When this record was released, my older brother immediately got it. He played it a million times, over and over. He only allowed me to borrow it many months after he got it. The record was worn out he played it so many times and the record jacket reeked of pot smoke. I was immediately intimidated by the lyrics and amazingly confused by how complicated the music seemed to my young ears, mind. Was a really smart record.....still is.
I totally get your brother, back in the day I wore out albums and cassettes of the Ozzy era Sabbath. Honestly, if you could wear out digital tracks, I would have done that by now as well. Ozzy Sabbath is still my favourite band to this day.
Its fun looking over these comments and thinking “oh snap that IS on this album!” Probably the first album I learned to play thru on the guitar without even noticing, just cus I learned each song on its own lol
@@uh8myzen rinse and repeat until you hear the next one, lol. I had a “greatest hits” cd (it wasn’t a tape I swear!) as a teenager that was pretty much every song on their first 4 albums, lol
Please do the whole album, Doug! It's great all the way through, and very varied in mood and feel. Have loved it since it came out almost 50 years ago.
This song is in C# because it is tuned to C#. Iommi lost his finger tips in an accident. The first 2 albums are tuned standard. After that Tony started tuning down as it was more comfortable to play long sets. Also it's a banger.
Yeah he used banjo strings. Originally a strat Then a single coil SG. Then a humbucker SG Borrowed. Ozzys mom sold stories to the news papers always on to Ozzy about money Despite him asking her not to.. Ref the interviewer going on about people riding on the back of the band. I'd rather just enjoy the music...
Hands down my favorite Sabbath album. You really need to do the full album. I still play it at least every 2 weeks after buying it in 1973. The flow & diversity is amazing!
Sabbath Bloody Sabbath and Sabotage are their pinnacle albums..... pure psychedelic heaviness .... the heavy change and the notes he hits are total sublime power.....
The cover art is by Drew Struzan, the guy who did the posters for Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Harry Potter, and many more. He used himself as the model. I love this record.
YES! Please, do the whole album. This is THE album that sent me on my life's path. Still hits me as hard as it did when my oldest sister brought it home when I was but a little kid.
I am no expert, but I have always said this is the first heavy metal song. Yes, there was other Sabbath songs prior or going backward to Deep Purple or Zeppelin that had elements but this song the guitar was it ....Birth of Metal
This album is so great, I want this played at my funeral from beginning to end. I first heard this 40 years ago, and it never gets old. One of the greatest pieces of music to ever cross my ears, period!
I was looking forward to him reviewing this black sabbath album!!!! A great album, which for me is one of the best havy metal ever made!!! What a great band they are!!!!
@@Chadner His voice was always somewhat extraordinary with how blues edged it was; but on these later albums you can tell how much harder he was pushing himself to hit the higher notes.
@@alexandrebelair4360 Of course there’s more heavy out there, but nobody was doing sub D tuning with metal in 1973 and doing it with slow riffs, except for Black Sabbath.
Sabbath Bloody Sabbath is a classic metal album and a pillar of the band's discography. Sabra Cadabra is my personal favorite Sabbath song and one of my all time favorites songs ever. It's a must listen and contains perhaps Ozzy's greatest vocals.
Pode crer! A Vanusa!!! Tava tentando lembrar esses dias da história que talvez o Tony copiou dela. Mas acho mais provável que as musas estavam querendo que esse riff ficasse famoso então deram de presente para vários artistas diferentes.
Brilliant to hear more classic Black Sabbath (the 70's albums)...but astounding that Doug has still not done even one song review of the mighty Hawkwind
Born Again is the darkest/heaviest they ever did. A lot of the Tony Martin stuff is good too. Also, "two" Dio albums? What about Dehumanizer? That's better than Mob Rules IMO
This is one of my favorite Sabbath songs. I saw them live at Madison Square Garden (Ted Nugent opened) nearly 50 years ago. “Killing Yourself to Live” is another good track from that album.
Thanks for another great review Doug! Wasn't expecting this, this week, but was delighted to see it when I got home from work...a nice surprise, thank you!
Most of the Ozzy era of Sabbath’s sings were characterised by two (or more) strong riffs. It’s more unusual to find a song with a single riff. Tony isn’t called the riffmeister for nothing!
I remember Ozzy expressing some tongue-in-cheek frustration with Tony in the early 2000s because he sits down with a guitar and writes like a hundred riffs in an hour and no lyricist could possibly keep up.
