THANKS so much for watching me and giving me a shot, and enjoying it. I really really appreciate it, and will continue to show my collection and 50 year passion, and I so appreciate your comments and coming along for the ride. Really...Thanks.
Sabbath were thought of as a local band when i was a teenager. I lived in a town about 30 miles away from Birmingham (where i currently live) and Ozzy lived in a village close to my town. I saw them on the Technical Ecstasy tour. I can't say i was that impressed and they werent as deafening as i expected. Ive always put Sabbath third in the big three with Purple (and then Rainbow) as my #1. These days i own the debut, Paranoid and Sabbath Bloody Sabbath along with a couple of live albums, Live Evil with Ronnie James Dio on vocals and one with Ozzy in the 1990s. I've owned Volume 4 and Sabotage in the past but i didn't take to them. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath is my favourite followed by Paranoid. Both may make a top 500 but not much higher.
Hi Alan I remember my older brother liking Black Sabbath in the 1970s. He had their debut album Paranoid in 1970. I like that album and liked listening to it with my brother Kevin. The single lifted off it is cool , Paranoid.
I don’t think you have to be a big fan of a particular band to rank said band’s albums. The band’s major fans will - because of their deep immersion into the band - have a much more nuanced take on the rankings. That’s to be expected, as the music is embedded in their psyches. But that doesn’t mean that your rock ‘n’ roll ears and your music sensibilities are less equipped to separate great from good and okay from bad. And sometimes, the lesser fan also is the less biased fan. So, good for you, Alan, for branching out! I (like many others) think that Black Sabbath is probably the most influential of the bands that pioneered heavy metal music and set the stage for most, if not all, of heavy metal’s subgenres. I do remember when Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and Black Sabbath were called “the unholy trinity of British hard rock and heavy metal.” I thought that was a misnomer because I never considered Led Zeppelin or Deep Purple heavy metal bands. Zeppelin played hard rock and blues rock. Deep Purple rocked hard, but I never heard what I would call “metal” in the band’s music. To me, it was only Black Sabbath who carried the heavy metal mantle (though the band also played straight hard rock, for sure) which is why I consider it to be the most important influencer in the world of heavy metal. I, myself, have only heard the “Paranoid” album more than once, from start to finish. I think it deserves its accolades, though it’s not an album that I would play on a regular basis. I vaguely recall hearing material from Sabbath’s debut album and from “Master of Reality” when I was beginning my teenage years. But, when all was said and done, Black Sabbath was not a band that would ever beat out the multitudes of other bands and artists for a place on my turntable or in my tape decks. But, hey, that, of course, is just me. We all have our preferences. None are better and none are worse. They are just different choices. And that keeps life interesting. (IMHO)
As always, thanks so much. I agree that Led Zeppelin was way more than "just a heavy metal band". They're on the Mount Rushmore of rock music for a reason. There's so many Deep Purple lineups and they're all very different, but the most famous Mach 2 definitely rocks really hard and Ian Gillan's vocals - that really high "screach" vocal - super influential for the future of heavy metal/hard rock. Personally I can only take so much of it...lol. Like you said, for me, Sabbath is legendary, influential, deserving of their reputation, but at the end of the day...I'm still a "moderate" fan and don't listen to them very much amongst my other 5,000 albums.
Nice ranking, thanks! As a huge BS fan, mine list look today like this: 8. Technical Ecstasy 7. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath 6. Never say Die 5. Black Sabbath 4. Vol 4 3. Sabotage 2. Master of Reality 1. Paranoid. They all fantastic albums in my opinion. Glad to see some loving of Never say Die, always liked that altought some people hate it. Cheers from Finland!
Thanks so much. Nice to see a huge BS fan's list and also liking of Never Say Die. A little surprised about Sabbath Bloody Sabbath - I always thought most huge BS fan's place it near the top. Of course all the albums are really excellent and we all have our favorites, and we like them all, so doesn't matter...but interesting. So cool from Finland too. THANKS so much.
