The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings (and even The Silmarillion) concern events in the Northwest of Middle Earth. Tolkien never did more for the rest of his world than sketch the outlines for a few maps, which are found amid the ephemera in The History of Middle Earth. The good professor didn't identify countries or name the peoples to the east and south of the maps in LoTR, other than to mention that the Elves and men awoke in the east, and that two of the Istari disappeared there.
From 1982 till 1997, Iron Crown Enterprises (ICE) held the license to produce board and roleplaying gaming materials set in Middle Earth (the latter known as MERP). They released dozens of adventures and sourcebooks, most of which dealt with the regions of the Northwest that were familiar to readers of The Hobbit and LoTR. These were carefully though out, in most cases, so that they expanded upon Tolkien's own creativity and gave the user a fuller understanding of their topic.
One of ICE's first products was a map of all of Middle Earth. This was an original creation, unrelated to Tolkien's sketches. The topography was based on rational principles of weather and geography to extrapolate the lands of the south and east. Names were made up and placed throughout all of this new territory, including the mysterious use of "Mur Fostisyr" off the coast of the central arctic. (The Mur Fostisyr was a group of islands in the far north of ICE's own gaming world, featured in their product The Iron Wind. Was there meant to be a connection?)
ICE decided to create adventures and sourcebooks for southern Middle Earth, but to leave the lands east of Rhun and Harad unchronicled. This way, gamers could make up their own ideas of what life was like in these areas. The exception to this was that ICE did create a background for each of the Nazgul (Ringwraiths), with several hailing from Eastern Middle Earth. These backgrounds contained small details on conditions in the relevant realms. Gamers have used the map and these hints as a starting point to create "fan modules" that can be found online with a bit of searching, for those who want to read an interpretation of Chey Sart or Urd.
The officially released ICE MERP sourcebooks on Southern Middle Earth included two about Harad, Far Harad (the area south of Umbar) and Greater Harad (due east of Far Harad, and far southeast of Umbar and Mordor). The ICE map projected that Harad ended in the south at the Yellow Mountains. South of these were jungle lands, with The Shadow in the South covering the extreme Southwest of Middle Earth, and The Court of Ardor dealing with lands across a large bay to the east.
The area around Ardor was controlled by fallen High Elves, who had become servants of Morgoth in the First Age. The other lands in these products still felt the effects of scarring during the Second Age. ICE went to great lengths in these, and some related supplements, to discuss how Numenoreans conquered kingdoms and holdings on the west coasts of Middle Earth, something that Tolkien mentioned in only slight detail in the appendices to LoTR and in Unfinished Tales. Even before the fall of Numenor, most of these colonies became "Black Numenorean" as the settlers abandoned Elvish ways and became tyrants. Umbar was the best known of these holdings, but there were many others. The tension built into these lands was for characters to seek adventure while battling the Nazgul and other minions of Sauron in the Third Age.
All of ICE's MERP products are long out of print. They can only be had as very expensive hardcopies, or as illegal downloads. I was fortunate to purchase many of them new at the time of release, and I have no intention of selling them now. They make fascinating reading, even if they are never used for actual gaming. It is a situation similar to that of the Mystara products I discussed a few weeks ago. And as with those, as I mentioned above, there's also fan produced material for gaming in Middle Earth (or reading about gaming ;-)). It is well worth the effort to seek this MERP material out, if it sounds at all of interest. It's almost like a score for the Middle Earth junkie!
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Return of the Black Company artwork!
Tor has posted the cover art to Glen Cook's The Return of the Black Company. This is the omnibus of Bleak Seasons and She is the Darkness, the two novels with Murgen an annalist. The painting looks to again be the work of Raymond Swanland, and lives up to the standard he set with his many previous covers for Glen Cook's works.
The Return of the Black Company is scheduled for release on September 15 of this year. I've read the books already, but I look forward to getting the omnibus anyway, since it will look good on the shelf next to the first two Black Company omnibuses and the ongoing series of Dread Empire omnibuses.
