Black Sabbath Team With Converse for New Chuck Taylors
To misquote a Black Sabbath lyric by Ozzy Osbourne, “What is this in Chuck Taylors that stands before me?” Shoemakers Converse are offering five new Sabbath-branded Chuck Taylor All Star kicks as part of its spring 2014 collection. The shoes feature cover art from four of the group’s Ozzy-era albums, including 1970’s Black Sabbath and Paranoid, 1972’s Vol. 4 and 1978’s Never Say Die!, as well as logo treatments and photos of the band. The liner of the Paranoid Chucks features imagery from the group playing the song live on a Belgian TV show in 1970, while the Vol. 4 edition has a Lunarlon sockliner that sports Ozzy with his outstretched arms as seen on the LP cover.
100 Greatest Artists: Black Sabbath
It’s the second time the group has licensed its name to Converse, following a 2008 collaboration. The new series will cost between $60 and $70, depending on the design.
After heavy touring in 2013 in support of their most recent album, 13 – their first-ever U.S. Number One album, which contained one of the 100 Best Songs of 2013, “God Is Dead?” – the group recently announced a string of 2014 North American tour dates. The tour kicks off in Brooklyn at the Barclays Center on March 31st. A press release at the time said it would be “part of the band’s final shows” for its world tour.
But even if it curbs its touring for this album, the band hasn’t totally ruled out writing a follow-up album. “Well, I guess you should never say never,” Butler was quoted as saying last June. “It could be, though. We’ll see how this album goes, see what happens.”