@@TheAlanRosenbergShow Thanks! I remember when I bought the SBS album in 1982 I didn't like it much except for the amazing title track and Killing Yourself to Live. In my opinion, they tried to modernize their sound (to my ears) too much after Vol4 and maybe they "wanted to be like Led Zeppelin" with that album, I don't know... I think they managed that thing much better with next Sabotage album. Nowadays I like the album very, very much and its growing on me a lot 😉
B4 I get started I purchased the large Caravan box 306 bucks but then after I ordered I checked out Madfish and they had it marked down to 174.99 pounds which I believe comes out to 210 bucks oh well.I noticed on your shelf it looks like you have Sweet Freedom by Uriah Heep out.That's one of my favorite Heep albums and I saw the Dave Clark 5 always liked them also.But here goes worst to best Sabbath. 8.Never Say Die 7.Sabatage 6.Technicol Ecstasy 5.Master Of Reality 4.Self Titled 3.Paranoid 2.Vol.4 1.Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
Great observant eyes. That shelf is current listening. Also a Nektar live album and Red by Taylor Swift. Pretty diverse. Cool list. Always fun to see others. Thanks
Hey Alan. Just getting around to watching your new video today. I start watching and what do you do? You commit heresy and say Sabotage is the worst of the eight. Lol. For me, Sabotage is in the top four along with the debut album, Paranoid, and Master of Reality. I think it’s because Sabotage was the first Sabbath album I ever listened to from beginning to end. Anyway, I agree with some of your rankings, and I love that you are branching out and doing videos on Sabbath. Keep it up! By the way, I LOVE the Renaissance tshirt.
lol. Thanks so much. You're not alone. Another huge Sabbath fan put Sabotage at #1 and Sabbath Bloody Sabbath as the worst (and I thought many Sabbath fanatics thought that was their best album). I listened to all the albums in order - and multiple times. I wonder if by the time I got to Sabotage, I was getting "worn" down by their "sound". Maybe that's why I liked Technical Ecstasy and Never Say Die! more than I remembered. Anyway, just a theory. Also I really do like all the albums including Sabotage. Nice pick up on my Renaissance shirt. By the way, now that's a band I'm a huge fan of....lol Thanks again!
Thanks so much. I like it, though certainly not great. It's interesting when I listened to all the albums chronilogically, when I finally got to Technical Ecstasy, was a bit of a relief. It was bright, airy, not doomy. Just felt good. Certainly not typical Sabbath. Was interesting to listen in that way. Thanks again.
Thanks so much. Glad to know. I definitely enjoyed those two albums alot. Very different from the earlier classics, but enjoyable in their own way. Much "lighter" sounding, but not in a bad way. Nice to know even "huge" Sabbath fans may feel that way too.
@@TheAlanRosenbergShow I like "Paranoid" Quite a bit. It was my 2nd Sabbath-Album overall and my 1st of the original Line-up. My very 1st was "Dehumanizer". The other 3 just toppled "Paranoid", I guess.
1. Sabotage (genre defining) 2. Master of Reality (genre defining) 3. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (heavy and atmospheric - best album cover) 4. Paranoid (best collection of songs) 5. Black Sabbath (starting with a tritone says it all) 6. Vol. 4 (Supernaut and Under the Sun are classics, but their songwriting seriously slipped after MoR - Cocaine!) 7. Never Say Die (Swinging the Chains, Johnny Blade, Never Say Die, Air Dance and Breakout are good, but somehow the band sound dead) 8. Technical Ecstasy (same as Never Say Die - but Dirty Women alone is worth the album and is one of their best songs ever, especially live)
Thanks and love your little descriptions. The cover of Sabbath Bloody Sabbath is awesome, though for me the cover of the debut is amazing. Somehow that simplistic photo just captures the essence.
It's easy to agree. 1. Best song War Pigs. 2. Worst sounding album Vol 4. Steven Wilson could only remix the outtakes. What a pity. And 3. Master of Reality is the most hard core Sabbath album. 4. And the last two...yes, sounds different. My favorite should be like you said (6:53) 1972 (like Exile and Machine Head) but it's 1973 SBS.
