Blacklist - Here we go again

So The Blacklist has returned to being a good show. I like the direction it is going with Red being the top man in that Skinner organization. And I even like his new bodyguard...that Cuban woman...  And I can appreciate her skill with  a gun. I don't believe she could beat up four dudes, though.

What I don't like is here we go again...another rift between Red and Dembe. It's like, haven't we been here before?  Yes we have. And it's a place I don't appreciate. What really bothers me about these writers is that they are clutching at straws for plotlines. I hate it when they turn Red's closest friends into antagonists. It's like the writers can't think of anything better.

It all started with Mr. Kaplan. That was painful to watch. Not to mention the constant feuding with Lizzy. Then we had to watch the first rift with Dembe. They got over it fast enough, but I thought even then it was idiotic. Now we have to go through that again? No, please no.

What I liked about Blacklist was the allies Red had. His trusted friends. And then the next thing you know, his friends are not as trustworthy as he thought. I can see it happening once. But over and over again, with one friend after another, and now his closest and most trusted friend? Please...

If they can resolve this latest rift, like they did the first time with Dembe, then okay. But we'll have to wait until after the holidays to find out. Okay. I'll wait...and I'll find out.

Blacklist Season 9 -- Looking Good

 

I started watching The Blacklist Season 9 and just finished the two-part premiere and I actually liked it. So, hurray. The Blacklist has made a comeback! I really liked the way they laid out the new premise. It seems that once the show's main creators left the show, the new guys in charge are doing a much better job. It makes me think I was right about what I had said in an earlier post. To reiterate, I had said that I believed the show's creators and/or producers probably didn't think the show would last much past its third season, and so they didn't have a clue as to how to proceed beyond that.

It seemed like they were clutching at straws for storylines and/or story arcs, and the show suffered for that reason. But now, with the Lizzy Keen premise eliminated, which was a premise that had bogged down the show's progress, there's a new freshness about the show and it's working!

I thought this new criminal organization, The Skinners, is a great idea. I don't much care for the name "Skinners"  but the idea behind it is great. And Red Reddington as their new leader makes it even better. I loved how Red infiltrated the home of that lady senator, and arranged for the old FBI team to get back together, and continue their good work. Even if it's all in the name and memory of Lizzy, I have no problem with that. It's all good. And I'm on board for the ride!

Blacklist Season 8

 

I had given up on this show because it sucked for four years running. But the reason it sucked, as I explained many times, was because the role of the female lead, Lizzy Keen, was written so poorly, and the storylines around her were so bad, it was painful to watch. And since I'm not a masochist, I stopped watching. But then, as I explained, I heard they were getting rid of the character at the conclusion of Season 8, so I watched it for that reason.

And yes, by the end of season 8 she was killed. But it was just when they finally resolved the characters' issues. And at that point, I would have been fine with her staying in the show. My entire problem with the character of Liz Keen was her stupidity. She was so stupid to believe a strange woman was her mother. But she wasn't her mother. Liz Keen was just stupid enough to believe she was, in spite of the fact that the woman had lied to her. And in spite of the fact that the woman had put Lizzy's own child in danger by gaining Lizzy's trust to babysit the kid.. And in spite of the fact that the woman had murdered two of Lizzy's fellow FBI agents. And worst of all, for me at least, was how Lizzy was so quick to side with a strange woman just because she claimed to be her mother and then believing she had to hate Red Redington--the man who had saved her life many times over. 

It was just so stupid. Of course I don't blame Megan Boone. As I've explained. It's the writers who made the character so stupid. It was so old to hear how Lizzy wanted to kill Red, or whatever. So the final episode, when even Red wanted her to kill him, she couldn't, and that was good. So then a bad guy shoots and kills her. But I don't quite buy it. I haven't started watching season 9 yet, but Lizzy had been killed once before. But then she wasn't. Even the phony mother had been killed before. But then she wasn't. So now these stupid writers want their audience to believe Lizzy is killed now?

I won't hesitate to say I could have been a great collaborator for this show and the plot lines that have been happening. And I still could be. But shows don't run for much more than nine seasons. I wouldn't be surprised if this season is the last season. I'll watch it. And I'll see.

Blacklist Slumping

 This 8th season of Blacklist, although I'm watching belatedly, started so badly with episodes 1 - 4 that I quit watching it altogether. But when I heard that Keene was killed at the end of the season, I had a renewed interest and picked up where I left off which was episode 5. And sure enough it became interesting again, as was episode 6. But then with episodes 7 through 10, it has slumped, and I'm thinking it isn't going to be worth watchin again. Why?  Well after watching episodes 7 - 10 I have determined they were just fillers. The plots don't contribute to the storyline, which, btw, is lousy. 

Elizabeth Keene is a horrible character. She wasn't always. I thought she was a pretty good character when she was a rookie FBI agent learning the ropes with more than a little help from the mysterious Red Reddington. And as the years went by, she became a better agent. Of course, with experience, that's usually the case. But focusing the storyline on her now as a super villain is painful to watch, and it's why I stopped watching after the start of this season. 

I had hopes that it would be good again without her, and with episodes 5 and 6, that seemed to be happening. But this slump better stop with episode 11 which I plan on watching tonight. And by the way, the whole show will be bullshit if they don't finally give a good reason why Red was so obsessed with her in the first place. The only reason that can make sense is if he is really her biological father. Nothing else will make sense. But I heard him say, again, that he is not her father. So do we have a show that is based on bullshit? It is appearing that way.

Goodbye Elizabeth Keen

So I returned to viewing The Blacklist. I had written it off due to the horrible writing that had made Lizzie into some super villain. But the reality was the writers were actually writing her out of the show. Once I realized the end game of it, meaning they were going to kill her off, I thought, okay, let's check it out again. And yes. The show is much better without that annoying character in it. It's a shame, really. I thought Megan Boone, the actress who had been playing Lizzie, did a fine enough job when the writing had her being what she was supposed to be -- a rookie FBI agent being helped by the criminal mastermind Red Reddington. It worked and all was good. 

I already wrote about the many reasons why it was good and how it devolved into a lousy show. But it seems they are fixing it. I would have written it differently, of course, and probably much better, but at least they are getting it right now. So I watched episode 5 and 6, and liked both of them well enough. Even in spite of the constant references to Lizzie.

