Disclaimer: The following piece is a
super-in-depth look at one of my favorite records, and as such, it is riddled
with personal opinions and praise for said record. This cannot be helped.
Who would
be so audacious, so utterly cocky, to claim they know the very first song
they’ve ever heard? Me, that’s who. Maybe not definitively, but I have a very
very good idea. All during my childhood, my father took great pleasure in the
task of waking me for school by spouting whatever nonsense was rattling around
in his head. Most of the time his non sequiturs were lyrics from songs he
loved, and no well seemed deeper than his log of Black Sabbath tunes. I cannot
impart even an estimation of how many mornings I was torn from sleep by my
father’s exclamation of “You see life through distorted eyes / You know you
have to learn!”[1]
Those
opening lines to “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath” have always been my dad’s standard
for his ridiculous wake-up calls, and odds are they were the first song lyrics
ever sung to me, though my association with them doesn’t end there. The parent
record of that song, Sabbath Bloody
Sabbath, has been in heavy rotation in my household for as long as I can
remember. Whether from my parents’ ancient monolith of a stereo or from my
father’s own mouth, I have been listening to this record for my entire
existence, and its tunes are threaded deep within my heart. It is as much a
part of me as my own hands, and after two decades, I think it’s about time I
dissected it to see just how deep those threads run.
I am
through and through a lover of rock, and I think it’s safe to say that the
maelstrom of Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
helped induct me into the world of grizzly distortion and booming basslines.
Tony Iommi’s Gibson SG, perpetually tuned down to D♭, is the epitome
of metal guitars, his power chords and melodies roaring beneath overlapping
solos. Terry “Geezer” Butler’s bass tone teeters on the edge of overdrive, his
lines wandering into blues territory before stomping back against the
ridiculous rhythms laid down by Bill Ward, who hits his drums so hard you can
actually hear his mics clipping. On top
of all of this, Ozzy Osbourne wails, his crisp, dynamic vocals soaring through
the heights in “Killing Yourself to Live” and bordering an infuriated scream in
“Sabbath Bloody Sabbath.” The sound that this quartet has cultivated has become
both iconic and inspirational to thousands of acts, marking the way for
generations of metalheads through the chilling, gloomy territory that Black
Sabbath calls home, and for me, the darkness is nowhere stronger than on Sabbath Bloody Sabbath.
There’s no
shortage of metal intensity on this record,
but Sabbath Bloody Sabbath is far
more dynamic in sound and shape than previous Black Sabbath records, and
actually marks the beginning of the band’s journey into musical
experimentation. Amidst the chaotic, crushing rock, the band has interspersed
countless other instruments and textures. Acoustic guitars take prominent
positions in the composition of “Looking for Today” and the title track, while
synthesizers add depth and excitement to virtually every tune on the record,
even taking center stage in “Who Are You” And Black Sabbath takes it even
further, pulling out a harpsichord for “Fluff” and a flute for “Looking for
Today,” going so far as to summon a full string section for “Spiral Architect.”
In fact, the distinct lack of either bagpipes or sitar is due only to the fact
that Tony Iommi had not yet learned either instrument to his satisfaction while
recording. [2]
Although
only eight songs long, Sabbath Bloody
Sabbath is a powerhouse record, a landmark for the Black Sabbath and the
myriad acts that followed in their footsteps, not to mention for myself. It is
loaded with musical moments and face-melting lines that have resonated within
me for as long as I’ve been alive. Upon listening to it straight through with
my father recently (something he hadn’t done in decades), I feel that it is
finally time to give this monster its due.
1. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
Opening with the riff that “saved” Black Sabbath,[3]
“Sabbath Bloody Sabbath” tears open this record like a raucous cannon. Tony
Iommi’s signature tone crams itself down our ears while Ozzy’s vocals attack
the naysayers of the band, screaming at the “bastards” who “tell you that
you’re on your own” and “fill your head all full of lies.”[4]
According to Geezer, the band’s primary lyricist, the song is a
“backs-to-the-wall rant” aimed at “the critics, the record business in
general…management and everyone who was trying to cash in on us.”[5]
The anger inherent in the lyrics feels just as apparent in the composition;
every cymbal crash and bass growl drips with ire and disgust.
