

Swinging the Chain

Note: Some early prints of the album have the songs in a different order. I can’t recall at the moment why they’re listed differently – if you know, please email me.  See the image to the right.

In March 2007, I received an email from a Sab fan named Dale who said this:

Regarding why some of the early copies of the “Never Say Die” album had a different running order on the cover.  In the 70’s, Warner Brothers (and some other record companies) was one of the main companies who tended to produce the artwork for an album before the album was finished/released.  So, many times, the artwork would contain a different running order (and sometimes different song titles than on the finished album) than the actual disk contained inside the cover. Some early Van Halen albums were like this, along with some Alice Cooper albums and other artists who I can’t recall at the moment.

Writing Credits

• All songs by Black Sabbath
• Ozzy Osbourne – Vocals
• Tony Iommi – Guitar
• Geezer Butler – Bass
• Bill Ward – Drums
• Don Airey – Keyboards
• John Elstar – Harmonica
• Will Malone – Brass Arrangements
• Produced by Black Sabbath
• Engineered by Dave Harris
• Special Assistant – Spock Wall
• Recorded at Sounds Interchange, Toronto Canada
• Original Sleeve Design by Hipignosis
• 1996 Remaster by Ray Staff @ Whitfield St Studios
• 1996 Design, booklet notes, and sleeves by Hugh Gilmour
• 2009 Remaster by Andy Pearce @ Wired Masters
• 2009 Project Management: Jon Richards
• 2009 Project Consultants: Steve Hammonds & Hugh Gilmour
• 2009 Design: Hugh Gilmour
• 2012 Digital Remaster by Andy Pearce & Matt Wortham
• 2012 Vinyl Mastering by Greg Moore @ Masterpiece

Catalogue Numbers

• LP Vertigo 9102-751 (UK 1978)
• CASS Vertigo 7131-002 (NOR 1978)
• LP Vertigo 9124-101 (EUR 1978)
• LP Warner Bros BSK-3186 (US 1978)
• CASS Warner Bros M5-3186 (US 1978)
• LP Vertigo 910275-1 (UK 1983)
• CD Warner Bros 3186-2 (US 1988)
• CD Nippon PHCR-4120 (JPN 1993)
• CD Spectrum 550-131-2 (GER 1993)
• CD Essential ESMCD329 (UK 1996)
• LP Earmark 41033P (ITL 1996 – Picture Disc)
• CD Castle CMTCD031 (UK 2000)
• LP Sanctuary CMHLP244 (UK 2001)
• CD Sanctuary SMRCD038 (UK 2004)
• CD Universal 2716533 (EUR 2009)
• LP Sanctuary 2716548 (EUR 2009)
• CD Vertigo UICY-94471 (JPN 2010)
• CD Universal UICY-25125 (JPN 2011)
• LP Sanctuary 3715303 (UK 2012) – “Vinyl Collection”
• Bill Ward sings lead vocals on Swinging the Chain.
• There are music videos for Never Say Die and A Hard Road. However, they’re just staged live footage with overdubbed music; they’re not conceptual. Never Say Die has footage from “Top of the Pops”.
• Ozzy left and came back between this album and the last. During that time, Dave Walker replaced Ozzy. That version of Black Sabbath played live once, on the BBC Midlands ‘Look Here!’ programme, and did a version of Junior’s Eyes. That version has different lyrics than this version, but the music is pretty much the same.
• A Hard Road is the only time that Tony Iommi & Geezer Butler actually sing on any Black Sabbath record – they do backup vocals on this song.
• Here’s a note from Geezer Butler about the bass guitar he plays in the video for “A Hard Road”: “On the Hard Road video I used a Jay Dee custom bass, designed by me. Jay Dee was an apprentice to John Birch who built my basses and Tony’s guitars in the early 70’s. When John Birch died, Jay Dee inherited the company, and still makes custom instruments. He is based in Birmingham, England, which was also the hometown of Sabbath.”
• Here’s a note from Geezer in October 2005 about the bass he played in the “Never Say Die” video:   yes I still have the Rik from the Never Say Die video. I bought it from Glenn Hughes in the mid 70’s, and only ever used it once, and that was because my regular basses were detained by U.K. customs when we returned from outside the country. I didn’t use it on Junior’s Eyes, and wouldn’t have used a pick anyway, as I never used a pick in the studio on Sabbath albums. I am currently playing Lakland basses, which are very much like old Fender basses in feel and sound.

• Johnny Blade is based off of the life of Bill Ward’s brother and his gang life growing up and living in Birmingham.

Personal Note

• This is probably my favourite of the Ozzy Sabbath albums, since the music on here is very varied. I wish it would get more attention from the fans, and I’d like to see some of the tracks brought back to the live set. The end guitar bit at the end of Johnny Blade is kick ass, and I love to shock people with Air Dance, several haven’t believed it’s Black Sabbath until I stop the music and pull out the CD. Also the title track would make a great concert opener.
• Here is a scan of an old album review of Never Say from the Houston Chronicle in 1978

• Here are the front and back images of the 1996 Picture disc release of the album

• This is the cover for the Never Say Die single.  It is what I believe to be the first usage of the “flying demon” logo that has appeared throughout the band’s history – even through the “Heaven & Hell” incarnation from 2006-2010.  Geezer Butler tells me the character has a name; it’s “Henry”.

