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The rain. The thunder. The bell. Black Sabbath’s crushing debut set the bar for a new kind of rock music no one had ever experienced; something FAR heavier and darker than anything experienced before. THIS was something new: THIS was the BIRTH of Heavy Metal!!
JOIN US as we dive into Black Sabbath’s eponymous debut and discuss the tracks, the production, the artwork and pay tribute to THE most important album in Metal History!!!
IF YOU DON’T ALREADY OWN THE DEBUT ALBUM FROM BLACK SABBATH - GET IT HERE!!
IF YOU DO OWN IT - THE POWER OF SABBATH IS STRONG WITH YOU
TONY IOMMI - GUITAR
GEEZER BUTLER - BASS
BILL WARD - DRUMS
OZZY OSBOURNE - VOCALS/HARMONICA ON “THE WIZARD”
RODGER BAIN - PRODUCER/JEWS HARP ON “SLEEPING VILLAGE”
TOM ALLOM - ENGINEER
BARRY SHEFFIELD - ENGINEER
MARCUS KEEF - GRAPHIC DESIGN, PHOTOGRAPHY
RECORDED AT REGENT SOUND STUDIOS, LONDON, ENGLAND ON 10-16-1969
RELEASED 2-13-1970 ON VERTIGO
Rodger Bain has been involved in many records over the years. He’s most well known for producing the first three Black Sabbath albums, Budgie’s first two albums (think Crash Course in Brain Surgery), and Judas Priest’s first album Rocka Rolla. He made many decisions on the first Priest album the band didn’t agree with. He left of Tyrant, Genocide and The Ripper as well cutting Caviar and Meths from a 10 minute song down to a 2 minute instrumental.
Tom Allom went on to be involved in some of the biggest hard rock and metal of the 70’s and 80’s. As engineer he worked on Genesis and Black Sabbath albums. He went on to produce albums by Pat Travers, Judas Priest (bassically all the great 80’s albums), Def Leppard, Kix, Whitford/St. Holmes, Krokus, Y & T, Rough Cutt, Loverboy, Jetboy and others.
Barry Sheffield and his brother founded Trident Studios in London and has worked with a diverse group of artists such as James Taylor, The Beatles, David Bowie, Bee Gees, Carly Simon, Frank Zappa, Kiss, Tygers of Pang Tang, Lou Reed, Peter Gabriel, The Rolling Stones, Thin Lizzy, Yes and others.
Marcus Keef photographed many great album covers for Black Sabbath, Rod Stewart, Manfred Mann, David Bowie, Status Quo and others. He then went on to direct music videos for the likes of Motorhead, Kate Bush and Blondie.
TRACK LISTING (EUROPEAN) :
1 BLACK SABBATH 6:20
2 THE WIZARD 4:24
3 BEHIND THE WALL OF SLEEP 3:37
4 N.I.B. 6:08
5 EVIL WOMAN (CROW COVER) 3:25
6 SLEEPING VILLAGE 3:46
7 WARNING
TRACK LISTING (AMERICAN) :
1 BLACK SABBATH 6:20
2 THE WIZARD 4:22
3 WASP/BEHIND THE WALL OF SLEEP/BASSICALLY/N.I.B.
4 WICKED WORLD 4:47
5 A BIT OF FINGER/SLEEPING VILLAGE/WARNING
The original North American pressings have incorrect running times for Wicked World and the Warning medley. They also use the band members given names, Anthony Iommi, John Osbourne, Terence Butler and William Ward.
The album was originally recorded for Fontana Records but was switched over to another of their labels Vertigo Records that has the company’s more progressive acts. Released on Friday the 13th and reached #8 on the UK album charts. Released in June 1970 in the U.S. and reached #23 on the Billboard 200 where it stayed for more than a year and sold over a million copies.
The album got mostly negative reviews though. Rolling Stone described them as “just like Cream but worse”. The Village Voice called the album “bullshit necromancy” and “the worst in counterculture”.
Retrospective reviews have been kinder. Allmusic said it was a highly innovative debut, saying the title track had the “most definitive heavy metal riffs off all time” and said their “slowed-down, murky guitar rock bludgeons the listener in an almost hallucinatory fashion, reveling in its on dazed, druggy state of consciousness”. The Rolling Stone album guide states Bain’s production makes “an album that eats hippies for breakfast”.
Kerrang! In 1989 ranked Black Sabbath #31 on their “100 Greatest Heavy Metal Albums of All Time”. Ranked #12 in Colin Larkin’s Top 50 Heavy Metal Albums. Ranked #238 on Rolling Stones 2005 The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Ranked #44 on their 100 best debut albums of all time describing the opening track as a song that “would define the sound of a thousand bands”. They also ranked in #5 on their list of “100 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time”.
A couple of links with some interesting facts.
https://www.revolvermag.com/music/black-sabbaths-debut-50-fascinating-facts-about-metals-first-album
00.00: Intro: An important message from Nigel’s cousin (and also from Nigel) #SabbathSunday Celebrating the Birth of Metal with the release of the band, the album, the song and the legend: cheers to BLACK SABBATH #dontdenythepowerofthundersatan #twiddlyniddly
04.52: THE Game Changer: THE Most Important Album in Metal History Geezer’s role in the Sabbath sound #theanchor #fillingthebottom #celticfrosting #bloodyjollygood
08.24: Released Friday the 13th Inside of the album (#dontdenythethunderofsatan) creepy house and album cover creepiness #hauntingalbumcover #directnod Is it the end my friend? #ThunderSatan round the bend… #dontdenythepowerofNOTsatan
12.03: Satan’s (and Metal Nerdery’s) favorite album #suicidepanelingshagcarpeting Matt’s Sleep Impression #sleep #sleepband #laughterspike #ingenuity The album cover photography Laura Livingstone #evilwoman by cat you mean…? #haunted
16.08: The poem inside the inverted cross (no band involvement) Sabbath had little to do with the added “evilocity” of the album Jews Harp? (you know…)
18.20: Imagine an 80 year old Matt Pike fronting High on Fire album stats Recorded 10-16-1969 February 13th , 1970 #progressivemetal #metalsuites The First Progressive Metal Band? #nimblethimbles Roger Bain production stats caviar and WHAT!? I’d like to place an order… 80’ Priest Producer #MetalNerderyLegalTeam #ScreamFromTheBallsProductions #vinnievincentitis #youareables sing (and so are the “Others”!)
25.32: Barry Sheffield Trident Studios (listen to that list…literally) 2 tracklistings Intrigued by that Poem inside the cross #fuckinjohn #fuckinterrence #fuckinwilliam #fuckinanthony Evil World vs. Wicked Woman #allthemetalallthetime The very un-metal reviews
31.05: and the very gracious reviews with many kudos and commendments and condiments: mushrooms and acid eating hippies for breakfast? #31 on the list!? WRONG! #238!? C’mon!? WTF!? Correction: DEFINED an entire GENRE!! #11…because Top 5 (no condiments!)
34.28: #isitsexy Black Sabbath album cover poem #gonefrosting 50 fascinating facts about Metal’s first album Listen to Metal Nerdery Sabbath episode 4 #sabbathsixpiece #myturntofrost #yourmomentoffrosting Archie reads the evil Poem
40.50: Diabolus in Musica #ominousity #thimblythimbles #nimblythimbles Django The Figure in Black #evilbook #backwagonbackshadowing
46.11: Boris Karloff #getshagged NIB Sleeping Village or Devil’s Island? Sign of the Sorcerer #supersolo
51.40: The Instrument of Legend: Tony’s SG Matt’s perception of Valentine’s Day Darkness, Cynicism and Negativity create beautiful art
55.40: The Power of Sabbath’s Influence
57.45: the Tracks: Black Sabbath (#creepiness)
1.04.25: The Wizard (#blinddogOsbourne)
1.08.05: Behind the Wall of Sleep Bassically N.I.B. (#bassitude)
1.14.44: Evil World Wicked Woman (check out the Past Lives version of Wicked World!!)
1.19.00: A Bit of Finger Sleeping Village Warning (#bonernoise) dueling guitar solos (and more creepiness) Special thanks to Archie and The Punters CONTINUE TO SPREAD THE GLOBAL WORDERY ABOUT METAL NERDERY!!