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Shortly after the turn of the last century, BLACK SABBATH drummer Bill Ward and his co-host Mike Stark began a radio show that featured some of Bill‘s favorite tracks — primarily metal, but also spanning various musical styles. The show ran on a monthly basis, except when Bill had commitments with SABBATH or was working on his solo projects in the studio. Their final radio show occurred in 2018 at the LA Radio Studio, which was part of a redevelopment effort in San Pedro. Consequently, they decided to pause until a new opportunity emerged this year at KLBP. The duo has reunited to launch the first of Bill‘s new ongoing shows, part of the LA Radio Sessions airing Sundays at 10 a.m. (Pacific Time) on 99.1 KLBP-FM in Long Beach and online at KLBP.org. All episodes will also be available for later listening on Mixcloud.
A preview of the show is available below.
Ward, along with the original lineup of BLACK SABBATH — singer Ozzy Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi, and bassist Geezer Butler — will perform their final concert this summer. The event, titled “Back To The Beginning”, is scheduled for July 5 at Villa Park in Birmingham, United Kingdom. METALLICA, SLAYER, PANTERA, and more will provide support at the event.
Ozzy addressed Ward‘s absence from SABBATH‘s final album, “13”, during an episode of the new Internet TV series “The Madhouse Chronicles”. Released in 2013, it marked SABBATH‘s first album in 35 years featuring Osbourne, Iommi, and bassist Geezer Butler. Ozzy remarked: “I can’t recall why Bill wasn’t involved. To be honest, it didn’t feel like BLACK SABBATH without Bill. It would be like having Ginger Baker play with THE BEATLES—it just wouldn’t feel right.”
Ozzy also reminisced about the final show of SABBATH‘s “The End” tour, which took place in February 2017 in their hometown of Birmingham, England. When asked if he felt relieved it was over, Osbourne responded: “Yes, but I was sad that Bill wasn’t there. Tommy [Clufetos], my drummer [for my solo band], did a fantastic job [filling in for Bill], but he’s not Bill Ward.”
When queried about his feelings on the legacy of BLACK SABBATH, Ozzy expressed: “No. It wasn’t actually BLACK SABBATH that ended it. It’s still incomplete. If they wanted to arrange one more gig with Bill, I would be all in for that. Imagine if we showed up at a club unannounced and just performed. That’s how we began—playing in a small venue.”
In September 2022, Ozzy was asked by Stereogum if he felt satisfied with how “13” positioned SABBATH. He replied: “Not really, because, to be perfectly honest, I didn’t derive much excitement from the album. Although ’13’ producer Rick Rubin is a good friend, I felt that I was merely singing. It was like a throwback, but it wasn’t a triumphant period. However, Geezer contributed significantly to the lyrics, which he’s excellent at. It wasn’t a groundbreaking experience for me.”
As for whether BLACK SABBATH is entirely finished, Osbourne stated: “I’d like to say it’s completely done. I think it’s time. The only thing I truly regret is that Bill Ward didn’t appear on the [’13’] album. It didn’t quite feel like a genuine BLACK SABBATH record. I’m not ruling out the possibility that we might one day gather and create the perfect BLACK SABBATH album, but I can confirm [’13’] wasn’t made the way we usually made our records. We had strayed into a realm where others had complete control over our recording, which had never been the case since ‘Vol. 4’.
Ward announced in May 2012 that he would not join his former SABBATH bandmates for their scheduled shows or the new album due to a contractual disagreement. After SABBATH rejected Rubin‘s idea to substitute Ward with Ginger Baker (CREAM) (“I thought, ‘Bloody hell?'” Iommi remarked to Rolling Stone. “I just couldn’t envision that.”), Rick suggested RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE drummer Brad Wilk.
In March 2021, Bill confessed to SiriusXM‘s “Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk” that he felt he no longer possessed the “chops” and “ability” to perform with BLACK SABBATH. “I would need to be back to 60 years old to do that,” he stated.
“I would love to create a studio album with SABBATH, featuring all the original members,” he stated. “I’m just putting that idea out there. But I’m not done. The other three might be finished, and I respect that, but no, I’m not ready to stop. I believe that as long as we are all alive [laughs] and still drawing breath, there’s every chance we can produce some great music together.”
Ozzy shared with The Pulse Of Radio during SABBATH‘s final tour that Ward wasn’t in shape to participate. “Bill Ward has the most physically demanding role among us, as he is the timekeeper,” he pointed out. “Honestly, I didn’t think he had the chops to manage it. The saddest thing is that he needed to acknowledge that, and we could have arranged something, like having a second drummer support him.”
It was speculated that SABBATH intended to bring on a second drummer to share responsibilities with Ward, a notion Iommi validated in 2017 during a Q&A about SABBATH‘s “Ten Year War” box set.
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