Black sabbath are in my top 10 bands. How big was black sabbath in the USA?? Because they never got a number one album in the USA. Most albums struggled to reach the top 10. Even Queen had one number 1 album in the USA. And Queen was never considered a “ mega” band in the USA.
Growing up in the 70's, which was Sabbath's prime - I was not a huge Sabbath fan. I bought their albums much later in life. Here on the east coast they were a big band that would typically play like one night at Madison Square Garden or Nassau Coliseum. That's my memory. But they were not a massive band at least in my mind, even then. Not anywhere in the league of Zeppelin, The Who who were multiple nights at the Garden or stadium level. I do remember the Black And Blue tour where they co-headlined with Blue Oyster Cult. I personally was a much bigger BOC fan. I hope that helps.
@ yeah I think I understand. Seems like they were in a slightly lower league than queen over in the America. It’s cool how different bands have different popularity in different countries.
@@TheAlanRosenbergShow also it’s pretty strange to hear that the “who” were so big in the USA. In most countries outside of the USA they were not considered as super mega I think it was only in North America and the uk where they were legends. Most parts of Europe and other continents they weren’t mega rock legends.
@ that’s really interesting. I didn’t know that. Yes huge in the US. The big four Beatles Stones Zeppelin and The Who. And all Brit’s. Mega bands here. Townshend always had a jealousy beef with Zeppelin. He always thought The Who were far superior but Zeppelin was so much bigger. Personally I agree but Zeppelin was monstrous here. Way bigger.
@@TheAlanRosenbergShow yeah man, the who never played in stadiums outside of North America. they rarely played in stadiums in the uk anyway. Their popularity in the uk went down a lot after 1975. They were seen as “ old dinosaurs “ by that point. In the uk the who were more of a 60s band. But in other continents they only played in small arenas and halls. The chart positions and record sales are also pretty low for the who in other countries. Led zeppelin were huge everywhere. When looking from a worldwide perspective the big 5 have always been the Beatles , the Rolling Stones, led zeppelin, pink flyod and queen ( excluding the USA). Queen were performing stadiums shows everywhere in the world, they set attendance records in South America in 1981 and again in 1985. They also broke attendances in Europe ( Belgium in 1978 and Budapest in 1986), also were one of the first bands( if not the first) to play stadiums in Japan in 1982. Also Queen’s 1986 tour set the record in the uk at the time for being the biggest attendance in the uk at the time. In 1984 they also attracted the biggest audience in South Africa when 88,000 tickets sold out in 6 hours. So when I watched your video about Queen’s lower popularity in America , I was very surprised because they were breaking records and were a stadium band in most other places. I even found out from someone that even in Canada, queen was just as popular as pink flyod during the 1970s and early 80s.
Definitely interesting ranking. I'm finding it also interesting that much bigger Black Sabbath fans than myself and placing Paranoid not near the top. Perhaps it's overplayed. Thanks so much.
Hey Alan! I'm a new subscriber. Just making my way through your episodes. Really enjoying it! Thank you for doing what you do!
THANKS so much for watching me and giving me a shot, and enjoying it. I really really appreciate it, and will continue to show my collection and 50 year passion, and I so appreciate your comments and coming along for the ride. Really...Thanks.
Sabbath were thought of as a local band when i was a teenager. I lived in a town about 30 miles away from Birmingham (where i currently live) and Ozzy lived in a village close to my town.
I saw them on the Technical Ecstasy tour. I can't say i was that impressed and they werent as deafening as i expected.
Ive always put Sabbath third in the big three with Purple (and then Rainbow) as my #1.
These days i own the debut, Paranoid and Sabbath Bloody Sabbath along with a couple of live albums, Live Evil with Ronnie James Dio on vocals and one with Ozzy in the 1990s. I've owned Volume 4 and Sabotage in the past but i didn't take to them. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath is my favourite followed by Paranoid. Both may make a top 500 but not much higher.
Thanks so much. Very cool that for you, they're local boys. Also interesting that you're not a big fan even though they were local boys. Thanks.
