Black Sabbath's Drug-Fueled Chaos: Never Say Die!

0:00On May 2nd, Black Sabbath dropped six killer albums in just five years, but by mid-1976, the grind, drugs, and fights had them burned out. They hit Miami's criteria studio for their seventh record, technical ecstasy, sharing space with the Bee Gees and Eagles, Coke-fueled hangs and no shows turn sessions into chaos, scraping powder off the mixing board just to start. Ozzy flew home after and checked into a mental hospital, barely lasting. The drummer Bill Ward stayed bedridden, phoning business from under the covers. Their US tour that fall was a mess, too stoned to play straight, even blowing a jam with Frank Zappa at Madison Square Garden. By late 1977, Ozzy cracked under personal stress like his dad's death, bailing on rehearsals. They tried ol' pal Dave Walker as singer, but it felt wrong, his early bedtime didn't fit. Ozzy came back briefly, but tensions boiled over. In early 1978, they pushed through, never say die.

1:01In freezing Toronto, ripping up carpets for sound, battling colds and non-stop highs. Bill Ward blacked out once, waking up taped like a prank. Ozzy called it their worst work, ashamed of the jazz-like drift. Then never say die tour, paired them with rising Van Halen, exposing Sabbath's fade as the new kids energized crowds. Better with debt and done, they fired Ozzy in April 1979 for being too unreliable, then tapped Ronnie James Dio to carry on the heavy legacy. Stay tuned with music news today, AI-powered updates. I'm Corey with The Story.