Besides its inspirationally dark tone, “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath” is a model
of metal in its composition as well. The tune eschews a verse/chorus
alternation in favor of a series of suites, a choice that has since become a
staple of the metal genre. After sloshing about in the mosh-worthy intro riffs,
the song launches into a disgustingly dark palm-muted section before sliding
into a swung outro. While all three parts have their merits, it is this middle
section that grips the mind, and which rock legend Slash considers to be one of
the heaviest riffs ever written.[6] The band’s choice to include in the riff both
the major and minor 3rds of the scale, coupled with Ozzy’s despairing intonations
of lines like “Living just for dying / dying just for you,” have helped to
define an entire musical atmosphere, and consistently rattle me to my core with
each listen.[7]
2. A National Acrobat
Haunting and spacious, “A National Acrobat” is another Sabbath standard
and one of my father’s favorites. According to Iommi, it was Geezer who
composed the skulking intro riff[8]
that moves like sludge through water. Between distorted chords and Ward’s walloping
drum beats, the song wanders into a wah-drenched B-section, over which Ozzy’s
vocals drift like distant echoes through an expanse of sound as he waxes
philosophical: “Don’t believe the life you have will be the only one / You have
to let your body sleep to let your soul live on.”[9]
“A National Acrobat” is a thoroughly metaphysical piece, the
instrumentation a sprawl of thought and feeling which greatly reflects the
meaning behind the lyrics. Geezer states that the tune is a musing on “who
selects what sperm gets through to the egg,”[10] a
fascinating and original idea that dips as much into science as it does
religion. While Geezer’s lyrics brilliantly portray this inconceivable idea, it
is Ozzy’s vocals that give it life. His delay-heavy harmonies and piercing
highs create the impression of multiple beings singing as one, like a legion of
never-born souls wondering when they will be chosen to exist. From conception
to delivery, "A National Acrobat" is chilling and intricate,
exploring some thought-provoking territory into which few minds have ventured.
3. Fluff
Almost entirely Iommi’s doing, "Fluff" is just that—a fluff
piece, a space-filler on the record, but at the same time, it’s a chance for a
guitarist known for his grueling tone to flaunt some of his more light-hearted
influences. Written as a tribute to DJ Alan "Fluff" Freeman,[11]
"Fluff" deftly captures a classical feel, layering piano and even a
harpsichord over interlocking guitar melodies, drawing the focus to the entire
piece rather than a single instrument. Iommi almost entirely avoids using an
electric guitar, instead pulling his melodies out from acoustics both 6-string
and 12-string, and dropping in mere hints of a reverby electric to further open
up the song. Although somewhat uneventful, "Fluff" shows us a side of
Black Sabbath most people don’t think exists, and acts as a nice dedication to
a man who helped the band find a following in their early days.
4. Sabbra Cadabra
With speedy guitar licks and Ozzy's energetic singing, "Sabbra
Cadabra" falls more under the label of rock'n'roll than metal, but Black
Sabbath easily manages to conquer this more ear-pleasing style with their own
dark flair. In fact, even in its earliest stages it appeared to be a favorite
among friends of the band—upon visiting the studio, Led Zeppelin's John Bonham
was apparently eager to drum with the band on it, and Yes keyboardist Rick
Wakeman, who lays down some heavy synth in the bridge, apparently refused
payment with anything but beer and jamming for his contribution.[12]
Iommi's dexterous melodies on "Sabbra Cadabra" are respected even
today, so much so that Metallica even medleyed it with "A National
Acrobat" for their 1998 cover album Garage, Inc., choosing it over
a plethora of more celebrated Sabbath tunes.[13]
There is a lot to love in "Sabbra Cadabra," but the most
stand-out performance comes from Geezer's bass. With a tone I can only describe
as a roar, Geezer spends half the tune covering rhythm, his low end booming
with Ward's kick drum, and the other half strutting, walking smoothly out of
the choruses and peppering pentatonic runs underneath the drum fills. It is his
bass that pulls the band together and pushes it forward, connecting the melody
work of Iommi and Ozzy and gluing it to Ward's hectic rhythm, cementing
"Sabbra Cadabra" as a rocking centerpiece on Sabbath Bloody
Sabbath.
