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Guest Cameos on Black Sabbath Records
Of note, not all of these are cameos per se. Rather, some would fall into the category of brief membership, quasi-membership, and partial membership. In any event, here are some “guests” in the house of Sabbath—let’s just go with that.
Rick Wakeman from Yes plays keyboards on Sabbath Bloody Sabbath’s “Sabbra Cadabra.” The album was recorded at Morgan Studios in North London, and Yes just happened to be next door recording Tales from Topographic Oceans, so Wakeman, social animal that he is, to relieve the boredom, started hanging out with the Sabbath guys, one thing leading to another. Geezer talks about how Tony had been trying to play a keyboard part the band wanted on the album for the longest time. Meanwhile, Ozzy was actually not getting on with Yes and had stuck a bunch of stink bombs in their air conditioner, gassing the studio and almost killing Yes. While Yes was exiled from their digs, the Sabbath guys met up with Wakeman in Morgan’s bar and told him their problem, which Rick summarily solved in minutes by playing the part himself.
Moving forward, Gerald Woodroffe plays keyboards on Sabotage and Technical Ecstasy, Jezz’s next big gig being with Robert Plant. As well, Technical Ecstasy’s “She’s Gone” includes strings arranged and conducted by Florida’s Mike Lewis, who has also worked with Rod Stewart, KC and the Sunshine Band, Dr. Hook, Lionel Hampton, and the Bee Gees, the last who would of course provide the Miami mansion that Sabbath would use for the recording of Heaven and Hell.
The last album for Ozzy, Never Say Die, features brass arrangements by Will Malone, keyboards by Don Airey and harmonica by John Elstar, who was brought in to play harmonica to replace Ozzy’s vocal line previously intended for “Breakout.” Elstar also played harmonica for Highway (who toured with Sabbath), Kim Fowley, and Pretty Things.
As we cross into the Dio era, Geoff Nicholls plays keyboards on Heaven and Hell, Mob Rules, and Live Evil, as well as Born Again, Seventh Star, The Eternal Idol, Tyr, Dehumanizer, Cross Purposes, Forbidden, Reunion, The Dio Years (although, significantly, not on the new studio tracks, so this is merely an archival credit), and Live at Hammersmith Odeon.
With respect to assorted cameos from the mid-’80s forward, Seventh Star includes two bassists in the credits—Dave Spitz and Gordon Copley. The Eternal Idol credits Bev Bevan with percussion. As well, both Dave Spitz and Bob Daisley are credited as bassists, but the tracks are actually all Bob. Ray Gillen can be heard laughing on “Nightmare.” Queen’s Brian May turns in a guitar solo on “When Death Calls,” from 1989’s Headless Cross, while Ice-T provides a short rap on “The Illusion of Power” from 1995’s Forbidden.
Finally, into the band’s incarnation as Heaven & Hell, Scott Warren, of Dio band fame, plays keyboards on Live from Radio City Music Hall as well as Neon Nights: 30 Years of Heaven & Hell—Live in Europe. In closing, the invaluable Mike Exeter (also the record’s engineer) plays keyboards on The Devil You Know.