Really one of the first albums to blend heavy and progressive music. An absolute masterpiece. A National Acrobat, Spiral Architect, Killing Yourself to Live and the title track. Maybe Black Sabbath's finest hour.
Black Sabbath in their prime! Such an iconic riff, and Ozzy with those high notes....damn! One of the best songs ever IMO. Sabotage is my favorite Sabbath album though and I highly recommend you react to *Megalomania* from that album.
ALways nice to hear your insights and to hear the background of each track. For a metal/rock song it's pretty unusual how much contrast there is between the heavy riff and the more gentle and melodic chorus using accoustic guitar. How Ozzy managed to sing that high without his voice going is beyond me! That whole album shows how versatile Black Sabbath could be. I think it's a sign of a good band that they can produce tracks that sound so different from each other.
According to Black Sabbath, this album was peak Sabbath. I agree. Try "A National Acrobat", the next song on the album. I would totally recommend the entire album. "Sabbra Cadabra", "Killing Yourself to Live", "Who Are You" and even more to enjoy.
6:20 is the hardest riff ever, and I will be taking no questions. My band covered this in drop C because I couldnt get anywhere close ro Ozzy-range, especially while rocking that riff (I was guitar/vox). That rifF made my amp grow horns. Absolutely listen to the whole album, even if you dont cover it. “Killing Yourself to Live” is a fantastic thematic (and musical) bookend to everything you said. And yea the Anthrax cover is good..they even put the bass super high in the mix. Metallica did a pretty killer cover of this as a medley too. Definitely my favorite Sabbath album, and when you said it was 50 years old…omg. ..YOU BASTARDS!!!!!
I think youd enjoy Into the Void off of Masters of Reality. It's definitely their heaviest song alongside Sabbath Bloody Sabbath and my personal favorite
When I first heard this song, when it came out. I noticed the call back in the verse; You wish the Hands of Doom would take you away. It is the only time I can recall where one song, mentions a previous song.
This brings up a thought - You listen to a song that absolutely grabs you by the throat and doesn't let go. But you don't really have an idea of how much work went into making it - all the tweeking, re-recording, redos, mixing, and it comes out as something that floors you. This was brought up to me a long time ago by an ensemble guitar player whose recordings could bring me to tears. He said "You don't see what goes into making it"
Doug thank you for your insightful description of sabbath bloody Sabbath, great commentary, thank you . Doug don't forget about all the other musical masters .
Thanks for the memories. I used to listen to my brothers and sisters album collections and when I first heard this... I was already learning guitar, but when I heard this bass line, it lit a fire that does not die. Still playing guitar still playing bass. Thanks for the inspiration Doug. Keep up the great work
As a Patreon member, I'm glad you enjoyed this classic track from Sabbath, Doug and thanks for reviewing it! I really enjoy the jazzy break in this song that shows Tony and the band's versatility.
Come on Doug it's time to review the Tony Martin era of Black Sabbath! A very different sound to the Ozzy era. Check out When Death Calls which features Brian May from Queen on lead guitar.
Gotta say. I enjoy these videos from your perspective. I've known alot of these songs that you've reacted to for years. so I get a little jaded toward them. With you being a classical composer, you have a perspective of being a musician. I learn a little bit from you about the composition/theory side. I have learned to play alot of these songs over the years, but I just know the how, not the why. You have taught me some of that why
I am 50 Years old. I have to say that I really like your analysis. You get really close to what I feel when you hear it the first time ( When I where 8 or 9-10) You are one skilled Dude. I am a supporter
Great discussion on the lyrics! I just read a lot on the Black Sabbath history and didn’t encounter anything about those lyrics, but certainly plenty on the grind of the business, which really came to a head on the next album.
Pretty good album. Hope you will do Sabotage, their heaviest album, and finally got really good sound quality. SBS is really the build up to Sabotage, they continue the heavy from especially this track on the whole Sabotage album.
An excellent, musical breakdown of one of the best songs that legendary band ever put out. But for starters Doug, I must say that I initially discovered my allure for classical music at age 9. I’d always found it very awe-inspiring to hear those epic, dramatic build ups, so beautifully executed by most symphony orchestras. However, I had no clue then that 10 years later, I’d become an eternal fan of Black Sabbath through that ominous title track. This epic song possesses that same dramatic flair, found within nearly all of my favorite classical performances. I hope to see more of your comparative analysis. Thanks !
