Why Black Sabbath's 'Never Say Die!' Was Hopeless After Ozzy Osbourne's Brief Exit

Black Sabbath was slapped with a massive failure when it dropped "Never Say Die!" after Ozzy Osbourne temporarily left the band.

Throughout its active years, Black Sabbath released several hit songs that continue to receive attention these days. But among the tracks the band dropped, its "Never Say Die!" became the sign of its failing career.

Due to the members' substance abuse and decreasing album sales, the band struggled to complete its 1976 album, "Technical Ecstasy." With that, fans had to wait until it released "Never Say Die!" in 1978.

But despite warm "welcome back" messages, Black Sabbath faced its rock bottom instead.

Before the release of the song, the band lost Osbourne who decided to quit in 1977. He was then replaced by Dave Walker. When he returned a few months later, he refused to sing any songs that Black Sabbath created with the ex-Savoy Brown member.

With that, the band members were urged to work again and start from scratch.

But during the process, they hit another glitch when it included Van Halen as its opening act. Instead of garnering people's attention, attendees supported Van Halen instead, leaving Black Sabbath wiped the floor.

"Never Say Die!" only debuted at No. 69 on the Billboard 200 on Sep. 28, 1978. It also took them 19 years before it was able to receive gold certification.

With its failure, the band fired the Princess of Darkness. Osbourne's drug use also became an issue and served as the last nail in the coffin. After his firing, Osbourne launched his solo career with "Blizzard of Ozz" in 1980.

Black Sabbath Against the World

In a new interview with Louder's Classic Rock, Black Sabbath's drummer Bill Ward talked about the rise and fall of the band and how it helped the birth of punk rock in several regions.

"We played like punks on stage. The band was just fucking crazy. There was this force, all this resentment, and anger that was coming out. It came from what we thought was bullshit at the time: politics and war, and upbringing and people's ways of life," he said.

He also revealed he believed that the band had potential when he discovered Osbourne would serve as the vocalist.

Although Ward knew everybody would hate them for being different, he still pushed through his career with Black Sabbath and accepted the fact that it was them against the world.

Tags

Black Sabbath, Ozzy Osbourne