Neon Knights

"Neon Knights" is a song by British rock band Black Sabbath from 1980's Heaven and Hell, their first album with American vocalist Ronnie James Dio.

"Neon Knights"
Single by Black Sabbath
from the album Heaven and Hell
B-side	"Children of the Sea (live)"
Released	July 1980
Recorded	January 1980 at Studio Ferber, Paris, France
Genre	Heavy metal
Length	3:49
Label	Vertigo
Songwriter(s)	Ronnie James Dio, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, Bill Ward
Producer(s)	Martin Birch
Black Sabbath singles chronology
"Hard Road" (1978) "Neon Knights" (1980) "Die Young" (1980)
Audio sample
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Overview

"Neon Knights" was the last song written by the band for the Heaven and Hell album.[1] It was quickly written and recorded at Studio Ferber in Paris during January 1980 simply to fill time on the album's first side.[1] The lyrics were written by Ronnie James Dio. It is the only song on Heaven and Hell to definitely feature songwriting input from bassist Geezer Butler, the band's main lyricist during the Ozzy Osbourne era. Butler was absent for most of the songwriting process due personal issues as well as his own uncertainty as to whether he wanted to remain in the band. Dio occasionally performed the song during their live shows. The venue and date of the live version of "Children of the Sea" is not specified. The song reached #22 on the UK charts, but failed to chart in the US or anywhere else.

In the UK the first 25,000 copies had a picture-bag.

Track listing

7" single (Vertigo #6837 640)

1. "Neon Knights" – 3:49
2. "Walk Away" – 4:21

7" single (Vertigo #SAB 3)

1. "Neon Knights" – 3:49
2. "Children of the Sea" (live) – 6:30

Personnel

• Tony Iommi – guitar
• Bill Ward – drums
• Geezer Butler – bass
• Ronnie James Dio – vocals
• Geoff Nicholls – keyboards

Chart positions

Chart (1980)	Position
UK Singles Chart[2]	22

Covers

• Iron Savior covered the song on their 1999 album Unification.
• Steel Prophet covered the song on their 2000 album Genesis.
• Turbo covered the song on their 2001 album Awatar.
• Westworld covered the song on their 2002 album Cyberdreams.
• Queensrÿche covered the song on their 2007 album Take Cover.
• Sapattivuosi covered the song on their 2009 album Ihmisen merkki.
• Warrior covered the song in 2010 for the tribute album Neon Knights – A Tribute to Black Sabbath.[3]
• Anthrax covered the song during live performances in tribute to Dio following his death in 2010. In 2014, the band recorded a studio version for the tribute album Ronnie James Dio This Is Your Life.

References

1. Iommi, Tony (2011). Iron Man: My Journey Through Heaven and Hell with Black Sabbath. Da Capo Press. ISBN 978-0306819551.
2. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. (9 August 1980). "Hits of the World: Britain". Billboard. 92 (32): 64. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 18 February 2010.
3. "Warrior's Cover Of Black Sabbath Classic Posted Online". Blabbermouth.net. 17 February 2010. Archived from the original on 19 February 2010. Retrieved 18 February 2010.

External links

• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics