The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame righted a wrong in 2006 when it finally inducted the first and arguably greatest and most influential heavy metal band of all time, Black Sabbath, into its ranks.
But as with all things Rock Hall, the affair left something to be desired.
While it's inarguable that Black Sabbath's co-founding lineup of Geezer Butler, Tony Iommi, Ozzy Osbourne and Bill Ward deserve enshrinement in the Hall of Fame, Black Sabbath didn't break up in 1979 when Osbourne went solo. The band forged ahead, releasing two hugely impactful studio albums with Ronnie James Dio, Heaven and Hell and Mob Rules, and many others after Dio's departure.
Former drummer Vinny Appice, who succeeded Ward in the band and performed on Mob Rules, tells The Rock Experience with Mike Brunn that he and Dio should have been included in the induction. But especially Dio.
"How many bands have changed over the years? And some of [those changes] were important," Appice said. "Ronnie took Sabbath to a new level. At that point, they needed it. And we were both in the band, so they should do an extended band thing up to a certain point, I guess."
It makes sense for there to be a cutoff with the Hall of Fame inclusions, especially with a band like Black Sabbath that was a virtual revolving door of touring musicians and one-time collaborators in its later years.
But there is a clear line of demarcation in terms of Sabbath's cultural impact that starts with the band's debut album and peters out around Dio and Appice's respective departures from the band in 1982.
"As far as I'm concerned, it was the original Sabbath and the Dio Sabbath together — with Bill and with me," Appice added. "[Ward] played on Heaven and Hell and I played on Mob Rules and the rest of 'em — the most important [albums]. There was a lot of versions of Sabbath after that that were a little different."
Black Sabbath recently unveiled deluxe remastered versions of Heaven and Hell and Mob Rules, celebrating 'The Dio Years.'
Prior to Dio's death in 2010, Iommi, Butler, Dio and Appice celebrated their Black Sabbath career with the pseudo-Sabbath side project, Heaven & Hell, which released one acclaimed studio album, The Devil You Know in 2009.
Photos: Getty Images