For me, one of the most fascinating aspects of musical history are the albums and groups that have transcended time. As a crate digger, I witness the kind of albums that find their way into thrift shops and record store dollar bins all-day, every-day. These are the ones that were popular in their day but demand is almost non-existent in modern times. Hence they have become worthless commodities, and can't even sell for a buck at a thrift shop. Then there's the "once commodities" that are like finding money laying around on the floor. You do realize that gold is technically a "commodity", not a rare gem, right?
Then there's the music review sites. Popular albums from the past will consistently have low ratings and few comments. But the records that have become multi-generational are the highest rated with thousands of reviews gushing on its contents. Once again, having immersed myself into the used record business in the last 5 years, most of my clientele is younger - or much younger - than myself. Their perspective matters to me both from an artistic point of view as well as an economic one. And, maybe even more to the point, as an historian.
Black Sabbath is among the royalty in this discussion. It isn't until their 7th album Technical Ecstasy that anyone casts dispersions, with a faint voice maybe directed at the predecessor Sabotage. But any dissent on Sabbath's first quintet would be the equivalent of doubting the Bible in the 19th century. You would be labeled a heretic. There are plenty of groups that get accused of the dreaded "overrated" tag, many of whom do need a more critical evaluation. But others seems to be immune to that as well - and Black Sabbath is that band - at least from 1970 to 1975.
But why is that? How does Master of Reality relate to a 13 year old in 2024 whereas so many others have the same appeal today as Frankie Valli? And will it always be the case? The latter is impossible to answer, but we're a few generations in now and the theory seems to uphold.
Put me in the camp that says Master of Reality is nothing short of brilliant, arguably their best album (I still have a soft spot for Sabotage). The obvious answer to my premise is that Sabbath invented heavy metal, a genre even the most respected and ardent music critics of the past couldn't make go away. They hated heavy metal, saw it as nothing but machismo music for unreconstructed neanderthal men. And yet here we are in the most cultural woke era in the history of mankind - and heavy metal is still king of the underground.
The thing is, Sabbath didn't invent heavy metal, but it doesn't matter really. They are identified with it. In my mind they weren't really metal at all, but that fuzzy sound that Iommi created just cuts right to the nerve core. For me, it's like a shot of drugs. When you hear it, happiness ensues. Ahhh. Right from the start 'Sweet Leaf' you are going to get that shot of adrenaline. 'After Forever' is more upbeat with a few excellent guitar breaks. Overt pro-Christian lyrics completely ruin the narrative that they were a bunch of satanists. Pfft. They were Catholics, just like Slayer's Tom Araya. And to the point of "breaks", this is a term that is heavily sought after by record collectors. It refers to an isolated drum pattern that can be sampled. But with Sabbath, they introduced the concept of multiple "riffs" in a song. Breaks as it were, but a guitar pattern versus drums. This is something else the band is highly revered for.
'Children of the Grave' and 'Lord of this World' are two more awesome crunchers that emulate their style perfectly, as noted above. Sabbath would also frequently throw in mellow interludes to offset the barrage. In my mind, that's a brilliant move. Sort of proggy in that way offering up dynamic contrast. And the best example of that is the combo of 'Solitude' and 'Into the Void'. The former is beautiful, with flute, percussion, and Ozzy's mournful vocals. Very much a sound that early 70s England was carrying at that time. As far as I'm concerned 'Into the Void" is their all-time great heavy moment in the sun. That third Iommi riff with Butler's bottom end hasn't been replicated since. Many of tried, none have succeeded. They perfected that formula all the way back in 1971.
Yep. Timeless.
Ownership: LP: 1971 Vertigo (UK). Embossed envelope sleeve. Got this for $20 from an online dealer... in 2017! Sometimes couch digging pays off. Nice condition too. No poster but my goodness what a steal.
CD: 2002 Victor (Japan). Papersleeve edition. Has the poster lol.
The first copy I owned was one of those cheapie 80s era Irish NEMS releases. The 70s UK NEMS releases were much better.
1984; 11//05; 3/18/17 (LP acquire); 9/12/19; 1/6/24 (new entry)
