• AllMyVinyl #103
• Band: Tony Iommi (sorta)
• Album Title: Great Left: Live Forever!
• Release Date: 4 May 2015
• Date purchased: N/A
• Location purchased: Record label
• Color of vinyl: black
• Number of discs: 2
• Links: [ Wikipedia (N/A) | Discogs | Band Website | Complete album on Youtube ]

This one is a bit of an odd beast.  It’s a tribute album – to Tony Iommi. A charity piece no less.  I listed it as Tony Iommi as the artist given the connection to him, but he personally didn’t have anything to do with this product.  All the monies raised from this are donated to Macmillan Cancer – because at the time this was put together, Tony was still dealing with that.   This is largely spearheaded by Rosie Piergiorgi, but it’s obviously not just her.  There were a lot of people involved in the creation of this.  Not to mention those at Tanzan Music.

Many MANY years back (in the late 90’s), I actually began work to do a tribute album of my own by fans.  It didn’t progress too far (beyond a few demoed covers by another fan Nick Van Dyk), but my angle with that covers album was going to be “nothing from the Ozzy era”.  My logic was “that’s been covered enough – especially Iron Man, War Pigs, & Paranoid.  This tribute is MOSTLY like that.  Now it does have some of the classics, but the bulk of it is either songs you wouldn’t expect from the Ozzy era (Never Say Die! for starters), or they’re from other eras of the band, which is right up my alley.

I have this on both CD & LP – the label sent me each due to my connections running my Sabbath site, and of course as a thank you for helping to promote it at the time it came out.  However, at the time it came out I had no record player, so I never bothered to open the vinyl.  It remained sealed – until today.  I finally opened my LP copy of Great Lefty on 6 Jan 2025 – almost 10 years after it came out.  But I’d played the CD version a bunch, and of course it’s on music streaming, as well.  I’m pretty sure other than the first ever ZZ Top album, this was one of only two vinyls that I still had sealed that I never listened to.   The CD is still available for sale on the record label website or on Amazon UK, so I suggest picking up a copy and make a donation to a cancer fund in Tony’s name.  Don’t just stream it, as there’s no donation made there, buy the physical media and help out a cancer cause.

There’s a nice booklet in the vinyl too saying what all the tracks are, who is on them, etc, etc…  I honestly wasn’t expecting it for a fan created product, so that its in there is a nice touch.   It also has a few words by someone connected to each song about the song.  It’s not long, but it’s definitely worth a read.

Given this is a covers album and if you’re reading this on my Sabbath social media, then you likely don’t need any of the songs explained – you know them already.  Having said that, here’s what’s on the album with a few words from me and a listing of who plays on them, as it varies.

Never Say Die!

Band: Dario Mollo (guitar), Mark Boals (Vocals), Ezio Secomandi (drums), Andrea Maiellano (bass)

This is a track that I always felt was under appreciated in the Sabbath catalog. Most people tend to slog off the last two 70’s Ozzy era, so that they led off with this was a pleasant surprise.  Dario Mollo its known to Sabbath fans for his collaborations with Tony Martin on the “Cage” albums.  Mark Boals is known for work with Dio Disciples, Savoy Brown, & Malmsteen).  This cover doesn’t vary too much from the original, but for some reason I hear a jazz swing in this cover more than I do the original studio version.  One thing that I missed was that really low “NEVER. SAY. DIE.” that vocally closes out the original studio version.

Time is Mine 

Band: The thrash band Maniac Rise (Rob Castoria, Maven Omega, John DeSalvo, Dave Sussman)

This is probably the choice that sticks out the most to me as it’s not a Black Sabbath track.  It’s’ from one of Tony’s solo albums – the first one (2000’s “Iommi”).  The original has Phil Anselmo of Pantera on vocals.   This one has death metal screaming vocals on it, something I just don’t care for.  It’s also missing a bit of the fat bottom end that the original track has.

Heaven & Hell

Band: Kyle Cousins (vocals), Barry Goudreau (guitar), Hugh McDonald (bass), & Vinny Appice (drums)

This one was the lead “single” from the album as it’s probably the most accessible song IMO on the album.   It also has two of the biggest “names” on any of the tracks.  It’s got OG guitarist Barry Goudreau from the band Boston (and that debut album).  It’s also got former Sabbath member Vinny Appice on drums.   Thought the vocals and guitar here sound a lot like the original.  Nobody will think it’s Iommi & Dio here, but they make a great noise which is a great tribute to the original track.  There’s a music video for this, and in the behind the scenes, they mistakenly say that Vinny Appice was on the studio original (hello Bill Ward).

