Black Sabbath – Black Sabbath

Black Sabbath – Black Sabbath [Remastered] (1987, Warner Bros. Records)
Original Release: 1970, Warner Bros. Records

1. “Black Sabbath” … 6:20
2. “The Wizard” … 4:24
3. “Wasp”/”Behind the Wall of Sleep”/”Bassically”/”N.I.B.” … 9:45
4. “Wicked World” … 4:47
5. “A Bit of Finger”/”Sleeping Village”/”Warning” … 14:15

Band:
Ozzy Osbourne – Vocals, Harmonica
Tony Iommi – Guitar
Geezer Butler – Bass
Bill Ward – Drums

Producer: Rodger Bain

I hate when songs are combined onto one track. This seems to be a common practice with albums from the early ’70s. What is the point? This is a 5-track CD that could’ve easily been made into 10 (even though a few are instrumentals). The UK Vertigo Records release of this album didn’t combine songs onto one track so why did Warner?

Anyway, this is yet another album that is so classic and influential it’s been talked to death already so what can I really add? “Black Sabbath” is a purely evil sounding song and you can here the complete heavy metal genre stemming from it. “The Wizard” features the band’s blues roots, coming off like a Led Zeppelin rocker. Of course, “N.I.B.” is another classic as well in which you can here the song’s influence in many other metal bands. The rest of the album furthermore displays the blueprint for a number of different metal genres like doom metal and stoner metal.

I can’t say this album is a favorite of mine (the Ozzy years have never been my preference), but this album’s power and impact and legacy cannot be denied. One of the most important rock albums of all time.

Highlights: “Black Sabbath”, “The Wizard”, “N.I.B.”

www.black-sabbath.com