BOC: Press Release

[Michael W Blackman]

How muuuuuch senor? :-)


In a message dated Sun, 8 Sep 2002 15:17:19  AEDT, The Rocker <stuart.hamilton at SCOTTISH.PARLIAMENT.UK> writes:

> BLACK 'N' BLUE DVD UPDATE: (Press Release) BLACK SABBATH and BLUE OYSTER
> CULT were two of the biggest hard-rock titans of the 1970s, and an
> ingenious idea was conceived to have them join forces on a co-headlining
> tour. They hit the road together in 1980, and the result was the concert
> film 'Black & Blue.'
>
> 'Black & Blue' will make its eagerly awaited North American DVD debut
> when Classic Pictures releases it on October 8, 2002. In fact, 'Black &
> Blue' has never been issued on home video at all until now. This
> 80-minute cult film is such a rarity that it has even managed to avoid
> being widely bootlegged.
>
> More than 1.5 million people saw this 1980 tour, so it made sense to
> capture it on film. 'Black & Blue' was produced by George Harrison; the
> legendary Beatles guitarist had moved into the film production business
> by the late 1970s.
>
> The songs performed by Black Sabbath on 'Black & Blue' are: "War Pigs,"
> "N.I.B.," "Iron Man," "Paranoid," "Die Young," "Neon Knights" and
> "Heaven and Hell." The Blue Oyster Cult selections included are: "Cities
> on Flame With Rock & Roll," "Dr. Music," "The Marshall Plan," "Divine
> Wind," "Godzilla," the Steppenwolf cover "Born to Be Wild" and the Doors
> cover "Roadhouse Blues."
>
> DVD bonus extras will include a new interview with Ronnie James Dio,
> biographies, discographies and a reproduction of the original movie
> poster.
>
> Black Sabbath's lineup of vocalist Ronnie James Dio, guitarist Tony
> Iommi, bass guitarist Geezer Butler and drummer Vinnie Appice was
> touring to promote the release of 'Heaven and Hell,' the first album
> since Dio had replaced Ozzy Osbourne. Dio had faced the unenviable task
> of replacing Osbourne, but the Rainbow veteran brought an entirely new
> sonic dimension to the band with his fearsome voice and songwriting
> skills. Appice replaced original drummer Bill Ward, who'd recorded
> 'Heaven and Hell' but soon left due to health reasons and his
> unhappiness about Osbourne's departure. 'Heaven and Hell' is deservedly
> considered one of Black Sabbath's best albums -- regardless of lineups
> -- and its stature as one of heavy metal's greatest albums ever
> increases with time. The Dio/Iommi/Butler/Appice version of Black
> Sabbath would go on to record 1981's underrated 'Mob Rules,' 1982's
> double live 'Live
> Evil' and 1992's 'Dehumanizer.'
>
> Blue Oyster Cult was in the middle of its creative and commercial peak
> in 1980. The band was on concert trail supporting the new album
> 'Cultosaurus Erectus.' Vocalist/lead guitarist Donald "Buck Dharma"
> Roeser, vocalist/rhythm guitarist Eric Bloom, keyboardist/guitarist
> Allen Lanier, bass guitarist Joe Bouchard and drummer Albert Bouchard
> had combined forces to become one of the precious few hard rock/heavy
> metal bands to ever earn critical acclaim from the mainstream music
> press. Ever since its self-titled 1972 debut, Blue Oyster Cult was
> praised as "the thinking man's heavy metal band." BOC's "story" songs
> combined elements of horror, science fiction, fantasy, violence, love,
> and even humor. The 1976 album 'Agents of Fortune' spawned the huge hit
> "(Don't Fear) The Reaper," a simultaneously haunting and
> mesmerizing song that still receives widespread airplay.
>
> Black Sabbath and Blue Oyster Cult pack such a fierce wallop on 'Black &
> Blue' that viewers will be left just that -- black and blue.