It's a shame one of the characters died in real life and he died in the show, too. I guess that was fitting. And of course, James Spader gave a great performance to send him off. Or was it a performance? Maybe he wasn't acting. Since the real guy died, maybe he meant every word.

Whatever. It's a good show now. I had liked it before. Now I do again.

Why Should I Sing?

 About my music, I've posted often that I can't sing. And yet I do sing on the songs I've posted on SoundCloud. Well, I had to sing. No one else knows my songs. And how could they? I've been in bands before, and I have corresponded with members of other bands. Almost always they say that when you write a song, you have to sing it, even if you can't sing. How else will a real singer know how you want your song sung?

I was hoping, at first, that a singer can just hear the tune that I wrote, and then sing the words I had written to match those tunes. I was told it's not as easy as that. So for twenty some years, my songs were sitting on cassette tapes without vocals and vanishing into obscurity. Because no way was I going to post just instrumental music anywhere. It would be like posting a painting of just a background with no subject matter in it. In other words, it would have sounded incomplete.

Then I remembered something. Years ago, I would play Black Sabbath songs on the piano and a friend of mine would sing the lyrics. He wasn't a singer, but he still sang the songs, and it worked well enough for two teenagers playing  songs in the living room. But the reason he was able to do that was because he had heard Ozzy sing those songs and he knew how they were supposed to be sung.

So I thought to myself, if he could sing the songs of someone else's music, even though he's not a singer, why the heck can't I sing the songs that were my own songs?

And that is why I went ahead and finally sang the songs and posted them. With mixed results, sure. It's clear that it would have been preferable to have a real singer. But in some of the songs I think I'm actually doing a passable job. Some, I think, are better than just passable. But that doesn't mean I think I could audition for Simon Cowell. No. Not even close.

But like anything, the more you do something, the better you get at doing it, and the same can be said for singing, especially when the songs are songs that you wrote. So for the last two albums I posted, Volumes 1 and 14, I think I'm doing a better job at singing than the first albums I posted, which are Volumes 2 through 13. 

Will there be a Volume 15? I should think so. I'm already getting ideas for more original songs. It's a matter of getting back into the mood. Might be soon. Maybe I can have another album written by summertime. We'll see.

No Liz, No More

 

I had stopped watching this show because it had turned into garbage. But one of the reasons it had turned into garbage was because of the character of Lizzie, or Elizabeth Keene. Originally the character was fine, but after the third season, the character of Lizzie Keene turned into a stupid, wishy-washy flake. Going back and forth on her convictions was one thing, but hating someone who had saved her life time and again, and had saved the lives of her friends and coworkers, is hardly someone she would hate. I would think she would be eternally grateful to that person.

But no. She would rather be duped into believing that a stranger was her mother. Never mind that the stranger had murdered two of her fellow FBI agents. Never mind that the stranger put her daughter into harm's way. And never mind that the stranger was not her mother in the first place.   

So I have not watched any of the episodes after the second episode of this season, and what I have heard is that the character of Lizzie Keene became so bad they had to kill her off and get her off the show. Hhmmmnnn... Okay. I guess that's what you have to do.

So will I start watching again? Now that the character of Lizzie is gone, might that mean the show will be good again? Not so fast. Don't forget... The show had become my favorite show while Lizzie was a main character. It was the writers who ruined that. Meghan Boone had to perform the role as the writers wrote it. So that means the show is not necessarily good again, even without Lizzie.

Maybe I'll have to watch it again just to see. But the father/daughter dynamic between Red and Lizzie worked for me. I would rather have had that come to fruition and then they take it from there. But if that is not the case, then it's better they offed her. I guess.

Volume 14 - Rockin' the Establishment

Hooray. I have just released my latest album, or "Playlist" as they are called on SoundCloud. Or to use the vernacular of today's youth, I "dropped" my latest album today. It's interesting how slang changes from one generation to the next. When you post new music on SoundCloud, the last song (or the last playlist) you post is the first one listed.

So from now on, each volume that I post will be first on the list. Thus, Volume 14 is first on the list now, followed by Volume 1 and so on. Since I wrote the songs in the order in which they are listed on the albums, the songs on Volume 1 were the first songs I ever wrote, followed by Volume 2, etc. 

And so this past summer, while other people were going to Hawaii, or going camping, or whatever, I wrote music, and during the course of the last two months, I wrote enough songs for another album. Then I wrote the lyrics and recorded it. And now the album is on SoundCloud as a "Playlist." I already posted the song list on my prior post, but here it is again.

1 - Born in a Maze

2 - You Were Losin'

3 - Bad Boy

4 - Longshot

5 - Why Can't We

6 - Woman of Straw

7 - Penalty

8 - It's Money

9 - Lockdown

10 - Who's Laughing Now

I am very pleased with these songs. If I weren't, I wouldn't write them. Or I would trash them and write other songs. As for my singing, well, at least I carry the tune. If I didn't, I would trash that, too. But the singing is in tune, in key, and for the most part listenable, if that's a word. It must be because I didn't get that squiggly red underline when I wrote it. 

If you have a mind to, click on the album image to the right and have a listen. That goes for any of the fourteen alums I've "dropped" by now. I hope you like the songs. Please don't criticize the singing. I know I am not a singer. But that doesn't mean my singing ruins the music. If it did, I wouldn't have posted the songs. That's all.

Volume 14 completed

Volume 14 of my original music is now completed. That means the songs have been written, arranged, and recorded, including the lyrics and the singing that goes with it. Yes, I did the singing. No, I am not a singer. But at least I sing in key and I hit the right notes.

I am no Neil Diamond. No Elton John. No Cat Stevens, or whoever else is out there who writes and sings his own music. But I do write and sing my own music. No one else will. So I do. And you know what? I like it. That doesn't mean I think I'm as good as the aforementioned guys. No. But I don't have a label seeking to sign me. Nor do I ever have any intention to audition for Simon Cowell.

But it's something I do, and I'm glad I can do it. I even have the new album design completed, as you can see below:

And as you can see I decided on the title Rockin' the Establishment. I reached that decision based on the concept of the album. Like when I titled volumes 12 and 13 after the concepts of those albums. Volume 14's concept being an outsider working his way into the elite, to the chagrin of the "establishment." 

So as soon as the CD arrives from the guy in San Diego (the guy who puts my music onto CDs and also converts the music into mp3s,) I will post it on SoundCloud. I think that could be as soon as late next week. Stay tuned.

