BLACK SABBATH

According to www.black-sabbath.com, the release date for the much-anticipated eight-disc BLACK SABBATH box set, “Black Box: The Complete Original Black Sabbath (1970-1978)”, has been pushed back to April 27.

Retailing for $99.98, “Black Box: The Complete Original Black Sabbath (1970-1978)” will feature remastered versions of the band's albums with Ozzy Osbourne behind the mike, as well as a live DVD with previously unseen footage.

The original SABBATH lineup (along with executive producer Sharon Osbourne) supervised the box set, which will feature the classic albums “Black Sabbath”, “Paranoid”, “Master of Reality”, “Vol. 4”, “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath”, “Sabotage”, “Technical Ecstasy” and “Never Say Die!”

The box will include the band's only non-LP studio recording, “Evil Woman”, from 1970. The bonus DVD will feature classic performances of such SABBATH songs as “Iron Man” and “Paranoid”, a live cover of Carl Perkins' “Blues Suede Shoes”, and a rare promotional clip for the song “Black Sabbath”. It will also feature original interviews from such SABBATH disciples as Rob Zombie, James Hetfield, Vince Neil, Krist Novoselic, Melissa Auf Der Maur, Dave Navarro, Billie Joe Armstrong, Slash, Beck, David Lee Roth and Henry Rollins.

The eighty-page booklet also features a group timeline, photos, reprints of all the album lyrics and two new historical essays by writers Chris Welch (“1970-1972: Lords of This World”) and Brian Ives (“1973-1978: A Hard Road”).

As previously reported, a spokesperson at the management company of SABBATH guitarist Tony Iommi has confirmed that the remaining BLACK SABBATH catalog is slated for similar treatment later in 2004. No further information is available at this time.