So what do you think about this album? I've revisited recently this one and honestly now I really enjoy it. It sounds fresh to me because I'm not familiar with it unlike the others. It's not flawless at all but it contains enough interesting songs to have it in the collection.
Shock Wave is one of my favourite Sabbath songs, so many riffs and flows really well, great vocals. I also love Break Out, largely because where else do you hear a full horn section with a heavy metal rhythm section.
Title track, Junior’s Eyes, Johnny Blade, A Hard Road, Shockwave, Air Dance, Swinging The Chain, all great tunes. It’s unfairly maligned in the media coz Ozzy has absolutely no time at all for it. A better album than ‘Technical Ecstacy’ imo.
I didn't like it at all. I was 17, almost 18 when it came out and still have tried to like it but don't. As a side note, I was fortunate to see this tour in Pittsburgh on Sept. 2nd, 1978 with Van Halen opening. The album, I believe, was actually released after the tour began? Actually, at that point in time, I was very excited to see VH. But the notions I have sometimes read that Sabbath was not good, or going through the motions is a joke. For my show anyway. I don't know how they phone it in with a young energetic band opening for them. I remember reading somewhere that KISS opened for Sabbath and Ozzy had said that they were very good and didn't want to compete with that again. He wanted a bar band from LA. Well, he got it............ Well, I found it. How Black Sabbath's Opening 'Bar Band' Turned Out to be Van Halen
⠀ Agree it is mk.1`s weakest studio effort. I love it nevertheless. Other than when specifically asked, I don't appraise it alongside other Sabbath studio LPs. If, say for example, Black Sabbath had released no other album besides NSD, I would simply say it is one of my favorite albums by one of my favorite bands, which is fair since I play it fairly often. ⠀
Not as bad as the band thinks. Side 1 is great. Johnny Blade and Junior's Eyes are classics. Side 2 has some very good songs, that given more rehearsal time could have been excellent. Breakout is very sub par and uninteresting, but given the problems at the time, I can live with it. Swinging the Chain is interesting, if only because Bill sounds completely mad. Overall, could do with a modern remix to freshen it up. A more interesting album than Technical Ecstasy which has some plodders.
In retrospect, Never Say Die! is really enjoyable, if a bit front loaded - the first three tracks are properly solid, after which it gets a bit more eclectic, with good moments amid some missteps. I can understand why it underwhelmed at the time - I get that if fans were craving Iommi’s crushing, towering cliffs of riff, this is too hard rock, and across the whole, too diverse. Abit like Zeppelin’s In Through the Out Door, the band were both creaking at the seams, whilst also experimenting, and the results aren’t for everyone. Personally, I can’t separate Never Say Die! from Technical Ecstasy (it’s similar, a little worse, but only a little) and in hindsight, I prefer those two albums to everything - everything - that followed. I do wish Bill didn’t sing on this (or its predecessor ); his voice isn’t bad, but it’s not Ozzy’s, and it’s so different to his, it kind of doesn’t fit the palette, despite the songs being fine.
Completely disagree that it is the weakest of the original eight. This album is light years better than Technical Ecstasy just for the title track and Air Dance, not to mention Junior’s Eyes and Shockwave. I’ve always wondered if maybe people don’t give it the time it deserves because the band dismisses it (I have the same theory about Van Halen’s Balance, btw). Also it sounds spectacular. TE is, to me, their worst sounding album, so it was nice to hear them recover on this.
I was a big Sabbath fan in high school, knew the first six albums really well (the other two weren’t generally available in the late 80s) and at the end of the Black Sabbath Story Vol 1 VHS they played Shock Wave over the credits and I was like “What the hell is this?! This is awesome!!!”
recover... It is not just the weakest of the original eight, it is the weakest of their whole catalog.
Underrated. You can actually hear the cocaine in stuff like "Johnny Blade", but it's a fun album. TE and NSD get short shrift because of how great the first 6 Sabbath slabs are, but they are also great - just different.
Stop. Not even close. You can't listen to TYR, Cross Purposes, or Forbidden and say that they're even good with a straight face
The only complaint I have is that the outro of "Hard Road" is too repetitive, the rest of the album is terrific. Eclectic and rich songs, great playing. Plus, I love the drum sound they achieved here.
Ozzy on NSD: "The last album I did with Sabbath was Never Say Die! and it was the worst piece of work that I've ever had anything to do with. I'm ashamed of that album. I think it's disgusting."