Nobody will convince me that weird percussion in the breakdown (?) of that song…..the part starting around 5:40 …..isnt like..bones playing against each other, lol
I love this album. The first album I ever purchased, I feel this is the greatest heavy metal album ever. Has a great style and awesome grooves through the whole album. Lyrically awesome also. This has a bit of everything hard rock heavy metal.😎🤘
This was the first time Sabbath took it up to the next level with their sound. So much more polished and alot more depth to the instrumentation even though Vol 4 had upped their game somewhat as well. Love it so much!
Thanks for that background on the lyrics. I had always heard them in a larger more general sense that basically can apply to any of us living in a society that makes demands on us to sacrifice our personality, time, mental health...our life! --"burned out confusion, nothing more to tell, yeah."
Powerful song!! Ozzy's vocals on this song are insane, soaring above those gritty low end riffs especially in the awesome middle part!! I love exploring your albums and stuff behind you; all evidences of good taste, imo.
Sabbath Bloody Sabbath is only a taste of absolute scorn they end up feeling for the music industry. It really coalesces - and magnificently so - on "The Writ", which is the last song of the _next_ album after this, Sabotage (which in my opinion is their strongest album, technically speaking). Both albums are well worth a listen.
Sabbath Bloody Sabbath is my favorite Sabbath album. It's clear to hear their evolution as the songs became more musically sophisticated, and the lyrics were pure poetry.
Thank you for reacting to my favourite song by Black Sabbath. It’s a real masterpiece. When he says dog knows as you’ve god knows the riff he’s using is the first ever death metal riff I’m pretty sure.
I read a review of this song a few years ago and the said of the breakdown (I have to paraphrase), "in an already monumentally heavy song, it becomes downright brontosaurus-like at the breakdown. Simply amazing.
Great Critique you described what the lyrics were saying .Im a Sabbath fan from the mid seventies and the Radio Stations hardly played this Bands music which hurt their record sales I'm sure
To think that this album came out in 73 is just bananas. When people talk about being ahead of the times Sabbath is criminally underrated. Was music hard back then yea. Bands like Purple and Zeppelin along with countless lesser known bands were making hard rock music. But this is metal. This isn't proto metal. Its metal. And they basically sounded like this since 1971.
I was about 11 when I first heard this song. It changed my music taste forever. That chug after the big drop in this song was an eye opener for me. I didn't realize it for a long time, but I feel this song, and their music is what got me interested in what might be called art rock/prog rock. Pretty easy to hear the correlations of Sabbath, Yes, Tool, Porcupine Tree, even some earlier Metallica just to name a few. Your statement about having "tent poles" for listening to this album was really great. Well put.
Sabbath Bloody Sabbath is an awesome album and deserves a full episode 🎸🎸🎸
YES PLEAAAASE
I agree
word
Make this happen!
I second that!
This album and Sabotage are so good I still get chills listening
I would agree , the two best albums in their set 🤘
Their first 6 albums and the 2 with Dio in the 80s are fantastic but nothing comes close to Paranoid for me
My two favorite Sabbath albums
Bloody and Sabotage. . . soooooo heavy. Really the total encapsulation of eerie, forbidden and foreboding metal.
Don't forget Master of Reality!
A National Acrobat is a true gem off of this album, addicting riff.
You read my mind 🤟🤟🤟🤟
the best riff ever!
My favourite Sabbath riff.
and who knew it was about Sperm hahahahaha
Sabbra Cadabra is a Masterpiece as well
Wheels of confusión is astonishing (Volume 4)
Wheels of confusion is my most favourite Sabbath track.
@@drumbatter100 it's easier picking a favorite child... so many worthy tracks!
That and the straightner back end is the song that got me into Sabbath
Volume 4, Under The Sun ☀️; Itroduction to a more heavier sounding guitar 👽
Under The Sun; Vol. 4’s heaviest to me.👽
When this record was released, my older brother immediately got it. He played it a million times, over and over. He only allowed me to borrow it many months after he got it. The record was worn out he played it so many times and the record jacket reeked of pot smoke. I was immediately intimidated by the lyrics and amazingly confused by how complicated the music seemed to my young ears, mind. Was a really smart record.....still is.
Did your brother give you any pot to smoke while listening 😀
@@bobross8786 He ought to have, just saying...................
Your brother was a wise man, lol.
I totally get your brother, back in the day I wore out albums and cassettes of the Ozzy era Sabbath. Honestly, if you could wear out digital tracks, I would have done that by now as well. Ozzy Sabbath is still my favourite band to this day.
