OZZY Says Original BLACK SABBATH Members Are Talking About Possible Reunion, Studio Album

Ozzy Osbourne tells ABC News Radio that he and fellow original BLACK SABBATH members Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward "are in the talking process" regarding a reunion which will include the recording of a new studio album. Osbourne stressed, however, that nothing is definite yet, in part because of the pressure the four of them will face if they make a new record. He said, "the problem that we have is that if we do an album and it's anything less than where we left off, it's gonna be a big anticlimax."

BLACK SABBATH bassist Geezer Butler said in an interview with AOL's Noisecreep that while all four of the band's original members are interested in taking part in a reunion, Ozzy Osbourne's current world solo tour will keep SABBATH on ice for the foreseeable future. Butler explained, "It's not going to happen next year. Ozzy's on tour with his own band for the next year or whatever . . . I'm sure Ozzy will say 'yes' and 'no' every week for the next year while he's on tour. It's one thing to want to do something like that just before you go out to tour a record. You say, 'Oh yeah, I'm gonna tour for the next five years.' And then six weeks into it, you can't wait to get home. So we'll just see how he feels when he finishes his Ozzy Osbourne tour."

This echoes remarks that Osbourne has made to The Pulse Of Radio about the chances of touring with SABBATH again. "You know what? I don't want to say yes, and I don't want to say no, because I've put my foot in my mouth so many times," he said. "If it's meant to happen, it will happen."

Osbourne and Iommi recently amicably resolved their problems over the ownership of the BLACK SABBATH name and court proceedings in New York were discontinued.

The original SABBATH lineup of Ozzy, Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler and drummer Bill Ward has not toured together since the summer of 2005, and last convened for their induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in early 2006.

In a 2010 interview with Sunday Mercury, Iommi said that he didn't rule out another reunion with Osbourne. Following the death of singer Ronnie James Dio last May, with whom Iommi had been working in the SABBATH offshoot HEAVEN & HELL, Iommi told Sunday Mercury, "I spoke to Ozzy while I was in Los Angeles after Ronnie's funeral . . . Ozzy and I have a complicated relationship but we've always kept in touch, no matter what else might have been going on. Would I play with Ozzy again? Who knows? It's weird with me and Ozzy."

Iommi added, "There can be all sorts of shit going on but when we talk, it's like nothing bad has ever happened."

SABBATH did try to record a new album 12 years ago, their first since 1978, but abandoned the attempt after just a couple of songs.

Ozzy filed a lawsuit against Iommi in May 2009, claiming that Iommi illegally took sole ownership of the band's name in a filing with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Osbourne sued Iommi for a 50 percent interest in the "Black Sabbath" trademark, along with a portion of Iommi's profits from use of the name.

The Manhattan federal court suit also charged that Osbourne's "signature lead vocals" are largely responsible for the band's "extraordinary success," noting that its popularity plummeted during his absence from 1980 through 1996.

Lawyer Andrew DeVore argued that Osbourne signed away all his rights to the BLACK SABBATH trademark after he quit the band in 1979.

Osbourne's lawyer, Howard Shire, called that agreement a "red herring" that was "repudiated" when the singer rejoined in 1997 and took over "quality control" of the band's merchandise, tours and recordings.

BLACK SABBATH "reunion" promotional photo (1999):

BLACK SABBATH live in 2005: