Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath
By Claes Hassel at rockprog.com.
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The Heavy Metal Book
Black Sabbath wrote the first chapter
in the Heavy Metal book.
They took the heavy blues-rock sound into a new direction by slowing the tempo adding
pounding doom laden guitar chord riffs with heavy bass and drums describing a doomy
fantasy world with lyrics about the occult and black magic .
Birmingham, where the members of Black Sabbath
grew up, was not the city for the Flower Power generation, it was the grey home
for hard working men in the steel factorys.
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The Band
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It all started in 1967 when four working-class-lads from
Aston, near Birmingham, England formed 'The Polka Tulk Blues Company':
Guitarist Tony Iommi (Anthony Frank Iommi, born 19 February 1948
in England),
Terry "Geezer" Butler (born 17 July 1949 England) on bass,
Bill Ward on drums, born 5 May 1948 and
Ozzy Osbourne (born John Osbourne, 3 December 1948, England) on
vocals together with Jimmy Phillips on rhythm guitar and saxophonist
Acker.
After a while Phillips and Acker left and the
band changed the name to the 'Earth Blues Company'(shortened to
'Earth'), playing a sort of jazz-blues fusion.
In early 1969 they played at clubs/college in the Midlands and at the 'Henry's
Blueshouse' started by Jim Simpson, manager of the
'Bakerloo'(Dave 'Clem' Clempson on guitar!!) who also became their
first manager.
Inspired by the 1930s Boris Karloff movie Black Sabbat
they change their name after it and Terry Butler, who was interest
in the occult and inspired by writers such as Dennis Wheatley and
H.P.Lovecraft, wrote several dark songs including 'Wicked World'
and 'Black Sabbath'.
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After touring in England and Europe during 1969 they got
a conctract in December that year with Fontana(Philips Records)
and released the single 'Evil Woman (Don't Play Your Games With Me)' in
January 1970, originally released by the Us band Crow.
In his last day at work at a factory, just before the
recording of their first album in 1970, Toni Iommi lost the tips
of the middle and ring fingers on his right hand in a piece of machinery.
He was told that he never going to be able to play guitar again but inspired by
an album by Django Rienhardt(playing with two fingers on his fretboard
hand) he decided to start trying to play again.
Iommi fashioned plastic thimble-like devices on his fingers and
tuned his strings to lower notes which made it easier to play.
Perhaps the accident helped the band to get their unique
deep riff sound.
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The Album : Black Sabbath
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Black Sabbath's eponymous debut
album was released friday 13th February 1970 on the label
Vertigo, recorded in two days in early 1970 at a cost of only 800
British pounds.
Due to Geezer Butler it was extended jams that was broken down
into individual songs, it made no. 8 in the UK LP chart and reached the Top 40 in
the US LP chart remaining in the charts over a year selling over a million copies.
The Songs on Black Sabbath:
'Black Sabbath' [6:18]
I still remember when I heard the opening track for the first time, back in 1970,
the beginning when the sound of rain
fades in, at a distant a tolling church bell, nearby thunder and then suddenly a
three-note heavy distorted guitar riff repeating with pounding drums matching up
with the tolling church bell,
1 minute and 23 seconds into the track Ozzy's haunting vocals starts
with the words:
'What is this that stands before me?
Figure in black which points at me.
Turn around quick, and start to run.
Find out I'm the chosen one.
Oh nooo!'
...still the three-note repeating guitar riff with the pounding drums, 2:18
Geezer Butler thunder bass enters the song
..what a beginning!!..it ends with a uptempo and a great guitar solo.
'The Wizard' [04:22]
A sort of blues number, starts with a basic harmonica lick by Ozzy
then guitars, bass, and drums join in following the harmonica. 00:41 a short guitarsolo
then the song is driven by great guitar riffs together with the harmonica and singing
mixed with short guitar and harmonica solos.
'Behind The Wall of Sleep' [4:18]
Begins with an nice 30 seconds instrumental intro ('WASP'). The song by Ozzie
is build as a stereo effect(two-track technique, left and right speaker), the song
fades out with Bill Ward's drum beat and ends with a 30 second
'bass solo'('Bassically') by Geezer Butler as a bridge to the next
song.
'N.I.B.' [5:23]
which opens with an excellent heavy distorted bass
riff by Geezer Butler with the first four notes from the Cream's
'Sunshine Of Your Love'.
This is along with 'Black Sabbath' the best track on the album with superb guitar
solos from Iommi and song from Ozzy, a classic
track.
The title is about Bill Wards "nibbly" beard but the song is about
the Devil who falls in love, cute.
'Evil Woman' [3:24]
Sabbath's first single a poprock cover originally released by the
Us band Crow. Nice crunchy bassline by Geezer.
'Sleeping Village' [3:45]
The beginning of the song has a acoustic part(53 seconds long), sounding a
bit of one of Ennio Morricone's Western tunes it soon segues into
some crunchy guitar riffs and a twin guitar solo(left and right speaker) by
Iommi.
The song is for me a filler or as an intro to the next song
'The Warning' [10:27]
a cover of a Aynsley Dunbar's Retaliation song(released 1968 as
a 7").
The Warning opens (again) with a crunchy bass riff, strong song/voice by Ozzy. The
first part of the song, 3 minutes and 20 seconds is the best then it's six minutes
of Iommi's astounding guitar solos(great stuff!!), 9:33 into the song it's time
for the final part: back with the crunchy bass riff and Ozzy's lyrics:
'Now the whole wide world is movin'
'cause there's iron in my heart
I just can't keep from cryin'
'cause you say we've got to part
Sorrow grips my voice as I stand here all alone
And watch you slowly take away
A love I've never known
I was born without you, baby
But my feelings were a little bit too strong
Just a little bit to strong'
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Epilogue
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Just a little bit to strong?
STRONG AND HEAVY
enough, a stunning debut and this was only the beginning, their next record 'Paranoid'
would be one of the most influential Heavy Metal albums ever and Sabbath's
most popular one.
BUT for me this, the first, is the best together with 'Master of Reality'
and 'Black Sabbath, Vol. 4' with 'Paranoid' at
a strong second place and 'Sabbath Bloody Sabbath' at the third.
By the way, the front cover of the album shows a
ghost–like woman but it was the upside down cross on the gatefold of the album that
would associate the band with Satanism.
The cross was an idea by the record company and was not supported by the band so
then it must be the record company that worship Satan or?
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Black Sabbath albums, The Ozzy Osbourne Years
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