The Eternal Idol (studio album) by Black Sabbath

The Eternal Idol by Black Sabbath
Year: 1987
Overall rank: 21,528th   Overall chart historyOverall chart history
Average Rating: 
66/100 (from 97 votes)
  Ratings distributionRatings distribution   Average rating historyAverage rating history
Accolades:
Award Top albums of 1987 (280th)
Award Top albums of the 1980s (2,867th)
Award Best albums of all time (21,528th)
Product Details
Availability

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Black Sabbath The Eternal Idol (CD) Deluxe Album (UK IMPORT)
Condition: Brand New


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Black Sabbath "The Eternal Idol" LP 1987 US 1st Press LP Record Japan EX/EX
Condition: Used


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Black Sabbath The Eternal Idol Cassette Tape Album 1987 AR Hard Rock Heavy Metal
Condition: Like New


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Black Sabbath bestography

The Eternal Idol is ranked 17th best out of 45 albums by Black Sabbath on BestEverAlbums.com.

The best album by Black Sabbath is Paranoid which is ranked number 56 in the list of all-time albums with a total rank score of 19,384.

Black Sabbath album bestography « Higher ranked (20,333rd) This album (21,528th) Lower ranked (24,470th) »
Live EvilThe Eternal IdolWe Sold Our Soul For Rock 'N' Roll

Upcoming concerts

Apr
19
Fri
19:00
Iron Maiden Tribute "Sanctuary" , Lady Evil (Tribute To Black Sabbath,
Dingbatz, Clifton, United States. United States
Tickets from Ticketmaster Get tickets
 
May
04
Sat
19:30
The Iron Maidens, Paradise Kitty (Guns N' Roses Tribute), Sabbatha (Black Sabbath, Ozzy, and Dio Tribute)
The Forge, Joliet, United States. United States
Tickets from $20.00 (Ticketmaster) Get tickets
 
May
06
Mon
20:00
Fast Times, Black Sabbatha (a tribute to Black Sabbath), We Are Wasted
Whisky A Go Go, West Hollywood, United States. United States
Tickets from $15.00 (Ticketmaster) Get tickets
 
Discover more upcoming concerts

Listen to The Eternal Idol on YouTube

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The Eternal Idol track list

  Track ratingsTrack ratings The tracks on this album have an average rating of 75 out of 100 (all tracks have been rated).

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Track
Rating/Comments
1.
Rating: 78 (19 votes)Comments: 0
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2.
Rating: 79 (18 votes)Comments: 1
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4.
Rating: 73 (13 votes)Comments: 0
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5.
Rating: 74 (11 votes)Comments: 1
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6.
Rating: 74 (13 votes)Comments: 2
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8.
Rating: 73 (12 votes)Comments: 0
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9.
Rating: 79 (16 votes)Comments: 1
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The Eternal Idol rankings

The Eternal Idol collection

The Eternal Idol ratings

Average Rating: 
66/100 (from 97 votes)
  Ratings distributionRatings distribution Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AV
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.

Showing latest 5 ratings for this album. | Show all 97 ratings for this album.

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RatingDate updatedMemberAlbum ratingsAvg. album rating
 
65/100
 Report rating
12/14/2023 06:36 iann97  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 1,47475/100
 
10/100
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12/01/2023 02:00 Teaspoon  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 8960/100
 
65/100
 Report rating
11/19/2023 14:48 MaiaLedZep  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 5680/100
 
55/100
 Report rating
09/29/2023 10:57 fabm0  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 5,97759/100
 
75/100
 Report rating
05/22/2023 20:28 Johnnyo  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 8,63477/100

Rating metrics: Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some albums can have several thousand ratings)

This album has a Bayesian average rating of 66.5/100, a mean average of 64.1/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 65.9/100. The standard deviation for this album is 17.1.

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The Eternal Idol favourites

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The Eternal Idol comments

Showing all 7 comments |
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Rating:  
75/100
From 10/20/2019 20:46
Right off the bat, I'm not a huge fan of Tony Martin's voice. HOWEVER, even if you despise his voice and the production that hurts the late 80's Sabbath records, I implore you to listen to tracks like "The Shining", "Nightmare", "Ancient Warrior", and the title track - all of which boast some absolutely monstrous Tony Iommi riffs. Seriously, the songwriting here can be outstanding at times, so don't let the singer and the production ruin it for you.

EDIT - Martin's voice has really grown on me. He's no Ozzy or Dio, but he's got a good voice that fits the music with the right production. Luckily, it works out pretty well on this record.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
85/100
From 08/29/2019 15:03
Tony Martin rules
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
65/100
From 12/15/2016 16:50
Not a bad album. It turns out Tony Martin has a fine voice for Sabbath and this is a somewhat underrated part of the Sabbath catalog.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
85/100
From 11/26/2016 22:14
Record with Ray Gillen rules (Delux edition)
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
95/100
From 01/25/2015 17:59
The Eternal Idol is one of the best albums in Sabbath's catalog - it is totally underrated by most Sabbath fans (in large part because of the turmoil within the band and the constant turnover of the band's line-up at the time). The songs and performances are excellent, and that's the only thing that really counts.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
95/100
From 07/24/2012 10:34
Wonderful album!
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
95/100
From 07/02/2011 16:04
Very underrated album by Black Sabbath. No, it's not Ozzy...no, it's not Dio...no, it's not even Gilliam. But, what this album is...is some damn fine performances. The Black Sabbath name hurts this record because it isn't "Paranoid" or "Heaven and Hell."
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

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Best Albums of 1987
1. The Joshua Tree by U2
2. Appetite For Destruction by Guns N' Roses
3. Sign 'O' The Times by Prince
4. Strangeways, Here We Come by The Smiths
5. You're Living All Over Me by Dinosaur Jr.
6. Document by R.E.M.
7. Bad by Michael Jackson
8. Music For The Masses by Depeche Mode
9. Sister by Sonic Youth
10. Hysteria by Def Leppard
11. Substance 1987 by New Order
12. Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me by The Cure
13. Kick by INXS
14. Louder Than Bombs by The Smiths
15. Darklands by The Jesus And Mary Chain
16. Come On Pilgrim by Pixies
17. Paid In Full by Eric B. & Rakim
18. Diesel And Dust by Midnight Oil
19. Tango In The Night by Fleetwood Mac
20. Tunnel Of Love by Bruce Springsteen
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