The LP That Brought Black Sabbath's Classic Era to Sad End

The irony of its title wasn't lost on anybody when Black Sabbath released 'Never Say Die!' in 1978 - including the band. They'd revolutionized heavy music at the dawn of the '70s, but years of rampant substance abuse and dwindling album sales left them a worn-out husk of a band. We examine the history behind 'Never Say Die!' in the latest installment of our Doomed to Fail? series.
0:00 Introduction
0:25 How Black Sabbath revolutionized music in the '70s
0:34 As success fades, Sabbath begins to feel the effects
0:40 'Technical Ecstasy' (1976)
0:46 The birth of 'Never Say Die!'
0:53 Singer issues
1:04 Ozzy pushes back
1:12 The writing process
1:25 Black Sabbath faces challenges
1:48 What did Ozzy think of the material?
2:04 The lyrics
2:24 'Never Say Die!' as an album
2:48 Black Sabbath run up against major competition
3:05 The album's title
3:31 'Never Say Die!' is released
3:43: The tour for 'Never Say Die!'
3:51 'Never Say Die!' today
4:22 The impact of the album on the band at that time
4:57 Conclusion
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[@zubrycky]

As a Sabbath freak, Never Say Die is my all time favorite Black Sabbath album.

[@rodericktrowhill4132]

Agreed. It was my introduction to Sabbath. And my mind was blown apart. Great album.

[@boomer3150]

@@rodericktrowhill4132 Same here. The title of the video is a turn-off and declares it was made by a non-Sabbath fan.

[@BloomingdaleTN]

Definitely a hidden gem, the more you listen to it the more you like it.

[@celticsarebest]

Never say die is a hidden gem.It’s really a good album.

[@laurencelevene4333]

Technical ecstasy and never say die have to be the most underrated albums ever released

[@slasherdope8065]

Both, Technical Ecstasy and Never Say Die are great albums. Very different musically and that's what bothered people but it was still Sabbath

[@thorstenkehde3453]

I agree 100%! I love all the albums from "Sabbath bloody sabbath " to this one. They will always belong to my all time faves!

[@fuckamericanidiot]

I think Technical Ecstasy is the first phoned-in Sabbath album. But Never Say Die is very bold.

[@felipelovecraft1767]

Swinging the Chain is my most favorite song from the album. Bill Ward did an awesome job singing that song.

[@jeffrendell]

The guitar solo in SHOCK WAVE and the lyrics and phrasing, FUCK OFF, it's a masterpiece.

[@user-wf4fv4oc1h]

Love Never Say Die. So many melodic driving songs. I saw the tour too. Sabbath jammed for over 2 hrs. One of my fave Sabbath albums ever along with the first one and Vol. 4.

[@thomasmiller5057]

I have learned long ago how good this album is. I was appalled and disappointed with some of it at first. Sabbath can ,even in there toughest times, come up with ideas that are special and unique. That is what makes them great. The first 5 albums are still the best though Technical Ecstasy had brilliant songs as well

[@boomer3150]

Agreed.

[@UnbrokenCheese]

Lots of good stuff on this album. My personal favorite is the tragic "Junior's Eyes". I might not recommend this to someone new to Black Sabbath but once you move beyond the typical stuff like Paranoid, it's definitely worth exploring.

[@hugohugo2832]

I loved it. It was their current record when I first got into them. Varied musically it showed what they might’ve done. Air Dance is a work of art. Half the songs could’ve been hits. Two hit singles from one album was a first for them.

[@astroknott5263]

The first half of this album is absolute gold…title track, Johnny blade, junior’s eyes, hard road, all classics..it divebombs quickly after that

[@carncats07]

Hidden gem. I love it, especially side A.

[@mikelee978]

I just read the first 5 or 6 posts and they were all in favor of this album, and I can honestly say I still love this album!!! Yes, it was a departure but I could still find great things with all the songs on this album. Junior's Eyes great wah wah! Johnny Blade, good story and the added synth fit the song! Same thing with the piano on Air Dance! I always thought that the piano line in that was really cool! The title track is a real rocker! Is it a Vol 4? No, but there is still a lot of good songs on this album and every time I hear how much the band didn't like the album it kind of hurts a little because I still love it! Hidden Gem IMO!

[@cyberian2007]

Great album....I wore the 8 track out back in the day and loved it....it was dark and sad just like I felt on any given day back then .

[@wildbill2122]

I saw The 'Never Say Die' Tour and I thought it was GREAT ! Ozzy was always a bit of a Dork on-stage but the rest of the Band was Straight-Up Heavy Duty, especially Tony Iommi ! Tony's sound was/is unmistakable w/'The OLD BOY' J-D SG !

[@philwright2480]

Great Album, the title cut is one of my favorites, my band at the time ( we mostly played originals) played Never Say Die, and Hard Road, people loved it

[@pewsterbaby]

Air Dance (for its proggy jazz), A Hard Road, and Shock Wave (classic hard rock) are all excellent Sabbath songs. The rest ehh, but strangely as a whole, the album is very satisfying.

[@timanthony4184]

Never Say Die is a badass album. Even the Bill Ward singing and the Jazz part is badass too.

[@derekhannah9763]

Never say die , a great great album.

[@user-cg7or2fd4g]

great album!!

[@Riffuz]

Amazing album... Jazz Sabbath

[@monkabrahms7997]

All Sabbath albums with Ozzy were good

[@jonnyjonny1384]

Shut up!

[@mark_beastpriest5539]

"Never Say Die!" has proven to be a record that is better received today than when first released. Many albums are like that. It was a step in a more progressive direction, that became perfected with it's follow-up, "Heaven and Hell".

[@user-wf4fv4oc1h]

Good point. Never Say Die and Heaven and Hell are tied together. I just love both of them.

[@scottroberts3011]

I really like the first side of Never Say Die. The 2nd side is very confusing and the songs aren't really up to the ones on the first side. I play side one frequently.

[@markunsworth2364]

I love the album

[@totigerus]

I love NSD. It's my 3rd favorite Ozzy-era Sabbath album. Totally underrated. The Bill Ward song is a tough listen though lol

[@MagusRealm]

Never say die is a great album. Quality is not the best for its year but it's great... shock wave, Johnny blade all great songs.

[@houmandehdashtidmd9078]

Hidden gem.

[@stevejohnston8543]

Nothing wrong with it. Liked it then (grade school) like it now. Never say die, Johnny Blade, Junior’s eyes, like them all.

[@jugheadmcanus]

love this album

[@Hujtir9]

Need to listen to the album now, I love air dance off it though

[@mikekeeler6362]

Never Say Die is a really good album

[@russlindahl9141]

went to never say die tour at day on the green in oakland and it was a great show. all sabbath albums are great. yes the show was with van halen..black sabbath still took the show. dio and heaven and hell tour was as good as it gets also. . had the pleasure to be able to see live and it was spectacular, as was the great Ozzy Osbourne.

[@davidaullery]

This is one of my favorites Ozzy Sabbath albums. Only one song is bad the rest Rock! Don't find that true of many artists' albums. I had a friend who was a DJ at a local station, and he would play the first three songs in a row, back-to-back. (back when stations were AOR---Album Oriented Rock.)

[@JosephClendenen]

Love it, air dance is musical genius

[@Ikeebeabuchi]

I love the album, always have.

[@isolateddemon9438]

Masters of metal👹

[@gosccc]

Ilove this album

[@ssjones350]

Eddie Trunk interviewed Geezer last week - he asked what his favorite Sabbath album was. Geezer said he didn't have a favorite, but "Never Say Die" was his least favorite.

[@corvettemustang1]

as much as the band hate it ive always loved it and its the one i go back to and spin more than the other ones ( dont get me wrong they are all great ) and the dio stuff is awesome too

[@axxellein]

TRES Cool

[@peggs1]

Its fu##ing AMAZING slab of Birmingham rock 🤟🤟🤟

[@spottss]

Great album. I always have had it in heavy rotation. Hardly ever listen to paranoid in its entirety for example but will listen to NSD. Swinging the Chain is one my favorites on the album with Wards amazing vocals and the intense singing toward the end culminating with the screaming ! Same for technical Ecstasy always on! As a vocalist with a nasal tone he sucked but somehow the sound he produced worked with the original songs.

[@ctcards2636]

Ive over heard a LOT of certain eras of Sabbath as well. I like listening to Vol 4-Never Say Die a lot :-) Paranoid has a few tunes I can listen to still, Rat Salad and Hand on Doom ;-)

[@spottss]

@@ctcards2636 I think I’ve had too much of some of the overplayed stuff. The later albums were a bit more intricate and o can handle them . The softer stuff ok the older albums few and far between I like.

[@ctcards2636]

@@spottss I have a live Sabbath bootleg that has some stuff off Sabotage and its amazing those later songs performed live. Incredible. ;-)

[@kevinmcc3147]

I have the t shirt cover of that album infact the same black sabbath t shirt Robert Downey JR wore in the avengers movie.

[@willemsterk5992]

To me 13 was a sad end without Bill.