Now I want Tor to finally set a release date for Surrender to the Will of the Night, the next in Cook's Instrumentalities of the Night series!
Friday, June 12, 2009
A Barnaby Skye Timeline - Happy 20th Annivesary!
As I wrote a few months ago, I'm a big fan of Richard S. Wheeler's Skye's West/Barnaby Skye novels. I've long sought to work out the chronology of these books, and June of 2009 seemed to be an ideal time to discuss the topic publicly. The first of the series, Sun River was released in "July 1989." In book publishing, the listed month of release is normally the month that follows that in which the book actually hits the shelves. So it was twenty years ago this month that Barnaby Skye made his debut in bookstores.
The first eight books about the mountain man and his family were released through 1994, as original mass-market paperbacks. The series was known as "Skye's West." Wheeler then took a break from the character, but in 1996 began a new series, now known as "Barnaby Skye novels." These were first published in hardcover, and began by detailing Skye's arrival in the Rocky Mountains and his early days there. This series has continued up to the present, with its ninth volume, the seventeenth overall, seeing release in 2009. Over the years, the characters have overtaken the events of the first eight books, so that Skye is an old man in the latest (he's 64, which isn't so old in the 21st Century, just ask Ronnie James Dio, who turns 67 in a few weeks, yet is still fronting his version of Black Sabbath on a long tour. But spending decades in the wilderness has aged Sky considerably).
This much is know for sure about Barnaby Sky. He was born in 1806 in London, to a well-to-do merchant family. He was 13 in 1819 when a Royal Navy pressgang caught him and dragged him off to a harsh life at sea. Seven years later, in 1826, a roughly 20 year old Skye jumped ship at Fort Vancouver (modern Portland, Oregon) and made his way inland, seeking to escape British justice. He succeeded in reaching American territory, and gradually adapted to life as a mountain man, while marrying into the Absaroka (Crow) and Shoshoni tribes.
Skye met Many Quills woman of the Crow soon after arriving in the mountains. She was born about 1811, and was 15 when she met Barnaby. He named her Victoria, and they had many adventures together, as their family grew to include the unique blue roan, Jawbone (an evil horse that never-the-less loved Barnaby and Victoria). Victoria eventually convinced Barnaby to take a second wife. She helped arrange his marriage to Mary, of the Shoshoni, a niece of Sacagawea. Mary was much younger than her new husband and fellow wife, and was probably born around 1830, though this is hard to pinpoint. The precise timeline of events becomes hazy in the second series, which I'll demonstrate below, as I indicate the year in which each of the novels is supposed to occur. Before that, it should be mentioned that Barnaby and Mary have a son together, Dirk, who is also known as North Star. He's an infant in some novels, and a child at school in Missouri in some others.
Skye's West (in order of publication):
Sun River - 1855, introduces Barnaby Skye, Victoria, Mary, Dirk, and Jawbone. All but Dirk are present in all eight of the first series. The Skye family has been guiding parties through the west for some years already.
Bannack - 1863, sequentially the last of the first series. Skye and Jawbone are getting old, and Dirk is away at school.
The Far Tribes - 1852, Dirk is an infant.
Yellowstone - 1850, Barnaby and Mary are recently married, and she is pregnant with Dirk by the end.
Bitterroot - 1853, Dirk is a toddler.
Sundance - 1856, Dirk is a child.
Wind River - 1854, Dirk is a toddler.
Santa Fe - 1851, Dirk is an infant.
Barnaby Skye Novels (in order of publication):
Rendezvous - 1826, Barnaby jumps ship, reaches the mountains, and meets Victoria.
Dark Passage - 1831, Barnaby and Victoria have been married for several years.
Going Home - 1832, Barnaby and Victoria are the only recurring characters.
Downriver - 1838, Barnaby and Victoria are the only recurring characters.