5. Killing Yourself to Live
My father's anthem, "Killing Yourself to Live" is perhaps the
best example on Sabbath Bloody Sabbath of the band's brand of catastrophic
metal. Iommi's guitar kicks the tune off with a behemoth guitar riff that still
stands as one of my favorites, and his rampaging power chords in the chorus
immerse the listener in shadows. The gloomy A-section somehow slips into the
manic coda, across which Iommi overlays two guitar solos while Ozzy's vocals
spiral into absolute madness with the lines: "I don’t know if I'm up or
down / Whether black is white or blue is brown / The colors in my life are all
different somehow / Little boy blue's a big girl now."
While Iommi's shredding guitar conquers the instrumentation, it is
Geezer's lyrics that truly give the song life. Written whilst in the hospital
for alcohol-induced kidney issues, "Killing Yourself to Live" breaks
down the pendulous experience of the rockstar life—how the four of them
struggled to make a living as musicians, and in receiving their fame, now
continually destroy themselves with substances to cope with the pressures and
stress of stardom. And with lines like "Just take a look around you, what
do you see? / Pain, suffering and misery / It's not the way that the world was
meant," this lyrical theme of suffering to survive can easily be expounded
into the more general, working-man's anthem that it has become for my father, chronicling
the struggle to endure and provide in the modern world.[14]
6. Who Are You
Upon first listen, "Who Are You"
feels somewhat like another throwaway tune, with its simplistic arrangement and
quiet energy, but after continuous sampling, the significance buried in
"Who Are You" arises to the forefront. This tune is one of the first
to effectively mix synthesizers into a metal sound, and indeed, the
phaser-laden tone of Ozzy's Moog immerses the song in a creepy mood, a soft but
heavy counterpoint to Ward’s crashing cymbals and Iommi's melodious piano.[15]
The spacious
sound of the song adds to the metaphysical tone of the entire album, which is
furthered by the piece’s lyrical condemnation of authority. Ozzy’s accusatory
tone in the lines “You’re just like me, brother / Giving up your trust / And
when you have played enough / You’ll just cast our souls / Into the dust,”
pulls the high-and-mighty down to his own level, allowing his final query of
“Who are you?” to simultaneously ring political and spiritual. Although one of
the more placid tunes on the record, both the philosophical writing and ominous
instrumentation on “Who Are You” insist that it belongs nowhere else but on Sabbath
Bloody Sabbath.[16]
7. Looking for Today
The unequivocal star of this song has to be Bill Ward, whose emphatic,
animated drumming completely defines the feel of "Looking for Today."
With grace and fervor he chugs and slams and thumps his kit, painting a vibrant
backdrop over which Iommi and Geezer are able to weave elaborate riffs. Ward's
exuberance behind the kit feeds also into the other members' performances, as
Ozzy yanks wailing high notes from his core while Geezer's bass bellows in time
with the drums.
Besides the percussion, "Looking for Today" is also home to
the most cohesive and thorough lyrical ideas on Sabbath Bloody Sabbath.
Another analysis of the hectic hell that is the music business, "Looking
for Today" poignantly preaches a philosophy of enjoying the moments you
have, because they fly away all too fast. Geezer delivers this message through
a long string of original paradoxes, capturing the fleeting feel of fame with
lines like "Sunday's star is Monday's scar / Out of date before you're even
seen" and "In demand, but secondhand / It's been heard before you
even play." With "Looking for Today," Black Sabbath tears apart
any pretense that the rockstar life is easy, instead using their energetic,
upbeat rock to urge up-and-coming acts to enjoy the moments they have, because
"tomorrow is another dream."[17]
8. Spiral Architect
As the album's closer, "Spiral Architect" manages to
encapsulate all the lyrical themes of Sabbath Bloody Sabbath while
simultaneously presenting the best individual idea on the record. Written by
Geezer in one of his more "contemplative" states, this tune explores
how both experiences and genetics play a role in "creating an
individual," which is perhaps one of the most unique lyrical concepts I've
ever encountered.[18]
He loads the song with heavy images, implying the many experiences, beautiful
and horrifying, that come together to shape the human. His wording is virtually
flawless, even down to his diction choices, such as the immediate juxtaposition
of a "child of god sitting in the sun" with the image of a weeping
father. And just as his speaker sees the culmination of these things and
"know[s] that they are good," so too does "Spiral Architect"
wrap up the metaphysical journey that is Sabbath Bloody Sabbath.[19]
“Spiral Architect” certainly has the feel of an introspective
"epic," and similar to the lyrics, Black Sabbath spares nothing in
the instrumental sound of their concluding salvo. Iommi's meditative guitar
intro quickly leads way into an all-out frenzy of hard-rocking guitars and
thundering drums, while Ozzy's mourning yet spritely vocal flits in and out of
the listener's ears. The energy the band captures in this tune is inspiring and
powerful in itself, yet they take it one step further with the addition of a
string section, conducted by a mad and
miming Ozzy Osbourne.[20]
The addition of an orchestra into Black Sabbath's overdriven metal blends two
distinct if not opposing styles of music, shaping "Spiral Architect" into
a fitting finale for an ambitious record.