• This is the cover for the single for “A Hard Road”

• The following images are the back CD cover images from the 1996 Castle Remaster, as well as the 2009 Universal Remaster

• Here is the cover for the original US release of the album by Warner Bros.

• Here’s an odd one.  A Never Say Die 8 Track

• This is a scan of the artwork used on a popular tour T-Shirt from this album.

• A picture of a Warner Bros advertisement for the new album in 1978.

NOTE: These lyrics are verified against the lyrics that appear in the “Black Box” booklet. Those lyrics were gone over by Geezer Butler (who wrote most of them anyway) for that set, and for that reason should be considered definitive .

Never Say Die

People going nowhere Taken for a ride Looking for the answers that they know inside Searching for a reason Looking for a rhyme Snow white parasite Partners in crime

Don’t they ever have to worry Don’t you ever wonder why It’s a part of me that tells you Oh, don’t you ever Don’t ever say die Never, never, never say die

Sundays satisfaction Madness on the rise Truth is on the doorstep Welcoming the lies All dressed up in sorrow Got no place to go Hold tight do it right Taking it slow

Don’t they ever have to worry Don’t you ever wonder why It’s a part of me that tells you Oh, don’t you ever Don’t ever say die Never, never, never say die again

Don’t you ever say die Don’t you ever say die Never say die

Fading silver lining Writing’s on the wall Children get together You can save us all Future’s on the corner Showing us our time Slow down turn around Everything’s fine

There’s no need to have a reason There’s no need to wonder why It’s a part of me that tells you Oh, don’t you ever, don’t ever say die Never, never, never say die

Tortured and twisted He walks the streets alone People avoid him They know the street’s his home

Cold blade of silver His eyes they burn so wild Mean as a tiger Society’s own child

Those that tried to burn him pay You don’t do that to Johnny Blade He’s the meanest guy around his town One look and he will cut you down Johnny Blade, Johnny Blade

Life has no meaning And death’s his only friend Will fate surprise him Where will he meet his end

He feels so bitter Yes he’s so full of hate To die in the gutter I guess that’s Johnny’s fate

Rivals all across the land He kills them with his knife in hand He’s the meanest guy around his town One look and he will cut you down Johnny Blade, Johnny Blade Johnny Blade, Johnny Blade

Well you know that Johnny’s a spider And his web is the city at night He’s a victim of modern frustration That’s the reason he’s so ready to fight

He’s the one that should be afraid What will happen to you, Johnny Blade

Oh he knows his future’s decided And he ain’t gonna change it no way He was born to die in the gutter He’ll keep fighting till the end of his days

Been alone all through his life His only friend is a switchblade knife He’s the one who should be afraid What will happen to you, Johnny Blade

You fool the people, who’s fooling who It’s time to listen, the fool is you

Junior’s eyes looked up to the skies in tears He prayed that his maker The giver and taker, would hear Junior sighed as his hands reached out to the sky Junior cried, the day that his best friend died Yeah

You’re coming home again tomorrow I’m sorry it won’t be for long With all the pain I’ve watched you live within I’ll try my hardest not to cry When it is time to say goodbye

Junior’s eyes, they couldn’t disguise the pain His father was leaving And Junior’s grieving again Innocent eyes watched the man who had gave everything Junior’s sorrow, he knew what tomorrow would bring

They’re coming home again tomorrow I’m sorry it won’t be for long With all the pain I’ve watched you live within I’ll try my hardest not to cry When it is time to say goodbye

Junior’s eyes looked into the skies once more Now he knew well, this life was hell for sure He desperately tried, his fingertips stretched to the stars Reaching for reason, along with the time and the scars

NOTE: There was an alternate version of this song performed live by Sabbath in January of 1978 at a point when Ozzy was out of the band and Dave Walker was singing for Sabbath.  That version has totally different (and mostly undecipherable) lyrics.  If anyone finds lyrics to that version of Junior’s Eyes, let me know).

Old men crying, young men dying World still turns as Father Time looks on On and on Children playing, dreamers praying Laughter turns to tears love has gone Has it gone

Oh, it’s a hard road Oh, it’s a hard road

Poets yearning, lovers learning On this path of life we pass along Is it wrong Widows weeping, babies sleeping Life becomes the singer and the song Sing along

Oh, it’s a hard road Carry your own load

Why make the hard road Why can’t we be friends No need to hurry We’ll meet in the end

Why make the hard road Why can’t we be friends No need to worry Let’s sing it again

Brother’s sharing, mother’s caring Nighttime falling victim to the dawn Shadows mourn Days are crawling, time is calling To the Earth another life is born Love line drawn

Oh, it’s a hard road Carry your own load Oh, it’s a hard road Oh, it’s a hard road

We’re living in sorrow Don’t live in the past And look to the future Cause life goes too fast, you know

There’s no reason for you to run You can’t escape the fate of the chosen one Black moon rising, in a blood red sky This time you realize that you’re gonna die

Leaving your body is your answer That’s what you plan to do No dreaming, time you cheat death’s master You’re on your own going through

Wind of mist has taken over your mind And you think you’re on your own Don’t believe you are the only one here Look around, you’re not alone

Feel the forces from another world Ghostly shadows fill your mind Evil power hanging over you As you freeze, you’re life in time Look behind you!

