Album
Sabotage
Sabotage is the sixth studio album by Black Sabbath, released on 28 July 1975 through Vertigo. It was made while the band were locked in a legal fight with their former manager, Patrick Meehan, and the strain of that dispute seeped into the sessions and gave the record its name. Guitarist Tony Iommi co-produced it with Mike Butcher.
It follows on from the experiments of the previous two albums, setting the band's customary weight alongside acoustic guitar and choirs. Reviews were positive at the time and it sold well, though it became their first album not to reach platinum certification in the United States. It has since earned a place as a classic in the Sabbath catalogue, and it is a rewarding listen for anyone curious about how far the band stretched their sound in the mid-seventies.
Sabotage on Riffology
riffology.co →
Sabotage: tracklist, credits and charts
8 tracks · 43:07Tracklist
- 1Hole in the SkyButler, Iommi, Osbourne, Ward4:00
- 2Don't Start (Too Late)Butler, Iommi, Osbourne, Ward0:49
- 3Symptom of the UniverseButler, Iommi, Osbourne, Ward6:28
- 4MegalomaniaButler, Iommi, Osbourne, Ward9:43
- 5The Thrill of It AllButler, Iommi, Osbourne, Ward5:55
- 6SupertzarButler, Iommi, Osbourne, Ward3:44
- 7Am I Going Insane (Radio)Butler, Iommi, Osbourne, Ward4:14
- 8The WritButler, Iommi, Osbourne, Ward8:14
- Produced by
- Black Sabbath, Mike Butcher, Black Sabbath
- Recorded at
- Morgan (London)
- Recorded
- February–March 1975
- Engineered by
- Robin Black, Mike Butcher
- Label
- Vertigo
- Length
- 43:07
Line-up
- Geezer Butler · electric bass guitar
- Tony Iommi · electric guitar
- Bill Ward · percussion, drums (drum set)
- Ozzy Osbourne · lead vocals
- English Chamber Choir · choir vocals · guest
Singles
- “Am I Going Insane (Radio)” · 13 February 1976
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart · 1975 | 7 |
| US Billboard 200 · 1975 | 28 |
| Austrian Albums · 1975 | 6 |
| Norwegian Albums · 1975 | 6 |
| UK Rock & Metal Albums · 2021 | 7 |
| German Albums · 1975 | 17 |
| Swiss Albums · 2021 | 25 |
| Croatian International Albums (HDU) · 2025 | 30 |
| UK Independent Albums · 2021 | 32 |
| Canadian Albums · 1975 | 33 |
All 15 charts
| New Zealand Albums · 1975 | 33 |
| Hungarian Physical Albums (MAHASZ) · 2025 | 40 |
| Scottish Albums · 2021 | 51 |
| Belgian Albums (Wallonia) · 2021 | 109 |
| Australian Albums (ARIA) · 2021 | 124 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom · 1975 | Silver |
| United States · 1997 | Gold |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
64.6
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
4.0k
ListenBrainz listeners
151k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
1.6k
Deezer fans (all editions)
More from Black Sabbath
Full discography →
Black Sabbath
1970
Paranoid
1970
Master of Reality
1971
Vol 4
1972
Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
1973
We Sold Our Soul for Rock ’n’ Roll
1975
Technical Ecstasy
1976
Never Say Die!
1978
Heaven and Hell
1980
Live at Last
1980
Mob Rules
1981
Live Evil
1982
Born Again
1983
The Sabbath Collection
1985
Seventh Star
1986
The Eternal Idol
1987
Headless Cross
1989
TYR
1990
The Ozzy Osbourne Years
1991
Dehumanizer
1992
Cross Purposes
1994
Cross Purposes – Live
1995
Forbidden
1995
The Sabbath Stones
1996
Under Wheels of Confusion: 1970–1987
1996
Reunion
1998
The Collection
1999
Black Mass
1999
The Best of Black Sabbath
2000
Past Lives
2002
Symptom of the Universe: The Original Black Sabbath 1970–1978
2002
Black Box: The Complete Original Black Sabbath 1970–1978
2004
Greatest Hits 1970–1978
2006
The Dio Years
2007
Live at Hammersmith Odeon
2007
The Rules of Hell
2008
Greatest Hits
2009
13
2013
Live… Gathered in Their Masses
2013
The End
2016
The Ultimate Collection
2016
The End
2017
Anno Domini: 1989–1995
2024
The best of 1975
All of 1975 →
More on Vertigo
The label →
Metallica
Metallica · 1991
…And Justice for All
Metallica · 1988
Death Magnetic
Metallica · 2008
St. Anger
Metallica · 2003
Load
Metallica · 1996
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath · 1970
S&M
Metallica · 1999
Vol 4
Black Sabbath · 1972
Heaven and Hell
Black Sabbath · 1980
Pyromania
Def Leppard · 1983
Mob Rules
Black Sabbath · 1981
Never Say Die!
Black Sabbath · 1978
Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia + musicbrainz + wikidata
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 28 July 1975 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 28 July 1975 | |
| Wikidata | 28 July 1975 | |
| US release | 28 July 1975 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 1975 | earliest UK or European date |
34 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | US | Creative Sounds Ltd. | 016726600325 | other |
| — | AU | Castle Communications | 5017615620221 | other |
| 1975 | DE | Vertigo | other | |
| 1975 | JP | Vertigo | other | |
| 1975 | GB | NEMS | other | |
| 28 July 1975 | US | Warner Bros. Records | original | |
| 1980 | GB | NEMS | other | |
| 1986 | GB | Castle Communications | 5017615620221 | other |
| 1986 | FR | Castle Communications | 5013428706183 | other |
| June 1986 | XE | Castle Communications | 5013428706183 | other |
| 1987 | US | Warner Bros. Records | 075992728720 | other |
| 1987 | GB | Creative Sounds Ltd. | 016726600325 | other |
| 1987 | CA | Warner Bros. Records | 075992728720 | other |
| 5 March 1989 | JP | Vertigo | 4988011314537 | other |
| 1990 | SU | SNC Records | other | |
| 1991 | SU | SNC Records | other | |
| 21 August 1991 | JP | Metal Mania | 4988004033346 | other |
| 28 February 1996 | GB | Essential! Records | 5017615830620 | other |
| 2000 | XE | Castle Music | 5050159102921 | other |
| 7 March 2001 | JP | Victor | 4988002413324 | remaster |
| 2004 | GB | Sanctuary Midline | 5050749203625 | other |
| 2007 | AR | Icarus Music | 5050749203625 | other |
| 17 October 2007 | JP | Strange Days Records | 4988005490841 | other |
| 26 August 2009 | JP | NEMS | 4988005569806 | other |
| 16 September 2009 | GB | Sanctuary Records | 602527166643 | other |
| 2014 | US | Rhino | 603497905140 | other |
| 5 August 2016 | US | Rhino | 081227946579 | other |
| 5 August 2016 | US | Warner Bros. Records | 081227946562 | other |
| 2021 | US | Rhino | 603497844845 | deluxe |
| 11 June 2021 | XW | BMG | 4050538659597 | deluxe |
| 11 June 2021 | US | — | deluxe | |
| 11 June 2021 | US | Rhino | 0603497843701 | remaster |
| — | — | Creative Sounds Ltd. | 016726600325 | other |
| — | — | Sanctuary Records | 5414939678875 | remaster |
Cover art sources
itunes · native: native 2400x2400
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| itunes ✓ | 2400×2400 | native: native 2400x2400 |
| deezer | 1200×1200 | upscaled |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |
| coverartarchive | 500×500 | upscaled |