View source for Never Say Die!

{{distinguish|Maybreak{{!}}Never Say... Die!}}
{{other uses|Never Say Die (disambiguation)}}
{{EngvarB|date=June 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2024}}
{{Infobox album
| name       = Never Say Die!
| type       = studio
| artist     = [[Black Sabbath]]
| cover      = Black-Sabbath-Never-Say-Die.jpg
| alt        = Two pilots stand in front of a fighter jet wearing forest green aviation jumpsuits. They each have odd-looking leather helmets, one coloured tomato red, the other mustard yellow. Their faces are completely covered: Their eyes by dark goggles and their noses and mouths with black leather that has tubes attached for a breathing apparatus.
| caption    = Cover design by [[Hipgnosis]]
| released   = 29 September 1978<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&se=Never+Say+Die|title=RIAA|website=[[Recording Industry Association of America]]|access-date=10 March 2024|archive-date=10 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240310064004/https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&se=Never+Say+Die|url-status=live}}</ref>
| recorded   = 1978
| studio     = Sounds Interchange (Toronto)
| genre      = {{hlist|[[Heavy metal music|Heavy metal]]<ref>{{cite book|title=The 100 Greatest Bands of All Time: A Guide to the Legends Who Rocked the World|page=79|date=2015|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=9781440803406|url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/The_100_Greatest_Bands_of_All_Time/3kPPEAAAQBAJ?hl=en|archive-date=21 January 2025|access-date=15 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250121102709/https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/The_100_Greatest_Bands_of_All_Time/3kPPEAAAQBAJ?hl=en|url-status=live}}</ref>|[[hard rock]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.metalreviews.com/reviews/album/5305|title=Black Sabbath - Never Say Die!|access-date=10 March 2024|archive-date=10 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240310064005/https://www.metalreviews.com/reviews/album/5305|url-status=live}}</ref>|[[pop rock]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://consequence.net/2017/03/ranking-every-black-sabbath-album-from-worst-to-best/3/|title=Ranking: Every Black Sabbath Album from Worst to Best|date=9 March 2017|access-date=17 June 2021|archive-date=20 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201120071343/https://consequenceofsound.net/2017/03/ranking-every-black-sabbath-album-from-worst-to-best/3/|url-status=live}}</ref>}}
| length     = 45:41
| label      = [[Vertigo Records|Vertigo]]
| producer   = Black Sabbath
| prev_title = [[Technical Ecstasy]]
| prev_year  = 1976
| next_title = [[Heaven and Hell (Black Sabbath album)|Heaven and Hell]]
| next_year  = 1980
| misc       = {{Singles
 | name        = Never Say Die!
 | type        = studio
 | single1     = Never Say Die!
 | single1date = 19 May 1978<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1978/Music-Week-1978-05-20.pdf|title=Music Week|page=47|access-date=20 August 2024|archive-date=20 May 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240520085900/https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1978/Music-Week-1978-05-20.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>
 | single2     = Hard Road
 | single2date = September 1978<ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/greatrockdiscogr00stro/page/68/mode/2up|title=The Great Rock Discography|year=1995 |isbn=9780862415419 |last1=Strong |first1=Martin Charles |publisher=Canongate Press }}</ref>
}}
}}

'''''Never Say Die!''''' is the eighth studio album by the English [[Heavy metal music|heavy metal]] band [[Black Sabbath]], released on 29 September 1978.{{Certification Cite Ref|region=United States|title=Never Say Die|artist=Black Sabbath|type=album}} It was the last studio album with the band's original line-up and the last studio album to feature original vocalist [[Ozzy Osbourne]] until the 2013 album ''[[13 (Black Sabbath album)|13]]''. It was certified Gold in the U.S. on 7 November 1997{{Certification Cite Ref|region=United States|title=Never Say Die|artist=Black Sabbath|type=album}} and as of November 2011 has sold 133,000 copies in the United States since the [[Nielsen SoundScan|SoundScan]] era.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://m.hollywoodreporter.com/news/black-sabbath-reuniting-album-tour-260693 |title=Black Sabbath Reuniting For New Album, Tour - The Hollywood Reporter |publisher=M.hollywoodreporter.com |date=11 November 2011 |access-date=18 May 2014 |archive-date=20 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131020041822/http://m.hollywoodreporter.com/news/black-sabbath-reuniting-album-tour-260693 |url-status=live }}</ref> The album received mixed reviews, with critics calling it "unbalanced" and insisting its energy was scattered in too many directions.<ref>{{cite book |last=Wagner |first=Jeff |title=Mean Deviation: Four Decades of Progressive Heavy Metal |pages=19–20 |publisher=Bazillion Points Books |year=2010 |isbn=9780979616334}}</ref>

