Seventh Star is the twelfth studio album by the English heavy metal band Black Sabbath. Released on 20 January 1986 in the United States it features founding guitarist Tony Iommi alongside musicians Geoff Nicholls, Eric Singer, and Dave Spitz, playing keyboards, drums, and bass, respectively, and Glenn Hughes, ex-Deep Purple and ex-Trapeze vocalist, as lead singer. The album was the group's first release without bassist and primary lyricist Geezer Butler, who left the band in 1984 after the Born Again tour. It was originally written, recorded, and intended to be the first solo album by Iommi. Because of the pressures from Warner Bros. Records and the prompting of band manager Don Arden, the record was billed as Black Sabbath featuring Tony Iommi. Despite the issues behind the release's production, it earned moderate commercial success, reaching number 27 in the UK and number 78 on the Billboard 200 chart.
"It seemed to me like the band was on its last legs and my heart just went out to Tony," recalled former drummer Bill Ward. "I thought, 'God, how much more can he take?' or 'How much more does he want?'… What I saw was a great band I just felt was diminishing."
The promo-single and video version of "No Stranger to Love" had additional harmony vocals added by Hughes to make it more "radio-friendly". Actress Denise Crosby, who would later portray Tasha Yar in Star Trek: The Next Generation, was featured in the video.
A tour for the album featured Hughes only at the first few shows. He was fired five dates into the tour, and replaced by Ray Gillen, who completed the North American and European legs of the tour, though several dates in the US were cancelled. W.A.S.P. and Anthrax were opening acts on the North American tour.
Hughes has performed "No Stranger to Love", "Seventh Star" and "Heart Like a Wheel" at some of his live concerts. "I really like Seventh Star," Tony Martin told Sabbath fanzine Southern Cross, "mainly because I admire Glenn Hughes' voice."
Seventh Star was rereleased in Europe on 1 November 2010, as a two-disc special edition. Disc 2 includes a concert recorded in 1986, with Gillen on vocals. The single version of No Stranger to Love is a bonus track on disc one.
Reviews and reception
The album peaked at number 78 on the Billboard 200 chart.
Track listing
Standard edition
Recorded at Hammersmith Odeon in London on 2 June 1986, featuring Ray Gillen performing vocals.
South Korean edition
Personnel
Personnel taken from Seventh Star liner notes.
Black Sabbath
- Tony Iommi – guitars
- Glenn Hughes – vocals
- Eric Singer – drums
- Dave "The Beast" Spitz – bass
- Geoff Nicholls – keyboards
Additional musician
- Gordon Copley – bass on "No Stranger to Love"
Production
- Jeff Glixman – production, engineering
- Scott Church – engineering assistance
- Greg Fulginiti – mastering
- Steve J. Gerdes – art direction, design
- Kevin Stapleton – photography
Release history
{|class="wikitable"
|-
! Region
! Date
! Label
|-
| United States
| January 1986
| Warner Bros. Records
|-
| Canada
| January 1986
| Warner Bros. Records
|-
| Europe
| February 1986
| Vertigo Records
|-
| Japan
| March 1986
| Nippon Phonogram
|-
| South Korea
| May 1986
| Vertigo Records
|-
| United Kingdom
| 1996
| Castle Communications
|-
| United Kingdom
| 2004
| Sanctuary Records
|-
| United Kingdom
| 2010
| Sanctuary Records/Universal Music Group
|}
Charts
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
! scope="col"| Chart (1986)
! scope="col"| Peak<br />position
|-
! scope="row"| Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)
| align="center"| 88
|-
|-
!scope="row"|European Albums Chart
| style="text-align:center;"|31
|-
!scope="row"| Finnish Albums (The Official Finnish Charts)
| align="center"| 10
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
|}
References
External links
- Seventh Star entry at black-sabbath.com
- 20th Anniversary article about the album