GEEZER BUTLER Looks Back On ROB HALFORD Performing Live With BLACK SABBATH In 2004 - "He Was A Bit Reluctant, But He Agreed And It Went Great"
June 9, 2023, a year ago
Black Sabbath bass legend, Geezer Butler, has released his autobiography, Into The Void: From Birth To Black Sabbath - And Beyond. He recently guested on 107.7 RKR's Rocker Morning Show to discuss the book, growing up with all of Black Sabbath's members, performing as Black Sabbath with Rob Halford of Judas Priest in 2004, and his love of football, and more.
On Halford's performance with Black Sabbath at Ozzfest 2004 in Camden, NJ
Butler: "It was great. Rob's from the same area as the four of us, and Tony actually used to manage the first version of Judas Priest, so we all knew each other from the early '70s. Rob knew all the lyrics to the Sabbath stuff, and when Ozzy got ill, Judas Priest were on the same bill as us, and we sort of asked Rob if he wouldn't mind coming on and filling in for Ozzy. He was a bit reluctant, in case he blew his voice out, but then he agreed and it went great.
It started off not very well because everybody's expecting Ozzy, and then there's Rob Halford coming on. And then after the first song, everybody accepted us. They didn't really know what was going on. Why is Rob Halford singing with Black Sabbath instead of Ozzy? And then I think he explained everything after the first song, and then the audience got it. It was a good gig after that."
The Black Sabbath setlist with Rob Halford was as follows:
"War Pigs"
"N.I.B."
"Faeries Wear Boots"
"Into The Void"
"Black Sabbath"
"Iron Man"
"Children Of the Grave"
"Paranoid"
Into The Void: From Birth To Black Sabbath - And Beyond was released on June 6 in North America via HarperCollins imprint, Dey Street Books.
A recent update from Geezer states: "After spending my entire life creating memories, to eventually set aside how reserved I am, I have put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard). The recollection of my life (thus far) is coming out 6/6/23. Yes I know that 2x3=6. Although unintentional, having that as a release date suits me fine. If pre-ordering is your thing, you can do so on #amazon. If you are in the UK & want a signed edition, you can pre-order from Coles Books.."
Book description: A rollicking, effusive, and candid memoir by the heavy metal musician and founding member of Black Sabbath, covering his years as the band’s bassist and main lyricist through his later-career projects, and detailing how one of rock’s most influential bands formed and prevailed.
With over 70 million records sold, Black Sabbath, dubbed by Rolling Stone “the Beatles of heavy metal,” helped create the genre itself, with their distinctive heavy riffs, tuned down guitars, and apocalyptic lyrics. Bassist and primary lyricist Geezer Butler played a gigantic part in the band’s renown, from suggesting the band name to using his fascination with horror, religion, and the occult to compose the lyrics and build the foundation of heavy metal as we know it.
In Into the Void, Butler tells his side of the story, from the band’s beginnings as a scrappy blues quartet in Birmingham through the struggles leading to the many well-documented lineup changes while touring around London’s gritty clubs (Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Frank Zappa, and The Who makes notable appearances!), and the band’s important later years. He writes honestly of his childhood in a working-class family of seven in Luftwaffe-battered Birmingham, his almost-life as an accountant, and how his disillusionment with organized religion and class systems would spawn the lyrics and artistic themes that would resonate so powerfully with fans around the world.
Into the Void reveals the softer side of the heavy metal legend and the formation of one of rock’s most exciting bands, while holding nothing back. Like Geezer’s bass lines, it is both original, dramatic, and forever surprising.
(Photo - Ross Halfin)
