I didn't, really — at first I thought it looked like the work of Evan Dorkin, who draws the Milk And Cheese comics, and I'm a big fan of Milk And Cheese so naturally I looked it up on Discogs, and since Discogs lists everything, there it was, and I saw that it was actually Pushead — whom I'd read about in an article somewhere, since I read a lot of articles about album cover designers. (That was what I wanted to be when I grew up — an album cover designer that is, not a person with pus all over my head — but unfortunately I wasn't independently wealthy right out of school, so I had to get a real job, and y'know, one thing led to another.)
I didn't, really — at first I thought it looked like the work of Evan Dorkin, who draws the Milk And Cheese comics, and I'm a big fan of Milk And Cheese so naturally I looked it up on Discogs, and since Discogs lists everything, there it was, and I saw that it was actually Pushead — whom I'd read about in an article somewhere, since I read a lot of articles about album cover designers. (That was what I wanted to be when I grew up — an album cover designer that is, not a person with pus all over my head — but unfortunately I wasn't independently wealthy right out of school, so I had to get a real job, and y'know, one thing led to another.)
That Milk & Cheese stuff looks hilarious! And it DOES look like his work!
Black Sabbath (along with The Cure) is my favorite band. YET, I'm kind of clueless when it comes to their late 80s & beyond stuff. Starting with Eternal Idol my tastes had shifted away from metal and more to college rock and the American underground and then what would become indie rock. It's time to fix that.
I would LOVE to see others thoughts and rankings on what you've heard so far! Like I noticed that Fischman really likes Cross Purposes so I'll probably check that out first.
1. Self-titled - The legendary start. The first half of this album is pure killer.
2. Paranoid - I don't have much to add to what's been said. It's a great album. More even than its predecessor but I've heard a couple of the hits too many times. It's a close second to Black Sabbath.
3t. Master of Reality, Vol 4, and Sabbath Bloody Sabbath - These three albums are too close to call for me. They don't reach the heights of the Sabbath's first two albums but they're all very good. Master of Reality has two of my favorite songs by them, but the album itself is surprisingly short. Only 34 minutes and change, while most other Ozzy-Era Sabbath albums run 40-45. There was certainly room on Master of Reality for one or two more tracks. Vol 4 is underrated imo. Follows the pattern of Paranoid (the epic 8-minute opener, followed by a shorter fast-paced jam, followed by a slower quieter ballad (with a piano to boot), then a few more kick-ass songs until the end). Good stuff, indeed. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath doesn't change up the formula much, but the song-writing is very strong. Gotta love Sabbra Cadabra.
6. Sabotage - I love Symptom of the Universe, but overall the song-writing is a noticeable decline from the first five albums. Overall it's OK.
7t. Technical Ecstasy and Never Say Die - These albums are duds. This is when the band lost me, and lost themselves, leading to the lineup change.
As for Dio-Era Sabbath, some of it is enjoyable. I've only listened to the first two albums all the way through. And sure, I would agree they're better than TE and NSD. But it's hard for me to think of them as the same band. It's the same band in name. _________________ on such a winter's day
Black Sabbath was one of the few metal bands I really liked, so by no means am I a metalhead and therefore take what I say with a big grain of salt. All I would say is that Technical Ecstasy is underrated, IMO somewhat unfairly, by most Sabs fans, if not by everyone. It's my second-favorite Sabs album (after Paranoid) and the only one I still occasionally listen to today.
It would be easy to assume I just like the album cover, since it's easily their best album cover and probably in my personal Top 50 overall for album covers. But it's the sound that really sets it apart — the first six albums were deliberately mixed to be dark and sludgey, but for Technical Ecstasy they decided to do it themselves. Tony Iommi basically became their producer, and suddenly the guitars are clearer, the whole thing is brighter, there are more keyboards, more acoustic guitars, and even more harmonies, so naturally if you'd been a big Sabs fan up until that point you probably would have hated it. It's perfectly understandable! And of course, "Rock 'n' Roll Doctor" is a total throwaway too, and it's followed by a weepy acoustic ballad ("She's Gone"), so that probably doesn't help.
