Black Sabbath - 13

Thirty-five years after the last Ozzy era Black Sabbath album was released, they put out this album, titled 13 after the year it came out: 2013. Since I called this an "Ozzy" era review of the Black Sabbath music, I'll go ahead and include it in my "Ozzy era" review. But there is one huge caveat, which is the absence of Bill Ward, the band's original drummer. And that is more than just a huge caveat. It's a downright shame. As in shame on the other three band members. Shame on them for cutting Bill Ward out. I never heard a single reason good enough for them to do what they did to Mr. Ward. At first there was only Bill's reason for not joining them on this endeavor: an "unsignable" contract. 

For Bill Ward to say that, it must have been a dogshit contract. I might believe they were offering him pennies on the dollar in comparison to what the others were earning. But that just didn't make sense. I had always thought the earnings were a four way split. That must have changed. And clearly Bill was feeling more than just slighted. He was straight up insulted. Also, clearly, the others, or maybe just one of them, (I would fathom a guess here, it was Ozzy,) just did not want him around anymore. And the reason why I am pointing my finger at Ozzy is because it was Ozzy who finally said that Bill was too old to perform, citing the rigors of such a physical instrument as the drums.

I think it's bullshit. Bill Ward was and I believe still is a great drummer. I mean does Ozzy think he weathered Father Time any better than Bill Ward? If he thinks that, the joke is on him. I would bet that Bill Ward's health was and still is every bit as good as Ozzy's was and is. I don't wish to get into any specifics, but I don't think it's a stretch to believe that Bill is in better shape than Ozzy. Sure Ozzy can still sing, but I have to think even he will admit he doesn't sing as well as he used to sing. And even if Bill can't play the drums as well as he did 35 years ago, I bet he can play the drums now, as well as Ozzy can sing now. So, yeah, that was a bullshit reason. There must be another reason. So, as an outsider, and as a fan, I can't forgive these guys for cutting out Bill Ward from their final album.

Whatever. That's my opinion on the matter. I had said when I began this topic, that I was a fan, but I also said that it didn't mean they could do whatever they wanted with my approval. And besides the fact that they don't need my approval, they don't have it for cutting out Bill Ward.

13

So let's get on with the review. And I start with the album cover design. I don't really care for it. A flaming number 13. Very little imagination there. For a final album cover they might have thought of something better. As for the album title of 13, as I wrote above, it represents the year the album came out. It was 2013, and the album hit number one on the charts. I suppose it was the hype that after 35 years they came out with another album, even though both "Black Sabbath" and Ozzy had put out many albums in the meantime. And I actually liked some of them. But I would have preferred it if they never parted ways. Just like I would have preferred Bill Ward for this album and the tour.

End of the Beginning

They started with heavy metal on their debut album, and they ended with heavy metal on this their final album. The lead song has a slow, plodding beat, but it picks up with a catchy Iommi riff. And Ozzy hits the notes and sounds like Ozzy. I don't hear anything on there that Bill Ward couldn't handle. It's a long song over eight minutes, but it holds up. Still it does not quite match their classic first songs of their other albums. But it's not a big drop off, so I'll give it a nine out of ten.

God is Dead?

The question mark saves the title of this song, otherwise, controversy would overshadow it. It's a slow heavy metal song, and it has a good melody. It's another long song, again over eight minutes, almost nine even. Which makes it two long songs in a row! The lyrics are good, but it still doesn't match the great second songs on their earlier albums, considering those songs include Paranoid, The Wizard, After Forever, etc. But it's still a really good song, so it's another nine out of ten.

Loner

This is a good song, too, and it seems like a flashback to their earlier years. It's another Iommi riff song, as are most of their songs, but as I listen to this song, and I do like it, I can't get over the damn shame that Bill Ward is not there. I honestly believe he would have been a better drummer on this song, and probably on all of the songs. Still it's good, so I'll give it yet another nine out of ten.

