Black Sabbath... home of the the godfather of metal. The first metal band has inspired many other bands.
We Sold Our Soul For Rock 'n' Roll is there first best of album.
The band:
Vocals-Ozzy
Guitar-Tony Iommi
Bass-Terry “Geezer” Butler
Drums-Bill Ward
Before I start: There is only one flaw in their music. That sad, drunk, miserable flaw is Ozzy. His voice is unbearable at times. In many songs the lyrics go exactly as the music. Such songs as
Paranoid,
Iron Man, part of
Sabbath Bloody Sabbath and
N.I.B.. 'Ya but zepdude Ozzy writes pretty good lyrics.' Hahahaha bull crap, listen to some Ian Anderson, Bono, Eddy Vedder. Thank God that he has amazing musicians behind him or else he wouldn't a quarter as famous. Anyways this album is still good.
Black Sabbath- Their fist track starts out with rain and bells then into an evil, simple and recognizable riff. These are one of Ozzy's scariest lyrics. His vocals are below average as normal The guitar is basically just the “dun... dun... dun” the whole time. During the point where its louder the drums are the best. The part where the guitar is the best is the faster part. The bass is the usual strong Geezer style. This really shows what Black Sabbath is. 3.5/5
The Wizard- This song shows the more groovy side to BS. This starts out with cool harmonica. The main riff comes in and every thing is crisp. It goes into a mini guitar solo back to the riff. A more evil riff comes in with Ozzy's voice witch is a little better. The drums in this song are great, filling at just the right spots. The guitar is Tony's style. The bass line is good but turned way down. All and all this song does deserve to be on this album. 4/5
Paranoid- This song is very well known to Sabbath fans. It starts out with a catchy riff. This is one of those songs where Ozzy is following the guitar. There is a driving guitar and bass but the drums are kind of bland because he doing a simple beat. The guitar solo is a gem though it is too short. This song by all means aren't their best but it is good enough to be on this. 3.5/5
War Pigs- This may be their best song of all time. This starts out with guitar doing the rhythm to the bass. The drums do high hat over and over again. Ozzy's lyrics are good in this. This is more of a song for the instrumentals and not for vocals. The drums are really groovy and the bass is the power house that it usually is. The guitar is at its best in this during the regular part and the absolutely amazing solo. During the solo the drums and bass are backing it up perfectly. The solo goes into the beginning part again. The ending is just genius. The riffs the fills the groove are just amazing. 5/5
Iron Man- This is extremely recognizable to any metal head. The riff is epic even though Ozzy is blandly following it. The drums are once again perfect doing the exact right beat and filling at the perfect time. The bass is following the guitar but its still good. Ozzy's lyrics are good too. They are about an iron robot gone bad. The bridges are the best. The solo is purely influential. The ending part it awesome with the lightening fast bass the drums and the evil guitar. 4.5/5
Tomorrow's Dream- This song isn't really that good. The riff is pretty good but its kind of boring. Ozzy's voice isn't anything to right home about and his lyrics are dull. The melodic part it kind of lame. The drums are really the only decent part and the bass just follows the guitar. Nothing special. I would by all means replace this song with a song like Electric Funeral. 2.5/5
Fairies Wear Boots- This song is a more bluesy song then the rest. The beginning is an echoing guitar. The begging is awesome and the drums flow perfectly with the guitar and bass. My best guess is that Ozzy was tripping while writing the lyrics which isn't a bad thing (he actually mentions it in the song). I love the screeching guitar and the bass that is still maintaining Geezer's feel. I actually don't mind Ozzy's voice in this. When Iommi's guitar solo comes in you can tell that its him. Each riff, fill and bass line is genius. 4/5
Changes- Most people hate this song and I actually love it. This song is drenched with violin and piano. I really enjoy a nice flowing piano. It is pure talent and musicianship. I can't really give this more that a 3.5 though cause there isn't one of Iommi's guitar solos that you can count on. 3.5/5
Sweat Leaf- This song is about smoking marijuana. The beginning riff is really good. The drums are once again a gem. The bass follows the guitar and Ozzy's voice isn't terrible but it isn't the best he can be. Iommi's solo is one of the best ever. That solo leads into an unbelievable drum solo. That goes right back into the main riff for a little while then it ends. 4/5
Children of the Grave- This too is a great song. This starts out with a great bass and then the guitar and drums come in perfectly. Ozzy's voice isn't bad and Bill Ward really shows off in this song. The bass has a galloping bass line and Iommi is a solo and riff master in this song. This ends with crescendos and decrescendos and whispers of 'children of the grave'. 4/5
Sabbath Bloody Sabbath- This song starts out with a recognizable riff and a recognizable verse by Ozzy. This song goes into a mellow part witch is good and bad. It repeats itself and goes into the guitar solo. This is one of the routine Iommi guitar solos that are always up to par. The bass is once again powerful. Bass is still powerful. It seems like Ozzy is trying to annoy you with his voice. The ending is cool and full of guitar, bass and drums 3.5/5
I'm Going Insane- The beginning is very weird with a sound coming from some instrument only God knows. This song isn't normal Sabbath. The verse sounds like music for some weird cult... well there you go. The weird instrument solo is kind of annoying but Ward is drumming quite well. I think Ozzy is going insane because this is the weirdest song. It ends with old lady's laughing. 3/5
Snowblind- This song starts with a really great riff and the drums are brought out a lot. Ozzy's voice is alright. The bass is turned way down which sucks because Geezer is really good. The guitar solo isn't as good as usual but it's still good. The fast part comes in and it is the best part of the song. The regular part is just boring. The second guitar solo comes in and it is much better than the first... much better. The solo quites down as the song ends. 3.5/5
N.I.B.- This starts out with a Ward like beat then fades out then a great bass solo comes in then fades out. The well know riff comes in and Ozzy's “Oh Ya” gets you exited. Ozzy's following the guitar which is boring but everything else is awesome. The guitar solo is a big part of the song. The bridge is just a tambourine and Ozzy which isn't bad. The second guitar solo is just as good as the first one. Everything is pretty awesome. 4/5
Pros:
Iommi's great guitar solos
They put some blues in here
Cons:
Ozzy's voice can be annoying at times
Some song the bass is turned down
Recommended tracks:
War Pigs
Iron Man
Fairies Wear Boots
Black Sabbath is one of the most influential metal bands ever. They've influenced a number of succesful metal bands.
3.5/5
Pce