Somebody’s calling Someone is near Feel yourself falling Crawling with fear You tell yourself you’re dreaming You realize you’re screaming You know that this shouldn’t happen to you You tell yourself that it’s scary too But there is nothing you can do, oh!

Ghostly shadows from the other world Evil forces in your mind Trapped between the worlds of life and death Frozen in the realms of time Look behind you!

You feel yourself falling, you’re at the end of the line Your body is crawling, but your senses are blind Cold, cold feelings are running through your brain Ice cold fingers, running through your veins

She sits in silence, in her midnight world With faded pictures, of a dancing girl A distant dreamer on the seas of time Her happy memories, dancing through her mind

In days of romance She was the queen of dance She’d dance the night away

And as the seasons turn the days to years She holds her pictures, hears the silent cheers The days grow lonely for the dancing queen And now she dances only in her dreams

In days of romance She was the queen of dance She’d dance the night away, away, away, away

Over to You

Born in the window, nobody’s fool Raised in a prison you called a school Taught your religion Told what to do I handed my childhood over to you

Traveling endlessly, I’m searching for mind I’m almost afraid of what I will find Wandering aimlessly, oh what can I do I handed my future over to you, to you

Over to you Future looks blue What can I do

Watching for freedom Fighting your wars Feeding our children Keeping your laws Someday you’ll suffer Then what I’ll do I’ll hand all your promises Over to you

Standing inside myself, I’m losing control You made me believe in the stories you told Waiting impatiently, what else can I do? I handed my future over to you, to you

Over to you Future looks blue What can I do?

Tears filled of sadness Sealed in my cell Whispering secrets What do they tell Mad politicians Can’t tell it true I handed my children Over to you

All over, over to you…

Instrumental

It’s against my uniform To be a civil judge All the songs are history now `Bout rock stars and their grudge Let us cast our minds back To thirty years or more You took up all the vandals Well Hitler beat `em all

And we’re sad and sorry Really sorry that it happened that way Yes we’re sad and sorry But why’d you have to treat us that way

Compare ourselves with others And cover them in sin Oh, God what a terrible A terrible state we’re in There must be some way out of here A compromise that’s right If we cannot work it out We’re gonna have to fight

Yes we’re sad and sorry Really sorry that it happened that way Yes we’re sad and sorry We cannot go on in those days

I’m talking about my brothers Yeah, I’m talking `bout sisters as well I wish you good luck Good luck!

Oh, but the world’s still on fire Chain the hope you take on, liar This fire We’re on fire, we’re on fire, yeah…

NOTE: This last verse is not on the official lyrics sheet, but it is most definitely there.  This last verse is my interpretation of the lyrics.

NOTE: These lyrics are verified against the lyrics that appear in the “ Black Box ” booklet. Those lyrics were gone over by Geezer Butler (who wrote most of them anyway) for that set, and for that reason should be considered definitive.

I think that this is also one of my favourite Ozzy era albums, Joe. I wish it would be more popular among the fans.

I can’t choose a favorite Sabbath album, it seems to me that the first ten or so albums were a real adventure through all sorts of music genres and every musician in the band was incredible. Many a eye has lit up when I’ve mentioned that I’m into Sabbath. It’s been the same response every time, that they “love Iron Man” and “War Pigs”, I just think to myself that they’ve missed one of the greatest music storms of all time!

This is my favorite Black Sabbath album as well. Each song so is so varied and they really up the music on this. I love the jazzy stuff and it’s too bad this was their last album because to me, they were getting into some amazing music that could’ve sustained them for years.

Bonjour cette ALBUM est mon préféré tant par les chansons et la musique et le visuel de l’album. Je suis a la recherche du t-shirt avec la tête du pilote , si vous pouvez me renseigner sur ce sujet en attente de votre réponse je vous souhaite une bonne continuation. VL

well it is not one of my favourites, ok? but i as big fan of this great band i dont think that they released one single bad album. never say die is different proving that they are great musicians.a bit of jazz in their sound. the album cover is strange but good. a good album for sure. the tracks i like best are never say die that i love. johnny blade, shock waves, juniors eyes. good album ozzys voice is in great shape!

Never Say Die! is a great album, its always been under rated. Sab should play should play some of these classics live. I’ve also seen Iommi talk down the album due to the conditions it was recorded in. Too bad, they could turn on alot of new fans to it if they would play a couple of songs live.

