From Ultimate Classic Rock.
Louisa Livingstone, the black-robed woman on the cover of Black Sabbath‘s debut, has spoken about the experience in recognition of the album’s 50th anniversary.
At the time, Livingstone was a model in her late teens, and photographer Keith “Keef” Macmillan chose her, in part because she was only five feet tall, thereby making the scenery around her look big. Macmillan chose Oxfordshire’s Mapledurham Watermill, a historic building that dates back to the 15th century, because he thought it fit the dark, gothic sound of the band, and the two went there one morning.
“I remember it was freezing cold,” she told Rolling Stone. “I had to get up at about 4 o’clock in the morning. Keith was rushing around with dry ice, throwing it into the water. It didn’t seem to be working very well, so he ended up using a smoke machine. It was just, ‘Stand there and do that.’ I’m sure he said it was for Black Sabbath, but I don’t know if that meant anything much to me at the time.”
“She wasn’t wearing any clothes under that cloak because we were doing things that were slightly more risqué, but we decided none of that worked,” he added. “Any kind of sexuality took away from the more foreboding mood. But she was a terrific model. She had amazing courage and understanding of what I was trying to do.”
Despite her work on the cover, Livingstone, now an electronic musician who works under the name Indreba, never gravitated towards the music. But for Macmillan, the cover shoot was an entry into a whole new world. “To be honest, it was the first time I really enjoyed that kind of heavy rock,” he said. “But that album made me a fan for life.”
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- Black Sabbath - Hard Road - German - 7" vinyl - £15.00, $18.90, €18.15 (Back In Stock) (arrived 20-Feb-2025 17:00)on February 21, 2025 at 10:07 am
BLACK SABBATH Hard Road (Original 1978 German 7" wide centre with Symptom Of The Universe on Side B, housed in a paper picture sleeve )
- Black Sabbath - Master Of Reality - 1st - VG - UK - vinyl LP - £175.00, $220.50, €211.75 (New Item) (arrived 18-Feb-2025 17:00)on February 21, 2025 at 10:07 am
BLACK SABBATH Master Of Reality (Rare 1971 UK first issue 'swirl' label 8-track vinyl LP with unusual reversed white on black label, housed in the original fully laminated & embossed box sleeve with the often missing matching reverse 'swirl' inner. We tend to find these box covers in less than desirable condition, however this example remains in superb shape with just a little laminate rippling. The vinyl is clean with just a few faint paper hairlines visible when held to the light which do not affect play. A Very Good example of this classic) #Top 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time
- Black Sabbath - Master Of Reality - 1st - VG - UK - vinyl LP - £175.00, $220.50, €211.75 (New Item) (arrived 18-Feb-2025 13:00)on February 21, 2025 at 10:07 am
BLACK SABBATH Master Of Reality (Rare 1971 UK first issue 'swirl' label 8-track vinyl LP with unusual reversed white on black label, housed in the original fully laminated & embossed box sleeve with the often missing matching reverse 'swirl' inner. We tend to find these box covers in less than desirable condition, however this example remains in superb shape with just a little laminate rippling. The vinyl is clean with just a few faint paper hairlines visible when held to the light which do not affect play. A Very Good example of this classic) #Top 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time
- Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath - 3rd - VG - UK - vinyl LP - £75.00, $94.50, €90.75 (New Item) (arrived 18-Feb-2025 13:12)on February 21, 2025 at 10:07 am
BLACK SABBATH Black Sabbath (Rare 1972 UK third issue of the 1970 7-track LP on the 'small swirl' Vertigo label, gatefold picture sleeve. The sleeve shows edge scuffing and moderate general wear with no tears or splits, whilst the vinyl is graded as VG with light scuffs & hairlines to indicate play VO6) #Top 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time
- Black Sabbath - Technical Ecstasy - UK - vinyl LP - £20.00, $25.20, €24.20 (New Item) (arrived 18-Feb-2025 15:32)on February 21, 2025 at 10:07 am
BLACK SABBATH Technical Ecstasy (1976 UK 8-track vinyl LP on the Vertigo 'space ship' label, picture sleeve. The sleeve shows some general shelf wear, whilst the vinyl appears seldom played. A fantastic play copy )
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