==Recording==
{{Over-quotation|section=yes|many=y|date=November 2024}}
At the time of recording ''Never Say Die!'', Black Sabbath's members were struggling with heavy substance abuse. Before sessions began, vocalist Ozzy Osbourne temporarily left the band and was briefly replaced by [[Dave Walker]], known for his work with [[Savoy Brown]] and [[Fleetwood Mac]]. According to guitarist [[Tony Iommi]], although both parties likely wanted to reunite, no one communicated directly, leading to Walker's short-lived stint. The band even performed early material with him, including an early version of “Junior’s Eyes” on the [[BBC]] show ''Look Hear''.<ref name="Music Legends">{{cite web|publisher=Music Legends|url=http://musiclegends.ca/interviews/dave-walker-interview-black-sabbath/|title=Dave Walker Interview|access-date=6 May 2013|date=30 December 2011|last=Saulnier|first=Jason|archive-date=6 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131006223626/http://musiclegends.ca/interviews/dave-walker-interview-black-sabbath/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Osbourne eventually returned, but refused to sing any of the material written during Walker’s tenure.<ref name="iommiautobiography">{{cite book |last=Iommi |first=Tony |title=Iron Man: My Journey Through Heaven and Hell with Black Sabbath |url=https://archive.org/details/ironmanmyjourney00iomm_0 |url-access=registration |year=2011 |publisher=Da Capo Press |isbn=978-0-30681-9551}}</ref> One of those songs, “Swinging the Chain,” was sung by drummer Bill Ward instead. Because the band was often writing songs during the day and recording them at night, they had little time for revisions, resulting in an album Iommi later described as lacking cohesion.

Osbourne also declined to contribute vocals to “Breakout,” which remained instrumental.<ref>{{cite book |last=Stolz |first=Nolan |title=Experiencing Black Sabbath: A Listener's Companion |year=2017 |pages=81 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=978-1-4422-5691-0}}</ref> The lyrics to “Junior’s Eyes” were revised to reflect the recent passing of Osbourne’s father.

Personal issues further delayed the album’s production. Osbourne later explained that his father’s death led to a three-month hiatus for mourning and funeral arrangements.<ref name="Sounds">''[[Sounds (magazine)|Sounds]]'', 21 October 1978</ref> Although the band eventually regrouped in the studio, tensions lingered—especially between Osbourne and Iommi—and the sense of unity had faded.

The album was recorded at Sounds Interchange Studios in [[Toronto]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.black-sabbath.com/discog/neversaydie.html |title=Never Say Die |first=Joe |last=Siegler |publisher=black-sabbath.com |access-date=13 September 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110910155100/http://www.black-sabbath.com/discog/neversaydie.html |archive-date=10 September 2011  }}</ref> Iommi recalled that the band chose the studio largely for tax reasons, but it proved ill-suited for their needs. To improve the studio’s acoustics, they had to remove carpeting to create a more vibrant sound, which delayed progress due to the lack of better alternatives.<ref name="Sounds" />

In a 2001 interview, Iommi recalled that the band rehearsed in a freezing cinema during the harsh Toronto winter and recorded sessions at night, adding further discomfort to an already strained process. Bassist [[Geezer Butler]] characterized the album as a patchwork effort. He noted that despite the album's defiant title, the band sensed it might be their final collaboration. During their 10th anniversary tour with [[Van Halen]], Butler recalled feeling doubtful about the band's future despite public optimism.

Butler also expressed frustration over Osbourne’s frequent rejection of his lyrics, revealing that last-minute rewrites became common late in their partnership. Iommi, in a 2004 retrospective, described a chaotic studio environment where the band was often too intoxicated to work effectively, with members contributing inconsistently and lacking focus.

Osbourne, in a later interview, described the band as overwhelmed and dysfunctional, plagued by addiction and interpersonal conflict. He was ultimately dismissed from the group, describing the atmosphere as toxic and unsalvageable.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.spin.com/2013/06/black-sabbath-13-ozzy-osbourne-geezer-butler-interview/|last=Grow|first=Kory|accessdate=1 November 2021|date=12 June 2013|website=[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]|title=Iron Men: Black Sabbath's Ozzy Osbourne And Geezer Butler Answer The Hard Questions|archive-date=1 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211101151500/https://www.spin.com/2013/06/black-sabbath-13-ozzy-osbourne-geezer-butler-interview/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Despite these challenges, Ward defended the album years later, suggesting the band did their best under the circumstances and even experimented creatively, particularly on tracks like “Johnny Blade” and “Air Dance.” Osbourne, however, criticized these jazz-influenced tracks in his memoir, particularly “Breakout,” which he found artistically incompatible with the band’s identity.

Although Ward performed vocals on “Swinging the Chain,” the lyrics were mistakenly credited to Butler when they were actually written by Ward himself.<ref name="iommiautobiography" />

The album’s sleeve was designed by [[Storm Thorgerson]]’s [[Hipgnosis]], their second collaboration with the band following ''[[Technical Ecstasy]]'' (1976). The UK and US versions featured slight differences in background imagery, including faint silhouettes of British military pilots. The album’s inner sleeve featured consistent artwork and credits but omitted lyrics. The cover aircraft resembles a [[North American T-6 Texan]]. An alternate design featuring masked doctors was rejected by the band but later used by [[Rainbow (rock band)|Rainbow]] for their 1981 album ''[[Difficult to Cure]]''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Ozzy – The Real Story: The Album Covers (Mojo 2005)|url=http://www.gilmourdesign.co.uk/services/liner-notes/ozzy-osbourne-the-real-story-the-album-covers-mojo-2005//|website=gilmourdesign.co.uk|access-date=14 January 2021|archive-date=21 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210121022610/http://www.gilmourdesign.co.uk/services/liner-notes/ozzy-osbourne-the-real-story-the-album-covers-mojo-2005/|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Release and critical reception==
{{Music ratings
| rev1 = [[AllMusic]]
| rev1Score = {{Rating|1.5|5}}<ref name="allmusic">{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r2006|tab=review|label="Black Sabbath: ''Never Say Die!'' Review"|access-date=13 September 2011}}</ref>
| rev2 = ''[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music]]''
| rev2Score = {{Rating|3|5}}<ref name="Larkin">{{cite book|last1=Larkin|first1=Colin|title=Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music|date=1997|publisher=Virgin Books|location=London|isbn=1-85227 745 9|page=138|chapter=Black Sabbath}}</ref>
| rev3 = ''[[Martin C. Strong|The Great Rock Discography]]''
| rev3Score = 5/10<ref name="Strong">{{cite book |last1=Strong |first1=Martin C. |title=The Great Rock Discography |date=2006 |publisher=Canongate Books |location=Edinburgh |isbn=1-84195-827-1 |chapter=Black Sabbath |pages=98}}</ref>
| rev4 = ''[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide]]''
| rev4Score = {{Rating|3|5}}<ref name="rsag">{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/black-sabbath/albumguide |title=Black Sabbath: Album Guide |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |access-date=5 June 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110306133206/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/black-sabbath/albumguide |archive-date=6 March 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
| rev5 = ''[[Spin Alternative Record Guide]]''
| rev5score = 7/10<ref name="Weisbard & Marks 1995">{{cite book|editor1-last=Weisbard |editor1-first=Eric |editor1-link=Eric Weisbard |editor2-last=Marks |editor2-first=Craig |year=1995 |title=[[Spin Alternative Record Guide]]|chapter= Blondie|publisher=[[Vintage Books]] |location=New York |isbn=0-679-75574-8|pages=46–47}}</ref>
}}
In the UK the title track, released well ahead of the album as the band's first UK picture sleeve single, reached No. 21 in the chart and gave the band its first ''[[Top of the Pops]]'' appearances since 1970. In the UK the album reached No. 12, one place higher than its predecessor ''[[Technical Ecstasy]]''. In the US it peaked at number 69 on the ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' Pop Album chart.<ref>{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r2006|tab=charts-awards|label="''Never Say Die!'': Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums" |access-date=30 January 2009}}</ref> In the UK, "Hard Road" was released as the second single from the album and reached the UK Top 40, 25,000 copies being pressed in a limited-edition purple-vinyl. There was no picture-sleeve release but a video for "A Hard Road" was made during the ''Never Say Die!'' Tour to promote the single. The song marks the first and last time guitarist Tony Iommi sings backing vocals. Iommi explains in his autobiography ''Iron Man: My Journey Through Heaven & Hell with Black Sabbath'', that when he sang, bassist Geezer Butler couldn't keep a straight face.

The album received mostly negative reviews; according to Terry Staunton of ''[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]]'', "even diehard fans among the music press [were] unsure of muddling excursions towards [[electronica]] ('Johnny Blade') and passages that veered worryingly close to jazz ('Air Dance', the curious horns in the instrumental 'Breakout'). More than one critic described the overall sound as 'murky'."<ref name="Staunton">{{cite journal |last1=Staunton |first1=Terry |title=Never Say Die! |journal=Uncut Ultimate Music Guide Series |date=2024 |issue=53 |pages=62–63}}</ref> It is not held in high esteem today, with [[AllMusic]] critic Eduardo Rivadavia referring to the album as "unfocused", saying it "will hold little interest to the average heavy metal fan".<ref name="allmusic" /> ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' says it was "not a blaze of glory for the original foursome" but added that it may be "better than people might remember".<ref name="rsag" /> In his own ''Uncut'' piece, Staunton bemoaned the experiments, but believed that the "few occasions where the stars align and ducks form an orderly row" are "worth celebrating", singling out the title track for its power and "Junior's Eyes" for having a vitality and tension missing elsewhere.<ref name="Staunton" /> Rob Michaels of the ''[[Spin Alternative Record Guide]]'' (1995) writes that "the rhythm section has a spry spring in its leaden step and the songs are tough and catchy."<ref name="Weisbard & Marks 1995" /> In 2013 Phil Alexander of ''Mojo'' referred to the album as "disastrous".

Speaking in October 1978 of the new album, Osbourne said, "It's a combination of what we've all been through in the last 10 years. It's a very varied album. Like, we started out playing in blues clubs, because British blues – like [[John Mayall]] and early [[Fleetwood Mac]] – was the thing at the time. We were into a [[Twelve-bar blues|twelve-bar]] trip and early [[Ten Years After]]-style stuff. So it's part of that sort of trip. Then there's the heavy thing and the rock thing. It's not just steamhammer [[headbanging]] stuff all the way through&nbsp;... We got rid of all our inner frustrations: what each of us individually wanted to put down over the years but couldn't because of the pressures of work. So we put a lot of painstaking hours into developing this album."<ref name="Sounds" /> However, Osbourne quickly soured on the LP, telling ''After Hours'' in a 1981 interview "The last album I did with Sabbath was ''Never Say Die!'' and it was the worst piece of work that I've ever had anything to do with. I'm ashamed of that album. I think it's disgusting".<ref>''God Bless Ozzy Osbourne'' documentary film, produced in 2011. Next Entertainment.</ref> He went on to claim that the band flew to Toronto in January during sub-zero temperature "purely because [[the Rolling Stones]] had recorded [[Love You Live|a live album]] there." In 2013, Osbourne told ''Mojo'', "I'd go down to the studio and I heard what sounded like a jazz band playing. Is this really Black Sabbath? I'd just fuck off." Osbourne was fired by the band eight months later.