Juniors Eyes one of my all time favorites has meaning to me from family past Black Label Society does a stunning rendition of this track as well thanks Tony Geezer Ozzy and legendary drummer Bill Ward

I think Never Say Die is Black Sabbath’s best album from the Ozzy era and might have even been better if they had completed it with Ozzy. Never Say Die, Sabotage and Sabbath Bloody Sabbath are musically their most sophistocated and technical albums. Listen to the jazzy parts on Air Dance. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath and Sabotage feature orchestra parts in Spiral Architecht and Super Czar. In my opinion the original lineup of Black Sabbath and the mark 2 and mark 3 lineups of Deep Purple are the greatest hard rock bands in history. The Dio era of Rainbow was good also. Geezer Butler is (in my opinion) one of the greatest lyric writers and bass players in rock history. Who else writes lyrics like Warpigs, Into the void, Johnny Blade, Megalomania, National Acrobat, Junior’s eyes, The Writ, After Forever etc… Deep Purple and Sabbath combined interesting lyrics with great riffs and instrument breaks. Tony Iommi is one of the greatest guitarists for playing catchy riffs. I wish they would play in concert more of the material from Never Say Die, Sabotage and Sabbath Bloody Sabbath rather than playing the predictable greatest hits songs like Paranoid, Iron Man, Sweet Lefaf etc…

Everytime I listen to this album, I’m impressed with the strenght of the 4 first songs. Never Say Die, Johnny Blade, Junior’s Eyes and Hard Road form an amazing sequence. It’s incredible that an album like this is considered a “minor piece” in Sabbath’s discography. In my opinion, it would be a super-stellar album if it was launched by any other band that was not colapsing like Sabbath was at that time (if any other band was able to create such great songs…). And the cover art is just great in my opinion. I used to wear a shirt with this cover for many years, until it was absolutely destroyed… Thanks for this good review.

i love this album as well. great songs!

I just played Never Say Die all the way through. I think it is very listenable and has aged very well.

I always like to convince myself that I don’t like this album. But, then I listen to it and remember that this Black Sabbath We’re talking about. Seriously though, this is my least favorite. There’s a lot of skipping around on this one. The tracks I listen to are Never Say Die, Johnny Blade, Junior’s Eyes, A Hard Road, Air Dance, and Over to You. This album is good, but not as good as the first six or the next 2.

Hey,I was listening to Never Say Die just this morning! My favorites are the title track and Air Dance, quite prog song. Is that the same Will Malone who produced the very first Iron Maiden album back in 1980?

I’ve Always categorize the Ozzy Era in 4 different “sub-eras” when it comes to the Music style and their progression. Era 1 (68-70): The early demos. Era 2: Black Sabbath. Paranoid & Master of reality Era 3: Vol 4, SBS & Sabotage Era 4: Technical Ecstasy & NSD

My heart weeps a bit every time I talk or think about “Never Say Die”. It was the last album with the original line up, and you could actually hear the start of their break up and the loss of the bands originality in their previous album “Technical Ecstasy”. In my opinion, as a diehard Sabbath fan, I think “Never Say Die” is mostly a continuation of the straggly and incoherent Technical Ecstasy, compared to the other six albums. It’s sad… I know.

But it’s STILL an original Black Sabbath album, and I love them all. No matter what! If I compare their last two records with most bands from the same time, they really kicks *ss. That’s for sure! And it is absolutely a step in the right direction from the previous one, if you ask me.

As I’ve mentioned in posts for their other albums on this site, I feel that Sabbath fell more and more into the trends of the time, and that started a little bit on Vol 4 and continued throughout their career during the later Ozzy years. The biggest “fall into the trends of the time” was definitely “Technical Ecstasy”, and in that case I think that “Never Say Die” was a step in the right direction and their originality partly got better. Bear in mind that it was because of that Sabbath was originally “a band who wasn’t like any other band” who made them the best band in the world.

The opener “Never Say Die” is sort of a sing-along hit song. In my ears a try to achieve another “Paranoid”, but in some way I think they kind of tried too hard. The song turns out pretty good anyway, even if it’s maybe not one of my favorites in the BS catalogue. I think that’s because of the lack of Black Sabbaths originality in my ears.

“Johnny Blade” is really awesome. Maybe actually one of my all-time top ten tracks with this band, and that’s not bad! The part 2 heavy riff (“Well you know that Johnny’s a spider”-part) in this song is really great, and takes me back to the core and root of Black Sabbath. A real great heavy stoner riff! I love it.

“Junior’s Eyes” is also a great song. I like the serious vibe in it, and I know it was mostly a song for Ozzy, because of his father’s passing at the time, and it means a lot to me even in that way.

“A hard road” was a song that I liked very much in the earlier days, but now I kind of think of it as a bit uninteresting. Typical sing-along song, with too little variation. Strangely enough, they didn’t perform it live in that extent I think it was meant to.

The B-side opens up with “Shock wave”, and I really love the first part of it. Kind of a continuation of the “Sweet Leaf”-riff, but a little more complex. But somehow I feel that the song isn’t finished. It ends with a heavy riff and girls singing “ooh-ooh” and then fades out? If I’m allowed to say my opinion, I would have liked a more “simple” arrangement and that they had built the whole song through the opening riff, like in the good old days. It would have been a stronger track. But it’s turns out pretty good anyway!

