There must be times when being must be a right pain in the arse. All the man wants to do is play enormous riffs, but finding a singer to sing his songs without causing lots of drama has never been a strong point. In the mid-90s, the legend had been lightly singed by stern criticism of the band's album, and was seeking a new outlet for the aforementioned enormous riffs.
Enter vocalist/bassist , a man who seems to be permanently busy and yet also always available. Diehard fans might have baulked slightly at lommi's choice of new partner, if only due to the pair's previous collaboration, the underwhelming , which was released as a Black Sabbath record in 1986 but never really convinced as one. Looking back at The 1996 , as it makes its long-awaited debut on vinyl, Hughes might just have saved Iommi from terminal creative frustration.
Recorded as a demo but subsequently polished to a fitting sheen, its eight tracks are diverse, free-spirited and reassuringly heavy, with a stripped-down but dynamic sound that still sounds formidable today. Hughes is at his absolute, priapic best on the fiery, -like , while the hazy desert blues of reveals a previously unheard side of lommi's exalted songwriting. With hindsight, The 1996 should probably have been released with greater fanfare when it finally emerged in 2004.
It really is very good. Fortunately, Iommi and Hughes were smart enough to recognise its value, and they reconvened their arrangement for , which was originally released in 200.