Planet Caravan - A song about traveling through space. "The Earth, a purple blaze", is this lyric apocalyptic or hallucinatory? The song has a peaceful, psychedelic vibe so I'd say it's the latter although it's fun to think about. This song is a break from the heavy metal sound, even has some piano. It mixes up the tone and tempo. I think it's a decent song.
On first listen, when the album came out in 1970 and as a 12 year old boy who loved the first album, this was shocking. What the hell were they doing? This wasn't Black Sabbath. Had they gone soft already? Were they trying to be Pink Floyd for gods sake? So disappointed.
Then, you listen to it properly and it's a masterpiece of Psychedelic rock with a myriad of instruments and techniques being used. For me it showcases what phenomenal musicians the band were, should proof be needed.
As well as the use of "non Sabb instruments" like the bongos, Ozzy's vocals are perfect for the topic, as outlined by CA. They fit perfectly.
It's a phenomenal piece of work. Probably Black Sabbaths greatest non metal track
On first listen, when the album came out in 1970 and as a 12 year old boy who loved the first album, this was shocking. What the hell were they doing? This wasn't Black Sabbath. Had they gone soft already? Were they trying to be Pink Floyd for gods sake? So disappointed.
Then, you listen to it properly and it's a masterpiece of Psychedelic rock with a myriad of instruments and techniques being used. For me it showcases what phenomenal musicians the band were, should proof be needed.
As well as the use of "non Sabb instruments" like the bongos, Ozzy's vocals are perfect for the topic, as outlined by CA. They fit perfectly.
It's a phenomenal piece of work. Probably Black Sabbaths greatest non metal track
Pretty awesome to get a 12 year old's perspective on the ground when THIS was actually happening in real time. Very cool! Will love hearing more of young Jonnyo's first impressions as this continues.
What were your thoughts on Deep Purple's In Rock at the time? Was that something you and your friends also had to own as part of the First Wave Of British Heavy Metal (FWOBHM)? Were you also initially disappointed by Led Zeppelin III and did you fear that the mighty Zepp had already gone "soft" as well?
On first listen, when the album came out in 1970 and as a 12 year old boy who loved the first album, this was shocking. What the hell were they doing? This wasn't Black Sabbath. Had they gone soft already? Were they trying to be Pink Floyd for gods sake? So disappointed.
Then, you listen to it properly and it's a masterpiece of Psychedelic rock with a myriad of instruments and techniques being used. For me it showcases what phenomenal musicians the band were, should proof be needed.
As well as the use of "non Sabb instruments" like the bongos, Ozzy's vocals are perfect for the topic, as outlined by CA. They fit perfectly.
It's a phenomenal piece of work. Probably Black Sabbaths greatest non metal track
Pretty awesome to get a 12 year old's perspective on the ground when THIS was actually happening in real time. Very cool! Will love hearing more of young Jonnyo's first impressions as this continues.
What were your thoughts on Deep Purple's In Rock at the time? Was that something you and your friends also had to own as part of the First Wave Of British Heavy Metal (FWOBHM)? Were you also initially disappointed by Led Zeppelin III and did you fear that the mighty Zepp had already gone "soft" as well?
All great questions!!!!! On the Deep Purple question, Machine Head was the first DP album that I owned but I had listened to In Rock. I think that one thing to bear in mind is that we didn't have a lot of money back then so not everyone owned every album that they wanted so, if you didn't have In Rock for example, you had to wait until you went round to the mates house who did have it to listen to it, so I didn't get the chance to hear it that often so don't recall my initial thoughts. I owned Paranoid so could listen to it as often as I wanted. When I finally got In Rock, maybe 1974, I really liked it.
As far as the other early metal bands (excluding DP & Led Zepp) I think that, on the whole, I really liked most of them. Judas Priest were a firm favourite amongst my mates. I really rather liked Budgie at the time and discovered Blue Cheer a few years later.
