The Album Review Club - End of Round #9 Break (page 1904)

RobMCFC said:
Here's @GornikDaze 's write-up.

Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath

At a time when peace and love was in full flow a little band from Brum was about to drop a huge bomb on the music world.

I have no exact date when I first heard Black Sabbath’s self titled debut album. Suffice to say it was from a distance in 1970 thanks to my elder brother and our seven year age gap. I actually bought my own copy of this at 15 (1977 ish) after my bro moved out and took his records with him (how rude!).

Listening to this album now brings back my early younger memories - the atmospheric opening title track, the rain, the thunder and the metal master’s haunting opening vocal. I still don’t think there is anything that quite gets to this level of “what the f*ck is going on’ on the intro of any debut album.

I’ll be the first to admit I’m not the biggest fan of Ozzy’s voice, there are better out there in the rock world. However, he captured the market for combining theatre and vocals.

The opener builds to driving riffs, mysterious lyrics and the haunting vocal performance. It certainly blew me away in those early days and still does today.

I’m not going to dissect every track - that’s for you guys to do. There are some belters, and there are some non belters.

I chose this album as it propelled a young me into the world of rock and later metal. I don’t think this is a metal album per se, particularly when judged against current metal standards. This for me is more a heavy blues album - Cream on steroids if you like. The whole album is full of bluesy licks but played by Iommi with heavy distortion and experimentation of drop tuning. His guitar work is a masterclass - he remains a genius to this day. Considering he lost a couple of fingertips on his fretting hand in a workplace accident it is even more remarkable. For me, this work is showcased on Warning - heavy blues at its finest and one of my all time favourite solos. Yes I know, it goes on too long (yawn) but that’s its beauty and majesty. It builds and builds and is just perfection.

The whole album was (according to Sabbath folklore) recorded in 12 hours - Ozzy famously said they made it to the pub before closing time! The following day was used for a few additions and mixing. Two days of a young band jamming together in a studio and laying down one of the most iconic rock albums.

Yes there are more hits on the follow up Paranoid, but this is where it all began. I’m interested to hear views of those that haven’t heard this before as I’m sure there will be a few. Is it metal, has it stood the test of time and did Ozzy ever have the voice of a choirboy?
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loved the album Paranoid when I was younger. Haven't listened to them in decades but looking forward to this.
 
Re listen time....had it years, but not listened to it for ages, certainly not their best, but then I don't think Paranoid is either!
The "ozzy isn't the best singer" makes me laugh, voices are personal taste, if music was based on voices, everyone in this thread would be huge Tom Jones/Celine Dion fans ;)
 
Not sure when Geezer was being instructed in the sacraments by his teachers in Aston that this was where they envisaged it taking him : -) I'm a bit unhappy that I'll have to perform an exorcism on the thread after votes are in (don't worry I've got a certificate off the internet so I know what I'm doing) but apartment from that I'm looking forward to discussing this. In lots of ways this album is really rudimentary, but as Gornik says it not far off spawned a genre so it must have been doing something right.
 
Just had a quick look and don't think there is anything I know on here. Is it just the 8 tracks?

Ozzy will always be the old guy on the TV show for me so I'm going in expecting little but hoping to be surprised. Iron Man is I think the only song I know from them but as I came to that from the Cardigans cover it should indicate I know very little about BS
 
Saddleworth2 said:
poetic licence actually. He was an IBM Consultant and he did wear a bow tie. We used Accenture extensively for our takeovers and mergers.
I hope you said 'you laughing at me?'
'Am I a Clown you?"
'Do I amuse you?'
Giving the best Joe Pesci psycho stare.
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Sadly I was definitely the Pesci to his Liotta.

Last reply on this and then I'll desist, not doubt there was more than one IBMer out there with flamboyant scarves, hats and a bow tie but if it turns out he was a tall blond guy called Philip, then I used to work with him. He was a high maintenance self-opinionated nightmare, I got on really well with him :-)
 
southamptonblue said:
Re listen time....had it years, but not listened to it for ages, certainly not their best, but then I don't think Paranoid is either!
The "ozzy isn't the best singer" makes me laugh, voices are personal taste, if music was based on voices, everyone in this thread would be huge Tom Jones/Celine Dion fans ;)
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I may come back to this topic but I think Ozzy is a much better singer than many think; although his sound is obviously going to be Marmite. I like Marmite.

Saw a comment once from Bill Ward about Ozzy's singing and how difficult Ward thought Sabbath songs were to sing. some sort of technical reason, which I think was related to the tempo of the songs.

Ozzy is one of my favourite vocalists. Sabbath are one of my favourite bands. This album is the true birth of Heavy Metal.
 
OB1 said:
I may come back to this topic but I think Ozzy is a much better singer than many think; although his sound is obviously going to be Marmite. I like Marmite.

Saw a comment once from Bill Ward about Ozzy's singing and how difficult Ward thought Sabbath songs were to sing. some sort of technical reason, which I think was related to the tempo of the songs.

Ozzy is one of my favourite vocalists. Sabbath are one of my favourite bands. This album is the true birth of Heavy Metal.
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In self-deprecating style Ozzy used to say that he only got the gig because he had his own PA, but he was a properly good vocalist for the type of music they made and some of his vocal performances qualify as iconic.

As Coatigan mentioned favourite album covers earlier, I'd say this one is a bit naff but the cover of Paranoid is one of my favourites.
 
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threespires said:
In self-deprecating style Ozzy used to say that he only got the gig because he had his own PA, but he was a properly good vocalist for the type of music they made and some of his vocal performances qualify as iconic.

As Coatigan mentioned favourite album covers earlier, I'd say this one is a bit naff but the cover of Paranoid is one of my favourites.
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The debut was put together quickly and cheaply in every regard.

I think "Technical Ecstasy" might be their best album cover.
 
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