The sleeve- by horror film poster artist Drew Struzan- combinated enough elementsto scare parents the world over / a death scene, the number 666, lighting bolt S´s on the title reminiscent of Nazi SS insignia etc./
Song titles like A natioonal acrobat and Spiral architect were more than enough to intrigue fans, musicallyand, above all, lyrically. “A natonal acrobat was just me thinking about who selects what sperm gets throught to the egg,” clarifies Geezer who penned the lyrics. “spirat architect was about life´s experiences being added to a person´s DNA to create a unique individual. I used to get very contemplative on certain substances. I still do, but without those substances.”
While Sabbath bloody sabbath seemed like another triumph, or the band themselves there was little respite fron the endless business torment that now surrounded them involving ol managers and their situation.
“We didn´t have a clue what was going on. That for me was really the end of the band,” states Ozzy.
In effect, the amount of writs flying around was such that it was almost impossible for the band to play live for fear of getting served with a court order on stage- something which actually fappened while the band were touring the US. Despite the unrest, unhappiness and the live exile imposed by legal problems, Sabbath still found the strenght to tour, headlining Ny´s prestigious Madison squaregarden for the first time in July ´75. “Madison square garden and all those big venues are fine,” states Bill. “ But the best gigs Sabbath played were the ones where we were really knackered, where we couldn´t face going on in some small town in Canada or lesser known towns. In thosekind of venues, whet it´s freezing cold, you find out about the strenhgt of your band, and in those situstion Sabbath was a strong band that could kick ass every time.”
Two months after their appearance at the Garden, Sabbath released their sixth album Sabotage. “We had nearly 10 months of legal cases where we couldn´t do anything, and music became irrelevant to me,” offers Geezer. “It was a relief just to write a song.”
I think we even got writs presented to us in the studio!” chuckles Tony.