Arguably my favorite Sabbath album. Spiral architect is another great song off this classic.
Its fun looking over these comments and thinking “oh snap that IS on this album!”
Probably the first album I learned to play thru on the guitar without even noticing, just cus I learned each song on its own lol
Totally fucking agree
Every time I hear an Ozzy era Sabbath album I think its my favourite, until I listen to another one.
@@uh8myzen rinse and repeat until you hear the next one, lol. I had a “greatest hits” cd (it wasn’t a tape I swear!) as a teenager that was pretty much every song on their first 4 albums, lol
Please do the whole album, Doug! It's great all the way through, and very varied in mood and feel. Have loved it since it came out almost 50 years ago.
This song is in C# because it is tuned to C#. Iommi lost his finger tips in an accident. The first 2 albums are tuned standard. After that Tony started tuning down as it was more comfortable to play long sets. Also it's a banger.
Yeah he used banjo strings.
Originally a strat
Then a single coil SG.
Then a humbucker SG
Borrowed.
Ozzys mom sold stories to the news papers always on to Ozzy about money
Despite him asking her not to..
Ref the interviewer going on about people riding on the back of the band.
I'd rather just enjoy the music...
And, from his own modest to a fault mouth, he downtuned to sound heavier. His words!!
Hands down my favorite Sabbath album. You really need to do the full album. I still play it at least every 2 weeks after buying it in 1973. The flow & diversity is amazing!
Me too
This album especially is one to be listened to from beginning to end.
06:17 The dive down into that dirty riff is one of my favourite moments in all of metal.
First metal breakdown
And the guy completely missed it
@SM-dt1pr He may have missed the instrumentals, but he sure as hell didn't miss Ozzy's vocals
It doesn't get any heavier than that!
Black Sabbath is the best band of all time. Fucking love em
Sabbath Bloody Sabbath and Sabotage are their pinnacle albums..... pure psychedelic heaviness .... the heavy change and the notes he hits are total sublime power.....
The bridge in this is still maybe the heaviest thing I’ve heard! Great song! Great album!
The bridge I consider to be the instrumental between the solo and the breakdown.
The cover art is by Drew Struzan, the guy who did the posters for Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Harry Potter, and many more. He used himself as the model. I love this record.
Wow 50 years and it holds even better now, such power and musicianship its totally awesome!
YES! Please, do the whole album. This is THE album that sent me on my life's path. Still hits me as hard as it did when my oldest sister brought it home when I was but a little kid.
The greatest heavy metal song EVER IMHO. That breakdown is epic!!!
I am no expert, but I have always said this is the first heavy metal song. Yes, there was other Sabbath songs prior or going backward to Deep Purple or Zeppelin that had elements but this song the guitar was it ....Birth of Metal
@@Grodd70 I have to agree mate. This kicked things up a notch, and the world of music was never the same
This album is so great, I want this played at my funeral from beginning to end. I first heard this 40 years ago, and it never gets old. One of the greatest pieces of music to ever cross my ears, period!
My favorite Sabbath record. Everyone is amazing here, especially Ozzy, his voice hits unbelievably high notes.
I was looking forward to him reviewing this black sabbath album!!!!
A great album, which for me is one of the best havy metal ever made!!!
What a great band they are!!!!
Ozzy's voice is beautiful
I love how its somehow not falsetto. Anybody else sounds ludicrous trying to sing like ozzy.
@@tonyistony1992Exactly!
How the hell was he able to record those lines? Was it sped up tape? Or did it come as part of the package deal by being the Prince of Darkness?
@@Chadner
His voice was always somewhat extraordinary with how blues edged it was; but on these later albums you can tell how much harder he was pushing himself to hit the higher notes.
My favorite part was the transition from part A to the heaviest riff of all time...
I call that riff "The Engine"
It was so unbelievably heavy at the time I almost couldn't be sure it was Tony's guitar rather than just bass
There's way more heavy out there. Hell you don't even have to look that hard.
@@alexandrebelair4360 I'm not disputing but care to give a few examples?
@@alexandrebelair4360
Of course there’s more heavy out there, but nobody was doing sub D tuning with metal in 1973 and doing it with slow riffs, except for Black Sabbath.
Well that was just freaking awesome!! Sabbath always gets my blood pumping makes me feel young again!