Zeitgeist

Another throwback to their earlier years. This song is clearly a carbon copy of their first great slow song, which was on the Paranoid album. Yes, I'm talking about Planet Caravan. Which I had rated a ten out of ten. Well, this song is still a good song, and I like it. But that's because I really liked Planet Caravan. The mood is similar, the beat is similar, the percussion is similar, and even the lyrics are similar. But it's not Planet Caravan, so I will give it a nine out of ten.

Age of Reason

This song is the first one on this album that really perked my attention. Talk about throwbacks, this song might fit on any of their earlier albums. The band really recaptured that Black Sabbath mystique on this song. So, yeah, I really like this song. To me, it's the first song on this album that matches the greatness of their earlier songs. I love the heavy metal start, and the way it maintains it's greatness throughout the duration of the song, even when the beat slows down at parts. And we are treated to a classic Iommi guitar solo that is straight from the 70s. It's the first ten out of ten on this album.

Live Forever

This song reminds me of some of those songs on Vol 4. And there is nothing wrong with that. But some of those rated eight out of ten. Nothing wrong with that either. I really believe that Iommi was putting out his best effort to match his greatness from the 70s, and it's a successful effort for the most part. But it's a match of those earlier eight out of ten songs, so it gets an eight out of ten.

Damaged Soul

This song has some problems. It's a good song, and another long one, almost eight minutes, and the transition of the different parts seem not too smooth to me. It is a slower song, and it's the first time Iommi's guitar work is not as great as I had been used to hearing it. I don't know what the problem is. I know he had health issues during this time. But I doubt that is the cause. Ozzy plays the harmonica, but it's not as good as, say, it was on The Wizard. We also hear him dubbing over his voice to create a vocal harmony again, like he did on the album Sabbath Bloody Sabbath. I don't think he needed to. To me this song is not as good as the others, so I rate it about a six out of ten.

Dear Father

Another long song. It's over seven minutes, and it seems to me to be more reminiscent of the songs Ozzy sang during his solo period. But it also reminds me of Vol 4 as well. Iommi is back in shape so it's a seven out of ten. The song ends with a thunder, rain and a church bell. Perhaps it was supposed to be the last song, which is why they ended it that way. But there are more songs.

Methademic

Like this one. It's a  blasting heavy metal song, the way I like it. Iommi still has it, make no mistake about that. He comes up with great riffs like no one else. And he is the king of heavy metal, make no mistake about that, either. He is fully on with this song. But it still doesn't reach the level of greatness that I expect from him. But it almost does. Thus this song is a nine out of ten.

Peace of Mind

We are treated to more than the usual eight (or nine) songs for a song line up on Black Sabbath albums, and for the first time on a Black Sabbath Ozzy era song, the song lineup reaches ten songs if you include this one. It's a good song, and I like it. And it happens to be the shortest song on the album at 3:41 long. Nothing wrong with that. But to me, as for how good it is, it rates about the same level as the Dear Father song, so it's a seven out of ten like that one.

Pariah

Instead of completing the song lineup at eight, (or nine) as was typical for the Ozzy era albums, they added three more songs, concluding the song lineup with this song, the eleventh on the album. It's another song that starts out slow, but Iommi's riffs are good and the song speeds up, then slows down again. It's not a great song, which is a let down, considering how they always had great songs conclude their albums. Never Say Die was the only album that didn't. But this song falls way short of that bar, also. So it's a six out of ten.

In conclusion, this album features only one song that rated a ten out of ten. But most of the songs did rate a nine or an eight, which means it's still a very good album. Nevertheless, this album is not a favorite and I rarely listen to it for the simple reason of what they did to Bill Ward. He's the only band member I had an opportunity to meet. The story goes like this: my friend and I had snuck onto the stage during an Ozzfest concert. The bands had yet to perform, and the curtains were closed, so we were up there at a time when no one else was there and no one could see us. We were just hanging out wondering what to do when Bill Ward appeared and proceeded to tune up his drums. When he finished, he was walking back to where Ozzy, Tony, and Geezer probably were, so I called out, "Hey, Bill!" He turned and came over and talked to us for several minutes. So it would have been better if Bill Ward was the drummer on this album. Aside from the concluding song, it's the only critique I have of this album. But it's a huge critique. They dissed Bill Ward and I'll never forgive them for that.

Black Sabbath - Never Say Die

The final album with Ozzy as the lead singer was this one. Their eighth album. Yes, thirty-five years later they released another album. But for the time-being, (thirty-five years time-being, that is,) this was the final album with Ozzy as the lead singer. It was the end of an era. Both Sabbath and Ozzy continued putting out albums after this. As it was, Never Say Die concluded the Fab Four's collaboration. I like the album, but it seems a lot of people don't. I'm not sure why. What I do know is that during this period in their careers, it was a weird time for the Sab guys.

NEVER SAY DIE

I always start with the album cover design and this one is strange to me. I don't really get it. Two pilots in pilot garb I don't recognize. It looks to be an American jet behind them. But I had never seen American pilots wearing a get-up like the ones they are wearing on the cover of this album. What is it supposed to mean? There are no songs in this album that are about pilots. And what the album's title, Never Say Die, has to do with pilots is beyond me. As for the album title, it is the name of the lead song on the album. So the Sabs finish with four out of eight albums named after a song in the album. But I don't like the cover design. It makes no sense. Maybe the worst cover of all their albums.

Never Say Die

As for the lead song, it's pretty good. A simple riff, and a good beat. That's a good combo. But is it as good as the other lead off songs on the other albums? No. When compared to the first songs of their previous seven albums, it does not rate as high. Think about the song Black Sabbath, on their first album, then War Pigs on their second album, then Sweet Leaf, then Wheels of Confusion, then Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, Hole in the Sky, and even Back Street Kids. Well, it's as good as Back Street Kids anyway. So I'll give it the same rating: a nine out of ten.

Johnny Blade

The second song on this album lives up to the great second songs on all their albums. Only the second song on Technical Ecstasy failed to live up to that. But the second song here does. It starts with that synthesizer again, but the song does not depend on it. Iommi kicks in with a great riff and it's a great song. It's a story type of song about a kid named Johnny Blade. Maybe someone in the band was thinking about writing a novel about a "back street kid", (inspired by the lead song on Technical Ecstasy perhaps.) Whatever. It's a great song and a ten out of ten.

Junior's Eyes

An offbeat song,  but a good one. It starts with Geezer's bass riff, and then Tony begins playing. It is a moody song. Still a heavy metal song. I read somewhere that Ozzy's father had just died, and this song was inspired by that. I don't really know. I never heard Ozzy talk about it. I've only heard that the band was going through a lot of turmoil during this period. It's a good song. A nine out of ten.

A Hard Road

Another great song. It's the last song on Side 1, so think of NIB, Iron Man, Children of the Grave and Supernaut. It has a great riff, some great singing, and great lyrics. Altogether a great song like those other great songs. So it's a ten out of ten.

Shock Wave

The lead song on Side 2, Shock Wave is a great song. It's my personal favorite song on this album, and it's a great heavy metal song. Iommi shines here. The lyrics are a fallback to the doom and gloom lyrics of their earlier work. I had no problem with the lyrics being positive but Sabbath made their name with doom and gloom lyrics and the evil forces and evil power mentioned here gets them back to their roots. My only critique is the oo-ooo, oo-ooo Beach Boys type background vocals near the end. But it's only as the song is ending so I won't let that lower my rating which is a ten out of ten.

Air Dance

Another offbeat song, like Junior's Eyes. It seems that the Fab Four, although going through some personal problems, were at the same time putting out some experimental music as this song displays. And in this song, as in Junior's Eyes, they are successful. It's a sad song about a woman who was the "queen of dance" but then, as time went by, saw her star fall, which if you think about it, is inevitable for us all. It kind of crosses into a jazz type song near the end, but it's still Iommi and he has already shown to be a versatile guitarist. To me the song is a nine out of ten, like Junior's Eyes.

Over to You

Another great song. It has great guitar riffs, great singing, and great lyrics. A positive type of message, but so what. It's a great song. It has some melodic changes with what seems like a harp in there, but that doesn't take away from the greatness of this song. It's a ten out of ten. Hands down.

Break Out

This song is an instrumental. And it's well documented how the band was having problems during the recording of this album. I heard that Ozzy had enough at this point, and refused to sing any more in the recording studio. So the last two songs had to be recorded without Ozzy. And on this song they used saxophones. Does it work? Not for me. I think they might have been better off nixing this one from the album's lineup. But they didn't, so to me it's a five out of ten.

Swinging the Chain

Sabbath's albums typically had eight songs each. (Vol 4 the lone exception with nine.) So it would have been fitting for them to nix the prior song and keep the song lineup at eight. As it is, this song, Swinging the Chain is the ninth song on the album, joining Vol 4 with a nine song lineup. But with Ozzy no longer participating at this point, Bill Ward took over the singing for this song. Do I like this song? Not so much. I would have liked it better had Ozzy been the one singing it. It's got some good things going for it, and the beat change at 2:53 was one of those good things. But as a final song for a Sabbath album it doesn't hold up. Not when you consider Into the Void, Fairies Wear Boots, Spiral Architect, and Dirty Women. On the Sabotage album, The Writ came close. This one doesn't come close. So it's a five out of ten.

In conclusion, this album was on track to being one of Sabbath's finest albums. I mean, check it out. The first seven songs were rated nines and tens. They just needed one more song to wrap it up. But then Ozzy flaked and they were left in the lurch. Saxophones were not the answer, and with all due respect to Bill Ward, Ozzy needed to sing that last song. But, to me, it's still a great album, and as a final album for the Fab Four, it has a special place in their discography. Don't believe the nay-sayers and the haters who diss this album. It has great songs, and it's a great album.

Black Sabbath - Technical Ecstacy

 

The 7th album for Black Sabbath was Technical Ecstasy. Like Sabotage, this album is not named after a song. Which is interesting to me. Albums 1, 2, and 5 were named after songs. Even album #4 was supposed to have been. Because it wasn't, it was a 50/50 shot at this point whether a Black Sabbath album would be named after a song. And with their 7th release, as with their 6th, it was not. Technical Ecstasy is a cool enough title, and I was happy that a new album came out, and yes, my friend and I made it to the concert for that tour.  It was our third Black Sabbath concert, and as I recall, no girlfriends or sisters made it to this one. 

TECHNICAL ECSTASY

As I already pointed out, the album design is cool enough. I don't really care to dwell on the implications of the design. I like it better when album covers have the musicians on there. Like Sabotage did. And if they don't, it should be a really outstanding design. Like their first album was. Is this one outstanding? Not to me. But I suppose no album cover will ever beat their first one. The Sab guys really set a high bar with that. And with the music, too. This album cover doesn't reach the level of greatness that the first one did. Okay, but what about the music? Let's talk about it right now.

Back Street Kids

After the great music from the prior albums, I had high hopes for this one. And the first song is a good one. It's a good riff and a good song. But not quite as good as the terrific lead off songs on all six of the prior albums. I noticed a slightly different sound on this song, and on the entire album, too. It's still heavy metal, yeah, and this song is still a fast heavy metal song, but something about the way Iommi plays his guitar sounds different. Maybe it's just the tone of the guitar. Maybe it's just a different guitar! There is something different about it. It could be that they are using that synthesizer again. I can't put my finger on it. It's still a good song but since it's not as good as all the other lead off songs, I will rate it lower. But not that much lower. It's a nine out of ten.

You Won't Change Me

I don't like this song. I didn't like it when I first heard it. I never liked it after that. And I still don't like this song. The second song on all their prior albums were great follow up songs to the great opening songs. The lone exception was the second song on Vol 4, but it was still a pretty good song. And because this song is the second song on this album I was really disappointed. Look, Ozzy has a great singing voice. It's a unique voice. It's not like so many other singers who, when you hear them, you can't distinguish one from another. But when Ozzy sings, you instantly know that voice. No one else sounds like Ozzy. That's one of the reasons why I think he is such a great singer. And his voice is perfect for the Sabbath sound. But when he sings these slow "love-sick" songs, (even though his voice is great for those kind of songs,) I lose interest. And yes, this song is one of those. It's a long song and Iommi has some great guitar solos on this, but again, the slow plodding beat and the mood of the song is not for me. I never enjoyed spending over six minutes listening to this song. Other fans might. But I don't. And since this is my review, I'll give it a four out of ten.

It's Alright

I can't stand this song. With all apologies to Bill Ward. I understand that Bill wrote this song and he is the one singing it, not Ozzy. When I first listened to this album, I had already decided I didn't like the second song, as I explained above. Then when this, the third song played, I was like, WTF. This song is NOT a Black Sabbath song, imo. Bill Ward, bless his heart, is a great drummer. And he can sing better than I can. I think the world of Bill Ward. I actually met him one day backstage at an Ozzfest, Had a great conversation with him. He's a great man, a humble man. And I hate to diss his song. But this is an honest review so this song takes over as the lowest rated song yet. A two out of ten.

Gypsy

This song starts with a good drum beat by Bill Ward, and a great heavy metal riff by Iommi. And then Ozzy sounds great when he kicks in. The song is terrific, too. Until at 1:50 into the song, that is. It doesn't get bad, but a piano kicks in, and the song devolves into another plodder. Ozzy starts singing the same thing over and over again: So you wanna be a gypsy... Actually, no I don't. But whatever. It was a great song, and the second half of the song doesn't ruin it. But I would have liked it better had they not changed it. As it is, it's a seven out of ten.

All Moving Parts (Stand Still)

This is the lead song for side 2 and it's a good one. A very well written and complex song. A lot of different parts, pardon the pun, that don't stand still. Anyway, I think my friend predicted they would begin the concert for this tour with this song. But I'm sorry to say I can't remember if he went three for three on that. Not proud to admit I can't remember what song they opened with that day. But after being mostly disappointed with the songs on side 1, (not a single one rated a ten,) this one does. But that wasn't too comforting to me. I had to wait until side 2 for a ten out of ten song.

Rock n Roll Doctor

Yes, a great follow-up song to a great song. Song 2 of side 2 is a real winner. I liked it when I first heard it and when I did, I was feeling a little better about this album. It's a great riff, and the song stays great throughout. And I will indeed rate it a ten out of ten.

She's Gone

I have already relayed how I feel about these love-sick songs. And just when I was feeling better about this album, they throw this one at me. Man-oh-man. I don't like this song. Yes, yes, Ozzy has the perfect voice for a song like this. He really does. But songs like this, I don't happen to like. In fact, I can't stand them. Now, if I flip the coin, and listen to this song from the perspective of a person who wants to hear a love-sick song, then, yeah, it's a great song. And if that were the case, it's a ten out of ten. But wait a minute. I don't want to hear love-sick songs. That's the realm of a country western song. Not a Black Sabbath song. So, whatever. For me, it's a four out of ten. 

Dirty Women

This is the concluding song. As Black Sabbath had already established, concluding songs on all their albums were great songs. So after being somewhat disappointed with the overall songs to this point, I had high hopes that the concluding song would hold up to that standard, and thank goodness, it did. Dirty Women is probably the best song on this album. And as the years went by, especially during the period after their reunion, this song is the only song from this album they performed live. It has a great beginning riff, and a great middle, and it ends with a great guitar solo. A ten out of ten.

So in conclusion I must admit this is my least favorite album by Black Sabbath. That doesn't mean it's a bad album. No. It's a good album. And I do enjoy, for the most part, the songs on this album. But the sad truth is that it's the album I listen to the least of all their albums. Maybe one other may compete for that unfortunate distinction, which I will write about later. Nevertheless, I still like the album as a whole. Sure there were a couple disappointments, but that's okay. You can't hit a homerun every time you're at bat. No one can do that. And, no, not even Black Sabbath.