Hi Alan I remember my older brother liking Black Sabbath in the 1970s. He had their debut album Paranoid in 1970. I like that album and liked listening to it with my brother Kevin. The single lifted off it is cool , Paranoid.
yea, I definitely like that album the most.
Paranoid was 2nd album. Debut album was self Titled.
@@robertcooper411 of course. Carl is a super nice man with a cool channel. He probably just confused it. No confusion from my video though.
@@robertcooper411 Thanks for that. I didn't know. My older brother had Paranoid, and I would like to listen to it with him back in 1970.
@@TheAlanRosenbergShow No worries,I read his comment before I'd watched the video in it's entirety.
I don’t think you have to be a big fan of a particular band to rank
said band’s albums. The band’s major fans will - because of their deep immersion into the band - have a much more nuanced take on the rankings. That’s to be expected, as the music is embedded in their psyches. But that doesn’t mean that your rock ‘n’ roll ears and your music sensibilities are less equipped to separate great from good and okay from bad. And sometimes, the lesser fan also is the less biased fan. So, good for you, Alan, for branching out! I (like many others) think that Black Sabbath is probably the most influential of the bands that pioneered heavy metal music and set the stage for most, if not all, of heavy metal’s subgenres. I do remember when Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and Black Sabbath were called “the unholy trinity of British hard rock and heavy metal.” I thought that was a misnomer because I never considered Led Zeppelin or Deep Purple heavy metal bands. Zeppelin played hard rock and blues rock. Deep Purple rocked hard, but I never heard what I would call “metal” in the band’s music. To me, it was only Black Sabbath who carried the heavy metal mantle (though the band also played straight hard rock, for sure) which is why I consider it to be the most important influencer in the world of heavy metal. I, myself, have only heard the “Paranoid” album more than once, from start to finish. I think it deserves its accolades, though it’s not an album that I would play on a regular basis. I vaguely recall hearing material from Sabbath’s debut album and from “Master of Reality” when I was beginning my teenage years. But, when all was said and done, Black Sabbath was not a band that would ever beat out the multitudes of other bands and artists for a place on my turntable or in my tape decks. But, hey, that, of course, is just me. We all have our preferences. None are better and none are worse. They are just different choices. And that keeps life interesting. (IMHO)
As always, thanks so much. I agree that Led Zeppelin was way more than "just a heavy metal band". They're on the Mount Rushmore of rock music for a reason. There's so many Deep Purple lineups and they're all very different, but the most famous Mach 2 definitely rocks really hard and Ian Gillan's vocals - that really high "screach" vocal - super influential for the future of heavy metal/hard rock. Personally I can only take so much of it...lol. Like you said, for me, Sabbath is legendary, influential, deserving of their reputation, but at the end of the day...I'm still a "moderate" fan and don't listen to them very much amongst my other 5,000 albums.
Nice ranking, thanks! As a huge BS fan, mine list look today like this: 8. Technical Ecstasy 7. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath 6. Never say Die 5. Black Sabbath 4. Vol 4 3. Sabotage 2. Master of Reality 1. Paranoid. They all fantastic albums in my opinion. Glad to see some loving of Never say Die, always liked that altought some people hate it. Cheers from Finland!
Thanks so much. Nice to see a huge BS fan's list and also liking of Never Say Die. A little surprised about Sabbath Bloody Sabbath - I always thought most huge BS fan's place it near the top. Of course all the albums are really excellent and we all have our favorites, and we like them all, so doesn't matter...but interesting. So cool from Finland too. THANKS so much.
@@TheAlanRosenbergShow Thanks! I remember when I bought the SBS album in 1982 I didn't like it much except for the amazing title track and Killing Yourself to Live. In my opinion, they tried to modernize their sound (to my ears) too much after Vol4 and maybe they "wanted to be like Led Zeppelin" with that album, I don't know... I think they managed that thing much better with next Sabotage album. Nowadays I like the album very, very much and its growing on me a lot 😉
@@zachary1966 thanks again
B4 I get started I purchased the large Caravan box 306 bucks but then after I ordered I checked out Madfish and they had it marked down to 174.99 pounds which I believe comes out to 210 bucks oh well.I noticed on your shelf it looks like you have Sweet Freedom by Uriah Heep out.That's one of my favorite Heep albums and I saw the Dave Clark 5 always liked them also.But here goes worst to best Sabbath.
