Iron Man - My Journey Through Heaven and Hell with Black Sabbath - Tony Iommi with T.J. Lammers

Tony starts out his autobiography with his most iconic story - losing the fingertips of his right hand

(his fretting hand, as he is left-handed) in an accident at work. What I didn't know was that this happened on his last day at work right before he was due to go on his first tour with a local band and that he had come home for lunch, planning on not returning, but his mum made him finish out the day! Being self-reliant, he fashioned his own replacement tips, using parts of a leather jacket, and the rest is history!

The book reads as if Tony dictated his recollections and Lammers wrote them out - the chapters are all short anecdotes, ranging from his early childhood up until the time of the publishing. Of course, he tells of his time in Black Sabbath - his most famous combo, naturally - as well as his brief stint in Jethro Tull (just long enough to film Rock'n'Roll Circus) - along with the many variations and off-shoots after the original line-up of BS broke up.

There are many stories of pranks and hazing, including a number of instances of cruel tricks on Bill Ward - not the least of which was setting him on fire, causing third degree burns! This seems especially nasty since he was not allowed to participate in the most recent reunion.

The man has been through a lot - he reminisces on his love lives, as well as his music - and has done quite a number of projects, many of which I never knew about. He tells an entertaining tale and keeps the momentum moving throughout. Certainly a fine read for any fan.