Scarlet Pimpernel

Band: Mostly Mario Parga (guitar, keys), Tim Luce (Bass), Mark Mendez (drums)

This is an instrumental track from the 1987 album “The Eternal Idol”.  This is a bit more than the original track, as this is slightly over 5 minutes long, and the Sabbath original is only 2:08, so it’s a bit more than a straight up cover.  The new bits thematically work with the original parts, too IMO.  It doesn’t sound like the two minutes you know and then some other stuff you don’t.  This is a nice flow between the known and new here.  I actually quite liked what was done here to expand on the short original. Props to Parga who played guitar with Tony Martin & Cozy Powell in 1992 when Sabbath was doing Dehumanizer.

Law Maker

Band: Italian metal band Darking (Agostono Carpo (guitar), Mirko Miliani (vocals), Leonardo Freschi (drums), Matteo Lupi (bass).

This is a fairly authentic cover of the Tyr original.  It’s also marginally faster than the original.  Your opinion on this will probably come down to whether you like authentic covers or ones that change things around.  This doesn’t change things around, which I like.  A great reproduction of the original Tyr song.

Sabbath Bloody Sabbath

Band: A band called “Children of the Gravy”.  Uh, what?  Is that like Mac Sabbath?  Really?

Ignoring the goofy name, it’s a pretty cool version of the song.  It’s not 100% identical, but doesn’t stray too far from the original.   Like the song, just kinda wish the band name was something else, as it kind of throws me off taking it seriously.   The heavy bottom end riff during the “bog blast all of you” part of the song seems to be missing something.  Did like the vocal delivery, though – thought it channeled Ozzy’s vocals on Sabotage well.

Electric Funeral

Band: It’s credited as “IronLung featuring Wizard of Ozz”.  Uh, ok?

I always loved the dirty sound that Iommi gives his guitar in the original, and that’s carried over into this cover.  Not QUITE a full copy of that sound, but it’s close enough I really got into this when listening to it.   One of my favorite covers on the album by far.  They even got the “”lectric funeral” background vocals about 2/3 of the way through the song.

Very VERY much enjoyed this.

Neon Knights

Band: This is billed as “Tanzan Music Academy”.  Tanzan is the label name, so..  some of the people that worked on it perhaps?

First off the drum sound that is on this before the guitar kicks in really REALLY reminds me of “Tusk” by Fleetwood Mac.  Like a lot.  Other than that diversion at the start, this cover is pretty good.  They take a few liberties with some of the background vocals, it has a different sound than the studio original.   Not the closest to the original cover, but I like what they did here just the same.

Orchid

Band: The only credited person is Nick Didkovsky (guitar).  He’s from the NY band Doctor Nerve.

Another instrumental, this time it’s all one guy, because the original is just Iommi.   This is one of the more authentic covers.  This sounds a LOT like the original.  Doesn’t expand on it (well, maybe a tiny bit)… just reproduces the Iommi original well.   Good cover.

Loner

Band: The band is called “Into the Void”, a Sabbath tribute act.

The song they chose was from the 13 album, and personally not my favorite.  I know a lot of people like this track, but I’m not one of them.  Despite my not being a fan of the original track, this cover is bang on . The guy singing Ozzy’s parts nails the original vocal delivery.  It’s really quite well done.  Just wish they would have tackled one of the better songs from 13 instead.

Paranoid

Band: The band covering this is Rekuiem – which contains Karl Wilcox (of Diamond Head fame).

I mean Paranoid’s gonna be in here somewhere.  It’s not a stretch to choose this for a cover, but if your’e gonna do it, do it right.  These guys do it right.  The vocalist kind of does his own thing, doesn’t follow Ozzy’s melody.  Cover seems a bit off because of that, IMO.  I know it’s a fine line in cloning the original vs doing something different , but if you go too far away from the original the source is lost – I think this was too far into “doing something different” with the vocal lines.