The Deliverance - 1841, Barnaby and Victoria are the only recurring characters.
The Fire Arrow - 1853, Barnaby and Victoria meet the new born colt, Jawbone. He is present in the following books.
The Canyon of Bones - 1857, Barnaby meets and marries Mary at the start, Mary is pregnant with Dirk by the finish.
Virgin River - 1858, Dirk is an infant, and the Skye family have built a reputation as guides.
North Star - 1870, Dirk is a young adult, and Barnaby is an old man.
The Owl Hunt - not yet published, this and at least one more novel are to feature Dirk "North Star" Skye as the lead character.
How can these dates be reconciled? Ultimately, it doesn't especially matter, as the indications of the year that appear in each story can easily be ignored. But I find games like this entertaining, so I'll have ago at it anyway. The first stage is easy. Barnaby's adventures begin in 1826, and continue up through 1841, when he's 35. That covers Rendezvous straight through The Deliverance. The Fire Arrow can then be moved forward to 1845 or so. In my imagination, Mary joins the clan about 1848, and Dirk is born in 1851. The original series can then follow in the same years for which they are listed, with The Canyon of Bones and Virgin River being slotted in before Bannack (pretend the wedding in The Canyon of Bones was a flashback ;-)). The timeline would then conclude with North Star, The Owl Hunt and any future additions.
That leaves the overall story arc as follows:
Rendezvous - 1826
Dark Passage - 1831
Going Home - 1832
Downriver - 1838
The Deliverance - 1841
The Fire Arrow - 1845
Yellowstone - 1850
Santa Fe - 1851
The Far Tribes - 1852
Bitterroot - 1853
Wind River - 1854
Sun River - 1855
Sun Dance - 1856
The Canyon of Bones - 1857
Virgin River - 1858
Bannack - 1863
North Star - 1870
The Owl Hunt - ?
Do I suggest reading the books in this order? Not at all! As with many series, the characters and their development are best realized and understood if the books are read in the order in which they are written. Several volumes are officially out of print, but all can be rather easily found at online or brick & mortar used book outlets, or via libraries. I heartily recommend that anyone interested in Native American or Old West fiction make the minor effort required to sample some of these novels. I'm sure that those who do will quickly join me in toasting Barnaby Skye on his 20th birthday in print!
The first eight books about the mountain man and his family were released through 1994, as original mass-market paperbacks. The series was known as "Skye's West." Wheeler then took a break from the character, but in 1996 began a new series, now known as "Barnaby Skye novels." These were first published in hardcover, and began by detailing Skye's arrival in the Rocky Mountains and his early days there. This series has continued up to the present, with its ninth volume, the seventeenth overall, seeing release in 2009. Over the years, the characters have overtaken the events of the first eight books, so that Skye is an old man in the latest (he's 64, which isn't so old in the 21st Century, just ask Ronnie James Dio, who turns 67 in a few weeks, yet is still fronting his version of Black Sabbath on a long tour. But spending decades in the wilderness has aged Sky considerably).
This much is know for sure about Barnaby Sky. He was born in 1806 in London, to a well-to-do merchant family. He was 13 in 1819 when a Royal Navy pressgang caught him and dragged him off to a harsh life at sea. Seven years later, in 1826, a roughly 20 year old Skye jumped ship at Fort Vancouver (modern Portland, Oregon) and made his way inland, seeking to escape British justice. He succeeded in reaching American territory, and gradually adapted to life as a mountain man, while marrying into the Absaroka (Crow) and Shoshoni tribes.