[@AEM-le7uy]

NEVER SAY DIE rocks

[@wietzedejong9732]

It’s the most inconsistent album of the Ozzy days but it’s still an enjoyable listen Their first six albums are all five star material, I would rate Never say Die 3,5 out of 5⭐️

[@chokingtoy2581]

lmao, technical ecstasy and never say literally includes my all-time fav songs - air dance, rock'n'roll doctor and all moving parts are so fcking underrated

[@stevetwede9901]

Sabbath without experimentation & direction changes means there would've never been a Sabbath Bloody Sabbath album. While I admit Technical Ecstasy is my least favorite, I still understand why bands can't make the same album over & over again. The 1st 5 albums is a career any band would die for, but add side 1 of Sabotage 2 songs off Technical ecstasy, and all of Never Say Die, ( minus the horns opening Swinging the Chain ), & you have so much more. Wah Wah work on Juniors eyes is awesome, Air Dance is also a gem as it shows the delicate side as did Planet Caravan & Fluff, & Laguna Sunrise did. If a magician had 5 great tricks, you'd say he was pretty good, if he had 8, you'd say he was great.

[@ianagnew8286]

Better album than it's reputation and superior to Sabotage and Technical Ecstasy

[@m00nracer]

Au contraire mon frère. THIS is a masterpiece. kzbin.info/www/bejne/pYvRg5unj9p9oNU Old men crying, young men dying World still turns as Father Time looks on On and on Children playing, dreamers praying Laughter turns to tear as love has gone Has it gone? Oh, it's a hard road Oh, it's a hard road Whirlwind churning, lovers learning On this path of life we can't back down Is it wrong? Widows weeping, babies sleeping Life becomes the singer and the song Sing along Oh, it's a hard road Carry your own load Why make the hard road? Why can't we be friends? No need to hurry We'll meet in the end Why make the hard road? Why can't we be friends? No need to worry Let's sing it again Brother's sharing, mother's caring Nightime falling victim to the dawn Shadows small Days are crawling, time is calling To the Earth that not that life has gone Love line drawn Oh, it's a hard road Carry your own load Oh, it's a hard road Oh, it's a hard road We're living in sorrow, we're living the best (Oh, it's a hard road) And look to the future, 'cause life goes together now (Oh, it's a hard road) We're living in sorrow, we're living the best (Oh, it's a hard road) And look to the future, 'cause life goes together now (Oh, it's a hard road) We're living in sorrow, we're living the best (Oh, it's a hard road) And look to the future, 'cause life goes together now (Oh, it's a hard road) We're living in sorrow, we're living the best (Oh, it's a hard road) And look to the future, 'cause life goes together now (Oh, it's a hard road) We're living in sorrow, we're living the best (Oh, it's a hard road)

[@mr.snicker-doodles7081]

Bought it the day it came out! Hidden MASTERPIECE!!!! So good...so heavy!! Anyone who says otherwise is a wanker haha....And, it's better than Technical!! Sorry guys..

[@ctcards2636]

Never say Die, Johnny Blade, Juniors Eyes and Hard Road are good songs. But after that the album just falls into a unfocused mess and it sounds nothing like classic Sabbath. Those first 4 songs are enough for me to listen to the first side of the record often. TE album on the other hand I really dont like much of. Sabbaths last great album of that classic era was Sabotage. ;-)

[@renecents]

Really, why do journalists eschew the original for simple laziness?. Technical Ecstasy was a great album, maybe not in the same vein as early efforts, but then you can say the same for Heaven and Hell: and no one says that is a bad Sabbath album. (It’s brilliant, of course). Sure TE wasn’t on a par with HaH, but it’s still great. Never say Die, wasn’t so great, and yet gets much more love that TE. I think that is down to the aforementioned lazy journalism, sorry to say. Having said that, a lovely day to all.

[@matcoffidis1135]

I dunno. Good points.

[@russlindahl9141]

love technical ecstacy.

[@manictree5436]

Yes, the journalist is ignorant. The next point is people tend to go with the flow and not give their real opinions. I think Never Say Die is great and Heaven and Hell is not (at all). Music is subjective and Van Halen was crushed by Black Sabbath in my opinion.

[@renecents]

​@@manictree5436 Hello. Thank you for your comment. To be fair, I didn't say he/she was ignorant, I suggested lazy, because, unlike yourself, it suggests an opinion that was borrowed rather than personal. Like, Appetite for Destruction is brilliant!--which it isn't, a couple of good songs, but nothing that bands like Aerosmith hadn't done (much better) for a decade. Now don't get me wrong, each person has their own opinion--you love NSD and I much prefer TE--that's fine, and how it should be, but too often music journalism is guilty of identikit "facts" based upon no more than common practice. That is what is lazy. Have a lovely weekend, when it arrives.

[@renecents]

@@matcoffidis1135 Cheers Mat. Enjoy your weekend.

[@soitra]

The title track's great, but the rest of the album's pretty forgetable.

[@dalemcmillen5065]

Such a horrible sad and bland record.

[@mikekeeler6362]

Never Say Die is a really good album