Black Sabbath’s Tony Martin-Era to Get a Commemorative Box Set Next Year
A mostly forgotten era of Black Sabbath‘s history is finally getting its due next year, as the Tony Martin-era of the classic heavy metal band will be getting its own commemorative box set. The set was originally supposed to come out last year, but we guess it’s better late than never.
News of the box set came as Tony Martin sat down to chat with The Metal Voice‘s Jimmy Kay and Alan Dixon. Though much of the focus was spent on Martin’s upcoming vinyl re-release of his solo album Thorns, the discussion turned to his time as a frontman for Black Sabbath.
“Band politics are a really weird thing to begin with. It wasn’t my band, Black Sabbath. I was hired to carry the Black Sabbath legacy forward which I felt honored and privileged to do. So I didn’t have, and I still don’t have, any say in what goes on. They’re re-releasing the [Tony Martin era records]. I have no idea what’s happening with it. I know it’s going to be next year, but that’s all I know. And it was the same back then, that I never really knew anything.
“I had my own personal manager, Tony [Iommi] had a manager, Geezer Butler had a manager – it was a bit like Spinal Tap. Everybody’s got their own manager. You’d speak to your manager, then he’d phone up somebody else’s manager to go down to them and then he’d come back up to me. So it was a bit mad, being in the band. A lot of the time it was reading between the lines to try and get an idea of what was happening, because direct questions didn’t really work.”
Though exact details of what’s going to be inside are still unknown, it shouldn’t be a stretch to assume that it will include the five albums Martin sang on: The Eternal Idol, Headless Cross, Tyr, Cross Purposes, and Forbidden. Martin sang for Black Sabbath between the years of 1987 and 1991, and then once again between 1993 and 1997.
It’s cool that we’re finally getting more than just the Ozzy and Dio side of Sabbath represented. The band has a long history and near revolving door of vocalists, so it would be cool to see these guys get their due.