“Air Dance” is absolutely the most interesting piece on this album. Either you love it, or you hate it. I am definitely one who likes it, just because of its originality and quality. Serious vibe in this song and in my ears the soft verses with the piano and Geezers wonderful bass-lines makes it very haunting and deep. The jazzy solo-outro is not my favorite, and sadly downgrades the song a bit.

“Over to you”, the last track with Ozzys voice is not bad either. It’s a decent song, actually partly pretty good, but I lack variation even here.

The two last songs, with Bill on vocals on “Swinging the chain” is also decent, but really nothing more to me. First of all, Bill and Ozzy is like yin and yang when it comes to voices, and even in the track “It’s Alright” on the previous album, I have a hard time finding the “red line” with him singing in BS. No offense Bill, he sings great and I love his contribution to the band and I always will. But really… it doesn’t sound like Black Sabbath without Ozzy, no matter who else sings. Bill sings a little more “rocky” here than on the previous record, and that is really great though.

It’s two bluesy “exit songs”; with a lot of brass that I also don’t see fit Black Sabbath. Trumpets, saxophones and all in Black Sabbath feels to me like milk in a beer. But brass was also something that was a bit “trendy” in the later seventies that Sabbath obviously felt they needed to try. However, the two last songs on this album seem to me as “fillers”.

Hope I don’t offend anyone who sees this album as one of their favorites, because we all have our favorites and lesser favorites. This is strictly my view of it, and as a matter of fact; I Love all eight, no matter what!

God bless Black Sabbath!

N.S.D is an amazing piece of work. Bills drumming is superb. When hes riding the cymbals and rolling the drum fills in the chorus of Juniors Eyes in in heaven. Plus he really compliments the heavy riffing in Johnny Blade and Shockwave. Bills the only person who doesn’t slag the album off, thats wrong to me, it should be held much higher by them and the fans. Ok the productions not great and the trebly buzzsaw guitar sound could be better, but you cant fail to hear the superb riffs and brilliant song writing inside it all. This is my most regular go to Sabbath lps, it never bores me, I love the prog rock experimentation. From the jazz rock Air Dance to the horn section off Break Out to Bills vocals on Swinging the Chain, I love it all. It pisses me off when people bitch and moan about it, I would love to see any of the whingers compose a song anywhere near such quality as these. N.S.D is superb, simple as, get over it all you negative losers.

I know the lyrics above are considered definitive, but I’ve always heard – “you’re coming home” – Junior’s Eyes – “forget all your sorrow” – A Hard Road – “we cannot go on another day” – Swinging the Chain

In at least the last two cases these alterations also make more sense in context in those songs. Maybe Geezer just misremembered or missed a few minor errors when he checked the lyrics…?

Anyhow I agree this is a great album; sadly underrated.

Never Say Die is another sadly under rated album. I really wish they will play something from this album live. I know Ozzy and Geezer expressed disdain for this album but I really wish they would do at least one song for us. Johnny Blade and Shock Wave are brilliant and Air Dance is indeed a masterpiece. They experimented with different musical directions on this album and I appreciate the diversity. Bill Ward did a great job singing on Swinging The Chain just as he did with Its Alright on Technical Ecstasy.

Anyone know who posed in the fighter pilot suits?

Never Say Die was allways my favourite Sab album. It’s a masterpiece of intrincated pieces and also is one of the most well recorded albums of that era, totally the opposite that occurs with Technical Ectasy which have a very noisy and dirty sound canvas. NSD is crystal clear allowing the listener to hear a variety of very rich sound layers.

“Air Dance” could be for instance the masterpiece of any 70’s progrssive rock band, and not the almost unknown song of THE iconic heavy metal band.

The Bass line of “Junior’s Eyes” it’s totally hypnotic and drives the song, while the final part shows the best of Tony, I love that song.

“Shock Wave” is kick ass as well the main title, and “Johny Blade” keyboard intro is superb.

To this day it still baffles me as to how albums like “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath” and “Sabotage” can be regarded with such high esteem, but yet Technical Ecstasy and especially Never Say Die! are dismissed as throw away albums. In my opinion, NSD! has all the qualities that made SBS a landmark album. To this day, “Air Dance” is without a doubt probably my favorite song, period. The experimentation with synths and horns are on point. It’s the hidden jewel in their amazing catalog. I hope someday we can get an expanded release of the original, hopefully including demos and alternative takes.

I just can’t praise this album enough.

Amen Brother

This is also my favorite Sabbath album. I saw them for the 1978 tour in Oakland California. All of the songs on this album are fantastic. My favorites are probably A Hard Road and Over To You, but all of the songs are great! I wish they would have played more of the album on that tour. I believe they played Never Say Die!, A Hard Road and Shockwave at the show I was at.

I think Never Say Die it’s a great album and I was wondering if you could provide the Dave Walker version’s of Junior’s Eyes lyrics. I’d really like to understand what he is singing.

Good luck. I have no idea what half of them are.

The lyrics to the Dave Walker version of Junior’s Eyes are posted on one of the videos on YouTube, just as an FYI.

True, but I can’t get them authenticated. The ones here are authenticated for the Ozzy era. Wish I knew a way.