Skye met Many Quills woman of the Crow soon after arriving in the mountains. She was born about 1811, and was 15 when she met Barnaby. He named her Victoria, and they had many adventures together, as their family grew to include the unique blue roan, Jawbone (an evil horse that never-the-less loved Barnaby and Victoria). Victoria eventually convinced Barnaby to take a second wife. She helped arrange his marriage to Mary, of the Shoshoni, a niece of Sacagawea. Mary was much younger than her new husband and fellow wife, and was probably born around 1830, though this is hard to pinpoint. The precise timeline of events becomes hazy in the second series, which I'll demonstrate below, as I indicate the year in which each of the novels is supposed to occur. Before that, it should be mentioned that Barnaby and Mary have a son together, Dirk, who is also known as North Star. He's an infant in some novels, and a child at school in Missouri in some others.
Skye's West (in order of publication):
Sun River - 1855, introduces Barnaby Skye, Victoria, Mary, Dirk, and Jawbone. All but Dirk are present in all eight of the first series. The Skye family has been guiding parties through the west for some years already.
Bannack - 1863, sequentially the last of the first series. Skye and Jawbone are getting old, and Dirk is away at school.
The Far Tribes - 1852, Dirk is an infant.
Yellowstone - 1850, Barnaby and Mary are recently married, and she is pregnant with Dirk by the end.
Bitterroot - 1853, Dirk is a toddler.
Sundance - 1856, Dirk is a child.
Wind River - 1854, Dirk is a toddler.
Santa Fe - 1851, Dirk is an infant.
Barnaby Skye Novels (in order of publication):
Rendezvous - 1826, Barnaby jumps ship, reaches the mountains, and meets Victoria.
Dark Passage - 1831, Barnaby and Victoria have been married for several years.
Going Home - 1832, Barnaby and Victoria are the only recurring characters.
Downriver - 1838, Barnaby and Victoria are the only recurring characters.
The Deliverance - 1841, Barnaby and Victoria are the only recurring characters.
The Fire Arrow - 1853, Barnaby and Victoria meet the new born colt, Jawbone. He is present in the following books.
The Canyon of Bones - 1857, Barnaby meets and marries Mary at the start, Mary is pregnant with Dirk by the finish.
Virgin River - 1858, Dirk is an infant, and the Skye family have built a reputation as guides.
North Star - 1870, Dirk is a young adult, and Barnaby is an old man.
The Owl Hunt - not yet published, this and at least one more novel are to feature Dirk "North Star" Skye as the lead character.
How can these dates be reconciled? Ultimately, it doesn't especially matter, as the indications of the year that appear in each story can easily be ignored. But I find games like this entertaining, so I'll have ago at it anyway. The first stage is easy. Barnaby's adventures begin in 1826, and continue up through 1841, when he's 35. That covers Rendezvous straight through The Deliverance. The Fire Arrow can then be moved forward to 1845 or so. In my imagination, Mary joins the clan about 1848, and Dirk is born in 1851. The original series can then follow in the same years for which they are listed, with The Canyon of Bones and Virgin River being slotted in before Bannack (pretend the wedding in The Canyon of Bones was a flashback ;-)). The timeline would then conclude with North Star, The Owl Hunt and any future additions.
That leaves the overall story arc as follows:
Rendezvous - 1826
Dark Passage - 1831
Going Home - 1832
Downriver - 1838
The Deliverance - 1841
The Fire Arrow - 1845
Yellowstone - 1850
Santa Fe - 1851
The Far Tribes - 1852
Bitterroot - 1853
Wind River - 1854
Sun River - 1855
Sun Dance - 1856
The Canyon of Bones - 1857
Virgin River - 1858
Bannack - 1863
North Star - 1870
The Owl Hunt - ?
Do I suggest reading the books in this order? Not at all! As with many series, the characters and their development are best realized and understood if the books are read in the order in which they are written. Several volumes are officially out of print, but all can be rather easily found at online or brick & mortar used book outlets, or via libraries. I heartily recommend that anyone interested in Native American or Old West fiction make the minor effort required to sample some of these novels. I'm sure that those who do will quickly join me in toasting Barnaby Skye on his 20th birthday in print!
