Black Sabbath "Black Sabbath"

 

Black Sabbath "Black Sabbath" 8/10

Today is the birthday of the great Tony Iommi, so I decided we would drop the stylus on the debut Sabbath record.  It was said once by Peter Steele of Type O Negative that there were no more great metal riffs to write, because Tony already wrote them all.  If you go through the original catalog of the classic Sabbath lineup (as well as with Dio) it is easy to see how Pete reached that conclusion.  Tony Iommi's gift seems to be turning simple power chords into larger-than-life, downtuned walls of sound.

When Geezer Butler, Ozzy Osbourne, Bill Ward, and Tony Iommi first got to together, their aim was to start a heavy blues band.  They played some deep and heavy blues numbers, and called themselves Earth.  But, it did seem like there was something more that they had to offer.  Tony's guitar always sounded thick due to playing with thimbles on two of his fingers; the results of severing part of the fingers in an industrial accident.  That coupled with charismatic madman, Ozzy Osbourne, on vocals, caused the band to shift focus and find their sound.

Tony Iommi tuned down his guitar to accommodate for his digital handicap, playing blues riffs a little bit slower, lower, and more droning.  Growing up in the backdrop of the World War II rubble of Birmingham, their outlook shared little with the Summer of Love/hippy culture coming out of London or San Francisco.  Bassist Geezer Butler became the chief lyricist and began writing about darker themes; war, religion, the occult, demonology, etc.  Ozzy would come up with soaring vocal melodies, while Drummer Bill Ward and Geezer Butler's bass stayed true to their jazz and blues influences, creating a colorful pocket for Tony's big, droning riffs.

In 1970, Black Sabbath released two records, the more famous "Paranoid," full of familiar FM radio rock hits, and this record, the debut.  Both albums are fantastic, and while "Paranoid" shows how Sabbath cracked the code to mainstream success, the self-titled record showed the band playing loose, and hinted at the horror-scape blues sound that they were crafting.

1) "Black Sabbath"

Here we get that ubiquitous song, the song that is not only the title track, but the name of the band.  If you are going to name a song for your band, it better deliver.  And this one does.  From the onerous chimes of church bells and the pattering sound of rain, the opening sets a cinematic scape full of gothic horror dread.  Once the guitar riff blows up, Tony Iommi hits you with the "devil's note."  The devil's note is what is called a tri-tone; it is where the 5th note in the scale is played one note flat to create melodic, yet atonal tension.  It is masterfully done here, as the riff sound huge, but is really just two chords.  The story of the song sounds like an incubus or the unholy one himself desiccating an innocent woman. 

2) "The Wizzard"

This is the only song Ozzy Osbourne played a harmonica on in the Black Sabbath Catalog.  We get a metal song, played through a jazz time signature.  Still big and bluesy, but the rhythm harkens back to a staccato jazz track.  It is a story about a drug dealer, "spreading his magic," a welcome person at any indulgent Sabbath session.

3) "Wasp/Behind the Wall of Sleep"

Here we start to get the big riffing and interplay between Geezer and Tony Iommi.  Call and response that just flies out of the speakers between the bass and guitar.  It has that "live" in the studio sound, and was probably cut in 1 or 2 takes, capturing the essence of Sabbath as a band.  The double tracked vocals add a cool trippy effect that soars above the track.

4) "Bassically/NIB"

As Wall of Sleep fades out, we fade into one of the coolest bass guitar solos put to wax.  Geezer starts riffing an absolute funk bassline before funk was a thing, using the wah wah pedal as never before.  All before kicking into his fuzzbox to carry the iconic riff.  Ozzy plays a charming prince of darkness, beckoning the listner to sell his/her soul.  The crafty bass guitar, harrowing vocals, and big guitar show us why every part of Sabbath works.

5) "Wicked World"

This one plays out as if it were crafted to be a single.  It has some of the jazzy elements typical of a big Sabbath jam, but finds its way into an easy 4/4 chord progression.  It manages to tell a story of despair and ignorance in the allotment suited for a 45.  In fact, it was released as a single.  Not the strongest single in the Sabbath catalog, but it does manage to showcase what the band is about in a radio-friendly format.

6) "A Bit of Finger/Sleeping Village/Warning"

Here, we go straight from single territory to the essence of a Sabbath show.  The last side of the album basically plays out like a big medley/jam.   The song comes in with a mouth harp, and a little folk acoustic picking, quickly folded into a big jam.  The band just keeps the song going, and even as it feels like it may fall apart, the genius rhythm section of Geezer Butler and Bill Ward keep it all glued together.  As the song plays out, it finally climaxes into the Sabbath cover of "Warning," telling the tale of a scorned lover, who saw all of the red flags coming, but couldn't help himself anyways.  Sabbath ending the record on a tragedy after beginning the record in Satan's lair is a fantastic bookend. 

The debut Sabbath record isn't the "best" record in their catalog, but it shows all of the moving parts of the band, and is a strong play through and through.  It showed the best of  what Black Sabbath was about, their sound before they found a way to sometimes become self-indulgent.  Spin this one and wish Tony Iommi a happy birthday today!