8.Never Say Die
7.Sabatage
6.Technicol Ecstasy
5.Master Of Reality
4.Self Titled
3.Paranoid
2.Vol.4
1.Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
Great observant eyes. That shelf is current listening. Also a Nektar live album and Red by Taylor Swift. Pretty diverse. Cool list. Always fun to see others. Thanks
Hey Alan. Just getting around to watching your new video today. I start watching and what do you do? You commit heresy and say Sabotage is the worst of the eight. Lol. For me, Sabotage is in the top four along with the debut album, Paranoid, and Master of Reality. I think it’s because Sabotage was the first Sabbath album I ever listened to from beginning to end. Anyway, I agree with some of your rankings, and I love that you are branching out and doing videos on Sabbath. Keep it up! By the way, I LOVE the Renaissance tshirt.
lol. Thanks so much. You're not alone. Another huge Sabbath fan put Sabotage at #1 and Sabbath Bloody Sabbath as the worst (and I thought many Sabbath fanatics thought that was their best album). I listened to all the albums in order - and multiple times. I wonder if by the time I got to Sabotage, I was getting "worn" down by their "sound". Maybe that's why I liked Technical Ecstasy and Never Say Die! more than I remembered. Anyway, just a theory. Also I really do like all the albums including Sabotage. Nice pick up on my Renaissance shirt. By the way, now that's a band I'm a huge fan of....lol Thanks again!
The only one I won't buy is Technical Ecstasy. Thanks for doing B.Sabbath.- Cheers 🎶🎸
Thanks so much. I like it, though certainly not great. It's interesting when I listened to all the albums chronilogically, when I finally got to Technical Ecstasy, was a bit of a relief. It was bright, airy, not doomy. Just felt good. Certainly not typical Sabbath. Was interesting to listen in that way. Thanks again.
like, even huge fans of sabbath, some of 'em love underrated those two, technical ecstasy and neve say die.
i belong to 'em, you know?
Thanks so much. Glad to know. I definitely enjoyed those two albums alot. Very different from the earlier classics, but enjoyable in their own way. Much "lighter" sounding, but not in a bad way. Nice to know even "huge" Sabbath fans may feel that way too.
8. Never Say Die
7. Technical Ecstasy
6. Vol. 4
5. Black Sabbath
4. Paranoid
3. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
2. Master of Reality
1. Sabotage
Thanks for sharing. So interesting to see where fans place the albums - Paranoid at #4 and Sabotage #1. But you're certainly not alone - thanks.
@@TheAlanRosenbergShow I like "Paranoid" Quite a bit. It was my 2nd Sabbath-Album overall and my 1st of the original Line-up. My very 1st was "Dehumanizer". The other 3 just toppled "Paranoid", I guess.
@@oliverl.5834 it’s all really good in the end
1. Sabotage (genre defining)
2. Master of Reality (genre defining)
3. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (heavy and atmospheric - best album cover)
4. Paranoid (best collection of songs)
5. Black Sabbath (starting with a tritone says it all)
6. Vol. 4 (Supernaut and Under the Sun are classics, but their songwriting seriously slipped after MoR - Cocaine!)
7. Never Say Die (Swinging the Chains, Johnny Blade, Never Say Die, Air Dance and Breakout are good, but somehow the band sound dead)
8. Technical Ecstasy (same as Never Say Die - but Dirty Women alone is worth the album and is one of their best songs ever, especially live)
Thanks and love your little descriptions. The cover of Sabbath Bloody Sabbath is awesome, though for me the cover of the debut is amazing. Somehow that simplistic photo just captures the essence.
@@TheAlanRosenbergShow I agree. I forgot that when I was a little kid the first album cover scared the bejeebers out of me.