I suppose I had different expectations of Led Zeppelin than I did of Black Sabbath but it's a great question and i don't remember being disappointed at all by LZ III. Must admit I hadn't thought about that until you asked the question.
[quote="CA Dreamin"]Iron Man - This is the opposite of Planet Caravan. We're back to making iconic metal riffs, and this might be the most iconic of them all. And there's no ambiguity here either. Iron Man is totally about the apocalypse. And human ignorance for not taking the Iron Man's warning seriously. I know this song has been played so many times over the years, so I may not always be in the mood for it. But it's undeniably awesome and ass-kicking. Johnnyo, tell us what you were gonna say about the title./quote]
God. I hope that I didn't build up your expectations for the Ozzy anecdote for this track to have your world shattered by it's banality but here goes.
So, the band are in the studio and Bill is messing about with a bass beat on the drums. On the spot, Tony produces the main riff for the first time (genius).
On hearing the riff, Ozzy pipes up and says, "it sounds like a big iron bloke walking about" (you have to picture him saying it in a heavy Brummie accent to get the full effect). So, the holding title for the song became Iron Bloke. Not worth the wait I know (sorry).
Anyway, the track. Awesome. Brilliant. Ass-kicking indeed. For me it is quintessential Black Sabbath. Never tire of it.
Hand of Doom - The song about a drug-addicted Vietnam soldier. It's so bleak. Ozzy and the gang embraced some very dark aspects of human nature in their music, but some of their song lyrics have a little redemption by the end. Not Hand of Doom. It ends with "Now you're gonna die." Musically, Hand of Doom is loosely structured, as it meanders over 7 minutes through at least two unique instrumental segments in the middle. I really enjoy it. It shows the side of Sabbath that liked to improvise and jam. They do this during the middle portion of War Pigs as well. In both songs, after the instrumental middle portions, they return to their simple introductory notes and chords, allowing the songs to continue to their final verses.
I hadn't really considered it much before but there is a lot of, what feels like, improvision in Sabbath songs. I guess when you record so quickly, that's inevitable and I like that feeling a lot.
This is a bit of a schizophrenic track for me. Starts off as a conventional headbanger, and then morphs into a far more interesting section with Tony taking the lead. Quieter, and more menacing. This is where the song becomes more interesting. Then back to the more upbeat section. It's a really interesting song from that perspective. The juxtaposition of the two.
Planet Caravan - A song about traveling through space. "The Earth, a purple blaze", is this lyric apocalyptic or hallucinatory? The song has a peaceful, psychedelic vibe so I'd say it's the latter although it's fun to think about. This song is a break from the heavy metal sound, even has some piano. It mixes up the tone and tempo. I think it's a decent song.
Johnnyo wrote:
On first listen, when the album came out in 1970 and as a 12 year old boy who loved the first album, this was shocking. What the hell were they doing? This wasn't Black Sabbath. Had they gone soft already? Were they trying to be Pink Floyd for gods sake? So disappointed.
Then, you listen to it properly and it's a masterpiece of Psychedelic rock with a myriad of instruments and techniques being used. For me it showcases what phenomenal musicians the band were, should proof be needed.
As well as the use of "non Sabb instruments" like the bongos, Ozzy's vocals are perfect for the topic, as outlined by CA. They fit perfectly.
It's a phenomenal piece of work. Probably Black Sabbaths greatest non metal track
Hmmm... Is this ground zero for Stoner Rock?! It's not Heavy Metal, as you guys have pointed out, BUT it is definitely Stoner Rock, another one of my favorite genres, which really didn't come into fruition until the 1990s, as far as I know, with Monster Magnet and Kyuss.
Listening to "Planet Caravan", it's clear to me that this track must have been a MONSTROUS influence on Monster Magnet and their sound.
So, I guess, what I'm trying to say here is... Did Black Sabbath invent Stoner Rock too? And then never really follow up on it like they did with Heavy Metal? It makes me want to pull out my old Hawkwind and late '60s Can albums to see if this really is the first example of this sub-genre. Because it is clearly and without question Stoner Rock.
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