Live Evil

Live Evil, released in 1982 (see 1982 in music) and in January 1983 in the UK, is the first “official” live album by British heavy metal band Black Sabbath, the previously released Live at Last (1980) not having been sanctioned by the band. It was recorded with Ronnie James Dio singing and is a document of the Mob Rules World Tour, that ran from November 15, 1981 to August 13, 1982. The 2007 limited-edition release Live at Hammersmith Odeon is from this same tour.

The sleeve states that “Live Evil” was recorded in Seattle, San Antonio and Dallas, but doesn’t give the venues or recording dates for the individual songs. Indeed, the sleeve doesn’t give dates for those shows but it is known that Black Sabbath played Seattle on April 23rd and 24th 1982, Dallas on May 10th and San Antonio on May 13, 1982. However, to further confuse matters, during a radio broadcast of his band Dio, recorded live in 1983 in Fresno, CA, Ronnie James Dio says, ‘Just in case you didn’t know, the album “Live Evil” that we (RJD & Vinny Appice) did with Black Sabbath here last time was recorded at Fresno.’ It is not unreasonable to assume that many of the shows were recorded with a view to the live album (see the aforementioned Live at Hammersmith Odeon) but whether any of the tracks recorded at Fresno, where Sabbath played April 18, 1982, made the final cut is unknown at this moment.