Monday, June 8, 2009
Lawyers, Guns & Money (well, no guns that we know of)
I like to follow the discussions on the forums at www.black-sabbath.com and www.bravewords.com. A popular recent topic of discussion has been the lawsuit that Ozzy Osbourne has brought against his former Black Sabbath bandmate, guitarist Tony Iommi. Iommi owns the legal rights to the name “Black Sabbath,” and Ozzy is asking for 50% of it, in order to force some sort of settlement in which the rights to the name would end up evenly split between the original members of the band: Iommi, vocalist Osbourne, bassist Geezer Butler, and drummer Bill Ward.
The original lineup last put out an album of new material in 1978. It was their eighth release, and had the ironic title of Never Say Die. Ozzy left the next year, through a combination of jumping ship and being pushed off. He sold his rights to the name Black Sabbath to Iommi in 1980, and Ward sold his rights in 1985. Butler also sold his rights to Iommi, though he worked with him in Black Sabbath occasionally as late as 1994.
This has become an issue because the original lineup reunited in 1997, and continued to play together during Ozzfest tours until 2005. They had an arrangement with promotional company Live Nation to sell Black Sabbath related merchandise. Iommi filed a lawsuit against Live Nation late in 2007, claiming that the arrangement ended in 2006, but that Live Nation had continued to sell Black Sabbath merchandise, without authorization. Iommi asked for $80 million in damages. The paperwork revealed clearly that Iommi held sole rights to the name Black Sabbath, since it contained copies of the agreements by which the other three original members signed away their rights.
This would suggest that Osbourne has no grounds for his suit. So why is he pursuing it? Well, as Damien, a moderator at Black-Sabbath.com has pointed out, Ozzy’s voice, and even his overall health, are in poor shape. He’s not up to extended touring anymore, and this shows badly in comparison with Ronnie James Dio, his first replacement as Black Sabbath singer. Dio will turn 67 this summer, and still has a very decent voice, and can still tour extensively. In fact, Iommi and Butler recently recorded a well-received album of new material with Dio (and with Ward’s first replacement, Vinny Appice, on drums). They are currently touring in support of this album, and previously had toured together in 2007 and 2008. Meanwhile, Ozzy’s attempt at a new TV show was cancelled, and his wife and manager Sharon’s talk show failed. The attempt of Ozzy to record an album of new material with the original Black Sabbath lineup, back around 2001, ended in failure, with only the new song Scary Dreams being played live. So this lawsuit by the Osbournes would seem like a way to both try and grab a share of the $80 million suit against Live Nation, and also to give the figurative finger to Iommi and Butler for having renewed success with Dio.
This current project with Dio is recording and touring under the name “Heaven & Hell,” which was the title of the first Black Sabbath album they made together, back in 1980. Ward had left after that, to be replaced by Appice on 1981’s Mob Rules and 1992’s Dehumanizer. Using a new name for the band served several purposes. It kept the Dio-fronted lineup distinct from the Osbourne fronted version, which had been inducted into several halls of fame. Audiences would know not to expect any Ozzy-era material to be played. And it allowed band members to continue to make good on past promises, such as Dio’s claim that he would never rejoin Black Sabbath and Butler’s insistence that he would only ever work again with Dio in a project separate from Black Sabbath. Yet now, this Osbourne lawsuit suggests a further motive in using the name Heaven & Hell. If the band isn’t called Black Sabbath, then Ozy can’t attempt to grab any piece of the pie.
There’s been no official word from the Iommi and Butler camps about the publicly announced Osbourne suit against Iommi. I imagine that lawyers are having a field day behind the scenes, sending messages back and forth. I’m very curious to see how this eventually plays out. While awaiting further developments, I’ve had a thought on the abortive album the original lineup tried to create in 2001.
Butler has indicated that six or seven songs were written, but that the material wasn’t very good, and thus was scrapped. This led me to realize something I haven’t seen mentioned elsewhere. I believe that Iommi’s head, metaphorically, wasn’t in the right place to write music for an Ozzy-fronted album. Ozzy stated publicly that he didn’t want to release any new music that would tarnish the reputation of the original albums by being sub-par.