Thanks for doing this one Doug. Yes, the entire album is amazing. Their first six albums are absolute gems.
Such a great tune, so often overlooked.
This song and album hooked me from the instant I heard it in 1974.
To this day I still believe it is the best Sabbath track they recorded.
Agreed
I can only imagine what people thought about this in 73. Very heavy for the time. Ozzy's vocals....😳
Sabbath Bloody Sabbath is a classic metal album and a pillar of the band's discography. Sabra Cadabra is my personal favorite Sabbath song and one of my all time favorites songs ever. It's a must listen and contains perhaps Ozzy's greatest vocals.
My favorite Sabbath’s album !
Hugs from Brazil 🎉
Lembrando que Vanusa tocou primeiro! kKKKK
@@eduardoalmeida61 concordo ! Rsrsrs
Pode crer! A Vanusa!!! Tava tentando lembrar esses dias da história que talvez o Tony copiou dela. Mas acho mais provável que as musas estavam querendo que esse riff ficasse famoso então deram de presente para vários artistas diferentes.
A Smoke on the Water também tem a sua versão brasileira, conhecem? Maria Moita do Carlos Lyra
@@Chadner sim, eu ouvi. Quem poderia acreditar ? Rsrsrs
Awesome album,had it back in the day.A national acrobat and killing yourself to live are 2 other great songs.Another great review Doug 😁👍
You just named my three favorite tracks on the album.
Brilliant to hear more classic Black Sabbath (the 70's albums)...but astounding that Doug has still not done even one song review of the mighty Hawkwind
Their first six albums were absolute masterpieces. Plus the two Dio albums.
Dio Era was great also.
@jonathan deavey Just two and and Live Evil
@@davesaenz3732 You're forgetting Dehumanizer and The Devil You Know.
Born Again is the darkest/heaviest they ever did. A lot of the Tony Martin stuff is good too. Also, "two" Dio albums? What about Dehumanizer? That's better than Mob Rules IMO
This is one of my favorite Sabbath songs. I saw them live at Madison Square Garden (Ted Nugent opened) nearly 50 years ago. “Killing Yourself to Live” is another good track from that album.
How great they were. Doug, these videos of yours are one of the best things on UA-cam. Really.
Thanks for another great review Doug! Wasn't expecting this, this week, but was delighted to see it when I got home from work...a nice surprise, thank you!
Most of the Ozzy era of Sabbath’s sings were characterised by two (or more) strong riffs. It’s more unusual to find a song with a single riff. Tony isn’t called the riffmeister for nothing!
I remember Ozzy expressing some tongue-in-cheek frustration with Tony in the early 2000s because he sits down with a guitar and writes like a hundred riffs in an hour and no lyricist could possibly keep up.
Good luck with YT Doug. I really enjoy your analysis of some of my favorite bands. I love Black Sabbath. Rock on Doug Helvering.
Really one of the first albums to blend heavy and progressive music.
An absolute masterpiece.
A National Acrobat, Spiral Architect, Killing Yourself to Live and the title track.
Maybe Black Sabbath's finest hour.
My favourite Sabbath album, so I hope you will do the whole album, some of the tracks will really surprise you.
Black Sabbath in their prime! Such an iconic riff, and Ozzy with those high notes....damn! One of the best songs ever IMO. Sabotage is my favorite Sabbath album though and I highly recommend you react to *Megalomania* from that album.
Ozzy's "you bastards" really hits hard.
ALways nice to hear your insights and to hear the background of each track. For a metal/rock song it's pretty unusual how much contrast there is between the heavy riff and the more gentle and melodic chorus using accoustic guitar. How Ozzy managed to sing that high without his voice going is beyond me! That whole album shows how versatile Black Sabbath could be. I think it's a sign of a good band that they can produce tracks that sound so different from each other.
The entire album is superbly great. I love every single song on SBS.
I've heard this 1000 times, still good
According to Black Sabbath, this album was peak Sabbath. I agree.
Try "A National Acrobat", the next song on the album. I would totally recommend the entire album. "Sabbra Cadabra", "Killing Yourself to Live", "Who Are You" and even more to enjoy.
6:20 is the hardest riff ever, and I will be taking no questions.
My band covered this in drop C because I couldnt get anywhere close ro Ozzy-range, especially while rocking that riff (I was guitar/vox). That rifF made my amp grow horns.
Absolutely listen to the whole album, even if you dont cover it. “Killing Yourself to Live” is a fantastic thematic (and musical) bookend to everything you said.