Juniors Eyes is an all time classic,The Bill Ward /Geezer Butler intro is one of the most melodic openings to any song ever/Black Sabbath4ever

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45 Years Ago: Black Sabbath Release ‘Never Say Die!’

No one could hold a candle to Black Sabbath for their first six albums, but in 1976 the knots frayed by bad contracts, fraudulent bookkeeping, alcohol and drug addiction and complete mental and physical exhaustion started to rapidly unravel. 1976’s Technical Ecstasy was an unfocused record without much bite. The end of an era came less than two years later when Black Sabbath released their final ‘70s album with Ozzy Osbourne on vocals, Never Say Die! , which came out Sept. 28, 1978.

The band started working on Never Say Die! in January 1978 at a time when few of the band members were capable of playing “Louie, Louie,” let alone writing a new album. In an effort to be progressive and innovative, they brought in horns, piano, clean guitars. The entire scene was a recipe for disaster, and it was a dish that would take a while to prepare even the initial stages of, since vocalist Ozzy Osbourne was nowhere to be found.

“We’d make plans to get together and he’d pull these disappearing acts,” guitarist Tony Iommi told me in 2010. “We were so far gone it would take us a while to notice he was missing. Someone would say, ‘Well, where’s Ozzy?’ And then we’d go, ‘Oh, well I guess he’s f---ed off again. He’ll be back soon.’ And that just meant me and Bill [Ward]  would return to what we were doing, which wasn’t good for anybody, especially us – lots of drugs and drinking, mostly.”

One day Osbourne showed up, told his band mates he was quitting and then disappeared again. At that point Black Sabbath didn’t want to continue without their singer. But when Osbourne didn’t come back or even call, they hired ex-Savoy Brown and Fleetwood Mac vocalist Dave Walker to work with them on Never Say Die! After writing a handful of songs, Osbourne contacted Sabbath and said he wanted to work on the record but he wouldn’t sing on anything they wrote with Walker.

“The situation was a mess,” Iommi said. “We were already behind. So the record label was bothering us and we didn’t have anything to show them. Ozzy wants us to start all over. We’re writing in the day and trying to record at night. I think there was some good stuff there, but it’s hard to keep your footing when you feel like things are falling apart.”

Black Sabbath took three months off after Osbourne’s father died. The rest of Black Sabbath sympathized with Osbourne but didn’t want to wait six more months to finish. They did what they could during that time and even had drummer Bill Ward sing lead vocals on the album closer “ Swinging the Chain .”

Black Sabbath, "Swinging the Chain"

Finally Osbourne reconvened with his band mates at Sound Interchange Studios in Toronto, Ontario and tracked most of his vocals for Never Say Die! . When the final overdubs were done in May 1978, no one could have been happier than the band. “Let’s just say, well, it definitely wasn’t our finest hour,” Iommi said. “I can tell you that.”

While many have criticized the meandering composition and lack of aggression of Never Say Die! , Ward defended the album, claiming the adventurous forays into jazz on “ Johnny Blade ” and “ Air Dance ” were innovative and original.

Black Sabbath, "Johnny Blade"

Thanks in part to the hard rock self-titled single, which was propulsive, upbeat and free or horns and keys, Never Say Die! received a brief push at rock radio and debuted at No. 69 on the Billboard album chart. But the boost didn’t last and a tour with Van Halen was a wakeup call for Black Sabbath, whose groundbreaking sound was being usurped by a new breed of guitar heroes led by Eddie Van Halen .

Black Sabbath, "Never Say Die"

Never Say Die! went gold in November 1997, more than 19 years after it was released and is still widely considered the least successful album of the original Ozzy era right above or below (depending on who you talk to) Technical Ecstasy . In 2013, Black Sabbath released 13 , their first studio album with Osbourne on vocals in 35 years.

Loudwire contributor Jon Wiederhorn is the author of  Raising Hell: Backstage Tales From the Lives of Metal Legends , co-author of  Louder Than Hell: The Definitive Oral History of Metal , as well as the co-author of Scott Ian’s autobiography,  I’m the Man: The Story of That Guy From Anthrax , and Al Jourgensen’s autobiography,  Ministry: The Lost Gospels According to Al Jourgensen  and the Agnostic Front book  My Riot! Grit, Guts and Glory .

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Never Say Die! Tour

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Never Say Die! Tour was the tour for Never Say Die! .

• 1 Typical Setlist
• 2 Tour Dates
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Typical Setlist [ ]

Tour dates [ ], songlist [ ], personnel [ ].

• Ozzy Osbourne : Vocals
• Tony Iommi : Guitar
• Geezer Butler : Bass
• Bill Ward : Drums

References [ ]

• 2 List of Members

After the Burial, Suicide Silence co-headline Never Say Die tour

20-date Never Say Die road trip stars After The Burial and Suicide Silence with Currents, Spite, Invent Animate, Cabal and Boundaries

After The Burial and Suicide Silence have announced a tour of the UK and European that kicks off on November 5.

The 20-date Never Say Die road trip also features Currents, Spite, Invent Animate, Cabal and Boundaries.