Volume 14 Music Composed

 As of today I have completed composing ten original songs along with the lyrics that will be Volume 14 of my music catalog. I have yet to name the album. I have two songs with titles that could work in a title. Longshot and Lockdown. As in Rockin' the Longshot, or Rockin' the Lockdown. Seeing as how this country is just emerging from a government mandated "lockdown" I might go with that. But I like the Longshot title too. It could depend on what kind of a cover design those titles can be matched to. That is a very important element, and I have yet to research any possible cover designs, as I have only just now finished with the lyrics. I had meant to make this a third album in a row that is a concept album. Like my last two albums, Volumes 12 and 13, which are both concept albums. And it is. So it could be I'll go with the Longshot. But that is not definite yet. At this point, the song list is as follows:

1 - Born in a Maze

2 - You Were Losin'

3 - Bad Boy

4 - Longshot

5 - Why Can't We

6 - Woman of Straw

7 - Penalty

8 - It's Money

9 - Lockdown

10 - Who's Laughing Now

I don't think you can discern the storyline from the titles. Maybe you can. Whereas Volume 12 was about a man in space, whereas Volume 13 is about the end of life. Volume 14 is about a man who starts from nothing, makes it big, falls back to nothing, makes it big again, and falls again to nothing. So it's not a rags-to-riches story, its more like a rags-to-riches-to-rags-to-riches-to-rags kind of story. And there is a love interest included with the song Woman of Straw. I went back to the love ballad genre for that one. I thought I had a good talent for those kind of songs as my Volume 1 displayed. Anyway, I'm pleased I was able to get the music written, arranged, and recorded during my summer break. I hope I can get the vocals added by next week. And once the vocals are done, I'll send the SD card to San Diego so all ten songs can be made into my fourteenth CD.  

Working on Volume 14

 Since my books are pretty much done or on hiatus, I'm really into my music now. As I've posted earlier, I have 13 total albums that I've written, composed, arranged, performed, recorded, and posted on SoundCloud. You can click on any one of them in the right margin of this blog.

I believe every song on every album is great. If I were to rank them like I did for the Black Sabbath albums, there would be several tens, some nines, and nothing under an eight. That's what I think of my music. But note that I am really only ranking the songs. If I were to rate my singing on the songs, well, then, that would be a very different story. I am not a professional singer. Actually, I'm not a singer at all. But hey, it's my music, so I can sing the songs. 

But anyway, I had once thought I would stop at 13 albums, since that's a lot of albums. And a lot of songs. 135 songs to be exact, and all kinds of different songs. Fast, slow, love, ballads, rock, jazzy and more. Alternative rock is what I mostly call the genre of music I have there. And since I will no longer be writing any new books, I am back in the music mode.

So why stop at 13 albums. I had two songs left over from when I stopped writing music about fifteen years ago. So I had always had it in the back of my mind to write at least one more album and reach fourteen albums. At this point I have written nine of the songs that will go on Volume 14. I'm in the process of composing and arranging the tenth song at this time. And I'm very happy with how they have turned out.

Once this tenth song is done, I will write the lyrics and do my singing thing. At that point I hire a man in San Diego to put the CD together, and there you go. Of course, I create the album cover design, as I've done with all the prior albums. And I'll think of an album title. I like what I've done in that regard. Meaning I start the titles as Rockin' the.... So it will be Rockin' the something or other. Sometimes I use a song title to finish the album title, but sometimes I don't. We'll see. I hope to be finished by the end of the summer. At that point, it will be back to being a teacher in the California public school system. Oh, and by the way, I'm back to teaching piano and music now. Not just art. They even bought me a new Yamaha upright piano! How cool is that? No complaints here.

Black Sabbath Albums from best to worst

 I had rated every song on every Ozzy era Black Sabbath album, which brings me to the concluding post on the matter, which is ranking the albums from best to worst. (Worst being a relative term, as the word implies not good, which is not the case. They are all good.)

So we have a three way tie for first place. Black Sabbath, their debut album, Paranoid, their second effort, and Master of Reality, their third, all rate a ten, which is because every song on all three of these albums rate a full ten out of ten. Meaning every song is a great song. Note that I do not include that one song that was added to their debut album when it became a CD. I don't like that song much, but since it wasn't on there for the first twenty plus years, I won't consider it for THIS ranking.

The listing is as follows, with the overall rating in parentheses:

Album Title                            Rating        Ranking

Black Sabbath                     (10/10)        Tied 1st     

Paranoid                              (10/10)        Tied 1st       

Master of Reality                (10/10)         Tied 1st      

Vol 4                                      (9/10)            4th             

Never Say Die                     (8.5/10)           5th              

Sabotage                             (8.25/10)       Tied 6th     

Sabbath Bloody Sabbath  (8.25/10)       Tied 6th

13                                          (8/10)             8th

Technical Ecstasy               (7/10)            9th

So in conclusion, my favorite albums are the first three. Interesting to note is that all three of those albums were released within one year of each other. Black Sabbath and Paranoid both came out in 1970 and Master of Reality came out in 1971. So they must have had the songs written and compiled long before they made it big. Then, starting with Vol 4, they had to start writing songs to meet contractual deadlines. So that could be why the ratings are lower. Remember, these rankings reflect my preference after listening to these albums for close to fifty years now. Time has passed, the band is done, and that's what happens to everyone sooner or later. Too bad they were having problems with Ozzy during the recording of Never Say Die, and then with Bill for 13. But problems seem to happen with every band sooner or later. Such is life.

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.

Black Sabbath - Sabotage

 

The sixth release of the Black Sabbath catalog was this one. Sabotage. I was looking forward to a new Black Sabbath album, and when I found this album in the record store, I purchased it immediately. Even better, my friend and I were quick to buy tickets to the tour that followed. We couldn't get all the way to the front like we did for the Sabbath Bloody Sabbath tour. But we were close enough. And an interesting side note to that concert was that we stuck around after the performance. The audience had thinned but there were some diehards remaining as the clean up crews were clearing off the stage and one of them threw Bill Ward's drum sticks onto the floor. I fought off two other guys to secure one and came home with a prize. I have it to this day.

