I was going through my press releases this morning and press release for a project called Emerald Sabbath caught my eye. The ‘Ninth Star’ album by Emerald Sabbath is an ambitious epic rock & classical music tribute to BLACK SABBATH. Founded and produced by Michael Suilleabhain, an Irish Nuclear Construction Safety Inspector, ‘Ninth Star’ features 10 former members of Black Sabbath, The English Chamber Choir and much more. The first single from this album is a take on the song “She’s Gone” from the Technical Ecstasy album which I was very unimpressed with. Walker’s voice just doesn’t suit this music at all but I’m not going to let this ruin things as I’d still love to hear the whole album.
The concept as a whole (yes, even the Ron Keel sung songs) has piqued my interest but I was less than impressed by the vocal delivery of Dave Walker. First off, I was like, “Who the fuck is Dave Walker and what did he have to do with Sabbath? It turns out he replaced Ozzy in ’77/’78 for about 22 minutes. I went on to Google this guy and I found this on the GREEN AND BLACK MUSIC site.
Black Sabbath was a mess in 1977. Drug and alcohol abuse were rampant. The band was mired in financial and legal troubles. Ozzy Osbourne’s father passed away. At the conclusion of the Technical Ecstasy tour, Ozzy did the unthinkable and quit Black Sabbath.
Determined to carry on, Sabbath brought in vocalist Dave Walker. Best known for brief tenures in Savoy Brown and Fleetwood Mac, Walker immediately began writing new material. The new union was not meant to be.
Three months after his exit, Ozzy returned to Black Sabbath. Walker was dismissed. Walker had never entered the recording studio with Sabbath or embarked on a tour. Fortunately, there IS documentation of Dave Walker fronting Black Sabbath.
On January 6th, 1978, Black Sabbath appeared on the British TV show “Look Hear.” After performing “War Pigs,” the band unveiled an early version of “Junior’s Eyes.” The lyrics, however, are entirely different from what appeared on Never Say Die. The track offers a fascinating glimpse of what Sabbath would have sounded like if Osbourne never returned.
After returning, Ozzy refused to sing material written by Dave Walker. Geezer resumed his role as lyricist. “Junior’s Eyes” was reborn as an emotional elegy to Osbourne’s fallen father. Ozzy may have returned but dysfunction was still rampant. The title Never Say Die was an internal joke, not a declaration of unity. Ozzy was already toying with the idea of a solo career and even wore a “Blizzard of Ozz” t-shirt in band photos. That solo career became a reality when Ozzy was fired from Black Sabbath.
Sabbath carried on with Ronnie James Dio. Ozzy formed a new band. Dave Walker, however, did not fare well. After a short-lived attempt at his own solo career, the singer retired from music until 1986. Walker then played in assorted bands, yet never found the commercial success enjoyed by Black Sabbath.
The track listing and cast of artists for the Emerald Sabbath album are listed below.
1. EMBYRO
Adam Wakeman: Keyboards
Bev Bevan: Percussion
Laurence Cottle: Bass
Anneka Sutcliffe: Violin
Sarah Tobias: Flute/Clarinet
2. DIE YOUNG
Ron Keel: Vocals
Vinny Appice: Drums
Rudy Sarzo: Bass
DC Cothern: Guitar
Pete Rinaldi: Guitar
Ellen Morgan: Keyboards
3. FLUFF
Sarah Tobias: Flute/Clarinet
Ardeton String Quartet
Pete Rinaldi: Guitar
4. TRASHED
Ron Keel: Vocals
Vinny Appice: Drums
Bev Bevan: Percussion
Laurence Cottle: Bass
Pete Rinaldi: Guitar
5. STONEHENGE
Adam Wakeman: Keyboards
Laurence Cottle: Bass
Pete Rinaldi: Guitar
Sarah Tobias: Flute
6. SHE’S GONE
Dave Walker: Vocals
Bill Dwyer: Guitars
Neil Murray: Bass
Chris Cundy: Keyboards
Steve Owers — Drums
Ardeton String Quartet
Lisa Ljungberg: Backing Vocals
7. IN FOR THE KILL
Tony Martin: Vocals
Laurence Cottle: Bass
Bobby Rondinelli: Drums
Pete Rinaldi: Guitars
Adam Wakeman: Keyboards
8. ORCHID
Neil Murray: Bass
Sarah Tobias: Flute/Clarinet
Ardeton String Quartet
Pete Rinaldi: Guitar
9. HOLE IN THE SKY
Ron Keel: Vocals
Bobby Rondinelli: Drums
Laurence Cottle: Bass
Pete Rinaldi: Guitar
10. CHANGES
Michael Suilleabhain: Vocals
Adam Wakeman: Keyboards
Laurence Cottle: Bass
Bev Bevan: Percussion
Queenie May: Backing Vocals
Annela Sutcliffe: Violin
Sarah Tobias: Flute/Clarinet
11. SUPERTZAR
English Chamber Choir
Adam Wakeman: Keyboards
Terry Chimes: Drums
Laurence Cottle: Bass
Pete Rinaldi: Guitar
Skaila Kanja: Harp
Elen Morgan: Glockenspiel
About The Author
