Shortly after, he was hired by British heavy metal band Black Sabbath to play bass on the studio sessions that would become their 1989 album Headless Cross.

Cottle wrote and played all the bass parts for the album and appeared on the music video for the song "Headless Cross" but didn't perform live or tour with the band.

In the 1990s, he produced three albums for guitarist Jim Mullen and recorded with British jazz musicians Mornington Lockett, Tim Garland, Django Bates, Gerard Presencer, and John Graham.

Cottle has also played on Eric Clapton's 1986 album August as well as Van Morrison's Keep Me Singing and Roll with the Punches.

Cottle played in the band with Mike Oldfield at the Tubular Bells 2 live concert at Edinburgh Castle in 1992.