SABOTAGE

As for the album design? I like it. I always thought pictures of the band members were good on an album. And aside from that overexposed yellow image of Ozzy on Vol 4, (which didn't even look like Ozzy to me) no album of theirs had featured photos of the band on the cover. So this was the first time a Black Sabbath album had photos of the band members on the front cover. (Paranoid had a photo of the band inside the cover, and Master of Reality had that poster. And Vol 4 had photos of the band inside the cover as well. But none had photos on the cover until this one. The mirror adds a good effect. I read somewhere that they didn't plan on the wardrobe element of this photoshoot. It was a last minute idea when one of them realized they should be wearing something other than everyday street clothes. Thus, the tights we see on Bill Ward, and the gown we see on Ozzy. Whatever. I like this cover design.

Hole in the Sky

The lead song on every album is a great song, and so is this one. Hole in the Sky has a great riff, great singing, and great lyrics. It's a great song and a ten out of ten.

Don't Start (Too Late)

This is another acoustic guitar intro to another fantastic song.  Much like they did on Master of Reality. An acoustic guitar intro to a super heavy metal song. It works perfectly and it's a ten out of ten.

Symptom of the Universe

This song, as I alluded above, is nothing short of fantastic. Just as the acoustic guitar intro ends, the heavy metal riff of this song blasts in and hits you like a ton of bricks. (That description came from Tony Iommi himself, when referring to another song he had recorded on an album in the future.) But clearly, it was this song where that happened first. Even more so than on Master of Reality. Ozzy sings great, the lyrics are great. and the song ends with another acoustic performance by Iommi as Ozzy wraps up the singing. When they played this song live they ended it before the acoustic part. and as another side note, my friend predicted they would play this song first at the concert in San Francisco. He was right. That made him two for two, and needless to say, it's a ten out of ten.

Megolomania

This is one of the longest songs on a Sabbath record to date. Over nine minutes long. Almost ten. I don't think it needed to be that long. But whatever. It begins with a slow riff and speeds up later with a cow bell. It's a good song, and many Sab fans love this song. Do I? No. That doesn't mean I don't like it. I do. But I don't like it as much as other Sab fans seem to. It is a good song, make no mistake, I am not dissing it. But I don't rate it as high as other songs. So I will give it an eight out of ten.

The Thrill of It All

The lead off song to side 2 of the vinyl, and it's another great song. Is it a masterpiece? I had said that my friend and I gave that description to a song very rarely. So I wouldn't go there with this song. But it is a great song. Great singing by Ozzy, great lyrics, and a great song. So a ten out of ten.

Supertzar

This is an unusual song. No singing by Ozzy, but there are vocals by some all male choir. I suppose it fits into the Black Sabbath catalog of songs because the riffs by Iommi combined with the male choir voices give it a Medieval and/or Gothic sound. But to me, it's not something I would have expected. That doesn't mean I don't like it. I do. It's a good song to be played before Sabbath comes onto the stage for a live performance. And that's just what they did many times at the concerts I went to. But this is an honest review, so I will give this song a six out of ten.

Am I Going Insane (Radio)

This song is a song I never liked. I don't like the composition and I don't like the lyrics. Perhaps if the composition was better I would like the lyrics. As it is, it's an atypical Black Sabbath song, which unto itself is not a reason to dislike it. Other atypical songs were just fine by me. Not this one. And what does "radio" in parentheses mean in the title of the song?  My friend guessed it meant that they thought this song might get some radio time. I don't know and I never did know. What I do know is I don't like the song, so it gets the lowest rating of any Black Sabbath song yet. A four out of ten.

The Writ

The laughing dubbed at the end of the prior song turns into crying, or wailing for the start of this song. And then a distant bass riff begins. It's a good riff and then a loud heavy metal chord hits, and Ozzy starts the singing. It's a good song, and another long one. Over eight minutes. It changes from loud to soft and loud to soft with Geezer's bass filling in, then the loud heavy metal chords take over. I don' t think it needed to be over eight minutes long, but it still works. Sabbath likes to have a great song conclude their albums, and I think that they believed this one qualified for this album. To me it does, but it's just not as good as the other songs, like Fairies Wear Boots, Into the Void, and Spiral Architect. It's still a worthy song, but I'll give it an eight out of ten.

So, in conclusion, this is a great album, and Black Sabbath has six straight albums that feature great heavy metal songs. I like the fact that they got heavier in this album than they were in Sabbath Bloody Sabbath. When the song Symptom of the Universe hit, there was no doubting that. It was my only critique of Sabbath Bloody Sabbath at the time, that they had lightened their sound. And I was thinking they were giving in to their critics that criticized the heaviness of their music. I loved the heaviness of their music, so any lightening of it was not okay with me. So this album, for me, was Sabbath returning to their roots, meaning their heavy metal roots. They invented the sound, and they were owning it! That is what I wanted to hear, and that is what I wanted them to do.

Black Sabbath - Sabbath Bloody Sabbath

 

Black Sabbath's fifth album was this one. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, named after the lead song of the album. This album is the one that had been released at the time I had just become aware of the band. As a side note, it was the tour of this album which was my first Black Sabbath concert. I had just bought all of their albums and then found out they were performing in San Francisco. I went with the only friend of mine that also liked Black Sabbath, along with my girlfriend at the time, and my sister, who liked to go to rock concerts. My friend and I forced our way through the crowd to the front row, which at the time did not have that buffer zone in front of the stage. It was one of the best days of my life.

SABBATH BLOODY SABBATH

As for the cover design... Well, it's pretty cool artwork, no doubt about that. However, the scene in which we see some bedridden individual surrounded by what seems to be hallucinatory images of demons, suggesting he is being possessed or tormented by demonic forces lends itself to the false perception that the Sabbath members were some kind of devil worshippers or something. Even then I knew that was not the case. The band members were certainly NOT anything of the sort. I had noted on the song After Forever the lyrics made that clear. But a cover design like this certainly did not help to dismiss that narrative. In fact, Ozzy's father had forged four metal crosses to reinforce the opposite.

Sabbath Bloody Sabbath

So the lead off song is the same name as the album. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath has a cool heavy metal opening riff, and  is a solid song throughout. But for the first time, the band incorporated an acoustic segment not once but twice during this song. I thought at the time that the acoustic segment did not fit the song. It was a heavy metal song, and a good one, but with an acoustic segment in there? It didn't ruin the song, or make it any less good, but I just wasn't too sure about it. As time passed, I think it works fine. I was thinking at the time that they might have given in to critics who were saying their music was too heavy. But no. I think that they were just being creative. It's a great song and has a great ending riff that gets even heavier. So yes, it's a ten out of ten.