And yea the Anthrax cover is good..they even put the bass super high in the mix. Metallica did a pretty killer cover of this as a medley too.
Definitely my favorite Sabbath album, and when you said it was 50 years old…omg.
..YOU BASTARDS!!!!!
HA!
Bought this on release. Feeling old but what memories🤠🇭🇲
Ahem, Holey Eternal Omnipresent Greetingz cuzinz. Good timez
National Acrobat is probably one of the most underrated Sabbath songs. You should definitely do that one
on par, or tiny better than sabbath bloddy sabbath...
Overlooked classic. My favourite Sabbath song.
I think youd enjoy Into the Void off of Masters of Reality. It's definitely their heaviest song alongside Sabbath Bloody Sabbath and my personal favorite
I think that Zero The Hero is the heaviest song they ever did. Just so dark and heavy. Death metal actually.
This album contains Ozzy’s best vocal performance of his career in my opinion. My favourite Sabbath album too.
I would love to hear your opinion on Free. I think they are one of the most underrated bands ever! Releasing incredible tunes at such a young age!
i second this
Thanks, Doug!!!!
This entree album is a masterpiece
Heavy Metal doesn't get much better than this. This song is a masterpiece!
I was 13 when this came out. Still powerful n hard hitting as ever.
best riff ever by the riff god himself!!! so evil sounding...love it!!!
Yes its menacing Black Sabbath brought the heavy to heavy metal I love it.
To be honest Doug. You really should listen to all the album especially A National Acrobat, one of the best Sabbath songs.
When I first heard this song, when it came out. I noticed the call back in the verse; You wish the Hands of Doom would take you away. It is the only time I can recall where one song, mentions a previous song.
My first Sabbath album. Brings back memories of my teenage years!
I love this album, so many good tracks. Great lyrical content to get the imagination flowing.
Always great to see some early Sabbath reactions. Thanks as always, Doug!
Awesome video, what I would give to hear this album for the first time again.
This brings up a thought - You listen to a song that absolutely grabs you by the throat and doesn't let go. But you don't really have an idea of how much work went into making it - all the tweeking, re-recording, redos, mixing, and it comes out as something that floors you. This was brought up to me a long time ago by an ensemble guitar player whose recordings could bring me to tears. He said "You don't see what goes into making it"
Doug thank you for your insightful description of sabbath bloody Sabbath, great commentary, thank you . Doug don't forget about all the other musical masters .
Thanks for the memories. I used to listen to my brothers and sisters album collections and when I first heard this... I was already learning guitar, but when I heard this bass line, it lit a fire that does not die. Still playing guitar still playing bass. Thanks for the inspiration Doug. Keep up the great work
As a Patreon member, I'm glad you enjoyed this classic track from Sabbath, Doug and thanks for reviewing it! I really enjoy the jazzy break in this song that shows Tony and the band's versatility.
Come on Doug it's time to review the Tony Martin era of Black Sabbath! A very different sound to the Ozzy era.
Check out When Death Calls which features Brian May from Queen on lead guitar.
Gotta say. I enjoy these videos from your perspective. I've known alot of these songs that you've reacted to for years. so I get a little jaded toward them. With you being a classical composer, you have a perspective of being a musician. I learn a little bit from you about the composition/theory side. I have learned to play alot of these songs over the years, but I just know the how, not the why. You have taught me some of that why
I am 50 Years old. I have to say that I really like your analysis. You get really close to what I feel when you hear it the first time ( When I where 8 or 9-10)
You are one skilled Dude. I am a supporter
This is my favorite Sabbath song and from my second favorite Sabbath album (just after Sabotage). Thanks for the video, Doug!
Great discussion on the lyrics! I just read a lot on the Black Sabbath history and didn’t encounter anything about those lyrics, but certainly plenty on the grind of the business, which really came to a head on the next album.
Their best album in my opinion. Crank it up and add a chaser of Devil's Lettuce........priceless!
Haha Anthrax end their cover with Sudden Sweet Leaf, a phenomenon that just…happens sometimes (lookin at you, RHCP- Give It Away outro!)
When I first heard that riff 06:19, the gates of heaven and hell opened and I was able to see and understand all. 🤘🤘
Pretty good album. Hope you will do Sabotage, their heaviest album, and finally got really good sound quality. SBS is really the build up to Sabotage, they continue the heavy from especially this track on the whole Sabotage album.
