Album
The Eternal Idol
The Eternal Idol is Black Sabbath's thirteenth studio album, following Seventh Star in 1986. It came out in the UK through Vertigo in November 1987, with the US release on 8 December 1987. It is the first Sabbath record to feature vocalist Tony Martin.
Making it was far from smooth. Sessions began in October 1986 and passed through three producers, Jeff Glixman, Vic Coppersmith-Heaven and Chris Tsangarides, while bassist Dave Spitz, Bob Daisley, drummer Eric Singer and vocalist Ray Gillen all left along the way. Martin re-recorded Gillen's vocals, and Bev Bevan added percussion overdubs. It reached No. 66 in the UK and No. 168 in the US, and reviews were mixed. It was the last album for Warner Bros. and Vertigo until 13 in 2013, and it is worth hearing as the start of the Martin era.
The Eternal Idol: tracklist, credits and charts
9 tracks · 43:10Tracklist
- 1The ShiningTony Iommi5:59
- 2Ancient WarriorTony Iommi5:32
- 3Hard Life to LoveTony Iommi5:00
- 4Glory RideTony Iommi4:49
- 5Born to LoseTony Iommi3:44
- 6NightmareTony Iommi5:20
- 7Scarlet PimpernelTony Iommi2:08
- 8Lost ForeverTony Iommi4:04
- 9Eternal IdolTony Iommi6:35
- Produced by
- Vic Coppersmith‐Heaven, Jeff Glixman, Chris Tsangarides
- Recorded at
- AIR Studios Montserrat, Battery (London, UK), AIR (London, UK)
- Recorded
- October 1986 – March 1987
- Mixed by
- Chris Tsangarides
- Mixed at
- Battery Studios
- Label
- Vertigo
- Length
- 43:10
Line-up
- Bob Daisley · bass guitar
- Tony Iommi · guitar
- Geoff Nicholls · keyboard
- Eric Singer · drums (drum set)
- Tony Martin · vocals
- Bev Bevan · drums (drum set) · guest
Singles
- “The Shining” · 1987
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart · 1987–1988 | 66 |
| US Billboard 200 · 1987–1988 | 168 |
| Finnish Albums (The Official Finnish Charts) · 1987–1988 | 25 |
| Austrian Albums · 2025 | 52 |
| Swiss Albums · Combined | 73 |
| Canadian Albums (RPM) · 1987–1988 | 86 |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
52.2
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
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Released the same week
Also released on 8 December
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Black Sabbath
1970
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1970
Master of Reality
1971
Vol 4
1972
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1973
We Sold Our Soul for Rock ’n’ Roll
1975
Sabotage
1975
Technical Ecstasy
1976
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1978
Heaven and Hell
1980
Live at Last
1980
Mob Rules
1981
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1982
Born Again
1983
The Sabbath Collection
1985
Seventh Star
1986
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
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Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikidata only
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 1 November 1987 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | November 1987 | |
| Wikidata | 8 December 1987 | |
| US release | 8 December 1987 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 1 November 1987 | earliest UK or European date |
20 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | XW | Sanctuary Records | 5414939681974 | remaster |
| — | XW | — | 5414939679971 | remaster |
| — | XE | BMG | 602527524603 | deluxe |
| 1987 | DE | Vertigo | 042283270824 | other |
| 1987 | US | Warner Bros. Records | other | |
| 1987 | US | Warner Bros. Records | 075992554817 | other |
| 1 November 1987 | XE | Vertigo | 042283270817 | original |
| 1 November 1987 | GB | Vertigo | 042283270848 | original |
| 5 December 1987 | JP | Vertigo | 4988011309038 | other |
| 8 December 1987 | US | Warner Bros. Records | 075992554824 | other |
| 21 October 1993 | JP | Vertigo | 4988011338304 | other |
| 22 April 1996 | GB | Essential! Records | 5017615833621 | other |
| 7 March 2001 | JP | Victor | 4988002413393 | remaster |
| 25 October 2004 | GB | Sanctuary Midline | 5050749207722 | remaster |
| 2010 | XE | Sanctuary Records | 602527524603 | deluxe |
| 1 November 2010 | GB | Sanctuary Records | 602527524603 | deluxe |
| 24 August 2011 | JP | Sanctuary Records | 4988005672445 | other |
| 2025 | XW | BMG | 4099964130843 | other |
| 25 July 2025 | US | Warner Records | 603497813612 | remaster |
| 25 July 2025 | XW | Sanctuary Records | 4099964164848 | remaster |
Cover art sources
coverartarchive · native: native 3667x3667, downscaled to 3000
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| coverartarchive ✓ | 3667×3667 | native: native 3667x3667, downscaled to 3000 |
| itunes | 1500×1500 | native |
| deezer | 1200×1200 | upscaled |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |