Ex-BLACK SABBATH Singer TONY MARTIN: 'You Can't Live In The Past, You've Got To Move On'

Richard Warrell of Born Music Online recently conducted an interview with former BLACK SABBATH singer Tony Martin. A couple of excerpts from the first part of the chat follow below.

Born Music Online: One of the BLACK SABBATH albums you recorded, 1987's "Eternal Idol", was just reissued with the original vocal track by the band's previous vocalist, Ray Gillen. Have you heard that?

Tony: Yeah, I've got that. It's actually the version I used to learn the parts when I recorded it. Ray Gillan did it originally and they'd been recording it in Monserat, he disappeared, and they gave me his version to work from. They gave me eight days to do it. I quite like that version, actually.

Born Music Online: The recent BLACK SABBATH reunion has generated a lot of press recently. Has that created any interest in your period in the band? Is your upcoming show [with the band HEADLESS CROSS] an attempt to capitalize on that?

Tony: I kinda got cut out of the whole SABBATH picture. The most recent reissue is "Eternal Idol" and I didn't help write it as I came in late in the process. There was some rumour of my albums — "Headless Cross" onwards — getting put out but I can't see them doing it, to be honest. With Tony's [Iommi] illness, they'll be doing less work than usual and it won't be a priority. I just know at the moment I'm being really cut out of it. Someone recently blocked me from using "Headless Cross" on my website. They said I didn't have the rights, which isn't true — I receive royalties from Warner Brothers and everything. I don't follow it as a rule, I've got my own life to lead. You can't live in the past, you've got to move on, and I did. I'm a very different person and musician now.

Born Music Online: There has been lots of chatter about the band leaving Bill Ward out of this [BLACK SABBATH] reunion. As a man who was part of the band, what is your take on this?

Tony: I never got the fuss with this Bill Ward stuff. I spent ten years with the band and not once did they speak badly of Bill Ward. They love him, so why didn't they go the extra yard to make it work? They've got nothing bad to say about him, or at least I never heard it. It sounds a bit like a publicity stunt to me — like they're keeping him for the "real" reunion in a year's time, so they can do the reunion stuff all over again.

Born Music Online: Maybe he's just not up to going on the road again after so long?

Tony: It really doesn't matter because he was the original drummer, and they're among the few bands that age who are still all alive. They've got enough money to do anything… I don't get why they wouldn't go that extra bit and help him out if they have to hire a backup drummer or something. You kinda have to read between the lines with BLACK SABBATH. They never speak to you directly — it's either done behind your back or through other people. Not in a mean sorta way, it's just their way… It's a pain and you often miss the plot a bit. I do kinda feel where Bill's at and we always got on quite well.

Read the entire first part of the interview at Born Music Online.