A National Acrobat

This second song is a winner. I had mentioned that the second song on their albums was always a real good one. And this one sure is. It starts with a great riff, and then Ozzy sings. Ozzy dubs another vocal track over his first one for a harmonic effect. Since they had no backup singers, Ozzy's voice is the only one and he has a double vocal track sounding throughout much of this song. The song breaks into a secondary riff at which point, the lead cuts in and then it concludes with a melancholy riff that breaks again into a heavy riff, and concludes with dazzling guitar work. A ten out of ten.

Fluff

Well, what can you say about a song called Fluff? Is it merely fluff? By that I mean is it a song put in there just to take up space? The title certainly suggests that. It's a nice acoustic guitar song. With several guitar overdubs to fill it out and even some piano. There are no vocals or drums. I'm not even sure there's a bass. It could be only Tony and no one else. If that's the case, it's a well done composition by Iommi, and a sure break from the heavy metal sound. Do I like it? Not necessarily. That doesn't mean it's not a good song. You have to be in the mood for a song like this. If you're in the mood for a heavy song, this ain't it. So my OPINION, is a five out of ten.

Sabbra Cadabra

This starts out with a great riff. It's distant at first, and then kicks in full throttle. It has a great beat, and Ozzy's singing sounds great. The lyrics are about having a great woman in your life, and that's okay with me. But I do have a problem with this song, because at 2:03 into the song, the great riffs stop and Ozzy sings the same thing over and over. To me, it was a super start, but the ending adds a synthesizer and some piano by Rick Wakeman. I don't know why they recruited him for this song. It was on track to be a ten out of ten, but to me it ends up being an eight out of ten.

Killing Yourself to Live

This is the lead off song for side two, and a side note is that it's the first-ever song I heard them play live. I had pointed out that this album's tour was my first Sabbath concert. My friend predicted that they would lead off their performance with this song and he was right. What makes it an interesting composition to me is that it has three movements like an abbreviated opera. It's a ten out of ten.

Who Are You?

I read somewhere this is a song written by Ozzy, and it's Ozzy playing a synthesizer, with a few dubbed-over tracks, with Bill on the drums, and I think Geezer is playing the bass. To my knowledge it's the first time Tony doesn't have an input on a song. I don't have a problem with that, but even so, I never really liked this song too much. That doesn't mean it's not a good song. I just don't hold it in such a high regard as I do most of their other songs. So for me, it's a five out of ten.

Looking for Today

This is a good rock song, but to me, it is not as good as their other songs. It's still a good song with good lyrics and a good beat. It's not a bad song by any means, it's just not one of my favorites. And once again, the band breaks into an acoustic segment, twice, like they did in the song Sabbath Bloody Sabbath. I never really liked that they did that. It doesn't ruin the songs. But I don't think it made them better, either. Still, it's an eight out of ten.

Spiral Architect

This is the concluding song of the album. and as such, it was important to the band to end the album with another great song. And they sure succeeded. This starts with an acoustic intro, but turns into yet another great Sabbath song. Yes, again, it has acoustic segments, like the other two songs, but this time with violins. Another important element of this song is the lyrics. Geezer Butler, who is the lyricist of the band, came up with some great lines. It's a great song. I don't think they needed the canned applause at the end, but whatever. It's a ten out of ten.

So in conclusion, another winner by Black Sabbath. I know my ratings make it seem like it's rated lower, if one were to average the ratings of all the songs. And one might conclude that it's not as good an album as their first three or four albums. It's all about opinion really. I have a sentimental attachment to this album, as I said, it's the album the band was touring when I saw them live for the fist time. So, I do like the album, and there is no doubting the quality of this album. It may not be as heavy as their prior albums. But it's still a Black Sabbath album, and heavy enough for Sab fans.

Black Sabbath - Vol 4

The next Black Sabbath album was called Vol 4. But I read somewhere that the name of the album was supposed to be Snowblind, which is the lead-off song on side 2. According to what I read, studio executives nixed that album title, believing it was too much in reference to the drug, cocaine. And since the title and lyrics do reference cocaine, and Ozzy does spew the word cocaine in the song, it was just too obvious the song was about cocaine. Another band had made a song about cocaine which had become a hit on the radio, and it got a lot of air time. So I guess Sabbath figured they could do a song about it too. But naming the album after the drug was going too far. (Or so believed the executives.)

VOL 4

I always give an opinion of the cover design, so my opinion of this cover design is that it's just okay. Since this was the second time a Sabbath album got renamed, I'm not sure if this cover design is the same as it was going to be with the original name. It seems to me to be a basically simple design. An all-black cover, with a yellow image of Ozzy performing at a concert. But nothing else is evident. Not the other band members, not a stage, and no audience. Just an overexposed all-yellow image of Ozzy raising his hands giving the peace sign. (Maybe it's just me, but to me that doesn't even look like Ozzy.) I have no doubt that it is, however, and I suppose it's a good enough design. Too bad they couldn't just call the album Snowblind as they originally intended. But so what.

Wheels of Confusion

When I first heard this song, (as a back album, as I've already explained) I loved it. It begins with a great guitar intro, and then settles into a single cord verse and Ozzy starts singing. It sounds great. The heavy metal sound is still going strong in this album. It breaks into a middle segment of great musical compositions by Iommi and then goes back to the single cord verse, and then ends with another great, and long guitar segment featuring Iommi greatness. This is yet another ten out of ten song, and yet another great lead off song to another great album.

Tomorrow's Dream

This is a very nice follow up to the lead off song. Not as great of a follow up as they had on their first three albums, but hey, that's a high bar right there. As it is, it's good enough, but the high bar the band had set for song number two in the first three albums does come into play here. And for that reason, and only for that reason, I will give this one an eight out of ten. (You'll recall this is an honest review.)

