MOJO 279 / February 2017
We’re dreaming of a Black Christmas, as the last ever shows of the legendary Black Sabbath constitute an occasion to celebrate one of the most influential rock bands of all time. We interview the three remaining original members – Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler – and assess their impact on punk, metal, grunge, avant-doom and more with the help of Dave Grohl and others. MOJO’s FREE CD also gets heavy, as Heavy Nuggets Vol.4 delivers mindblowing heaviosity from Wolf People, Boris, Sleep and more, plus Charles Bradley’s immense cover of Black Sabbath’s Changes. Also in the new issue: Sylvie Simmons (and Bono) hymn the greatness of Leonard Cohen; Aretha Franklin’s 1967 soul coronation; Steve Van Zandt remembers saving Paul Simon’s life; PLUS: our essential music tips for 2017. MOJO 279: it’s no turkey!
CONTENTS MOJO 279
COVER STORY: Black Sabbath As their last ever tour comes to a close, Ozzy Osbourne, Geezer Butler and Tony Iommi take stock, lifting the bonnet off their 10 Most Important Songs. But what exactly did John Bonham do at Tony’s wedding, and, more importantly, where’s Bill? “That’s the sad part,” they tell Keith Cameron.
FREE CD: Heavy Nuggets Vol.4 15 mindblowing tracks from our popular Heavy Nuggets stable. Stars Wolf People, Boris, Sleep and Charles Bradley’s cover of Black Sabbath’s Changes.
LEONARD COHEN MOJO’s sadness gives way to awe at the late poet-singer’s mastery of song and his odds-defying late-life comeback. Sylvie Simmons (and Bono) brings unique insight into both.
ARETHA FRANKLIN 50 years ago this month a miracle occurred in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. And even racial tension and violence couldn’t thwart I Never Loved A Man The Way I Loved You, the album that redefined soul.
2017 PREVIEW The stuff you’ll be grooving to over the next 12 months. Features a Velvet Underground reboot, Pink Floyd exhibition, Sampha, the Jesus & Mary Chain… and “Madame Hooky”’s predictions
STEVE VAN ZANDT How the Sopranos’ Silvio saved Paul Simon from South African assassins and keeps Bruce Springsteen’s soul-rock on track.
NO WAVE James Chance, Lydia Lunch and more remember when New York crumbled and they composed the feral, chaotic soundtrack. “It had to be brutal,” they tell Andrew Male.
REVIEWED Buzzcocks / A Tribe Called Quest / Neil Young / Tony Bennett / Michael Chapman / The XX / Temple Of The Dog / Sun Ra / David Ruffin / Big Star / Mike Oldfield / Mark Eitzel / Brian Eno / Julie Byrne / Foxygen / The Flaming Lips / Flo Morrissey & Matthew E White / A Winged Victory For The Sullen
PLUS Traffic split, reform, repeat / Moonlandingz face the strange / The Go-Betweens hit the buffers / Anton Newcombe blows our minds / Shirley Collins finds solace in Linda Thompson / Cliff Richard rocks / Geoff Brown sorts out Curtis Mayfield / Leon Russell remembered / and win £999 worth of speakers!