After The Burial released most recent album Evergreen in 2019. They have a habit of launching a new record every three years, and were spotted last year in a studio. It’s likely an announcement is on the way.

Meanwhile, Suicide Silence recently confirmed the completion of work on Remember… You Must Die , their first with new drummer Ernie Iniguez. “Ernie recorded five songs the first day, which is mainly a set-up day normally,” lead guitarist Mark Heylum enthused.

“It was insane. We knocked out all the easy songs on day one. Day two, the other six, that was a hard day. But we still got done two hours early.” A release date hasn’t been announced yet. 

Ticket details are available from the tour website .

Never Say Die tour dates:

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11/05: Cologne, GER – Essigfabrik 11/06: Dordrecht, NET – Bibelot 11/08: Bristol, UK – SWX 11/09: Birmingham, UK – The Mill 11/10: Glasgow, UK – Garage 11/11: Manchester, UK – Club Academy 11/12: London, UK – Electric Ballroom 11/13: Antwerp, BEL – Zappa 11/15: Hamburg, GER – Gruenspan 11/16: Hannover, GER – Faust 11/17: Berlin, GER – SO36 11/18: Wroclaw, POL – Zaklete Rewiry 11/19: Leipzig, GER – Felsenkeller 11/20: Prague, CZE – Futurum 11/22: Vienna, AUT – Arena 11/23: Verona, ITA – Factory Club 11/24: Stuttgart, GER – LKA 11/25: Pratteln, SWI – Z7 11/26: Munich, GER – Backstage 11/27: Wiesbaden, GER – Schlachthof

Not only is one-time online news editor Martin an established rock journalist and drummer, but he’s also penned several books on music history, including SAHB Story: The Tale of the Sensational Alex Harvey Band , a band he once managed, and the best-selling Apollo Memories about the history of the legendary and infamous Glasgow Apollo. Martin has written for Classic Rock and Prog and at one time had written more articles for Louder than anyone else (we think he's second now). He’s appeared on TV and when not delving intro all things music, can be found travelling along the UK’s vast canal network.

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Never Say Die! Tour 2022 line-up revealed

The annual metalcore tour Never Say Die! Tour has revealed its line-up today: Suicide Silence and After The Burial will cio-headline this new edition with support from Currents , Spite , Invent Animate , Cabal and Boundaries .

As usual, only one show in Belgium: 13 November, promoted by MCLX at Kavka Zappa in Antwerp.

Tickets and infos on Facebook!

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Setlist Guy

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NASTY / KING 810 Never Say Die! Tour 2023 Europe Setlist Playlist

Recent setlist playlist of Nasty, King 810, ten56., Chamber, Fox Lake and Reduction going on the Never Say Die! Tour 2023 of Europe in November. 

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LIVE REVIEW: Impericon Never Say Die Tour @ Club Academy, Manchester

The  Impericon Never Say Die Tour  has boasted consistently strong lineups in the realms of metalcore, deathcore and hardcore for years now. Year in, year out the tour showcases the best the scene has to offer and 2016’s edition of the tour is no different. With seven bands performing to a sold out crowd in Manchester, with a stacked bill would each do enough with a limited time on stage to hold their own?

Opening the tour was one of Britain’s own homegrown talents,  POLAR . The five piece’s blend of hardcore is nothing new or original but their live performance opening the Never Say Die Tour  packed a fairly solid punch. The chugging riffing of  Fabian Lomas  and  Tom Green  kept the crowd bouncing and the enthusiasm from frontman  Adam Woodford  was admirable. Unfortunately for  POLAR , whilst fairly impressive in the live environment, musically there was not many moments that were awe-inspiring. Breakdowns were predictable, the drumming from  Nick Jones , whilst consistent, lacked the cutting edge.  POLAR  ooze enthusiasm and that is commendable but musically, the band offered little to really make them stand out in a over-populated crowd in hardcore.

Rating: 6/10

Words: James Weaver

Australian symphonic deathcore act MAKE THEM SUFFER launched into their set with thunderous grooves, and did not let up throughout. The band seemingly excels at writing catchy melodies and grooves, and while on record they fall flat, their material translates incredibly well to a live environment. MAKE THEM SUFFER played their blend of black metal-inspired deathcore a year previously with fellow Australians THY ART IS MURDER , and performed an incredibly impressive set. This year, their performance did not quite live up to the standard set by themselves. It almost seemed tired, stagnated. Unfortunately, MAKE THEM SUFFER seemed to suffer under their own tried and tired material of relatively bland symphonic deathcore. Yes, their sound translates well live, but there is little to be done when the band’s members seem almost bored paying said sound. The set, for all its high points, leaves a bitter taste on one’s tongue.