[[Wil Malone]], who oversaw the jazz-inflected horns arrangements on the album, is a British [[Record producer|music producer]] and arranger, who, besides working with Black Sabbath,<ref name="Wilkinson2007">{{cite book|last=Wilkinson|first=Paul|title=Rat salad: Black Sabbath, the classic years, 1969–1975|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BxlNn1r2lB8C&pg=PA186|access-date=10 May 2011|date=July 2007|publisher=Macmillan|isbn=978-0-312-36723-7|pages=186–}}</ref> went on to work with [[Iron Maiden]],<ref name="Wall1998">{{cite book|last=Wall|first=Mick|title=Iron Maiden: run to the hills : the official biography|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=drufAAAAMAAJ|access-date=10 May 2011|year=1998|publisher=Sanctuary Publishing|isbn=978-1-86074-666-6|page=137}}</ref> [[Todd Rundgren]], [[The Verve]], [[Massive Attack]], and [[Depeche Mode]]. 

Jon Elstar, who was recruited to play harmonica on "Swinging the Chain," had also played on releases by [[R & B]] [[proto-punk]] band The [[Pretty Things]], as well as appearing on [[reggae]] releases on [[Trojan Records]] label.

Despite the negative reception, [[Soundgarden]] guitarist [[Kim Thayil]] cited ''Never Say Die!'' as one of his favourite Black Sabbath albums.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.metalhammer.co.uk/news/soundgardens-kim-thayil-picks-his-favourite-black-sabbath-song/ |title=Soundgarden's Kim Thayil Picks His Favourite Black Sabbath Song |publisher=metalhammer.co.uk |access-date=29 October 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120625000247/http://www.metalhammer.co.uk/news/soundgardens-kim-thayil-picks-his-favourite-black-sabbath-song/ |archive-date=25 June 2012 }}</ref> Megadeth covered the title track for the 2000 tribute album ''Nativity In Black II'', with singer [[Dave Mustaine]] telling Nick Bowcott in 2008, "The simplicity of Iommi's style makes this rhythm progression one of my all-time favorites: fast, classic English riff-stylings with a climactic arrangement." [[Andy LaRocque]], guitarist for [[King Diamond (band)|King Diamond]], was influenced by the album in the making of the melodic guitar part of "Sleepless Nights", from the ''[[Conspiracy (King Diamond album)|Conspiracy]]'' album.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kkdowning.net/Interviews/larocque.htm |title=Andy LaRocque interview |publisher=kkdowning.net |date=May 2008 |access-date=27 October 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029202701/http://www.kkdowning.net/Interviews/larocque.htm |archive-date=29 October 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.songfacts.com/blog/interviews/andy-larocque-of-king-diamond|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20250123040123/https://www.songfacts.com/blog/interviews/andy-larocque-of-king-diamond| url-status=dead |title=Andy LaRocque of King Diamond : Songwriter Interviews|archivedate=23 January 2025|website=www.songfacts.com}}</ref>
[[File:Tony Iommi at the New Haven Coliseum.jpg|thumb|right|Tony Iommi in 1978.]]

