Few albums in the Black Sabbath discography evoke as much debate or curiosity as Born Again, their 1983 album with Deep Purple frontman Ian Gillan at the mic. A record marked by its turbulent production and an infamously murky mix, it’s now poised for redemption, thanks to a long-overdue remix effort spearheaded by Tony Iommi.
Gillan, reflecting on the album in a new interview with Rolling Stone Brasil, didn’t mince words: “I think the songs are great. I just thought it was ridiculous — the mix was outrageous… All you could hear — if you ever saw the movie [This Is] Spinal Tap, then that’s the story of Born Again. The bass level was so high, they couldn’t play it on the radio.”
While Born Again marked Gillan’s sole appearance on a Sabbath studio album and the last for drummer Bill Ward, the experience clearly left a mark. “It’s always a joy to write with Tony,” Gillan said. “And we certainly had some fun making the record… It was quite a fantastic time, and I enjoyed the tour. It was the longest party I’ve ever been to. It lasted one year.”
Despite its polarizing reception, Born Again has maintained a kind of cult status, and Gillan stands by its merits. “I think the album is actually great,” he added. “I always thought, we always recognized the fact that Ozzy’s the singer with Black Sabbath, and people identify with that. So it was a kind of weird hybrid kind of situation. But all in all, thank God they’re gonna remix it.”
That remix has been a long time coming. Speaking to SiriusXM’s Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk back in May 2024, Iommi detailed the album’s long road to resurrection: “Well, eventually we got the tapes, but we couldn’t find them for years. We didn’t know where they were. And my manager located somebody, and they were in a record company’s archives tucked away somewhere in one of the record companies. I don’t know how they got them, but they did.”
Once recovered, the aging tapes had to be carefully transferred for modern use. “We’ve had them, or we are having them transferred, ’cause obviously it’s tape,” said Iommi. “And so we’re having them transferred so we can have a look at that. And that’s sort of a plan as well; I’d like to do that. And I know Ian would like that to happen as well. Well, Geezer would as well, I’m sure.”
The idea isn’t just a nostalgic indulgence—it’s a response to renewed fan interest. “Yeah, it’s funny. That does happen,” Iommi remarked. “And it’s the same as the Tony Martin-era stuff as well. People didn’t know of it at the time, and then it’s word of mouth that gets around and the Internet, and they get interested and eventually, they go, ‘Oh, yeah, it’s good.’”
According to Iommi, that shift in perception has made all the difference: “It’s funny how that works. Later on, a new generation comes in and then people get to hear, the original fans will hear it and go, ‘Oh, yeah, I forgot about that record.’ It is funny how it all works, but it’s great. It’s great that it does.”
He recalls the disappointment that originally greeted the album’s release: “At the time, it was, ‘Oh my God.’ Because we went on tour, left it to somebody else, and when we heard it, we nearly had a fit. It was in the top — I think it was No. 4 [on the chart] in England at the time. And we tried to stop it, but it was too late by the time we’d heard it. And it just sounded really muffly; it was nothing like when we left, before we went on tour.”
Still, despite the flawed sound, Iommi feels the songs have stood the test of time. “So it would be nice to get it so we can get a better sound on it, really…. There really are some great songs on that album. There really are.”
Forty-plus years later, Born Again may finally get the sonic clarity it always deserved—one remix away from earning its rightful place in Black Sabbath‘s legacy.