Rating: 5/10

Words: Henry Jones

A band’s live sound, by function, must be well developed enough to allow each individual instrument to be distinguishable from the others, along with the errant frequencies milling about in a confined space. Upon achieving this tenet of performance, one may notice a bizarre convolution. It is a great thing to find the balance of instruments on a stage, but a greater thing is to find that balance, and then push it backwards in a defined and deliberate manner, backwards towards that brilliance of a singular sound. San Francisco-based progressive death metal titans FALLUJAH have achieved just that. Making a triumphant return to the United Kingdom in the wake of their stellar Tech-Fest performance this summer, the band’s volatile mixture of chaotic riffing and atmospheric beauty provided the perfect boost of dynamism to push the audience into a more energetic state. Unfortunately, the band was waylaid by technical issues, which put the set on hold for several minutes. To the crowd’s delight, this did not cut into the already extremely limited set of less than half an hour, and things were back up and running quickly to allow the band to charge into a setlist involving all three full-length releases. A masterful performance and brilliant set choices greatly outshined any system glitches presented to the band.

Rating: 8/10

Whilst  Alex Erian  may be more known for his work with deathcore bruisers  DESPISED ICON ,  OBEY THE BRAVE ‘s blend of hardcore has a major pull in the hardcore community. With only two records under the band’s belt the choice in setlist was a fair mix of both records. From the anthematic chorus on  Full Circle  to the ferocious drumming of  Stevie Morotti  on  Live and Learn , the band oozed energy that swept amongst the crowd. Whilst it’s fair to say that  OBEY THE BRAVE  made for perfect billing for a tour like  Never Say Die , the band’s blend of hardcore was fairly predictable. Vocal deliveries were typical of the style but not inventive and the riffing of guitarists  John Campbell  and  Terrence McAuley  quickly became repetitive. It’s not that  OBEY THE BRAVE  were awful live, they weren’t, it is just that the band didn’t offer enough to be something truly special.

Rating: 7/10

CARNIFEX have seen a few changes in recent years. To start, they hired a lead guitarist, which has certainly influenced the band’s writing style. They took on a sound more heavily influenced by black metal, while also managing to incorporate extended range guitars and adopting some truly huge bouncing rhythms. As with MAKE THEM SUFFER earlier in the evening, CARNIFEX ’s more recent material translates absurdly well. On record, the band offers nothing too spectacular barring some magnificent solos and a fair selection of tone exhibits. Live, they excel beyond expectations. This is an exciting example of a band with ten years to hone their live sound applying their skills to a new style and a new direction. While the change of style and direction is not wholly different, it is significant enough to notice a defined uptake in the band’s performance. Rapid blast beats, swirling tremolo riffs, and the ever-present rumble of the extended range all provided the night with a much-needed sense of theatrics, which translated extremely well to an ecstatic crowd.

THY ART IS MURDER  were rapidly exploding in metal until the sudden departure of vocalist  CJ McMahon  last year threw a spanner in the machine. With  Nick Arthur [MOLOTOV SOLUTION]  filling in to front the band as they search for a permanent replacement for  CJ , there were question marks surrounding whether the band could deliver the same intensity as fans have come to expect. Thankfully, for the most part, the band delivered a performance that was utterly ground-shaking. From  Andy Marsh  and  Sean Delander ‘s slick riffing on  Light Bearer  to the sheer monstrous breakdown on  Reign of Darkness , the band’s approach to deathcore is colossal. Whilst  Nick Arthur  did a formidable job in terms of matching the vocal deliveries that fans have come to expect, sadly, the shoes that have been left to fill are slightly just too big. Whilst impressive in their ability as a unit in the live environment, as  THY ART IS MURDER  ploughed through their set it quickly become repetitive and mundane, leaving the end result as rather forgettable.

The headline act of the evening approached in the form of one of the leaders of their genre, Knoxville, Tennessee deathcore pioneers WHITECHAPEL . Like CARNIFEX , the night’s headliners have recently celebrated their first complete decade together as a band. They have seen a whole ten years of development, from their generic deathcore roots to their almost progressive groove-focused present state. This development has brought the band huge successes, and the bonus effect of providing a rich and detailed setlist featuring a well-balanced list of material from each chapter in their history. The night was also of note as it would be the first time Manchester received a taste of the band’s recent full-length record, Mark of the Blade , in a live setting. Once again, WHITECHAPEL have proved conclusively that they are in the upper echelons of deathcore. The set consisted of a rich tapestry of pendulous grooves, vicious riffing, and delightfully tight performances from the entire band. WHITECHAPEL have truly nailed the formula in the sunset of deathcore’s days. Theirs is a history many will emulate, but none will achieve. There’s something magnetic in a band that is still as powerful and innovative ten years into their career, let alone one that can still be as imposing in a live setting. This is the forefront of deathcore, even if the genre is slowly sinking into the dust.

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James Weaver

Editor-in-Chief and Founder of Distorted Sound Magazine; established in 2015. Reporting on riffs since 2012.

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Impericon Never Say Die 23rd November 2023

Time: 17:30 - 23:00, price: £20 + bf, impericon never say die tour 2023 14+ (under 16s must be accompanied by an adult).

The Impericon Never Say Die! Tour is back with one of it’s heaviest and current bills to date! From brutal hardcore, to deathhore, to metalcore, this line-up has all bases covered for a quality night of heavy!

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King 810 Nasty Ten56. Chamber Fox Lake Reduction

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• April 14, 2024 Setlist

Peter Frampton Setlist at The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park, San Diego, CA, USA

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