Post AxGz37NHBCb61yQBKi by unblinkingeye@www.minds.com
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(DIR) Post #AxGz37NHBCb61yQBKi by unblinkingeye@www.minds.com
2025-08-16T00:12:14+00:00
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Black Sabbath - #ItMustHaveBeenYears IV: Part VII - Technical EcstasyI had a totally different intro written for this post until @airyaman’s highlighting of Sabotage got me to check that album out again. When asked about Sabbath, the average fan will really talk up the first four albums and maybe extend the “classic era” to the first six before two albums signalled the end by basically being unlistenable, experimental garbage. The tale has been told so many times that people think it’s fact, but I’m here to say that it’s beyond bullshit. So much so that I’ll go out on a limb and actually say that the best albums Sabbath did with Ozzy are Sabotage and this one. Contrary to accepted wisdom, the band’s songwriting improved as they went, the performances from all four members (in spite of their chemical extra curriculars) never stopped advancing, and they stopped playing it so safe and simple. Strap in kiddies, we’re in for a wild ride. Opener “Back Street Kids” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsZI8-9MM0U) might have a bit more of a gallop to it and a slightly more straightforward rock production than we’ve been used to from Sabbath, but if anyone heard this song and was confused, I’d tell them to get their ears cleaned. Ozzy sounds great, the rhythm section of Bill Ward and Geezer Butler are firing on all cylinders, and Iommi’s riff machine is in full swing. Some synths entering for a very Beatles-esque bridge are about the only sign of fiddling with the formula (also, is it just me or did Pete Steele rip off the bridge vocal melody for a ton of his own bridges in Type O Negative?).After a cold open, “You Won’t Change Me” does start to reveal that things are a bit… odd on this album. The song has a very dense, muddy production with the vocals partly buried in the mix. Organ and synth are slathered all over this song. Even for that, while the more left of field tracks on Sabbath Bloody Sabbath felt like they belonged on another band’s album in places, the core of the band’s identity is still intact here. It leaves the track sounding like a Sabbath song as produced by Phil Spector rather than a cover performed by Sabbath (or, worse, someone else entirely playing their own material). After reading the wiki article on this album and seeing quotes from the other band members insisting that Iommi was trying to make songs sound like X, Y, or Z, I genuinely don’t see it – at least if this song were to be held up as an examplar of that phenomenon. I don’t know who this is meant to emulate because all I’m hearing is Sabbath under a dense (and admittedly over-cooked) arrangement. The experiment doesn’t entirely work, but it has its charms and manages to be interesting without leaving the listener feeling like the band’s identity was left behind at the last rest stop.“It’s Alright” is a stark anomaly in the catalog, being a Bill Ward composition that the drummer sang himself. That sounds like it should be disastrous, but the song has a sort of homespun charm to it that’s hard to pin down. Ward isn’t convincing anyone that he should have been the frontman, but he’s got a solid voice and offers a nice counterpoint to Ozzy. Is it what one might want or expect from Sabbath? Not really. It’s basically your standard issue ‘70s rock ballad (for the record, I never understood the love “Changes” got either). At the same time, it somehow manages to be nowhere near as out of place on this album as some of the tracks on Sabbath Bloody Sabbath were. Its worst offense is sounding like the band is attempting to write a Queen ballad, but it’s far from an embarrassing attempt. Iommi even manages a sort of Brian May-ish solo for what it’s worth. It was good enough for Guns ‘n Roses to cover live, so take that as you will.The percussive opening of “Gypsy” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NaNQgJXOnbE) is… different. Like, it’s not bad, but it’s… odd. Once again, I’m not sure what is being attempted here (other than Bill Ward having the cocaine zoomies and needing to burn off some steam). Once we get about a minute into the song, Sabbath goes into Sabbath mode and the song finds its legs and turns into a beast of a rocker. I’d like to point out once again that this is supposed to be the album where the band lost its metal bearings and delved into basic ‘70s rock-isms. Aside from sounding a bit like they’re attempting Alice Cooper style theatricality, the heavy guitar tone is still here in spades (I’d argue in far greater force than on the spotty but occasionally brilliant Sabbath Bloody Sabbath). Sonically, if there are any sins being committed here, it’s that Ozzy’s voice is constantly buried in these very dense mixes (probably what happens when you let the guitarist produce the album).