 Changes

I never really liked this song. But that doesn't mean it's not a good song. It's a love song, or really it's a love-sick song. And that doesn't sit well with me. I read somewhere that one of the band members was going through a divorce at this point in time, so the lyrics and the song were inspired by that circumstance. But I really do not like love-sick songs. That's more what you're going to hear from country western music. Not my cup of tea. An interesting thing about this song is there's no guitar on it. It's all piano. I don't even know who's playing the piano as I don't recall anyone being credited for it. But besides the fact that Ozzy sounds love sick, he really does sing the song well. I guess he's supposed to sound love sick on a love sick song. I remember reading that Bill Ward said Ozzy had the perfect voice for a song like this. I think Bill Ward was right. But that doesn't mean I'm going to like it. So the bottom line is this is the first Black Sabbath song I didn't like. Other people probably love this song as another one of Sabbath's great slow songs. I don't. So I'll give it a five out of ten.

FX

I do not consider this a song. It's nothing more than what the title says it is. Just some "effects" which do not translate into a song. I suppose they intended it to be an intro to Supernaut, like they did on some of their earlier albums. But it doesn't work for me, and I won't rate it, as it's not a song.

Supernaut

This is a really good song. I've read it's a favorite song for many Sabbath fans. I think it even got radio time in the UK, but I never heard it once on the radio here in America. But I had already pointed out how Sabbath was far from popular on American radio. But it's a good song. It begins with a great into guitar riff by Iommi. And it has a great beat and Ozzy sounds great. However, the drum solo on this song is not really a drum solo. Bill Ward had already recorded a great drum solo on Rat Salad on the Paranoid album. This one is nothing more than a sustained beat which sounds great unto itself, but then someone starts playing a fish or whatever that thing is called, and for me, that is not Sabbath. But when Iommi kicks back in, the song is saved. So, yeah, it's a ten out of ten.

Snowblind

This is the song I was talking about. It was supposed to be the name of the album. But whatever. When I heard this song, I loved it. And I still do. Not because I like cocaine, I don't. I don't like smoking dope either, but that didn't prevent me from loving the Sweet Leaf song. And I love this song too. It's a great work of heavy metal music from the inventors of the heavy metal sound. A ten out of ten.

Cornucopia

This is another great heavy metal song. It begins with slow plodding heavy metal riff, and then speeds up with singing from Ozzy. I must say that Ozzy does some of his best singing on this album and it's evident on this song. It's a little shorter than some of the other songs, but it holds it's own. And I will rate it a ten out of ten.

Laguna Sunrise

Okay, this song is another break from the heavy metal blasting. It's a soft acoustic guitar instrumental from Iommi. He displays the talent on the guitar that goes far beyond blasting heavy metal cords and mind-blowing hard rock electric guitar solos. Aside from no singing, there are no drums and there's no bass, either, but is it does have some background violins or synthesized violins. Do I like it? Yes. It's a musician's song. And I happen to be a musician, as you may know. It's a ten out of ten. But don't listen to it if you're expecting a typical Black Sabbath heavy metal song. 

St. Vitus Dance

This is a short heavy song, with a fast beat. It's a good song, but not one of my favorites. It seems that the lyrics are about another romantic relationship gone bad. Another song influenced by that divorce, perhaps? I'm not sure, but whatever. It's short and sweet, with some solid riffs. After all this time, I still don't know why they named the song St. Vitus Dance. But whatever. It's not a ten out of ten. I'll give it an eight out of ten, like Tomorrow's Dream.

Under the Sun

I had said before that Sabbath makes it a habit to conclude their albums with a great song. And so they did with this album. Under the Sun begins with a slow plodding heavy metal riff, and then speeds up, and has segmented riffs that blow you away. It has great lyrics, too. I'm sure glad they didn't end this album with a song about another love story gone awry. Nope. This song has some more of that great Iommi guitar compositions, and great Geezer lyrics. Yes, it's a ten out of ten.

So in conclusion, Vol 4 holds up the Sabbath mystique. It is a solid contribution to the Sabbath catalog of albums. But I will admit it does fall, ever so slightly, in its overall rating. And because of that, it is not as good as their first three albums. Does that matter? No, it does not. It's a great album unto itself, and absolutely worthy to stand alongside the first three albums.

Black Sabbath - Master of Reality

Okay. This is the album. Meaning, this is the first Black Sabbath album I heard. And it was this album that blew me away. I rate this album as one of, if not THE greatest album of all time. No, that doesn't mean I rate it above their debut album which I already said will have no album ever rated higher. But THIS album....  How about if I say that this album is my personal favorite album of all time, and being that, it's my personal favorite Black Sabbath album. I mean, sheesh, an album can't get any better. It has a shorter running time than normal. One more song would have fixed that. But, hey. Ultimately, it doesn't matter. It's the best.

MASTER OF REALITY

I start by discussing the cover design. But for this album, it's more like what cover design? If there were to be any criticism of this album, it might be the cover design. When I heard my first Black Sabbath song, and rushed to the store to buy the album, I found this album and all it said was Black Sabbath as it's pictured above in purple letters. The album title, Master of Reality was NOT colored in gray as it appears here. It was pressed with raised letters, and was all black like the background. You could make it out, though, and it was pretty cool. I suppose pictures of this album or images like this one must use a color to enable the title of the album to be viewed. On a side note, this album came with a poster of the band included. Fortunately, I was not so removed from the release date of this album and a poster was still in there when I bought it as a back album. I had that poster on my wall for years. But that was years ago, and I have no clue what ever happened to it at this point in time.

Sweet Leaf

This is it. This great song was the first ever Black Sabbath song I had ever heard. The story goes like this: I was 17 years old. A friend of mine and I were parked in his car at some fast food place to get something to eat and he put on a cassette tape that he had made. It was a mix of several different songs by several different bands. So I was listening to the songs, as I liked the rock songs he had put on there; the usual rock songs of the time, as in Led Zeppelin, Humble Pie, Deep Purple, Allman Bros, Santana, Jethro Tull, Lynyrd Skynyrd, etc. But then - when one of those songs had finished, the sound of someone coughing followed, and it increased in volume until it became distorted. Then a heavy metal riff exploded and it was fantastic! It's important to note this was the first time I had ever heard the heavy metal sound, and I was blown away. It was like: Wow, what an incredibly great sound, and what an incredibly great song! Ozzy started singing, and I was sold. I told my friend, that this was fantastic..I asked who were these guys? He told me they were Black Sabbath and that he didn't even like them. I was like, you gotta be kidding! This is the greatest music I had ever heard. If I could give this song a higher rating, I would. So, yes, it's a ten out of ten and it will always hold a special place in my heart.