In March 2017, Jon Hadusek of ''[[Consequence of Sound]]'' ranked ''Never Say Die!'' 10th out of 19 Black Sabbath studio albums.<ref name="cos">{{cite web |last1=Hadusek |first1=Jon |title=Ranking: Every Black Sabbath Album from Worst to Best |url=https://consequence.net/2017/03/ranking-every-black-sabbath-album-from-worst-to-best/full-post/ |website=Consequence of Sound |date=9 March 2017 |access-date=29 January 2020 |archive-date=5 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201105091510/https://consequenceofsound.net/2017/03/ranking-every-black-sabbath-album-from-worst-to-best/full-post/ |url-status=live }}</ref> He called it "straight-up [[pop rock]], primed for heavy rotation", but felt it had merits, complimenting Osbourne's confident vocals and Iommi's guitar for "[not being] buried like it was on ''Technical Ecstasy'', and the rigid melodies force his playing to be concise and punchy."<ref name="cos" /> Among other similar lists, ''[[Kerrang!]]'' ranked it 15th, praising the choice of a [[punk rock|punky]] opening track but panning the inclusion of a Ward-song sung and noting a lack of creative enthusiasm throughout.<ref name="Kerrang list">{{cite web |last1=Ruskell |first1=Nick |title=Black Sabbath: Every album ranked from worst to best |url=https://www.kerrang.com/black-sabbath-every-album-ranked-from-worst-to-best |website=Kerrang! |access-date=13 June 2024 |date=30 June 2021 |archive-date=13 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240613222824/https://www.kerrang.com/black-sabbath-every-album-ranked-from-worst-to-best |url-status=live }}</ref> ''[[Ultimate Classic Rock]]'' ranked it 12th, praising the energetic title track, "Johnny Blade" and "A Hard Road", but believing they and the abundance of weaker songs "paled next to the colossal metal anthems recorded just a few years earlier".<ref>{{cite web |last1=Rivadavia |first1=Eduardo |title=Black Sabbath Albums Ranked Worst to Best |url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/black-sabbath-album-ranked/ |website=Ultimate Classic Rock |access-date=13 June 2024 |date=21 May 2015 |archive-date=13 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240613120957/https://ultimateclassicrock.com/black-sabbath-album-ranked/ |url-status=live }}</ref> ''[[Classic Rock (magazine)|Classic Rock]]'' ranked it 10th, believing both it and ''Technical Ecstasy'' to be the band's most underrated albums.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Elliott |first1=Paul |title=Every Black Sabbath album ranked, from worst to best |url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/black-sabbath-albums-ranked-from-worst-to-best |website=Classic Rock |access-date=13 June 2024 |date=9 August 2022 |archive-date=13 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240613223133/https://www.loudersound.com/features/black-sabbath-albums-ranked-from-worst-to-best |url-status=live }}</ref> Also ranking it 10th, ''[[The Guardian]]'' comments that the album "has a terrible reputation, but it's a quirky and enjoyable record, as long as you don't expect Sabbath Even Bloodier Sabbath. The title track has [[garage rock|garage-band]] rawness; Air Dance is – dare one say it – oddly beautiful. It’s hit and miss, but it’s still better than almost everything from 1981 onwards."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Hann |first1=Michael |title=Every Black Sabbath album – ranked! |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/jan/31/every-black-sabbath-album-ranked-ozzy-osbourne |website=The |access-date=13 June 2024 |date=31 January 2019}}</ref>

Geezer Butler told ''[[Metal Edge]]'' that ''Never Say Die!'' is easily the worst album that the band made. He explained, "The reason for that is we tried to manage ourselves and produce the record ourselves. We wanted to do it on our own, but in truth, not one of us had a single clue about what to do. By that point, we were spending more time with lawyers and in court rather than being in the studio writing. It was just too much pressure on us, and the writing suffered."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metaledgemag.com/interviews/geezer-butler-talks-best-and-worst-black-sabbath-albums-being-insulted-to-be-labeled-heavy-metal-and-more|author=Daly, Andrew|title=Geezer Butler talks best and worst Black Sabbath albums, being 'insulted' to be labeled heavy metal and more|website=[[Metal Edge]]|date=21 April 2023|access-date=7 May 2024|archive-date=7 May 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240507211217/https://www.metaledgemag.com/interviews/geezer-butler-talks-best-and-worst-black-sabbath-albums-being-insulted-to-be-labeled-heavy-metal-and-more|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Never Say Die! Tour with Van Halen==
Black Sabbath's [[Never Say Die! Tour (Black Sabbath)|Never Say Die! Tour]] opened on 16 May 1978 in [[Sheffield]] with [[Van Halen]] as their opening act, who'd just scored a hit in the United States with a cover of [[The Kinks]]' "[[You Really Got Me]]." Ward's drum tech Graham Wright and Osbourne's personal assistant David Tangye, who write extensively about the tour in their 2004 book ''How Black Was Our Sabbath'', reveal that relations between the bands got off to a shaky start at the 22 May show at the Apollo Theatre in [[Manchester]]. After Sabbath finished their soundcheck, Van Halen "hit the stage and started to play Sabbath tunes. It was their way of paying tribute to the Sabs, but Tony Iommi was annoyed by it. He may have misinterpreted the gesture as a piss-take, which it certainly was not. Van Halen were in awe of Sabbath, and their lead guitarist, [[Eddie Van Halen]], was a big fan of Tony. The unwitting faux pas was soon forgotten. The two bands came to get along very well together, and Alex Van Halen would often sit&nbsp;... behind Bill's drum kit, watching and listening to him play onstage." On the U.S. leg of the tour, Van Halen's presence had a major influence on ticket sales since they were a much bigger draw at home than they were in the UK. Wright and Graham also recount two riots that occurred on the ''Never Say Die!'' tour, the first happening in [[Neunkirchen am Brand]], Germany, in front of a hall crammed with "thousands of extremely stoned, drunk and rowdy GIs" when, three songs into a show, Iommi stalked off the stage because of a buzzing from his guitar stack. When the audience realised the band had quit the gig they wrecked the hall. Another riot ensued at the Municipal Auditorium in [[Nashville]] when Osbourne didn't show up and the band had to cancel; it later came to light that Osbourne had "slept right round the clock, woken up, seen that it was six o'clock, and thinking that it was still the evening before, had got ready for the show. Even more incredibly, he'd been sleeping in the wrong room." A video from this period, professionally recorded on the UK tour at the [[Hammersmith Odeon]] in June 1978, can be seen on the [[Sanctuary Records|Sanctuary]] Visual Entertainment DVD, also entitled ''Never Say Die''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sanctuaryrecords.co.uk/index.php?action=showproduct&productid=33890&l1=3&l2=0&l3=0&rt=CA&lastpage=|archive-url=https://archive.today/20060929200329/http://www.sanctuaryrecords.co.uk/index.php?action=showproduct&productid=33890&l1=3&l2=0&l3=0&rt=CA&lastpage= |url-status=dead |archive-date=29 September 2006 |title=Black Sabbath: ''Never Say Die'' |publisher=[[Sanctuary Records Group]]}}</ref>