When dissected from a lyrical perspective,
listening to Sabbath Bloody Sabbath is like peeking into the personal
diary of the band as these four musicians attempt to determine their place and
purpose in the world. Both “A National Acrobat” and “Spiral Architect” delve
into the notions of what shapes a human into a person from both a physical and
psychological sense, giving equal voice to the effects fate and experience have
in carving an individual. Similarly, “Looking for Today” and “Sabbath Bloody
Sabbath” analyze existence from an artistic standpoint, a map of the struggles
of maintaining a creative identity in the face of opposition, especially when
the very forces that should be pushing you to succeed are in fact trying to
stifle you. Finally, "Killing Yourself to Live” self-consciously
acknowledges the struggles of coping with the life of a rock star, admitting
openly to the self-destructive tendencies that provide such a simple escape.
With these themes in mind, it becomes apparent
that Sabbath Bloody Sabbath must be a very important record for Black
Sabbath, having been written at a time when they thought they “were finished as
a band.” Between non-stop touring and profuse “drug use and hard partying,”[21]
Black Sabbath felt “absolutely, completely exhausted,” resulting in a harrying
period of writer’s block that seemed interminable.[22]
Simultaneously, mounting tensions between the band and its management as well
as brooding resentment among the members themselves further dammed the creative
flow and threatened to halt Black Sabbath’s dwindling momentum entirely.[23]
It was only until they relocated back to England and began practicing in
Clearwell Castle that the ideas began to flow again, and as one spin of this
record will tell you, those ideas would leave a huge impact both in the world
of metal and on the lives of fans, myself included.
Because of how heavy the situation was for Black
Sabbath as they entered into the studio to record their fifth LP, the resulting
music is an honest and truthful reaction to their world at that time. In trying
to break the molds of their past endeavors and all the baggage that followed,
they innovated with new instruments and composition styles that elevated their
sound to levels previously unexplored. In coming face-to-face with the true
struggles, internal and external, of being a musician, the lyrics on Sabbath
Bloody Sabbath blatantly assess the situations of drug abuse, bad
management, and general exhaustion, and attempt to pull a light from the
darkness by confronting it openly. As Geezer puts it, “people feel evil things,
but nobody ever sings about what’s frightening and evil” even though “the world
is a right fucking shambles,”[24]
but with Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, Black Sabbath gives voice and presence
to the evil in their lives in a fight to conquer it wholly.
Sabbath Bloody Sabbath is a record of growth, an attempt for these four musicians to find out
what it means to be both an individual person and a member of Black Sabbath. It
is a journal of their journey through an important period in their history, and
has since impacted the lives of countless fans. It entered my father’s life just
as he began high school, and thus was one of the whetstones that sharpened him
into the unique man he is today. Similarly, Sabbath Bloody Sabbath has
been an integral piece of my soundtrack, a presence as constant in my life as
the sun, and almost certainly my stands as introduction into rock music. The
pure honesty and wholesome darkness that drips from this disc has followed me
through almost all of my life experiences thus far, and continues to shine as
one of my strongest draws for inspiration in my creative endeavors. And just as
my father passed it onto me, so now I attempt to pass it onto you: give Sabbath Bloody Sabbath a spin, and don’t
be surprised if what you take from it far outweighs the half hour you gave.
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