I discovered that album in about 1988, one of my ffavorites.
I actually get to see this live! Sweet!
An excellent, musical breakdown of one of the best songs that legendary band ever put out. But for starters Doug, I must say that I initially discovered my allure for classical music at age 9. I’d always found it very awe-inspiring to hear those epic, dramatic build ups, so beautifully executed by most symphony orchestras. However, I had no clue then that 10 years later, I’d become an eternal fan of Black Sabbath through that ominous title track. This epic song possesses that same dramatic flair, found within nearly all of my favorite classical performances. I hope to see more of your comparative analysis. Thanks !
Same album: National Acrobat
Fantastic tune (as are most tracks on SBS)
Nobody will convince me that weird percussion in the breakdown (?) of that song…..the part starting around 5:40 …..isnt like..bones playing against each other, lol
I love this album. The first album I ever purchased, I feel this is the greatest heavy metal album ever. Has a great style and awesome grooves through the whole album. Lyrically awesome also. This has a bit of everything hard rock heavy metal.😎🤘
My 3rd Album! And I still have it. Bought in 1977...
This was the first time Sabbath took it up to the next level with their sound. So much more polished and alot more depth to the instrumentation even though Vol 4 had upped their game somewhat as well. Love it so much!
My favorite sabbath record!!! Killing yourself to live is a awesome song.
Thanks for that background on the lyrics. I had always heard them in a larger more general sense that basically can apply to any of us living in a society that makes demands on us to sacrifice our personality, time, mental health...our life! --"burned out confusion, nothing more to tell, yeah."
I got this album on vinyl the other day, it’s one of my favourite black sabbath albums
In the vast discography of Sabbath gems, this song and the album takes the cake for me. Just a classic.
I still have my '73 vinyl copy. I was about 15 when it was released and it blew me away.
Powerful song!! Ozzy's vocals on this song are insane, soaring above those gritty low end riffs especially in the awesome middle part!!
I love exploring your albums and stuff behind you; all evidences of good taste, imo.
Thank you Doug!
Art is a tough business. Thx for the backround on the lyrics. So true....especially in the 70's.
Sabbath Bloody Sabbath is only a taste of absolute scorn they end up feeling for the music industry. It really coalesces - and magnificently so - on "The Writ", which is the last song of the _next_ album after this, Sabotage (which in my opinion is their strongest album, technically speaking). Both albums are well worth a listen.
That song gives me goosebumps. You can feel the anger.
Black Sabbath at their creative heights blows everything else away. Visceral to the tee.
Sudden and frequent tempo changes are a Sabbath signature.
I love how chaotic this makes it sound 😂 …like theyre just playing along then theyre like “HA TEMPO CHANGE! PARKOUR!”
Yes, you need to hear "A National Acrobat".
Sabbath Bloody Sabbath is my favorite Sabbath album. It's clear to hear their evolution as the songs became more musically sophisticated, and the lyrics were pure poetry.
Thank you for reacting to my favourite song by Black Sabbath. It’s a real masterpiece. When he says dog knows as you’ve god knows the riff he’s using is the first ever death metal riff I’m pretty sure.
Yes do the whole album it's so smooth sounding so dark and heavy...
The transition at 6:19 might have been the heaviest thing ever heard at the time. Freaking awesome!
I read a review of this song a few years ago and the said of the breakdown (I have to paraphrase), "in an already monumentally heavy song, it becomes downright brontosaurus-like at the breakdown. Simply amazing.
Great Critique you described what the lyrics were saying .Im a Sabbath fan from the mid seventies and the Radio Stations hardly played this Bands music which hurt their record sales I'm sure
To think that this album came out in 73 is just bananas. When people talk about being ahead of the times Sabbath is criminally underrated. Was music hard back then yea. Bands like Purple and Zeppelin along with countless lesser known bands were making hard rock music. But this is metal. This isn't proto metal. Its metal. And they basically sounded like this since 1971.
This and Sabotage are their most "proggy," so good ones for you to explore.
I was about 11 when I first heard this song. It changed my music taste forever. That chug after the big drop in this song was an eye opener for me. I didn't realize it for a long time, but I feel this song, and their music is what got me interested in what might be called art rock/prog rock. Pretty easy to hear the correlations of Sabbath, Yes, Tool, Porcupine Tree, even some earlier Metallica just to name a few.
Your statement about having "tent poles" for listening to this album was really great. Well put.