GEEZER BUTLER Reflects On BLACK SABBATH's 'Cross Purposes' Album: 'TONY MARTIN's A Great Singer'

In a new interview with Full Metal Jackie's nationally syndicated radio show, legendary BLACK SABBATH bassist Geezer Butler was asked for his opinion on the music he created during the Tony Martin era of the band. He said: "There was just one album that I did with Tony Martin. That was — God, I can't even remember it — it's called 'Cross Purposes'. Tony Martin's a great singer, and he was good to work with. There was no big egos or anything. He got down to it when he needed to. And that was a good album for me because half of it was probably written by me, the music side of it. I went around to Tony's [Iommi, BLACK SABBATH guitarist] one day and played him all this, 'cause I was doing a solo thing at the time. And I'd got tons of material. And I went around to Tony's house and played him some of the stuff that I'd been writing and he really liked a lot of it. So I think about half of it ended up on the album."

"Cross Purposes" is included in the "Anno Domini 1989-1995" box set of the Martin-era BLACK SABBATH recordings, which was made available on on May 31 via Rhino.

"Cross Purposes" was BLACK SABBATH's seventeenth studio album, released through I.R.S. Records in January 1994. The album marked the return of Martin as the band's lead vocalist, after the second departure of Ronnie James Dio.

BLACK SABBATH released six albums with Martin on vocals: "The Eternal Idol" (1987),"Headless Cross" (1989),"Tyr" (1990),"Cross Purposes" (1994),"Cross Purposes Live" (1995) and "Forbidden" (1995). Eventually, Martin and his "Forbidden"-era bandmates were ousted when Iommi reunited with SABBATH's fellow original members.

Seven years ago, Iommi told I Heart Guitar that "it's a shame" that "it took a lot for people to accept" Martin as SABBATH's vocalist. "It's taken all these years later for people to say, 'Oh blimey, that was a good band with good singing.' So it took a long time to get people to really realize how good it was."