The Eternal Idol

The album cover features two models in bronze paint re-enacting Auguste Rodin's 1889 sculpture "The Eternal Idol". Due to the paint's toxicity, the models were hospitalized after the shoot. A photograph of the original sculpture was intended as the cover art, but permission could not be secured.[8]

The sleeve credits Dave Spitz as bass player, but all bass parts were by Bob Daisley. Eric Singer played the drums; the percussion credit for Bev Bevan relates to a few cymbal overdubs on "Scarlet Pimpernel".[9]

The album was originally to be recorded with Spitz and vocalist Ray Gillen. The former was replaced by bassist/ lyricist Bob Daisley during initial sessions on Montserrat with producer Jeff Glixman. According to Daisley, Gillen had struggled with the lyrics, and also management wasn't paying him [10] and the rest of the band. Gillen quit shortly after their return to England.[11] Gillen and Eric Singer (who left the band right after he finished his drum parts to join Daisley in Gary Moore's touring band) later joined the band Badlands.[11]

Tony Martin was hired and reconstructed the vocals under the guidance of Chris Tsangarides at Battery Studios shortly before production ended.[11] Most tracks were written by Tony Iommi and Bob Daisley (the vinyl version states that all songs were written by Iommi) although some lyrics were modified by Geoff Nicholls. Martin said he "only sang on, and had no part in writing" The Eternal Idol, but nonetheless "thought [it] was one of the better albums of the band."[12]

The song Nightmare was initially written for the third Nightmare on Elm Street movie.[13]

After Daisley and Singer departure, bassist Dave Spitz returned and drummer Bevan was hired for a 1987 tour in support of the album, however, soon Spitz and Bevan backed out on learning that Sabbath had booked dates in South Africa during the apartheid crisis. Nicholls played bass for that tour and a few shows before Jo Burt (former Virginia Wolf) was hired as the new bass player. Bevan was replaced by former Clash drummer Terry Chimes, and appears in the music video for "The Shining". ("The bass player in the 'Shining' video," recalled Martin, was some guy that we dragged off the street. I can't remember his name but he looked the part. He said that he was a guitarist. I remember he was always talking about how he was a Red Indian, thus all the turquoise he wore! We never saw him again."[14])

"I'd like to have seen some of the stuff off The Eternal Idol be a bit more credited," Iommi reflected to Sabbath fanzine Southern Cross, "because I think there's some good tracks on that album – 'Ancient Warrior'…"[15]

A three-minute and fifteen second studio outtake titled "Some Kind of Woman", written by Tony Martin shortly after joining the band, appeared as a b-side of "The Shining" single. An early version of "Black Moon" – a song destined for Headless Cross – was released as a b-side of the "Eternal Idol" single.

The album was rereleased on 1 November 2010 in Europe as a two-disc expanded set. Bonus content includes the aforementioned b-sides "Some Kind of Woman" and "Black Moon" on disc 1. Disc 2 contains the session for the album recorded with Ray Gillen on vocals.[16][17]

Black Sabbath

• Tony Martin – lead vocals
• Tony Iommi – guitar
• Eric Singer – drums
• Bob Daisley – bass
• Geoff Nicholls – keyboards
• Ray Gillen – sinister laugh on "Nightmare", lead vocals on 2010 deluxe edition disc 2

Additional musicians

• Bev Bevan – percussion (cymbal overdubs on "Scarlet Pimpernel" and "Eternal Idol")

Production

• Jeff Glixman – producer, engineer at Associated Independent Recording Studios Monserrat
• Vic Coppersmith-Heaven – producer, engineer at Associated Independent Recording Studios London
• Chris Tsangarides – producer, engineer and mixing at Battery Studios, London

• The Eternal Idol at Discogs (list of releases)
• Eternal Idol at Black Sabbath Online
• Sample tracks at Rolling Stone