In a recent interview, Geezer Butler shed light on Tony Iommi’s dissatisfaction with producer Rick Rubin during the creation of Black Sabbath’s final album, 13.
Released in 2013, 13 marked the band’s nineteenth and last studio album, ending a significant gap of 18 years since their previous full-length release, Forbidden.
Reflecting on the band’s early prolific output, Butler remarked on the contrast with their experience on 13: “Yeah, that’s the way it evolved, I suppose. I always think you just lose the spontaneity and the feel of stuff.” He continued, noting that the album’s production process was prolonged and mixed in terms of its outcomes.
Speaking candidly about Rubin’s role in the album’s production, Butler noted that it wasn’t a collaboration that he or Iommi would eagerly repeat: “He certainly wouldn’t work with me ever again. Or Tony. Tony was incredibly disappointed with him. In fact, Tony took some of the master tapes and redid them.”
Despite these challenges, Butler expressed his enduring fondness for the band’s early albums, citing their raw and straightforward approach. He particularly praised the first three albums for their basic, live-in-studio feel and highlighted other albums like Heaven and Hell and Mob Rules for their production quality under Martin Birch.
The interview underscores the complexities of creative partnerships in music production and reflects on Black Sabbath’s journey through different eras of production styles and outcomes.