Several US dates featured [[Ramones|the Ramones]] as an opener, either in addition to, or in lieu of Van Halen. The NYC [[punk rock]] band was eager to expand their fanbase, and considered themselves to have more in common with the [[hard rock]] bands of 1978 than with a band like the [[Sex Pistols]]. In part due to one promoter billing the event as “punk vs. metal”, Sabbath's audience responded to the opener with open hostility.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/a-1978-black-sabbathramones-gig-was-promoted-as-punk-rock-vs-heavy-metal-it-got-ugly-and-dangerously-out-of-control | title=A 1978 Black Sabbath/Ramones gig was promoted as 'Punk Rock vs Heavy Metal': It got ugly and dangerously out of control | date=16 March 2023 | access-date=1 July 2023 | archive-date=1 July 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230701223542/https://www.loudersound.com/features/a-1978-black-sabbathramones-gig-was-promoted-as-punk-rock-vs-heavy-metal-it-got-ugly-and-dangerously-out-of-control | url-status=live }}</ref>

==''Top of the Pops'' appearance==
With the success of the "Never Say Die" single, Black Sabbath was invited to perform on ''[[Top of the Pops]]''. The band twice appeared live in the studio, miming to a pre-recorded version of the song. One of these appearances was included on the official ''[[The Black Sabbath Story, Vol. 1]]''<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sanctuaryrecords.co.uk/index.php?action=showproduct&productid=33810&l1=3&l2=0&l3=0&rt=CA&lastpage= |archive-url=https://archive.today/20060929200251/http://www.sanctuaryrecords.co.uk/index.php?action=showproduct&productid=33810&l1=3&l2=0&l3=0&rt=CA&lastpage= |url-status=dead |archive-date=29 September 2006 |title=Black Sabbath: ''The Black Sabbath Story Volume 1'' |publisher=Sanctuary Records Group}}</ref> video release. In his autobiography, Osbourne remembers the appearance fondly "'cos we got to meet [[Bob Marley]]. I'll always remember the moment he came out of his dressing room – it was next to ours – and you literally couldn't see his head through the cloud of dope smoke. He was smoking the biggest, fattest joint I'd ever seen – and believe me, I'd seen a few. I kept thinking, He's gonna have to lip-synch, ''no one'' can do a live show when they're that high. But no – he did it live. Flawlessly, too." In his autobiography, Iommi reveals that because drummer Bill Ward had his hair in braids at the time, "everybody thought he was taking the mickey out of Bob (Marley). It wasn't like that at all; it was just the way he happened to have his hair in those days."