My Top 5
5 - Black Sabbath
4 - Master Of Reality
3 - Sabotage
2 - Volume IV
1 - Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
My fav 10
10 - Laguna Sunrise
9 - Planet Caravan
8 - Megalomania
7- Symptom Of The Universe
6 - Looking For Today
5 - Killing Yourself To Live
4 - Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
3 - Snowblind
2 - Supernauat
1 - duh
…. wait for it…
Spiral Architect
Very cool - thanks for sharing - ...lol....yep based on your name - was gonna guess that. Thanks again.
It's easy to agree.
1. Best song War Pigs. 2. Worst sounding album Vol 4. Steven Wilson could only remix the outtakes. What a pity.
And 3. Master of Reality is the most hard core Sabbath album. 4. And the last two...yes, sounds different.
My favorite should be like you said (6:53) 1972 (like Exile and Machine Head) but it's 1973 SBS.
Thanks so much. Glad I'm not the only one who thinks Vol. 4 doesn't sound that good.
@@TheAlanRosenbergShow Vol. 4 sounds like it was recorded in Siberia.
lol. never been to Siberia...but yea - doesn't sound great to me....Thanks.@@spiritualarchitect4276
Black sabbath are in my top 10 bands.
How big was black sabbath in the USA??
Because they never got a number one album in the USA. Most albums struggled to reach the top 10.
Even Queen had one number 1 album in the USA. And Queen was never considered a “ mega” band in the USA.
Growing up in the 70's, which was Sabbath's prime - I was not a huge Sabbath fan. I bought their albums much later in life. Here on the east coast they were a big band that would typically play like one night at Madison Square Garden or Nassau Coliseum. That's my memory. But they were not a massive band at least in my mind, even then. Not anywhere in the league of Zeppelin, The Who who were multiple nights at the Garden or stadium level. I do remember the Black And Blue tour where they co-headlined with Blue Oyster Cult. I personally was a much bigger BOC fan. I hope that helps.
@ yeah I think I understand.
Seems like they were in a slightly lower league than queen over in the America.
It’s cool how different bands have different popularity in different countries.
@@TheAlanRosenbergShow also it’s pretty strange to hear that the “who” were so big in the USA.
In most countries outside of the USA they were not considered as super mega
I think it was only in North America and the uk where they were legends.
Most parts of Europe and other continents they weren’t mega rock legends.
@ that’s really interesting. I didn’t know that. Yes huge in the US. The big four Beatles Stones Zeppelin and The Who. And all Brit’s. Mega bands here. Townshend always had a jealousy beef with Zeppelin. He always thought The Who were far superior but Zeppelin was so much bigger. Personally I agree but Zeppelin was monstrous here. Way bigger.
@@TheAlanRosenbergShow yeah man, the who never played in stadiums outside of North America. they rarely played in stadiums in the uk anyway. Their popularity in the uk went down a lot after 1975. They were seen as “ old dinosaurs “ by that point. In the uk the who were more of a 60s band.
But in other continents they only played in small arenas and halls.
The chart positions and record sales are also pretty low for the who in other countries.
Led zeppelin were huge everywhere.
When looking from a worldwide perspective the big 5 have always been the Beatles , the Rolling Stones, led zeppelin, pink flyod and queen ( excluding the USA).
Queen were performing stadiums shows everywhere in the world, they set attendance records in South America in 1981 and again in 1985. They also broke attendances in Europe ( Belgium in 1978 and Budapest in 1986), also were one of the first bands( if not the first) to play stadiums in Japan in 1982.
Also Queen’s 1986 tour set the record in the uk at the time for being the biggest attendance in the uk at the time.
In 1984 they also attracted the biggest audience in South Africa when 88,000 tickets sold out in 6 hours.
So when I watched your video about Queen’s lower popularity in America , I was very surprised because they were breaking records and were a stadium band in most other places.
I even found out from someone that even in Canada, queen was just as popular as pink flyod during the 1970s and early 80s.
Black Sabbath, Vol 4, SBS, Master of Reality, Paranoid, Sabotage, then the last two in no particular order.
Definitely interesting ranking. I'm finding it also interesting that much bigger Black Sabbath fans than myself and placing Paranoid not near the top. Perhaps it's overplayed. Thanks so much.