Black Sabbath - Heaven In Hartford (2024)

EXCEPTIONAL 1980 BLACK SABBATH BROADCAST PERFORMED DURING THE DIO ERA Following Ozzy Osbourne s departure from Black Sabbath in 1979, manager Don Arden s daughter Sharon - soon to become Mrs. Osbourne - suggested hiring ex-Rainbow vocalist Ronnie James Dio as his replacement. Dio officially joined in June 79, and the band began writing their next album. With a notably different vocal style from Osbourne's, Dio's addition to the band marked a change in Black Sabbath's sound. "They were totally different altogether", Tommy Iommi explained. "Not only voice-wise, but attitude-wise. Ozzy was a great showman, but when Dio came in, it was a different attitude, a different voice and a different musical approach, as far as vocals. Dio would sing across the riff, whereas Ozzy would follow the riff. Produced by Martin Birch, Heaven and Hell was released on 25 April 1980, to critical acclaim. More than a decade later, AllMusic.Com said the album was "one of Sabbath's finest records, the band sounds reborn and re-energised throughout". Heaven and Hell peaked at number 9 in the United Kingdom, and number 28 in the U.S., the band's highest charting album since Sabotage. The record eventually sold a million copies in the states, and the band embarked on an extensive world tour, making their first live appearance with Dio in Germany on 17 April 1980. By August, Sabbath were on America s East Coast where, on the 10th of the month, they performed one of the finest shows ever performed with Dio out front, at Hartford, Connecticut s Civic Centre, where the gig was recorded for FM Radio Broadcast. Previously unreleased, this all changes with this CD which contains the entire broadcast in perfect FM quality, certain to prove a first rate collector s item among fans, and a listening experience to cherish for anyone with half-an-ear for some of the finest rock music ever played.