After Forever

When the Sweet Leaf song was over, I was still recovering from being blown away, when THIS song began. It started with a sound that was like a cross between an organ and a synthesizer, and it sounded GREAT. And  once again, the heavy metal power chords blasted away, and I was blown away all over again. Another ten out of ten. I told my friend that he must be crazy not to like these guys. I asked why did he put these two songs on his mix if he didn't like them? He said just to "mix it up" as it was a mix after all. These two songs were the only Black Sabbath songs he had on the tape, but they were hands down my favorite songs on the tape and Black Sabbath instantly became my favorite band.

Embryo

This is a short guitar intro to Children of the Grave. It really shouldn't be rated as it is not on the same level as the other full length songs. But the consensus is that the great song that follows would not be the same without this intro. Tony Iommi once said  that this song was influenced by some kind of English folk tune he had heard and played. So, okay, it's from his personal past, and he incorporated it as an intro. Kind of like when Geezer did that all-bass intro to NIB. I didn't rate that one. But I will rate this one. As an intro. And as an intro, it gets a ten out of ten. If any Geezer supporters have an issue, then, okay, Geezer's bass intro to NIB is also a ten out of ten. But this is not the only time Tony Iommi plays an all-guitar intro to a song. He does it again on side two of his album, and he does it again on a later album which I will discuss when we get to it.

Children of the Grave

Once the all-guitar intro fades out, the heavy metal sound begins. But it sounds like it being played from a distance. Then it gets louder and louder and faster and faster. Then it arrives and pounds away. A great iconic Black Sabbath song. A sure-fire ten out of ten. I think Sabbath has performed this song at every Black Sabbath concert I've been to. And I'm glad for that.

Orchid

This song has been described as a break from the heavy metal blasting. It's an all acoustic guitar song showing the world that Tony Iommi is not just a heavy metal guitarist. It's a great song unto itself, but it can also be described as another intro song. Even more interesting is that it's the lead off song for Side Two of the vinyl album. But, again, since these are CDs, there's no side 1 or side 2. It's now a soft break from the hard rock Heavy Metal. So as a break type of song, it's a ten out of ten.

Lord of This World

Once the acoustic sound of Orchid fades out, the blasting chords of Lord of This World begin, easy at first, and then they explode! And for a long time this song was my favorite Black Sabbath song. That's how great this song is. But now I don't know which one is my favorite, I love so many. Oh yeah, it's a ten out of ten. No doubt about that.

Solitude

This is a complete song unto itself, and it is indeed a soft song, a melancholy type of song, with Tony Iommi playing an acoustic guitar and a flute as well. I don't think there's even a drum track on this song. But it doesn't need one. It's a great song, like Planet Caravan was on the Paranoid alum and I might even say it's my favorite of the "soft" songs on the Sabbath albums. So, yeah, it's a ten out of ten.

Into the Void

Another fantastic song. When Solitude fades out, in comes the blasting sound of Into the Void. It has a great intro riff, and evolves into the main riff, and then the drums sound and then Ozzy starts singing. It's a great example of how these four guys came together in a perfect way to make musical history, and wraps up an incredibly great, and all time great heavy metal album. Ten out of ten.

So yes. That was a wrap. The song line up is tops. Too bad the debut album got "sullied" with that "top forty" type song, which wasn't even included at first. But whatever. This album, Master of Reality really does rank as one of the all time great albums in history. What an achievement. Black Sabbath explodes into the world with three all time great albums. That hasn't happened too often.

Black Sabbath - Paranoid

I will continue my honest review of every song on every studio album put out by my favorite band, Black Sabbath. Their second album release was the mega-hit album called Paranoid, named after what studio executives believed, (correctly,) would be the album's hit single. Again, this album was not the first or second album I had listened to. I had bought the back albums once I became aware of the band. Strangely, at the time, no one I knew liked Black Sabbath. Even the rock radio stations didn't like them and rarely, if ever, gave them air time. But to me, Black Sabbath was the best, and although somewhat bewildered as to why no one else but one friend of mine liked them, I was undeterred in my interest and desire to buy all their albums.

PARANOID

Like I did with their debut album, I will start with the cover. It's not as good of a cover design as their first album. But it does have some interesting backstory. I read somewhere that the original title of the album was going to be War Pigs, named after the first song on the album. Thus, the image of a warrior. But studio executives intervened, as I explained above, and renamed the album without bothering to redesign the cover. So the warrior image remained.

 War Pigs

Like I said, the lead off song of the album is War Pigs, and yes, it's a ten out of ten. It begins with a sound that residents of the UK had been all too familiar with not too many years before. Air raid sirens. Then a heavy metal power chord interrupts the sirens, and plods its way to the eventual voice of Ozzy singing about the pigs of war. Meaning those politicians who have no qualms about sending other people to die in a war. It's a long song, but a great one, and it never gets old. Black Sabbath's live performances often featured this song as the lead off song to their performance.

Paranoid

So the executives got their wish when they required Sabbath to come up with one more song, and it was this one. Iommi put a riff together which became this song. Geezer was the lyricist, and they had their biggest hit. To this day, Paranoid is the one song most people will recognize as the band's biggest hit. I like the song, to be sure, but I like other songs better. Nevertheless, it's a ten out of ten.

Planet Caravan

This is a song removed from the heavy metal sound. But it works for me. It's a soft song, and the vocals are sung through some kind of electronic device. But the distorted vocals work for this song, and I like it a lot. It is a ten out of ten. This is proof to anyone out there, that not all of their songs have to be heavy metal power chords to rate a ten.

Iron Man

A fan-favorite, and it was already recognized as a great song before the Marvel Comics movie came out featuring the song. It's a great riff, and a great song, and a ten out of ten.

Electric Funeral

A great song. It's a slower song, and it's a ten out of ten. I was glad Sabbath included it in their final tour. Ozzy can sing it just as well now as he did 50 years ago.

Hand of Doom

Another great song. It has a slow beginning with a bass guitar and quickens with a rock-hard, heavy metal segment and ends with the bass guitar. It seemed as though Sabbath could do no wrong. Every song was a great song from the start of their first album to this one. A ten out of ten.