You Won’t Change Me

Band: Place of Skulls w/ Victor Griffin

This cover of an album from what most people consider the least popular 70’s era Sabbath album nails it.  They add a bit of heavy to the original track.  I mean Sabbath is always heavy, but this period they deviated from their classic sound a bit.  This cover sounds a bit heavier than the original to me.  Quite like this.  Some of Tony’s little guitar sounds thrown in the middle of the vocal lines are also picked up which I enjoyed.  Those kind of small bits are the kind of things that are left out of a cover (see the final “Never Say Die” from that track’s cover).   Smokingly great cover here.  A highlight.

I

Band: “Black Sabbath Dio Tribute Band” – from the Czech Republic.

It’s well known my standing as a Sabbath fan.  However, one of my hot takes is that the song “I” is overrated.  People mock me for it, but the song doesn’t do it for me.  Shrug.  Having said that these guys cover it quite well. This is one of those that plants its flag in the camp of “reproduce the original well”.  If you’re a fan of the Sabbath original from Dehumanizer, you’re gonna love this.  It’s extremely faithful.

Behind the Wall of Sleep

Band: Phil Jakes

This is an instrumental cover of a track that wasn’t originally.  I’ve feen following Jakes on Youtube for years and years.  He does all kinds of acoustic covers of things.  Super glad to see him turn up on this.  In fact, when I went to listen today I forgot he was on here, so it was a pleasant surprise.  This is the kind of thing I adore if you’re gonna do something different.  This is both different and the same at the same time.  Nice walking the line between familiar and different.  Good stuff.

Anno Mundi

Band: Aldo Guintini (guitar), Tony Martin (vocals), Fulvio Gaslini (bass), Ezio Secomandi (Drums), Dario Patti (keys)

Earlier when I said Heaven & Hell was the most authentic cover.  That might be an error.  Tony Martin sings vocals on this cover of one of his own era’s Black Sabbath songs.   Guintini leads the “Giuntini Project” that Tony Martin’s been a part of for a long time – these two go way back, so it’s great to see ’em turn up here, too.  I also love what Aldo does with guitar.   It deviates from Iommi’s original just enough to put his own personality in there, and respect everything Iommi did on the original.  A great cover.

Live Forever

Band: Tony Reed (all instruments and vocals)

A true solo song – when the same guy plays all the instruments and sings as well.   If you’re gonna have a tribute album called “”Great Lefty Live Forever”, you might as well cover the song that is titled “Live Forever”.  It has a slightly crunchier sound to the guitars than the Iommi original.  That’s not easy to do – to out heavy Iommi on something he wrote.

No Stranger to Love

Band: Kill Van Kull

The one song that’s probably the biggest surprise for me to see on here, as most people tend to not like this song a ton – it’s too un Sabbath, it should have been a solo album, etc, etc..   This cover is pretty darned good.  They pick up some of Glenn’s vocal delivery well here.  There’s no credited keyboardist on the song, so the keys sound that permeated the original is gone – giving it more of a rock sound than the Sabbath studio original.

Hole in the Sky

Band: Aplandora (Uruguay)

I can’t say I’ve ever heard of this band outside this album – but then again Uriguay isn’t a country I can say I know a ton about – that’s on me.  They pick up the fuzzy guitar sound Iommi had on the original and make it work on this cover.  Great guitar work by these guys here.   The vocals aren’t quite as strained as the Ozzy originals, but they’re not bad – just not as close as the guitar work was on this cover.

Snowblind

Band: Blood Sabbath

This is a Black Sabbath tribute band, but from Japan.  The song is well covered, but like “I”, it’s not one of my favorite Sabbath tracks.  But don’t take my disinterest in it as a slag on the song.  It’s quite well done – if you love this song, you’ll be into this cover for sure.

The Wizard

Band: Phenomena

Another Black Sabbath tribute band, this time from Italy.  The Wizard is one of my favorite early Sabbath tracks.  It straddles the line between the blues core the band started as and the metal behemoth they became.  Great way to end the album for me personally.  I ADORE the harmonica, which sounds identical to the original.   F’in great stuff here.

Summary

It was fun giving this a listen again today.  As I said before nothing here is totally new to me, as I’d digested the CD when it first came out, but I will confess it’s been awhile since I checked this out.  So today breaking out the vinyl for the first time ever (in 2025) was kind of cool.  Some great tracks here.  Like any covers album, one will always disagree with which tracks are covered, but on the whole I think it did a good job of covering multiple Sabbath eras and showing a range of playing brought to our ears from the guitar of Tony Iommi.

May the great lefty Live Forever and FUCK cancer.