Of the eight albums the original lineup recorded, only the first five or six are regarded as classics (opinions vary on the sixth, Sabotage). The final two are mostly panned, and those who praise them do so from a very defensive point of view. Already by Sabotage, Iommi (the principal writer of Black Sabbath music), was trying numerous experiments to the band’s sound. He was seeking to stretch and do different things with his music, but only really found artistic and commercial success for his expanded range once Dio joined him for the ninth Black Sabbath album, Heaven & Hell, and the tenth, Mob Rules.
Iommi worked with a large array of players in the years up to the 1997 reunion. A host of knowns and unknowns were in Black Sababth, but none of them were Ozzy clones. After working with Dio’s powerful, operatic voice, Iommi continued to recruit singers with strong vocal abilities. The list includes Ian Gillan, Glenn Hughes, Ray Gillen, and Tony Martin (who sang on five different Black Sabbath albums). Dio came back for Dehumaizer, and Iommi made non-Black Sabbath albums with Glenn Hughes in 1996 and 2005.
At the same time, on the drum front, no effort was made to duplicate Ward’s “jazzy” style. Instead, heavy hitters who played with a lot of power were the order of the day. This list includes Eric Singer, Cozy Powell, a returned Appice, and Bobby Rondinelli. This all suggests to me that Iommi wanted to make the sort of music that came out under the Black Sabbath name post-Ozzy (and that he made with Hughes). He wasn’t forced into it, he could have tried to recreate the past, but he chose not to do so. When he did reconvene the Mob Rules and Dehumanizer lineup, as Heaven & Hell, there was no writer’s block or difficulty. Their 2009 album, The Devil You Know, came together quite easily, by all accounts (the title is a sly reference that, in a sense, they are still a form of Black Sabbath)
So my best guess is that Iommi had great difficulty in writing the simpler, more basic sort of music he had created for the first five or six albums with the original lineup. Many fans have chosen to blame Osbourne for the failed attempt at a 2001 album, and perhaps he was obstinate in various ways. But the real truth may be simply that the writing chemistry was no longer there the way it was thirty years earlier.
The original lineup last put out an album of new material in 1978. It was their eighth release, and had the ironic title of Never Say Die. Ozzy left the next year, through a combination of jumping ship and being pushed off. He sold his rights to the name Black Sabbath to Iommi in 1980, and Ward sold his rights in 1985. Butler also sold his rights to Iommi, though he worked with him in Black Sabbath occasionally as late as 1994.
This has become an issue because the original lineup reunited in 1997, and continued to play together during Ozzfest tours until 2005. They had an arrangement with promotional company Live Nation to sell Black Sabbath related merchandise. Iommi filed a lawsuit against Live Nation late in 2007, claiming that the arrangement ended in 2006, but that Live Nation had continued to sell Black Sabbath merchandise, without authorization. Iommi asked for $80 million in damages. The paperwork revealed clearly that Iommi held sole rights to the name Black Sabbath, since it contained copies of the agreements by which the other three original members signed away their rights.
This would suggest that Osbourne has no grounds for his suit. So why is he pursuing it? Well, as Damien, a moderator at Black-Sabbath.com has pointed out, Ozzy’s voice, and even his overall health, are in poor shape. He’s not up to extended touring anymore, and this shows badly in comparison with Ronnie James Dio, his first replacement as Black Sabbath singer. Dio will turn 67 this summer, and still has a very decent voice, and can still tour extensively. In fact, Iommi and Butler recently recorded a well-received album of new material with Dio (and with Ward’s first replacement, Vinny Appice, on drums). They are currently touring in support of this album, and previously had toured together in 2007 and 2008. Meanwhile, Ozzy’s attempt at a new TV show was cancelled, and his wife and manager Sharon’s talk show failed. The attempt of Ozzy to record an album of new material with the original Black Sabbath lineup, back around 2001, ended in failure, with only the new song Scary Dreams being played live. So this lawsuit by the Osbournes would seem like a way to both try and grab a share of the $80 million suit against Live Nation, and also to give the figurative finger to Iommi and Butler for having renewed success with Dio.
