Topic: Black Sabbath Album Discussion Thread

[metaldams]

      Time for album number three with the crushingly heavy MASTER OF REALITY.  I think stylistically and instrument wise, this isn’t that far off from PARANOID but there are subtle advances in the production and one big difference with the sound of the guitars and bass.  This is the first album they spent more than a week on and it is slightly more layered.  They are flirting with overdubs and different instrumentation, something that will be seen much more on future albums.  This is the last album where there is such an extreme separation of bass and guitars.  The bass is certainly plenty audible with lots of great playing on future albums, but not quite as heavy in the mix like the first three albums.  I think this is due to producer Rodger Bain.  This is his last album with Black Sabbath and similar mixing choices can be heard on those first two Budgie albums he did.

      MASTER OF REALITY is an extremely original album for its time and very important to the evolution of both heavy metal and even grunge.  The reason?  For a lot of these songs, the guitars were downtuned to C# versus standard E tuning.  For any non musicians reading this, that basically means the lowest notes on the guitar and bass are in a lower key, creating a darker sound.  This is very common for extreme metal bands these days, but the downtuning of heavy riffs started here.  Remember that finger handicap with Iommi?  By downtuning the action of the strings is looser, making it physically easier for Tony to play.  So not only did Tony find a way to overcome his handicap physically, but it also inspired something new that would be done by future generations of musicians even fifty years later. 

      This is completely subjective, but I think MASTER OF REALITY, if not my favorite Black Sabbath album, is their heaviest.  Certainly the heaviest album ever for 1971.  Martin Popoff, one of my favorite metal reviewers, said, and I’m paraphrasing, that collectors can take their rare $500 vinyl of some supposedly heavy band from the early seventies and watch it wither to dust when put up against MASTER OF REALITY.  I agree.  Onto the songs.

      The album opens with a cough.  That would be Tony Iommi coughing after smoking a joint.  “Sweet Leaf” is the opening track and is basically a love song to marijuana.  Who says Sabbath doesn’t write love songs?  Truthfully, I think there are lyrically much more thought provoking songs on this album, but what do you expect from a bunch of young guys consuming way too many drugs?  The drugs do get harder on future albums and play a big part in the story, but musically, this song is awesome.  Like other songs on the album, there are a lot of slow, melodic and really heavy riffs throughout.  If you like riffs, this album is for you.

      “After Forever.”  For anybody who thinks Black Sabbath were a bunch of Satanists, all they need to do is read the lyrics to this song.  Unabashedly Christian in tone.  About loving God and needing Him for salvation.  A bit fire and brimstone for a few lines, but this is a Christian song.  Geezer Butler was raised Catholic and that comes out in the lyrics sometimes, be it intentional or unintentional.  Musically this is one of the more upbeat songs on the album with very melodic guitar licks from Iommi counterpointed with some excellent melodic Geezer Butler bass fills.

      “Embryo/Children of the Grave.”  The former is basically just a thirty second intro for the latter’s main song.  “Children of the Grave” is the most famous song on the album and has been a Sabbath and Ozzy solo concert staple ever since.  Rhythmically this points to faster future forms of metal with that swinging eighth triplet rhythm pulsing throughout.  Impossible not to shake your butt to.  Some cool mood changes as the middle gets slow and doomy before the tempo picks up again and drum wise, Bill Ward always points out to the timpani overdubs as a sign Sabbath were just starting to get more studio savvy.  Great Ozzy vocal, an energetic metal classic whose lyrics are still very relevant.

      “Orchid” is about two minutes long and is some nice multi string picked acoustic playing from Tony Iommi.  Sabbath always has light moments on their albums and to me, they’re welcome.  More light moments will be found on future efforts.

      “Lord of This World.”  The final three songs are my favorite songs on the album, all masterpieces.  The riffs on this song - good God!  So heavy.  Imagine a brontosaurus slowly walking through the world’s thickest mud puddle.  That’s how much weight these riffs have.  Lyrically this song is incredible as well.  I love both Sabbath and Zeppelin, but I’m a bigger Sabbath fan for two reasons - a bigger part in inventing metal and much more importantly, Sabbath I find to be much better lyrically.  This is a great example of what I’m talking about.  When those riffs climax at the end of the song, Geezer’s bass providing counterpoint, I feel like an orchestra is playing.  So incredible.

      “Solitude.”  I really hope you guys have never been at a point in your lives where you can relate to this song, but if you were ever lonely, dumped and/or depressed, this song might hit you deep.  One of the best songs about depression ever written.  Ozzy’s somber vocals really touch my heart as does Geezer’s quarter note bass pulse and Tony Iommi’s flute playing.  Yes, I said Iommi on flute.  The instruments will branch out in albums to come, signs of it start here.  But this song is pure therapy and so achingly beautiful.

      “Into the Void.”  Probably a top ten Sabbath song for me.  A Tony Iommi riff master class.  Every one of these riffs is extremely heavy and extremely hummable.  Again, for 1971?  Nobody was this heavy, just incredible.  Also check out the bridge where things speed up.  When Bill Ward’s double bass drums kick in it could be any modern metal band.  I also love it towards the end when there are those crashing chords followed by Tony sliding up on the guitar, each slide getting higher and higher giving the song a great build in intensity.

      A classic album for sure and the end of what I consider to be the end of phase one.  The next album is a cusp album as it feels like a combo of what came before and what is about to come.  Sabbath are about to go to record in Los Angeles and start experimenting in multiple ways for BLACK SABBATH VOL 4.

[HomokHarcos]

I did notice this album was much more riff based, it actually sounds more accessible than Paranoiddespite not being as commercially successful.

I always hated that coughing intro. Whenever I heard my mom or brother listen to it my thought was "why are you listening to that?". Fortunately what follows is really good. I've never tried weed before and at the moment I have no interest, but I will admit the riff is very catchy. At about halfway through the song it changes and reminds me of some of what we heard on Paranoid. The drums were awesome there.

"After Forever" sounds like it was the song created to be a hit. I was not raised in a religious family, so I never cared if a band were accused of being Satanic. I also don't mind if the lyrics are Christian, that whole paranoia was way overblown.

I can see the influence "Children of the Grave" might have had on future metal bands. The verse sounds kind of thrashy. "Orchid" is breather song and I was surprised to hear it. It's gives you time to settle down and get ready for what's coming next.

I loved the bass playing on "Lord of this World". I could hear it clearly throughout, especially near the end of the song. "Solitude" reminds of "Planet Caravan". It has a somber, dark feeling and the vocals are also in the background. The flute playing enhances the song. It gives me a vision of a foggy day outside.

Yes, Tommy Iommi continues to shine here. "Into the Void" is a catchy song. It shows that despite what my grandmother thinks metal is not just a bunch of people bashing their instruments and it can be melodic.

I'm looking forward to seeing how Black Sabbath change in the future.

[metaldams]

In the 70’s and 80’s, Sabbath and Ozzy were branded as Satanists and picketed.  A bad influence on kids.  In the early 2000’s, Ozzy was a guest at The White House and considered father of the year.  Both extremes are wrong.

[Umbrella Sam]

Of the theee Black Sabbath albums I’ve heard, this is probably my favorite. While I certainly liked the riffs on other Sabbath songs (especially “Hand of Doom”), there’s something about the ones here that really stand out, and I can see how the production here was emphasized more, especially with stuff like “After Forever” and “Solitude”.

That being said, I have to agree with HomokHarcos regarding “Sweet Leaf”. The coughing intro is kind of annoying and also have no interest in its subject, but the riff is very catchy. “After Forever” is really cool; I love that really fast riff that’s played throughout and how it successfully goes through the tempo changes without feeling unnatural.

Heck, I even like the instrumentals here. Yeah, I’ve been complaining about a lot of the instrumentals we’ve been talking about here later, but these ones just feel so much more focused and worthy of actually being included on the album. I can see where Iommi’s classical influence comes into play.

“Children of the Grave” and “Into the Void” are also both catchy and “Lord of this World” has a riff that reminds me of “Hand of Doom”. My favorite song here is “Solitude”. Much like “Planet Caravan”, it’s a very atmospheric song, almost sounding as though it’s medieval, and Ozzy gives such a different vocal performance that I had to wonder for a second if it actually was him. I love the flute, the bells, the vocals, the bass…pretty much everything about it is really unusual and cool, and that’s what makes it stand out.

So, yeah, overall a very solid album. Glad I got to check it out.

[metaldams]

https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/henry-rollins-favourite-black-sabbath-album/?amp

The chances of ever breaking eye contact with former Black Flag frontman Henry Rollins are rather slim, and for a good reason. The singer, actor and all-around lover of the arts, Rollins has found notoriety for being one of the most intense people in music. It is both a blessing and a curse, and has seen Rollins caught on the wrong side of debates numerous times. However, where the singer’s unrelenting passion comes in handy is when he discusses music.

A total geek on all things music, Rollins has shed light on everyone from Jimi Hendrix to Death and even Pere Ubu in the past. To say that Rollins lives and breathes music would be something of an understatement. He’s one of those fellows, akin to a Mark Radcliffe, Johnny Marr or John Doran, who you could sit and listen to talk about music for hours. Rising from the underground to the legendary status he enjoys today, he has his finger on the pulse and is duly a respected voice on mainstream and more niche acts.


However, as with any avid music lover, there are a few acts that Rollins holds in higher regard than many others. For him, no more is this true than with Black Sabbath. A huge fan of the Birmingham band’s classic lineup, Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward, there’s one album of theirs that, for Rollins, trumps all the rest, this is 1971’s sludge fest Master of Reality.

This love for Sabbath, and particularly Master of Reality, accounts for Rollins’ dark side, and some of the more punishing moments in his back catalogue.


“Just my opinion, but the Black Sabbath catalogue is essential listening. One record from said catalogue really changed my mind on what arrangement meant in songs,” he told Sound of Vinyl in 2017. “The Black Sabbath album that means the most to me is their third album Master of Reality.” He followed this up with a simple message: “It is the first Black Sabbath album to get, then go from there.”


Given that a lot of Rollins work, be it in Black Flag or Rollins Band, have featured some gargantuan sounds made by the brotherly partnership of the bass and drums, it may come as little surprise to find out that Rollins views Butler and Ward as the best rhythm section in rock history.

When discussing Master of Reality, he told Goldmine in 2020: “Bill Ward and Geezer Butler are one of the greatest, if not undermentioned, rhythm sections in rock. This album not only has Tony Iommi capturing one of the greatest tones ever committed to tape, but Ward and Butler swinging as hard as they’re crushing it. This is a perfectly balanced bit of playing. This is the record I evaluate other rhythm sections by.”

One of the most influential albums of all time, by one of the most significant bands ever, Henry Rollins joins a long list of musical icons who list Master of Reality as one of the most excellent records ever put to wax.

[metaldams]

A one minute clip interview with Bill Ward.  Really emotional.  Vol. 4 review on Sunday.

[metaldams]

https://rateyourmusic.com/artist/black-sabbath

The general consensus for the Sabbath albums with ratings and reviews, though not necessarily mine.

[metaldams]

      BLACK SABBATH VOL 4.  Now we’re getting into sacred territory.  This album and the few that come after are my favorite albums by Black Sabbath.  Through my teens and twenties I considered BLACK SABBATH VOL 4 my favorite Sabbath album and maybe it still is.  I can’t make up my mind.  What I do know is I love the heaviness.  I love the isolation in the lyrics.  I love the musical experimentation that’s beginning to blossom and will continue further blossom on future albums.  I love the songs.  I love this album.

      This is the first Black Sabbath album recorded in the U.S., Los Angeles, to be exact.  The band, mostly Iommi, self produced it and you can ignore that Patrick Meehan co producer credit.  He was their manager looking for an ego boost and will play into the story later.  This is notoriously their cocaine album.  In the liner notes, they thank the “Great Coke Cola Company.”  Go to the Wikipedia page about this album if you want to read cocaine stories, but like so many rock bands of the 70’s, excess was seeping in.  My latest listen I was reading along to the lyrics and I can really see on a few tracks the influence the drug had on the psyche and this album.

      Musically, this is Black Sabbath, so of course this is heavy stuff.  Some of these songs have really forward thinking riffs that show an evolution in both Black Sabbath and heavy metal in general and I’ll point some out in the track by track section.  However, being the seventies and before things were so tightly pigeonholed, experimentation is also heard beyond metal.  We get piano, mellotron, orchestras, acoustic instruments and Latin rhythms.  Let’s do a track by track and see where all these things fall into place.

      “Wheels of Confusion.”  My favorite song on the album and one of my three favorite Sabbath songs ever.  Starts out with a slow 6/8 beat and some somber and soulful Tony Iommi lead playing.  Then it goes into this really slow, heavy riff punctured by Geezer Butler bass fills that lead into an again soulful Ozzy vocal.  Great lyrics to this song.  The riff after this verse is more note heavy and has Bill Ward wailing away on drums.  The middle section is real moody, with that pulsing bass and drum beat and catchy Iommi riffs.  Things tense up fast in the chorus and then goes back into one more verse.  The finale is a highly emotional instrumental section that gives me goosebumps.  The ways those chords crash before the rhythm section fully kicks in and Iommi’s soloing - brilliant.  I don’t have the proper words for this song to express how much it means to me other than to say I’ve been under its spell for almost thirty years.

      “Tomorrow’s Dream” was the attempted single from the album.  It did nothing commercially, but it has a cool driving riff and rhythm and a mellower, moody bridge that gives an extra dynamic to the track.  A cool, quick heavy melodic track.

      “Changes.”  I used to think this was an Ozzy solo song.  When Ozzy released his LIVE AND LOUD video in the early 90’s, he did this song and MTV played the Hell out of that clip.  Found out a few years later it was Sabbath.  An amazingly beautiful ballad and probably my favorite break up song.  Tony Iommi on piano, Geezer Butler on the mellotron (think of the intro of “Strawberry Fields Forever”) and one of my favorite Ozzy vocal performances ever.  Sabbath may be known for heavy stuff, but when they get mellow, few bands play as beautifully as Sabbath in my opinion.  There’ll be another example later in the album.

      “FX.”  Ninety seconds of weird noises.  Seriously.  I think this is the cocaine kicking in.  The way it’s sequenced on the album, though, is perfect.  Following the mellow “Changes,” this lulls me to sleep.  After going to sleep, it is followed up by….

      “Supernaut.”  After the sleep inducing 90 second mindlessness of “FX” and the beautiful yet very mellow “Changes,” there has been a significant amount time with any heaviness or rocking.  When the opening riff to “Supernaut” goes off, it’s like an alarm clock hitting you after a long night’s sleep.  There are some amazing riffs on this song and this has been cited as the favorite Sabbath song of both Frank Zappa and John Bonham.  Lyrically this is a bit out there and a bit delusional, probably the cocaine kicking in and my apologies to Geezer if I’m missing something here, but that’s my take.  Fascinating nonetheless, and as awesome as the riffs are, this gets more musically adventurous with some Latin section in the middle.  Tons of cool Bill Ward percussion and some rhythmic acoustic guitar, for a few moments this sounds like a Santana album.  The experimentation is kicking in.

      “Snowblind.”  I suspect the previous song is influenced by cocaine, with this song there is nothing to suspect.  Totally blatant in the title and lyrics.  They actually wanted to name the album “Snowblind” but the record company refused.  A concert staple and a total classic, this song is heavy and hook laden at the same time.  The mellow chorus and solo section is really beautiful and is another great example of how Sabbath can change moods on a dime.

      “Cornucopia.”  For years this was one of my least favorite songs on the album - now it’s one of my favorites.  It’s funny how tastes change.  The lyrics have finally made sense to me over the past few years - it seems to be about how the media numbs us from truth and distracts us with consumerism.  Great lyrics and musically this has more great riffs.  That opening riff is really slow and doomy and then the riff that goes to the verse is a fast one and seems to be way ahead of its time as far as advancing heavy metal.

      “Laguna Sunrise” A very, very beautiful instrumental.  It’s Tony Iommi playing these layered, multi track acoustic guitar parts backed by an orchestra.  The orchestra can be heard on the final verse of “Snowblind” but is more prevalent here.  I remember once years ago I was pulling out of my driveway with this song playing.  It was a snowy day.  The combination of this song and the sun gleaming off the ice created one of the most beautiful moments for me.  Probably my favorite Sabbath instrumental.

      “St. Vitus Dance.” This is a real short, quick, to the point song.  The lyrics and riffs are really direct for the most part except for that cool opening riff, which kind of has a Led Zeppelin feel to it.  My favorite part of this song has always been when the bridge starts and the riff changes key.  Really effective and it moves the song along nicely.

      “Under the Sun.”  The closing track and another absolute classic.  Another song that starts out real slow and doomy where the bass and drums fill out the empty spaces quite well.  The riff going into the verse is again way ahead of its time and one of my favorite Iommi riffs ever.  Sounds about ten years ahead.  A pretty progressive track with a lot of different parts and those riffs at the end are another example of guitar playing being layered to the point where it’s almost orchestral.  Love the way the tempo just gets slower and slower until the song and album ends.  Another brilliant track and with great lyrics delivered by Ozzy.

      We’re in the run of albums that mean the most to me and the next album gets even more experimental, to the point where almost anything goes.  That will be for next time, as for now, crank up BLACK SABBATH VOL 4 and go on the emotional journey it dares to take you.



       

[metaldams]

Going to throw this out there to.  A real cool cover of “Changes” from the recently deceased Charles Bradley that is as good as the original.  I heard this on YouTube, sans visuals when it came out and thought it was an obscure R&B singer from the 70’s recording this.  Turns out to be fairly recent.  Charles Bradley is singing this about the loss of his mother.  Whether Sabbath or Bradley, a great song.

[HomokHarcos]

This album I noticed is mostly based around slower riffs, what I think is called drone metal, or something similar. The opening track "Wheels of Confusion" is strong. I like the guitar riff here in the verses. Sounds like they were ahead of their time making the kind of music many bands would be making in the 1990s. The ending of the song is a good instrumental section that is faster paced. "Tomorrow's Dreams" is more of a run of the mill song, like "Paranoid" it feels like a more accessible song to the general public. Doesn't mean it's still not better than most of the songs I would hear.

I guess I had a different feeling about "Changes". I usually think Ozzy's vocals work really well with the heavier songs, but here his vocals felt very out of place for me. I was thinking another vocalist would have fit better for this song. "FX" sounds like ambient music that would be used in a video game or movie when there is tension. It actually reminds me of the first Tomb Raider game. "Supernaut" is the song I was familiar with. I liked the guitar riff a lot. I don't know if I can ever praise Tony Iommi enough. He's had a lot of great riffs so far. "Snowblind" is another catchy song with a good riff that also speeds up near the end and was actually giving me disco vibes. "Cornucopia" also, as you stated feels ahead of their time. It might be because I grew up hearing 1990s bands like Corrosion of Conformity and Monster Magnet, so I associate this sound with later bands. I think they must have been influenced by Black Sabbath.

"Sunrise" I think is a breather song, to put it. I like that we get to see a different side of the band. "St. Vitus Dance" has a very 1970s feel to it. It does sound like Led Zeppelin with the main riff. "Under the Sun" through most of the track feels less heavy, but I'd like to highlight that near the end it gets kind of bluesy with the guitar playing. This was another strong album.

[metaldams]

"Cornucopia" also, as you stated feels ahead of their time. It might be because I grew up hearing 1990s bands like Corrosion of Conformity and Monster Magnet, so I associate this sound with later bands. I think they must have been influenced by Black Sabbath.

Exactly right.  In the 90’s, most heavy metal was a dirty word in mainstream circles, unfortunately.  Ozzy era Black Sabbath was an exception and were finally starting to get their due.  As the decades wore on, other eras of the band seem to be getting their due more and that will be discussed later.  But yes, no doubt original Ozzy era Sabbath had a massive influence in the 90’s.  I saw Corrosion of Conformity open for Metallica in 1997.

I guess I had a different feeling about "Changes". I usually think Ozzy's vocals work really well with the heavier songs, but here his vocals felt very out of place for me. I was thinking another vocalist would have fit better for this song.

Getting way ahead vocalist wise, but maybe you prefer Tony Martin’s version?

[metaldams]

A 90’s tribute album, before these were common.

[metaldams]

Never owned the vinyl myself, just CD (a few times), but here are the gatefold pictures of VOL 4.  Very cool.

[Umbrella Sam]

HomokHarcos, I too noticed that there was more emphasis on slower riffs, and I liked that; it really emphasizes the darkness of the themes and music. I will flat out say “Snowblind” is my favorite song here; in fact, I think I’ll go as far as saying this is my favorite Sabbath song yet, even more than “Solitude”. I love that awesome slow riff, the drumming is cool, Ozzy sounds great vocally. I’ve listened to the song multiple times and I just keep wanting to hear it again, that’s how catchy it is. In general, I think Ozzy’s voice sounds at its best so far; the thing I noted most while listening to many of the tracks here were his vocals.

Much like the previous album, they do experiment with some atmospheric, different styles. “Laguna Sunrise” is a beautiful instrumental in classical fashion, and “Changes” is actually a piano-focused song that also effectively captures that somber atmosphere. Other standouts to me were “Wheels of Confusion”, which had a really awesome jam part at the end, and “St. Vitus Dance”, a fast, but really solid number. HomokHarcos, I too noted some blues influences in “Under the Sun” and it was kind of nice to hear that they never completely forgot about that. Much like the previous album, though, this is more focused on pioneering a musical style and also like the previous album, it does it really well. The only track I don’t like is FX. It feels like a waste of space; not very focused and with some dead air.

Production-wise, I did notice the bass was not nearly mixed as high as the first three, which was a bit of a shame considering I liked that aspect, but it’s made up for with that slower style and solid vocals. I’m debating between this and MASTER OF REALITY as my current favorite, as both have incredibly catchy riffs and vary up the styles in just the right way. I think I might be slightly leaning towards this now.

[metaldams]

Glad you like this Sam.  You’re the second person I’ve ever played Sabbath for who was especially impressed by “Snowblind.”  Agreed, it’s a great song.

I’m really interested in what you guys will think of the next album.

[metaldams]

Anthrax’s cover of the title track of the next Sabbath album.  I post this because I heard this before I heard the Sabbath version.  I also met singer Joey Belladonna - nicest rock star I ever met.

[metaldams]

      Like I stated in the VOL 4 review, we’re in sacred territory here and will be for the next few albums.  This is album number five out of eight with the original line up and from here on out, the experimentation will be the most abundant at any time during Sabbath’s career.  Out of these final four original line up albums, I would say only one of them is as heavy as the first four and it’s not SABBATH BLOODY SABBATH.  I will get into that aspect more in depth and people’s perceptions of these latter era Ozzy albums versus mine when we discuss the last two of these eight.  SABBATH BLOODY SABBATH might just be the band’s most artistic album.  Tony Iommi himself considers this a peak for the band, Ozzy feels he should have left the band after this album and as for myself, I hear the occasional “Sgt. Pepper” moment or two.

      As for the band itself, remember all that cocaine stuff during the last album?  Well, the drugs will continue to take their toll all the way until this line up breaks up and beyond. During the VOL 4 tour, Iommi was on a days long cocaine binge and passed out after a show.  At this point the band decided to take a break and cancelled the rest of the tour.  They eventually went back to the same L.A. studio where they recorded VOL 4 and produced absolutely nothing.  A complete case of writer’s block and most likely, due to the drugs and constant touring, exhaustion.

      They then went to Morgan Studios in England at the same time Yes were recording TALES FROM TOPOGRAPHIC OCEANS in the same studio.  One day, Iommi finally came up with the opening riff for the title track and from there the ideas flowed.  Morgan Studios offered Sabbath something else that will be prevalent in their next batch of albums - synthesizers.  Yes, the sound really starts expanding now.  Let’s do the track by track.

      “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath.”  The legendary title track.  Classic Iommi opening riff and great lyrics and vocal melodies throughout.  Check this song out during chorus time, such a beautiful dynamic change going acoustic like that.  I really love that part and it totally threw me for a loop the first time I heard it because I was used to the Anthrax version.  I love the way the song progresses after the guitar solo and that riff under the vocals in the second half is crushingly heavy.  Another downtuned to C# riff.  This song is a Sabbath classic.

      “A National Acrobat.”  Awesome lyrics by Geezer.  This one is about all the millions of unconceived sperm cells and all those lives that could have been.  It then progresses into this bit about reincarnation, really trippy stuff.  The opening riff reminds me of “Fade To Black” from Metallica (more on that later), and I love the way towards the end of the song, thing gets faster yet the band really swings, something that got lost with most bands after the seventies.  Another great track.

      “Fluff”  The instrumental of the album and other than some light bass touches, this is an Iommi showpiece.  Not only is he on acoustic guitar, but he’s also playing piano and - harpsichord!  Remember that from the Elton discussion?  Shows up with Sabbath too, gotta love the seventies. A really beautiful, mellow piece.  I first heard this song in 1994 and around the same time, R.E.M. had a hit with “Everybody Hurts.”  I noticed instantly the opening acoustic guitar licks for both songs are one and the same.

      “Sabbra Cadabra.” Remember when I said Sabbath, unlike most other seventies hard rock bands, didn’t sing about sex?  This is the one exception.  A positively rocking song about being happy having your girl and making love to her.  The music itself is joyful and again, the rhythm section really swings on this track, walking bass in parts and impossible not to shake your butt to. Oh, and the piano and synths on this one?  Rick Wakeman from Yes.  The above mentioned Yes album is the only classic era Yes album I have not warmed up to and Rick Wakeman feels the same way - he left the band shortly after.  Probably bored with Yes, he hung out with the Sabbath guys and recorded some cool parts for this song.  Rick’s son, Adam Wakeman, who was born around this time, has played keyboards for Ozzy and Sabbath and released an album called JAZZ SABBATH (jazz covers of Sabbath tunes), I really should check out.
      As for Metallica?  Out of all the Sabbath songs they could have covered, it was “Sabbra Cadabra” that showed up on GARAGE, INC.  However, it wasn’t a straight cover as they made it a medley with “A National Acrobat.”  A cool cover on its own, but lacks the swing of the original.

      “Killing Yourself to Live.”  Speaking of Metallica, I just read this is Kirk Hammett’s favorite Sabbath tune.  A concert opener for a couple of tours, this is another Sabbath classic.  Though this song is way more progressive than anything Kurt Cobain would ever write, the riff during the chorus sounds very Nirvana like.  There are some cool synth parts in this one, played by Tony and Ozzy, and again, another song that speeds up in the end and has this joyous, infectious swing in the rhythm section, Geezer and Bill are awesome.  The song is totally about drug addiction, to make sense of the title.

      “Who Are You?”  Five years before The Who song and album, folks.  Ozzy actually wrote this one and it is the most synth heavy track on the album.  Really cool Orwellian lyrics as well.  Ozzy and Geezer on synths, Tony on piano and Geezer again on mellotron.  The opening synth riff is real simple.  Ozzy is a one handed piano player, but that’s a cool and doomy sounding riff nonetheless.  Some fans like this one, others don’t, but throw me in the former.  I like the experimental side of Sabbath and like I said, I will discuss this more in depth on albums seven and eight.

      “Looking For Today.”  This and the final track, along with the title track, are my three favorite songs on the album.  This song is pop perfection and pretty ironic considering the lyric is about one hit wonders.  Ah, but this is way more progressive and thoughtful than one hit wonders tend to be.  Starts with an upbeat riff and galloping Bill Ward rhythm along with Ozzy’s melodic verse singing.  Then it gets to that mood change in the next part, as stunning as the mood change in the title track.  Back to the two parts one more time and then they get to that unbelievably simple and catchy chorus.  This song makes the hairs on my arms stand, but then it is followed up by the mighty…..

      “Spiral Architect.”  Black Sabbath’s “A Day In the Life.”  A true masterpiece and one of my favorite Black Sabbath songs ever.  Starts with some beautiful clean Iommi guitar playing, goes into this rhythm punctuated by these Pete Townsend like power chords and has this melodic guitar hook and drum beat going into the verse.  Another melodic masterpiece and the way the orchestra kicks into the pre chorus adds such depth to this song.  Speaking of the orchestra, they get to shine in the middle in place where the guitar solo would normally be.  I also love the way the tracks ends as it fades out with the applause and rhythm section going.

       An artistic masterpiece from Sabbath and their most mature effort to date.  All these words and it still fails to express how much this  album means to me.  Next time we get to discuss the mighty SABOTAGE!

[HomokHarcos]

Holy moly. If they were having personal problems with drugs it definitely wasn't ruining their musical talent at this point. I think this is their best album yet.

"Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" is the song I was most familiar with, and it is an excellent rocking tune. The usual great Tommy guitar playing is here again. The acoustic part also surprised me, but then they seemed to do quite a few tricks in this album. "A National Acrobat" is a song that could have fit in the earlier Black Sabbath albums. It has an awesome guitar riff for the most part of the song, and then changes into another beat that becomes the highlight of the song. "Fluff" sounds like a song that would fit in those older fantasy inspired video games as background music. "Sabbra Cadabra" surprised me with the pianos and synthesizers. I liked the piano here, the end of the song actually sounds like Black Sabbath doing jazz fusion.

"Killing Yourself to Live" is definitely metal. I can see how Metallica and other metal bands from the late 1970s and 1980s have been inspired by this band. "Who Are You" works for what it is. I used to not be into synth music, but I'm warning up to it. It's not a poppy use of the instrument in this song, but a more atmospheric feeling. "Looking or Today" is a slower paced song that is a good follow-up to what came before. It goes right back into the hard rocking. The ending of the song is again my favorite part. "Spiral Architect" is an excellent song. The orchestra was awesome, and I think this is the first Black Sabbath song so far that has the feeling of an epic. Might be my personal pick for favorite track on here.

There hasn't been a miss yet, and this is my favorite album so far.

[metaldams]

Black Sabbath will have keyboards throughout most of their career this point forward, but with perhaps a one album exception in the mid 80’s, used mostly for atmospheric or progressive purposes.

[Umbrella Sam]

I can see what you meaning regarding the band’s expanding of styles here. The presence of the synths especially is something that gives it a bit of its own identity. “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath” is a great opener, and one I swear I’ve heard before. It’s another nice number that’s able to naturally change from electric to acoustic and back. “A National Acrobat” is also really cool; I especially like the focus on Ozzy’s harmonies and what I think might be double-tracked guitar (sorry if that’s wrong, I’m still not great with all guitar terminology); it kind of gives the overall song a “duo” feel, almost as though the guitar is also harmonizing with itself along with Ozzy.

I’m surprised at the amount of instrumentals Black Sabbath has done. “Fluff” is another cool acoustic-focused song, and yes, I too enjoyed the presence of the harpsichord on it. “Sabbra Cadabra” is the first noticeable use of synths here; my thoughts on synths are kind of similar to HomokHarcos; I have warmed up to synth-dominated music more recently, but I still think it’s at its best when it’s used for color and not the dominant sound, and that’s exactly what happens here. I especially love the piano here; I definitely can hear the jazz fusion connection.

The next two tracks are where I think things dip a bit. “Killing Yourself to Live” is OK, but I thought it kind of dragged a bit at times. “Who Are You?” is the most synth-dominated track here, and for me it doesn’t really work. It’s strange, because when I heard the synths here, I immediately thought of “Saviour Machine” by David Bowie; the synths have very otherworldly feels to them on both songs, and I really like “Saviour Machine”. But there, it really felt they were building to something; you could hear the pain and desperation in Bowie’s voice and all the instruments including the synth. You kind of get that on “Who Are You?”, but only when they focus more on the guitar and the drums; the rest of it is quite slow and really feels like it’s dead set on following the same synth riff constantly. Sorry, not a big fan of this one.

Things improve again with the last two tracks. “Looking For Today” is indeed a very cool, progressive track. The flutes are cool and it’s another one that transitions perfectly from electric to acoustic. It’s a very catchy song, especially the ending fadeout. “Spiral Architect” is a perfect closer, the kind that feels like it was always meant to be the closer. It builds up properly at the beginning, has an orchestra, really tight drums once again…it screams “epic finale”. It’s a very tight tie between this, “Looking For Today”, and “Sabbra Cadabra” as my favorite track on the album.

So, as a whole, I do think this is a bit of a down step considering I don’t really like two of the tracks all that much, but what’s good is still really good, and I’m glad that they were taking risks and experimenting, because really, that’s how you progress as a band. Even if I don’t like every result, what they pulled off with songs like “Sabbra Cadabra” and “Looking For Today” is really admirable and I still enjoy the majority of the album.

[metaldams]

Definitely double tracked guitars on “A National Acrobat.”  There are guitar harmonies throughout.  I’ve been listening to more 70’s prog rock the older I’ve gotten, so synths don’t quite bother me as much versus, say, when used an 80’s pop way.  “Who Are You?” is very simplistic and I can understand it not being everyone’s cup of tea.  When the guys in Sabbath played keyboards, they learned from scratch and weren’t exactly Elton or Wakeman level players.  Still, I enjoy the work they did - though on most future albums they will get professional keyboard guys.

[metaldams]

This is a half hour documentary about the album we’ll discuss next weekend.  Some YouTube channel made it, not official and it already has almost half a million views in two months.  Very well done, going into the mob like management stuff that plagued the band during the SABOTAGE album and then going into a track by track. 

[metaldams]

      Album number six is 1975’s SABOTAGE.  If you put a gun to my head and I had to pick a favorite Black Sabbath album, this would be the one - presently.  If I had to choose a favorite song, it would also be on this album.  The documentary on YouTube I linked above does a fine job describing what was happening with the band at this time, but I’ll give you the short version.  The band had a horrible parting with manager Patrick Meehan, Jr. and decided to manage themselves, which I’m sure you can imagine is stressful.  The band was mired in legal battles.  Drummer Bill Ward, at the ripe old age of 26, suffered his first heart attack (he, along with the other three guys, are all fortunately still with us).  Basically, the band had no money, were having some health issues and were continuing their spiral into drug abuse.  Sounds like so many other bands of this era.  In spite of all this, they created another classic album.

      Like I stated in the SABBATH BLOODY SABBATH review, only one of the last four original line up albums would be as heavy as the first four and that album would be SABOTAGE.  It also maintains the progressive qualities of the last album and the two that follow.  It’s that combination, the best of both worlds which is why I rank SABOTAGE as the best.  There are some extremely heavy parts on this album, heavier, in parts, than anything Black Sabbath or anyone else did by 1975.  There are also moments of adventure and beauty sprinkled throughout that really make this album a winner.  Another thing to note is that SABOTAGE is the last of what is generally considered to be the classic era of the original line up.  There are two original line up albums to go after this and I will give my opinions on those albums versus the general consensus, but that’s for next time.  Just know for now, this is considered the last classic, by most people, of the Ozzy era.  1970 - 1975, which I believe coincides with Elton’s consensus classic era.  Onto the track by track.

      “Hole in the Sky.”  Fantastic opener.  A real heavy guitar and bass sound can be heard on this song and it fortunately carries throughout the entire album.  Another case where there is heaviness involved yet Geezer and Bill still swing mightily.  I love the fact Metallica played this song at the Black Sabbath induction ceremony in the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame.  Really high Ozzy vocals - actually, Ozzy’s best vocals are on this album.  I think they’re almost too good as if you listen to some live concerts from this tour, he has trouble hitting these notes live.  I think it’s one of the reasons the band tended to play the earlier stuff in the reunion area, but we’re getting ahead of ourselves.  Great song.  Next.

      “Don’t Start (Too Late)”  What is this, forty nine seconds?  Well, it’s cool, multi tracked and harmonized acoustic Iommi guitar playing.  It’s gives a momentary mellow mood and listen to this in headphones to appreciate the multiple parts coming out of the different speakers.  An intro to the mighty…..

      “Symptom of the Universe” Holy friggin shiitake mushrooms.  The is the heaviest song ever written as of 1975.  Though not pure thrash, it has that intensity and is a forbearer.  Classic opening tritone riff and when Iommi hits those three chords after it, Bill Ward’s drum playing can only be described as being inspired from Animal of The Muppets.  Also love that other heavy riff Iommi plays where Butler and Ward hit the well timed accents and Ozzy is no doubt flashing peace signs in synch too when played live.  This all sounds way ahead of its time.  Ozzy’s vocals are again incredible and being seventies Sabbath, what do you do when writing the heaviest song of its time?  End it by playing flamenco like acoustic guitar, bossa nova rhythms and Ozzy singing impassioned hippie love child lyrics.  Pure brilliance.

      “Megalomania.”  Oh what, you think they’re going to stop being awesome there?  Hell no.  Now we get the nine and a half minute mind melter known as “Megalomania.”  A song about delusion and madness, the track starts moody and mellow.  I love the way Ozzy’s first line fades in and repeats for each verse, such a cool effect.  Cool lead guitar, melodic bass, tasteful percussion, fascinating lyrics.  After a few minutes of this awesome atmosphere, we get a few bars of piano rock followed by Bill pounding on the mighty cowbell.  What then follows is what I consider to be the greatest Tony Iommi riff ever.  Seriously, dig that riff.  It gets more mighty when the rhythm section followed by Ozzy’s vocals, kick in.  Four men, while going through Hell outside the music, still maintaining that undeniable chemistry when they play together.  Again, pure brilliance.

      “Thrill of It All”  A really cool, melodic, multi layered guitar song with fantastic lyrics and fantastic guitar soloing in the end.  Also some prominent synthesizers here, a good track to open side two.  My least favorite song on the album (not counting the forty nine second instrumental) but still a very solid track.  Just a situation where everything that surrounds it is incredible, which takes us too…..

      “Supertzar”  Plenty of vocals on this one but none of them Ozzy’s.  The vocals belong to the English Chamber Choir.  There’s a hilarious story, repeated in the documentary, that one day Ozzy walked into the studio, saw the choir and thought he was in the wrong place.  An amazing piece of music, basically classical music backed by heavy metal instrumentation.  There’s harp on this one too.  I’m not a big hi tech stereo equipment guy, but one day I heard SABOTAGE on vinyl at a friend’s on big speakers and this track sounded especially amazing in that environment.  One other thing to add is that for several future tours, Black Sabbath would use “Supertzar” as their piped in intro music as they were heading on stage.  An awesome piece of music that makes the hairs on my arms stand.

      “Am I Going Insane (Radio)”  A synth dominated pop track about mental instability that a lot of fans dislike.  Not me though, I love this song.  I love the lyrics, melodic elements, the atmosphere of the synths, the bass and drums and The Beatles like instrumental section in the middle.  Ozzy himself wrote this one.  There was down time between the previous album and this one and Ozzy, for the first time, flirted with going solo.  This song was the result.  He would eventually leave the band but we’re not there yet.  The song ends in some multi tracked demented laughter which also bleeds into the next and final track known as….

      “The Writ”  My favorite Black Sabbath song ever.  Lyrically written by Ozzy again, this is about as venomous as Sabbath ever sounded as this is seething anger at now estranged manager Patrick Meehan, Jr.  The documentary I linked to above, which just came out a few months ago, gave me more insight on the situation and some of the lines now make even more sense to me as a result.  Musically this song is an epic.  Starts out with Geezer’s wah-wah pedaled bass line before crashing into the more dynamically intense verses.  Ozzy’s vocals are again incredible, at his absolute peak.  When the verse ends, it goes back into that soft Geezer line with some cool backward recorded cymbals on the drums accented in certain spots, definitely showing off that studio experimentation.  The song eventually progresses into this really beautiful mellow part with amazing melody and again, harpsichord.  Worthy of The Beatles here, Ozzy’s singing continues to impress and the lyrics in this part turn reflective and then with a sign of hope through all the BS they are going through as a band.  An absolute epic and masterpiece. 

      Some copies of this album end with a little throw away bit called “Blow On A Jug” Just Ozzy and Bill messing around in the studio singing a drunk pub song on the piano.  Serves the same purpose as “Her Majesty” on ABBEY ROAD.  The CD version I bought in 1994 does not contain this.  Subsequent versions I have bought is box sets and deluxe editions do and I believe it’s available on all streaming services.

      So there it is, SABOTAGE.  Hope you guys enjoy this one, I rank it with The White Album and MASTER OF PUPPETS as my favorite albums of all time.  Don’t expect you to like it that much, but I’m curious what you guys will think.

      Oh, and that album cover?  The story behind it is classic.  Ozzy in a kimono and Bill Ward wearing his wife’s tights and Ozzy’s underwear underneath because he had nothing else to wear.  This is covered in the documentary too.  A cover that is great and awful at the same time.




     

[HomokHarcos]

Wow, what can I say than other they put out another great record with Sabotage? A strong album the whole way through, Black Sabbath are probably now one of my favorite bands of the 1970s.

"Hole in the Sky" is a good 1970s hard rock song. A good way to open the album. The way the song ends is a bit off (on Spotify) as it goes right into the next track with out any ending of the song or fade-out. I thought this was my phone or Spotify's fault, but then I heard a playlist on YouTube where the same thing happened. Not sure if that was intentional. "(Don't Start) Too Late" is my favorite mellow song Black Sabbath has done so far. I listened to it over again a few times once the album was over. "Symptom of the Universe" might be my pick for favorite Black Sabbath song overall at this point. It's almost split into two very different sections between a more heavy part and less heavy part. Both sections are very good. I wasn't expecting the song to change like that, but it was a very pleasant surprise. "Megalomania" was probably the catchiest song on the album, and one that would have worked best as a single. Another mandatory shout-out to Tommy Iommi, I'm not too entirely connected to music fandom, but I hope he is recognized as one of the great guitar players.

"Thrill of it All" has a sort of arena rock feel to it, sounds like it was meant to be played at the end of the setlist. "Supertzar" disappointed me. I thought it started off OK enough, but I thought it was building to something more epic. The song kind of stays the same throughout, and then ends. When I first saw the title  “Am I Going Insane (Radio)” I thought the title was implying it was a radio edit, but I guess that's what the song is actually called. I liked the song, though I can definitely understand people who think the synthesizers make the song too poppy. "The Writ": I liked hearing an epic. I noticed this album didn't have too many tracks, but that was no big deal as the long songs did not feel too overly long and I didn't notice them dragging at all. I liked the long harpsichord section of the song. It reminded of the early Elton John albums we were listening to. On Spotify it did end with the bonus track.

If this was the end of Black Sabbath's peak output, it was a great run. Who knows though, I might end up enjoying their later releases. After all, I'm a fan of the Joe Besser shorts.

[metaldams]

First six albums = healthy Curly
Last two Ozzy albums = Sick Curly
Dio = Shemp
Gillan/Hughes = Besser
Tony Martin = Derita

Keyboardist Geoff Nichols = Emil Sitka (a supporting player starting with the Shemp era who became an official member later on)

Trust me Homok, there’s a lot of good music ahead.