==Track listing==
{{track listing
| all_writing = Black Sabbath ([[Geezer Butler]], [[Tony Iommi]], [[Ozzy Osbourne]], and [[Bill Ward (musician)|Bill Ward]])
| headline = Side A
| title1   = Never Say Die
| note1    = 
| length1  = 3:50
| title2   = Johnny Blade
| length2  = 6:28
| title3   = Junior's Eyes
| note3    = 
| length3  = 6:42
| title4   = A Hard Road
| note4 = {{refn|group=note|Track 4 is titled "Hard Road" on the releases by Vertigo (the UK and Europe) and "A Hard Road" on releases by Warner (United States and Canada).<ref>Track 4 is titled "Hard Road" on the releases by Vertigo (the UK and Europe) and "A Hard Road" on released by Warner (United States and Canada).</ref>}}
| length4  = 6:04
}}
{{track listing
| headline = Side B
| title5   = Shock Wave
| length5  = 5:15
| title6   = Air Dance
| length6  = 5:17
| title7   = Over to You
| length7  = 5:22
| title8   = Breakout
| note8    = instrumental
| length8  = 2:35
| title9   = Swinging the Chain
| note9    = 
| length9  = 4:06
| total_length = 45:41
}}

;Note
{{reflist|group=note}}

==Personnel==
'''Black Sabbath'''
*[[Tony Iommi]] – guitars, backing vocals on "A Hard Road"
*[[Ozzy Osbourne]] – lead and backing vocals
*[[Geezer Butler]] – bass guitar, backing vocals on "A Hard Road"
*[[Bill Ward (musician)|Bill Ward]] – drums, lead vocals on "Swinging the Chain", backing vocals on "A Hard Road"

'''Additional musicians'''
*[[Don Airey]] – keyboards
*Jon Elstar – harmonica on "Swinging the Chain"
*[[Wil Malone]] – brass arrangements <small>(track 8)</small>

==Charts==
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|-
! Chart (1978)
! Peak<br />position
|-
{{Album chart|Canada|90|chartid=0062b|artist=Black Sabbath|album= Never Say Die!|rowheader=true|accessdate=30 October 2023}}
|-
!scope="row"| French Albums ([[Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique|SNEP]])<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.infodisc.fr/Album_Y.php |website =Infodisc.fr |language=fr |access-date=9 June 2012 |title=Le Détail des Albums de chaque Artiste – B |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141022124902/http://infodisc.fr/Album_B.php |archive-date=22 October 2014 }} ''Select ''Black Sabbath'' from the menu, then press ''OK''.''</ref>
| align="center"| 33
|-
{{Album chart|Sweden|37|artist=Black Sabbath|album= Never Say Die!|rowheader=true|accessdate=30 October 2023}}
|-
{{Album chart|UK2|12|date=19781015|rowheader=true|accessdate=30 October 2023}}
|-
{{Album chart|Billboard200|69|artist=Black Sabbath|rowheader=true|accessdate=30 October 2023}}
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|-
! Chart (2023)
! Peak<br />position
|-
{{Album chart|Scotland|84|date=20230428|rowheader=true|accessdate=30 October 2023}}
|-
{{Album chart|UKIndependent|20|date=20230428|rowheader=true|accessdate=30 October 2023}}
|-
{{Album chart|UKRock|9|date=20230428|rowheader=true|accessdate=30 October 2023}}
|}

== Certifications ==
{{Certification Table Top}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|type=album|artist=Black Sabbath|title=Never Say Die!|award=Gold}}
{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=yes}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Discogs master|type=album|5527|name=Never Say Die!}}

{{Black Sabbath}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1978 albums]]
[[Category:Albums with cover art by Hipgnosis]]
[[Category:Black Sabbath albums]]
[[Category:Vertigo Records albums]]
[[Category:Warner Records albums]]
[[Category:Pop rock albums by English artists]]