This current project with Dio is recording and touring under the name “Heaven & Hell,” which was the title of the first Black Sabbath album they made together, back in 1980. Ward had left after that, to be replaced by Appice on 1981’s Mob Rules and 1992’s Dehumanizer. Using a new name for the band served several purposes. It kept the Dio-fronted lineup distinct from the Osbourne fronted version, which had been inducted into several halls of fame. Audiences would know not to expect any Ozzy-era material to be played. And it allowed band members to continue to make good on past promises, such as Dio’s claim that he would never rejoin Black Sabbath and Butler’s insistence that he would only ever work again with Dio in a project separate from Black Sabbath. Yet now, this Osbourne lawsuit suggests a further motive in using the name Heaven & Hell. If the band isn’t called Black Sabbath, then Ozy can’t attempt to grab any piece of the pie.
There’s been no official word from the Iommi and Butler camps about the publicly announced Osbourne suit against Iommi. I imagine that lawyers are having a field day behind the scenes, sending messages back and forth. I’m very curious to see how this eventually plays out. While awaiting further developments, I’ve had a thought on the abortive album the original lineup tried to create in 2001.
Butler has indicated that six or seven songs were written, but that the material wasn’t very good, and thus was scrapped. This led me to realize something I haven’t seen mentioned elsewhere. I believe that Iommi’s head, metaphorically, wasn’t in the right place to write music for an Ozzy-fronted album. Ozzy stated publicly that he didn’t want to release any new music that would tarnish the reputation of the original albums by being sub-par.
Of the eight albums the original lineup recorded, only the first five or six are regarded as classics (opinions vary on the sixth, Sabotage). The final two are mostly panned, and those who praise them do so from a very defensive point of view. Already by Sabotage, Iommi (the principal writer of Black Sabbath music), was trying numerous experiments to the band’s sound. He was seeking to stretch and do different things with his music, but only really found artistic and commercial success for his expanded range once Dio joined him for the ninth Black Sabbath album, Heaven & Hell, and the tenth, Mob Rules.
Iommi worked with a large array of players in the years up to the 1997 reunion. A host of knowns and unknowns were in Black Sababth, but none of them were Ozzy clones. After working with Dio’s powerful, operatic voice, Iommi continued to recruit singers with strong vocal abilities. The list includes Ian Gillan, Glenn Hughes, Ray Gillen, and Tony Martin (who sang on five different Black Sabbath albums). Dio came back for Dehumaizer, and Iommi made non-Black Sabbath albums with Glenn Hughes in 1996 and 2005.
At the same time, on the drum front, no effort was made to duplicate Ward’s “jazzy” style. Instead, heavy hitters who played with a lot of power were the order of the day. This list includes Eric Singer, Cozy Powell, a returned Appice, and Bobby Rondinelli. This all suggests to me that Iommi wanted to make the sort of music that came out under the Black Sabbath name post-Ozzy (and that he made with Hughes). He wasn’t forced into it, he could have tried to recreate the past, but he chose not to do so. When he did reconvene the Mob Rules and Dehumanizer lineup, as Heaven & Hell, there was no writer’s block or difficulty. Their 2009 album, The Devil You Know, came together quite easily, by all accounts (the title is a sly reference that, in a sense, they are still a form of Black Sabbath)
So my best guess is that Iommi had great difficulty in writing the simpler, more basic sort of music he had created for the first five or six albums with the original lineup. Many fans have chosen to blame Osbourne for the failed attempt at a 2001 album, and perhaps he was obstinate in various ways. But the real truth may be simply that the writing chemistry was no longer there the way it was thirty years earlier.
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