In 1997, Ozzy and the original Black Sabbath reunited for a tour together; for all intents and purposes, it was Ozzy, still riding high from Ozzfest, doing Sabbath the favor. The resulting album, Reunion, is a triumph of sorts. Putting aside the quasi-legal issue of Live at Last, it is the only official live recording of Ozzy with Black Sabbath. Ozzy milks it, relishing the vocals, while the band, original lineup together once again, live at last, resists the natural tendency to play the songs at a faster tempo. For the course of 16 songs, the plodding, degenerate, evil, dark band casts its long shadow once more, proving what had once made it so special in the first place. Two new recordings were tacked on at the end, one of which is the excellent "Psycho Man". The reunion was just a one-shot, but a welcome one it was. It reached #11 on the charts, Black Sabbath's best showing since Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, and went platinum. After this, Tony Iommi finally got a solo debut into the stores in 2000, called Iommi and featuring a host of noteworthy guest vocalists including Ozzy, but peaked at a disappointing #129. Black Sabbath reunited once again to play at the 2001 edition of Ozzfest, and promised a studio album together with Rick Rubin producing, but it never happened. Ozzy has since busied himself with his TV show and talk-show appearences; Black Sabbath, in shambles, lies dormant, probably for its own good.

So: where should the novice begin? We Sold Our Soul For Rock 'n' Roll is still a good overview of the classic years, despite the removal of a few tracks. Paranoid remains an essential listen. Any of the first four albums will satisfy the casual heavy metal/doom metal fan; any of the first six enjoy good reputation among fans. The Dio albums are only if you like Dio; if you hate him, you'll hate the albums. Reunion is worth it for the faithful. Osbourne's best albums remain the first two, but be careful of anything labeled "re-mastered"; the remastering process included erasing Daisley and Kerslake and overdubbing faceless sessionmen, robbing the albums of much character.

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