I am a liberal, ethical, Green vegan leftie. I have a Masters degree in medical science and carry o...
I am a liberal, ethical, Green vegan leftie. I have a Masters degree in medical science and carry out scientific research and ebay plant sales (I am greenwoman53) from home.
I love animals and enjoy intelligent conversation and comedy.
Member since:13.03.2007
Reviews:3
What, no reviews for this iconic album? Shame on you, Ciaoers! So it falls upon me to rectify this unacceptable situation.
I must point out that I put 'not applicable' for comparison with their other work as...<hangs head in shame>...I don't know any other Sabbath albums well enough.
Oh, the memories this album evokes. Actually, I can't remember any. I must have been too out of it at the time.
Ozzy Osbourne (such a pretty boy then, as the photo on the inside of the gatefold cover shows) and Co did rock and themselves a huge favour when they released this pioneering album.
The music is mostly predictably dark and doomy, but the more up-tempo headbanging tracks raise the spirits (so have some crucifixes handy!). There is serious stuff, funny stuff (not sure how intentional that is) and a lot of very grungy stuff.
Sabbath fundamentalists and Ozzy himself will probably hate me for saying this, but The Oz has a rather weedy voice <ducks to avoid missiles>. HOWEVER, this is still an excellent album. OK? Am I forgiven?
There are some perfect tracks for air-guitarheads, guitar airheads, etc. to perform to. In fact you could play along to the easier bits with a proper guitar.
Best track: Fairies Wear Boots
TRACKS
1. War Pigs - an anti-war song, the subject matter as topical as ever, particularly where it refers to politicians...Well crafted, powerful sound.
2. Paranoid - do I have to tell you? I suppose they picked this one to release as a single as it's the right length and the most 'poppy'.
3. Planet Caravan - slow, wistful, melancholic, eerie, haunting, spacey, ethereal, poetic. A polished, shivers-down-the-spine track featuring understated jazzy guitar, proving that they can turn the volume down and still produce something distinctive and good.
4. Iron Man - grungy, daft, sci-fi stuff, straight from Marvel comic. Might be taken seriously by teenage boys of all ages.
5. Electric Funeral - Starts as pure grunge, speeds up, then goes grungy again. A short track with apocalyptic lyrics.
6. Hand of Doom - Slow, sinister, again with a fast bit in the middle. This appears to be an ANTI-drugs song. Did Ozzy heed his own warnings? (Well, he is still alive...)
7. Rat Salad - instrumental. A bit jazzy. The one with the drum solo, and mercifully short. I mean, I'm not completely against drum solos, but please, Bill and others - think of your listeners and give us a bit of continuity of rhythm to bang heads and tap feet to, so that we don't lose our way and look silly and get embarrassed. I recommend going to get a drink or something during this track. Or check your post, emails, whatever, but make sure you get back in time for...
8. Fairies wear Boots - or do they? The doc reckons that fairy boots are the druggie's equivalent of pink elephants. But who cares - this is a brilliant track. It's quite long, has several tempo and style changes, is slick, tuneful, funny and a real singalongaSabbath treat. It has this 53-year-old woman's head nodding away vigorously, and I'm not dropping off, honest! Well done, boys, for saving the best till last.
From an atmospheric initial build up, a nice clean guitar riff starts to pull you along expectantly, leading to the urgent R&B-flavoured vocal section which to me has shades of Them. Each section promises more, and none disappoints - except the last one cos it's the end! So play it again...
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Love the album, Black Sabbath are the most influentical band ever! I do prefer Dio to Ozzy tho but both are great
Jeeves42 19.09.2007 23:56
This is the only one of their albums that I have listened to but I have to agree that it is great. Good review!
curiousG2 14.04.2007 19:30
good review i have this cd on my desk right now! more info will get you higher ratings try looking at similar reviews to see how much and what to write, but good~curious
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