6) “Slipping Away”
[youtube]https://youtu.be/5s306fI1TeI[/youtube]
While the title track is one of my all-time favorite Sabbath songs (from any lineup), on the whole, Mob Rules is probably my least favorite Dio-fronted outing. It doesn’t come together in the same way the debut and Dehumanizer do, and the closing track, “Over and Over,” is one of Sabbath’s weakest finales. “Slipping Away” on the other hand, occupies middle ground. It’s not as memorable as “The Mob Rules” or “Falling Off The Edge of The World,” so it’s often found itself overlooked in favor of those tracks, and live staples like “The Sign of The Southern Cross.” But “Slipping Away” is classic Dio-Sabb, boasting one of the album’s most memorable hooks, as well as some of the up-tempo showmanship this lineup so flawlessly executed.
7) “Lady Evil [7’ IN MONO EDIT]”
[youtube]https://youtu.be/QVvUfZ8sosQ[/youtube]
When Heaven and Hell was re-released with the band’s deluxe expanded editions in 2010, the aural tune-up wasn’t the only added perk to repurchasing the album; it included a second disc of hard-to-come-by live material, as well. But kicking off the bonus disc is a version of “Lady Evil” that was previously released on a 7-inch. The running time is a bit shorter than the version included on Heaven and Hell, and while it’s not that big of a difference, this version gets to the meat of the song a bit quicker. One of my favorite tracks from Heaven and Hell.
I miss Dio, man. While I never was (and still really am not) that big of a fan of his solo material, the work he did with Black Sabbath has proven timeless. And there’s no denying the man’s fanbase can be just as ravenous as appreciators of Sabbath’s other eras. I’ve seen them three times, twce with Ozzy and once with Dio. I count myself lucky that I got to see the man in action before he died too soon. Dio’s presence was positively electric, and with as much care as he took to ensure he could put on a quality performance well into his later years, I’m sure if he were still around, he’d be blowing younger bands off the stage to this day. If the Ozzy-fronted Sabbath stuff is all you’ve ever heard, I’m not gonna harass you… a lot of us started out that way. You’ll find it in your own time. And when you do, man… you’ll be glad you did.
And we keep moving. Wiith as much love as I’ve given Dio and Ozzy over the last couple weeks, they weren’t the only men to front this legendary act. Check out Criminally Slept-On in two weeks for the final installment of Black Sabbath fanfare… we’re gonna check out the other dudes, too.