“All Moving Parts (Stand Still)” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9DZidPQ2ms) is the tits! Seriously, if that opening riff doesn’t make you want to flip a table and start breaking shit with your face, heavy music of any stripe is NOT for you. I’d forgotten how great this song was, but from the opening riff, I was reminded and then some. The band are still getting fancy with the vocal harmonies, but it’s a much more standard issue Sabbath song. Butler even breaks out some borderline funky bass playing that would do John Deacon proud in parts of this song. The band sound like they’re having fun on this one. And, just in case the folks in the back rows didn’t get the memo, I’m deeply in love with Iommi’s guitar tone on this album. It’s heavy, but clear. The riffs are as ballsy as ever, but there’s also a spiky clarity on the high end that wasn’t always present on the early albums. Yes, at times it comes to the detriment of Geezer’s bass or Ozzy’s vocals, but this might be the best sounding guitar tracking Iommi had managed up to this point in a catalog often saturated with sludgy or muddy guitars. I will concede this is a “me” thing and your mileage may vary because that’s what some people consider the highlight of these early albums.No points for guessing what “Rock ‘n’ Roll Doctor” is about… The track offers a sonic curve, coming after a straight ahead song as it does. We’re back in that muddy “Phil Spector” sound that crops up from time to time on this album. In truth, I half wonder if the issue people have with this album is that it doesn’t have a unified sonic signature to it and waffles all over the place in terms of its production rather than out of any beef with the quality of the songs. This particular track is another great rocker, even if it does veer a little more towards conventional ‘70s rock (offering a bit of heavied up boogie-woogie in places) over Sabbath’s meatier fare. In common with the other “deviations” on this platter though, it’s still a solid song and avoids sounding totally out of character for the band, so – once more – I don’t quite understand why this album has the reputation it does if we’re judging by the strength of the songwriting.We’re treated to a string arrangement to open “She’s Gone,” which gives way to a gentle acoustic opening. The playing is stock Iommi though, so don’t be fooled into thinking this is going to turn into a Dan Fogelberg song. More than any other moment in Sabbath that I can think of, this track strongly predicts what Ozzy would wind up doing vocally on Blizzard of Ozz and Diary of a Madman, from the vocal melodies to his delivery. It’s different but gorgeous. Before anyone wonders how I could skewer a sacred cow like “Changes” and yet like an orchestrated ballad like this, it’s dark and gothic as hell and sounds anything but of its time to my ears. I can’t say the same for the more popular song. “Dirty Women” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6HbhiK4eKc) closes things out with another great riff. The only complaint I’d raise is with the decision to pair guitar and organ when a guitar army probably would have been punchier. Ozzy’s voice is once again muddled in the wall of sound, but not fatally. Personally, I merely like this song until we hit the up-tempo solo section about 2 minutes into things. Again at 3:30, that riff just crashes into the forefront and I’m sold. Just hit me straight in the veins with riffs like this, Tony! Ozzy singing over it for all he’s worth just ices the cake.Before we close out, time for art criticism with Unblinking.Look, I’ve got to be real here: this album has cover art by Hypgnosis who produced artwork for everyone from Genesis and Pink Floyd to Led Zeppelin and all points in between. This shit was DESIGNED to appeal to me, so I really don’t get the criticism – especially when this platter landed AFTER Sabotage. Yeah, I don’t know if I’m looking at two robots Bluetooth fucking on an escalator or what, but if you compare this to the muddy pig man on Paranoid, the drunken typography of Master of Reality and Vol. 4, or to the “Felt cute, might delete later” cover of Sabotage, this goddamn thing belongs in an art museum!As I’ve hit on before, I’m a prog fan before I’m a metal fan. My 18 year old self and I have just agreed to disagree on that front. That being the case, there are certain things I’ll be sweeter on that your average “metal or die” listener won’t have any time for. So, if I’m being gentle on this album, it’s because I honestly can’t figure out why it has the reputation it does. Sure, Iommi’s production and mixing are all over the shop, and some of what I can only think of as “Phil Spectorisms” could have been dialed back a bit (save some room for the fucking vocals, Tony!), but the lows never fall too far and the highs are both interesting and engaging. Frankly, after covering Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, I’m more surprised that SBS gets lumped in with the “classic” era because it came off far more spotty than I remembered with some very out of character clunkers in its track list. Nothing I heard on Technical Ecstasy ever sounded fully out of character for the band. Technical Ecstasy, at its core, points forward to a bunch of directions Sabbath could have gone if they’d kept Ozzy at the mic. They were moving forward with their sound, but this time they sounded like themselves while doing it (aside from maybe Ward taking lead vocals on a track).All in? Give this one a chance. I think it’s far better than its reputation would indicate. The decision to highlight four tracks rather than the usual three or less is down to wanting to prove that I’m not just cherry-picking the good stuff here.
(DIR) Post #AxGz38f2OeOo1Ljsem by immobile@poa.st
2025-08-17T13:39:49.312869Z
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@unblinkingeye @airyaman When I first time heard this, I think I even bought it without listening first, I was like "WHAT THE FUCK I JUST BOUGHT!". Listened it again, have not changed my mind. Got some David Bowie, Elton John, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Uriah Heep vibes. Only tracks my current me likes are "You won't change me" and "She's gone". :jahy_jam:
(DIR) Post #AxGz3ACOg6g4n6M2IC by immobile@poa.st
2025-08-17T19:05:39.373320Z
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@unblinkingeye @airyaman Listened through Ozzy's last albums. What an ending for the last track of the last album. Circle was closed. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iN91tdUqVA&list=OLAK5uy_kLT33gPmSvMfvI7rO6nTUdwPQ9qok1qLM&index=13