The intro to falling of the edge of the world is the finest piece of music ever written

The guitar solo in Lonely is the word is one of Iommi's best, incredible guitar!!

I saw Ronnie with Heaven & Hell in 2009, "Sign of the southern cross" just brought me to tears. Thanks for the show🍺🤘!!

Voodoo is a top ten song all-time for me. I think Tony did his overall best playing with Ronnie in the band.

Come on!!! Mob Rules rules, by a country (girl) mile over H&H, though the four stand-out songs on that record are indeed brilliant. But Mob Rules is much much more consistent and somehow more substantial, and I really like Over And Over as well as the closer. The mellow part in Falling Off the Edge of the World is spine-tingling!! Pure Ronnie 💜

Gotta shout out Lady Evil. It’s a quintessential Ronnie tune and a nice groovy interlude between the two epic songs of children of the sea and heaven and hell

Mob rules I like every song

Love them both a lot, but nowadays Mob Rules get a lot more listening time from me. Phenomenal album.

Heaven & Hell was massive at our school (well for the music heads) - brilliant record and a great cover. Bought mine in Underground Records (a great shop back in the day) in Southampton and being very excited. Wasn't disappointed.

Lonely is the word is fantastic

Personaly Heaven and Hell is the perfect album of all time RJD finest piece of work IMO every track is 100%

Love the bass on H&H. Why wouldn't you want it up? Perfect mix in my opinion.

Mob Rules😈🤘

Agree they are my favorite tonull albums by Black Sabbath hands down

I love Lonely is the Word and Walk Away. Tony's solos on the album closer are two of my favorite solos of all time!

Mob Rules is strong, gets better with age, Heaven and Hell is one of the greatest albums ever made, imho.

Heaven and Hell. I bought both albums, in 1980 and ‘81 respectively, and while both are excellent H&H is my preference of the two.

Ronnie took a bit of rainbows light and shade to Tony’s riffs

Great show/ two phenomenal records. Thanks. Hack/. Martin & Pete 👍💯

I said it before and I say it again; Mob Rules, the best album ever recorded by any band. Production, playing (especially drums), album cover, songs (except maybe for Die Young), all superior to Heaven & Hell. Yes, also Over and Over, what a fantastic song, how can one not just outright adore it? I would say Heaven & Hell 8/10, Mob Rules 10/10. Keep up the fun conversations, I subscribed 😀

Like Pete I have been debating these two albums for years it's almost like choosing between two kids lol.....I have to say heaven and hell only because of how I felt for the first time I heard neon knights come out of my speakers OMG i couldn't believe it. Black Sabbath is my favorite band of all time and to get a singer like DIO come in to replace Ozzy, WOW amazing stuff. Great episode, thank you from Georgetown Ontario.

Hi guys Excellent show. I have always wanted Pete and Martin to rank the songs in these two albums but this will work. First of all, I prefer Mob Rules by a hair over Heaven and Hell. However, I cannot agree with you on Lonely Is The Word. IMO it is a top 5 Sabbath song for me. Sorry. We all hear things differently.

Heaven and Hell was the first Black Sabbath I heard around the age of 11 (thanks to my big brother). I thought the title track was heavy, mysterious, and poetic. It seemed like serious music that was saying something. Now I'm 53. I still think it's a masterpiece.

In recent years, about the last 10 - 15, Mob Rules is the one I return to more often than not of the two. And maybe this is because I played the hell out of H&H since the late 80s. I certainly played it a lot more than Mob Rules. If push came to shove then I'd sway with Mob Rules of the two, but it is almost unfair to make a choice, both are incredible, even the songs you guys don't like I like. I just can't fault these two albums. Country Girl has a Wicker Man vibe about it to me, the Geezer and Tony dual soloing on Slipping Away, "AH COME ON" that Dio screams on MB... I could go on, great album. Great albums.

If you haven’t done it already, now you have to do Blizzard vs. Diary.

Mob Rules wins because it sounds much heavier than H&H.

I go with Mob Rules just because Sign of the Southern Cross is my favorite Sabbath tune.

Both are phenomenal, without question and Sign Of The Southern Cross is my all time favorite Sabbath song but H&H was my introduction to Sabbath so for sentimental reasons I’m going with H&H.

I know it's a contrarian view but I give Mob Rules a *slight* edge. Side 1 of H & H is as perfect a side of heavy metal as has ever been laid down on vinyl, but things drop off a lot on side 2 IMO, while I find Mob more consistent throughout.