I guess what I'm saying is that if you can somehow forget about all that, pretend it's a band you've never heard of, and just put the record on, it just comes off a lot better. (I realize Ozzy's voice makes that extremely difficult.) Anyways, when I first heard the thing I was especially impressed by the guitar sound, and while I haven't researched it or anything, I suspect Iommi was getting a lot more of the guitar distortion from pedals and studio-based effects than he had been in the past, what with him having nobody around to tell him he couldn't do that. And it just so happens that I loooooooove guitar pedals.
As for what came after, Never Say Die is pretty bad (the title track is the only one I can even remember) and the whole Dio Era is completely missable as far as I'm concerned, but I was already a committed punk-waver by then of course.
Black Sabbath was one of the few metal bands I really liked, so by no means am I a metalhead and therefore take what I say with a big grain of salt. All I would say is that Technical Ecstasy is underrated, IMO somewhat unfairly, by most Sabs fans, if not by everyone. It's my second-favorite Sabs album (after Paranoid) and the only one I still occasionally listen to today.
It would be easy to assume I just like the album cover, since it's easily their best album cover and probably in my personal Top 50 overall for album covers. But it's the sound that really sets it apart — the first six albums were deliberately mixed to be dark and sludgey, but for Technical Ecstasy they decided to do it themselves. Tony Iommi basically became their producer, and suddenly the guitars are clearer, the whole thing is brighter, there are more keyboards, more acoustic guitars, and even more harmonies, so naturally if you'd been a big Sabs fan up until that point you probably would have hated it. It's perfectly understandable! And of course, "Rock 'n' Roll Doctor" is a total throwaway too, and it's followed by a weepy acoustic ballad ("She's Gone"), so that probably doesn't help.
I guess what I'm saying is that if you can somehow forget about all that, pretend it's a band you've never heard of, and just put the record on, it just comes off a lot better. (I realize Ozzy's voice makes that extremely difficult.) Anyways, when I first heard the thing I was especially impressed by the guitar sound, and while I haven't researched it or anything, I suspect Iommi was getting a lot more of the guitar distortion from pedals and studio-based effects than he had been in the past, what with him having nobody around to tell him he couldn't do that. And it just so happens that I loooooooove guitar pedals.
Great takes, MadJack! < AND sickest of sick burn in the other thread! 🤣 >
Yeah. I LOVE Technical Ecstasy. Sabbath's take on the radio friendly hard-rockin' sounds of the 70s from Alice Cooper ("Gypsy") to Kiss ("Rock n' Roll Doctor) to even a Beatlesque number ("It's alright") sung by their drummer Bill Ward.
AND most importantly, “You Won’t Change Me” is the template for Ozzy's entire solo career! A far better ballad than "Changes" (although I LOVE both) and perhaps Sabbath's most underrated gem!
Ranking: 😈😈😈1/2
mickilennialThe Most Trusted Name in NewsProfile Detroit
I won't get into my all-time Black Sabbath rankings, but just know I prefer Ozzy Era to Dio easily. I like their proto-Doom stuff over their trad. heavy stuff.
Here's my favorite Sabbath songs I ranked a little while ago on RYM:
1. Snowblind Black Sabbath Vol. 4
2. Children of the Grave Master of Reality
3. Electric Funeral Paranoid
4. Supernaut Black Sabbath Vol. 4
5. Into the Void Master of Reality
6. Cornucopia Black Sabbath Vol. 4
7. War Pigs Paranoid
8. Paranoid Paranoid
9. The Shining The Eternal Idol
10. Killing Yourself to Live Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
11. The Wizard Black Sabbath
12. Hole in the Sky Sabotage
13. Solitude Master of Reality
14. Lord of This World Master of Reality
15. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
16. Heaven and Hell Heaven and Hell
17. The Sign of the Southern Cross Mob Rules
18. Neon Knights Heaven and Hell
19. Tomorrow's Dream Black Sabbath Vol. 4
20. St. Vitus Dance Black Sabbath Vol. 4
Quote:
YET, I'm kind of clueless when it comes to their late 80s & beyond stuff.
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