Rat Salad

This song has some controversy. Some people don't like it. I love it. And I give it a ten out of ten. Why don't some other people? Well, it's an instrumental. No lyrics. And it features a drum solo by Bill Ward. So why is it controversial? Because Led Zeppelin included an instrumental featuring a drum solo on their second album So what, I say. Both songs are great.  

Fairies Wear Boots

Black Sabbath achieved absolute greatness with this song. In my opinion they had already achieved greatness, but this song is a masterpiece. And I don't label a song a masterpiece very often. Only two times had I called a rock song a masterpiece. And this song is one of the two. Sure there are other songs that qualify. And other songs I may concede are also masterpieces. But this song could well be the best song Sabbath ever wrote and performed. And I am very glad they performed it often during their tours. They knew what they had in this song. The song Paranoid may be their greatest hit single, but this song is their greatest song. If I could give it a higher rating I would. But alas, it's a ten out of ten.

So there you go. Every song is a great song and rates a ten out of ten. Does that mean it's a better album than their debut? No. I rate no album a higher rating than their debut album, nor will I call any album a greater album than their debut album. Don't forget, until someone decided to put that one song on their debut album that wasn't originally there, every song on that one was great also. But this review is about Paranoid, and the highest rating for Paranoid is deserved.

Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath

 

Since I'm finished posting my own music for now, I had said I wanted to post an honest review of every song from every studio album recorded by my favorite band, Black Sabbath. (Ozzy era, to be specific.) I had been a fan of this group since the first moment I heard their music. I was enthralled by the new "heavy metal" sound, as it came to be known. I had never heard that sound before. And I loved it. Keep in mind that before I heard my first Sabbath song, my favorite band was Led Zeppelin. And I had heard the argument that Led Zeppelin was the first heavy metal band. No. They weren't. But no need to further that argument, as, by now, the argument is settled. Black Sabbath invented the heavy metal sound, period. Not Led Zeppelin. And not anyone else. And certainly not The Beatles. Case closed.

So Black Sabbath reigns, unarguably, as the originator of the Heavy Metal sound, and they are my favorite band. But that doesn't mean I liked every Sabbath song. And it doesn't mean they could do anything with my stamp of approval. (Besides the point that they don't need it, they can't.)

So I will talk briefly about each and every song they wrote and recorded, one album at a time, in chronological order, excluding the live and greatest hits albums. So here we go:

BLACK SABBATH - Let's start with their debut album cover. I've heard it said in rock magazines and other related articles that this album cover is one of the best, if not THE best, album cover of all time. I agree. The lone figure of a woman in the woods with a mysterious house in the background is genius. And I must say it fits the name of the band perfectly. It's never been bettered.

Black Sabbath

Aside from the name of the first album being the name of the band, (a lot of bands did that,) Black Sabbath went one step further. They named the first song on their first album Black Sabbath, as well. And it's a great song. It starts with a rainfall, some thunder and a church bell. Then the first-ever heavy metal power chords explode and history is made. (As in heavy metal has arrived!) Then a softening of the chords allow Ozzy to sing the perfect lyrics to this perfect debut song. Then it has a great ending which features guitarist Tony Iommi showing the world he has arrived as one of the greatest rock guitarists of all time. (And the greatest heavy metal guitarist of all time.) The song rates 10 out of 10.

The Wizard

Song 2 on this album is another winner. It begins with Ozzy playing the harmonica. And then joined by the heavy metal power chords which together sounds magnificent. You might not have thought it would, but it does. The lyrics, again are perfect for this song, and it's another 10 out of 10.

Behind the Wall of Sleep

I love this song. And I loved it the first moment I heard it. It's simply another 10 out of 10 song. Side note: this debut album wasn't the first Black Sabbath album I had heard. I was a late-comer to the Black Sabbath experience. But once I had heard them, I was so into the music I went back and bought all the back albums. And this album exceeded all of my expectations.

NIB

Another 10 out of 10. This song probably got the most radio time, and it's understandable. It's another great song. It allows Iommi to really show his guitar greatness. And he does. Side note: I know I left out Basically. It's a short intro to NIB, featuring a bass guitar solo by Geezer Butler. But I don't really think it's a complete song unto itself. It is, like I said, a short intro to NIB.

Evil Woman

This song was not on the original release of this album. It's on later releases of the CD version of this album. I read somewhere it was on the original UK release. I hadn't heard it until I had switched my collection from vinyl records to CDs. And when you hear it, you can understand why it wasn't on the original release, (at least in America.) It's not a song that sounds like a Black Sabbath song. Yeah, that's Ozzy singing, and yeah that is Iommi on the guitar. But it sounds like a song written by a top 40 band that Sabbath just happens to be playing. I might have agreed at the time not to include it for that very reason. But listening to the song now? It's like: Why not? It's still Ozzy, Iommi, Butler and Ward. But I'm not giving it a ten out of ten just because it's Ozzy, Iommi, Geezer, and Ward. I said this was going to be an honest review. So, as for this song? I think a 6 out of 10 is about right.

A Bit of Finger/Sleeping Village/Warning

This is two, perhaps three, songs mixed into one long song, kind of like a jam, and I love it. Tony Iommi really shines here, and the band is on a roll. This absolutely rates a 10 out of 10. And that rating goes for the two (or three) songs that make up this "jam." I love listening to this. It starts out with Sleeping Village, a softer sound, considering the heavy metal sound they had established on side 1. Then it goes into a great jam with Iommi not holding back. And it evolves into Warning. which again features Iommi greatness. I presume A Bit of Finger references the guitar solos that are featured throughout this jam rather than an individual song unto itself. In fact, the CD version of this album doesn't even list it. On the CD, Sleeping Village and Warning are listed separately.

Wicked World

This was the song that was originally the lead off song for side 2 of this album. (With Warning being the concluding song.) Other releases of this album have Evil Woman inserted as the lead song of side 2. But since these are CDs now, there really isn't a lead song for a side 2 since there is no longer sides 1 and 2. So on the CDs, Wicked World is now the concluding song of the album. Sabbath typically concludes their albums with a great song. And this qualifies. Warning qualified, too, but whatever. It's a great song and I rate it a 10 out of 10. 

So there you go. I would say this is one of the greatest debut albums of all time. Which is saying a lot. Until they put Evil Woman in there, every song was a great song. So maybe it's too bad they put it in there. Doesn't matter. It was a great debut album by a new band that invented a new sound. A subgenre of rock: Heavy Metal had arrived.