In interviews Bill said that he just didn't feel that the band was the same without Ozzy, and he was very much not into the vibe. This (along with health issues) could absolutely have impacted his "enthusiasm" behind the kit on Heaven and Hell. I love Bill's drumming, but comparing Heaven and Hell to his early work in Sabbath is night and day.

I love Over and over.

Awesome! Great show!

Great discussion about Black 🖤 Sabbath Riff Worship 🙏 and Dio .. i purchased both remastered and remixed records with the seperate Double live album and fits this little pocket of some of the BEST Black Sabbath albums back to Back again 😃👍

I love both albums but gotta pick Heaven & Hell 🔥🔥🔥

Did anyone else notice both Martin and Pete forgot to talk about Voodoo? Lol

Heaven and Hell by a hair over Mob Rules. Both are phenomenal albums though.

I play mob rules far more..best produced album birch did too

Enjoyed this show immensely thanks Hack. Pardo's passionate words regards H&H the song was touching. For me both albums are equal but if forced it'd be H&H as both are phenomenal albums cheers \m/

It has to be Mob Rules for me over Heaven And Hell, although both are obviously classics. These two albums are probably the two Sabbath albums releases I play the most out of the entire catalogue

Over and Over is a killer doom track - Dio's lyrics and vocals on that are incredible - can't see how anyone sees it as "meh"

Heaven and Hell for me, but Mob Rules has the better cover..

I was a 18yrs old and working in a record shop and had no idea of a new Sab album coming out(the boss was all Eagles,Fleetwood Mac,etc never would tell me what he ordered.)Really surprised when I flipped the cover over and there’s Dio.Had no idea he was no longer in Rainbow.This lp saved Sabbath.Btw I have always loved Wishing Well.Great chords and for my money one of Tony’s greatest solos like Kill in the Spirit World of Headless Cross.I cannot understand the dislike for the song.And Die Young is ok but really I prefer Wishing Well.

As a complete album Mob Rules wins. However, Heaven and Hell has three classics that are so perfect nothing else touches them on Mob rules save maybe sign of the southern cross

Never Say Die( the song)was basically Thin Lizzy - The Boys Are Back in Town . Dumbed down and added distortion, easier to play Never Say Die, but basically the same chord progressions key wise

I have always rated highly ‘Over And Over’ and Ronnie’s vocals are filled with emotion.. I don’t know if Ronnie is singing about Depression/Mental Health. Of course the band bring-it too. The fillers for me are : Walk Away,Lady Evil,Slipping Away & Country Girl. That’s what cassettes were invented for back in the day.. home compilations etc

This isn't close for me. While I absolutely love "Heaven and Hell", "Mob Rules" (not THE Mob Rules..that is the song not the album) is vastly superior in every way. Vinny Appice is amazing, the production from Martin Birch is huge, the songs ("The Mob Rules", "Sign of the Southern Cross", "Voodoo", "Falling off the Edge of the World") are killer and Ronnie is even up a notch from his epic performance on "Heaven and Hell". I also like "Turn Up the Night" over "Neon Knights". "Over and Over" is so powerful!!! Easy win for "Mob Rules"!

Mob Rules

Heaven and Hell slightly over Mob Rules. For me, “Country Girl” and “Slipping Away” are *slight* low spots. Nevertheless, two of my favorite Sabbath albums.

I prefer Mob Rules slightly over Heaven. Mob feels a bit heavier.

For me, Mob Rules edges out Heaven & Hell just by a hair. Two fantastic albums.

Mob Rules is a 10, one of the best metal albums ever made. Deep tracks like Slipping Away, Country Girl and Voodoo are incredible. Heaven and Hell is an 8, Wishing Well and Walk Away are not bad but definitely a step down from the rest of the album.

Over And Over > Lonely Is The Word

Thats a tough one...🤔

Both albums are excellent. Something that is often overlooked is just how amazing Bill Ward's drumming is on H&H. Cool that Popoff mentions him. The other guys don't understand drumming, evidently 😅

I've got to go with Sir Guitar Hack. Mob Rules sounds like the band put it all together and improved upon a great thing. Both lp's are timeless, though.

Although both are brilliant, I prefer Mob Rules, for two reasons. I think the production is better and there are no weaker tracks.

Both albums in my top 20 of all time w mob rules barely edging out heaven

Mob Rules by a hair!

Children of the Sea their best epic song

I'm with Hack on this one. Actually I love both albums but Mob Rules is waaay ahead of Heaven & Hell. Lady Evil is too Foreignerish,especially the opening.Lonely is the Word ends,despite Tony's great solo,with keyboards that echo the rhythm guitar during the solo of Zeps Stairway to Heaven,but I never skip those songs at any rate. Mob Rules has got that unbelievable production,probably Martin Birch's best,more consistent songs,more powerful,heavier,more agressive,Ronnie's most snarling vocal ever,probably due to the tension that was going on within the band at this point,but it only adds to the power of the album, I agree also with Hack in that these two albums have the greatest Dio of his entire career,even though I have to side with Martin that I really love those daringly creative latter Ozzy era albums,and yes I love Never Say Die!

Both are good, but Blizzard and Diary are better, in my opinion. I was like 14/15 then, and Ozzy VS Dio was a big thing, and I was always an Ozzy guy. Still saw Sabbath on both these tours though and they were great.

Mob Rules might be better song by song and sound wise but I’d have to give it to H&H as my two favorite Sabbath songs period - Neon Knights and Heaven and Hell appear on it

Ten Years After opened in Maple Leaf Gardens

H&H is still my favorite BS album, no contest.

Mob Rules is great but Heaven and Hell is classic....one of the best metal albums of all time

Mob Rules has no weak moments, but Heaven and Hell has Walk Away. Mob Rules also has the better production.

It’s bizarre because ‘Walk Away’ is possibly my favourite song from the album. Still trying to get into Dio era as it’s never grabbed me Iike Ozzy or Tony Martin. Love Dehumanizer though. I think it’s because Dios voice can be a little overpowering for me. Ideal on Dehumanizer.

Black Sabbath........ Heaven and Hell................... Rules !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If Mob Rules was recorded first….everyone would say it was by far the better album

Martin you ever going to end up on Pawn Stars with those Sabbath albums?

Wishing well is a great song to me. Very much liek Dio material. great melodies, aught in the mdle style. walk away is not great.

Heaven and Hell by a hair.

Mob Rules. Everything is better on it, songs, the production. On H&H there are few songs they are not on the same level with H&H and Neon Nights and the production is uneven and dry.Mob Rules has only one lesser song, Country Girl, but the production is fantastic and it Has the best BS song ever Sign of the Southern Cross. Turn Up the night, Voodoo and Falling Off The Edge Of The World are all high quality BS.

Mob Rules doesn't contain any of the goofy 1970s Honky Tonk Boogie tracks like Lady Evil, Wishing Well, Lonely is the Word, and the extremely outdated Walk Away ( Ronnie's last attempt at keeping the spirit of Elf alive). Plus there is nothing as menacingly Heavy as Voodoo, Country Girl, and Sign of the Southern Cross on Heaven and Hell. But Children of the Sea ,Die Young, Neon Knights, and Heaven and Hell were just better songs than anything on Mob Rules. Mob Rules is arguably Black Sabbath's Heaviest album. I listened to it back to back with Born Again, and Mob Rules just decimated Born Again in pure power and driving Heavy rhythms. Dio just delivered a louder harsher Voice than Ian Gillan's whiny delivery. I liked Ian's Voice with Deep Purple, and his solo band, but other than his high screaming sections he sounded weak and whiny with Black Sabbath. Maybe he was trying to sound more like Ozzy Osbourne.

Country girl sounds a bit like something grandpa Simpson would sing .

Mob Rules > H&H

Turn Up the Night isn't good....almost corny. Neon Knights crushes it as an opener.

Jesus enough of the "heading to the Tony Martin years" schtick

I don't like the production on heaven and hell i think it sounds thinny and weak.

Heaven & Hell is way way better than mob rules.

I don't rate dio as much of a lyricist, geezer butler is far superior. I also hate the title of die young, i think it could have been called stay young and be just as powerful. I don't listen to it because of the repeated die young die young.

Canadians. we're famous for not watching opening bands.

WTF is a barn burner ???Who TF is burning down barns?🙄.... to music ?

Heaven and Hell - An overrated album, imo. Just 8 songs, with about half of them being lesser tracks. 6/10 Mob Rules - I like every track. Better production and better drummer, imo. 10/10

My personal opinion/taste. These albums are bland pure commercial bland metal. Dio is not a good lyricist, his singing is very sophisicated, for me it's a bit annoying and boring to hear. I like the first 6 albums with Ozzy, then it's a special band, after that the band is one of many.

HEAVEN AND HELL is the best album DIO/RAINBOW.....NEVER made....its good but NOT heavy enough for SABBATH....MOB RULES has that dark satanic gypsy vibe....