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"Black Sabbath." Truly the Godfathers
of metal. You can have your crap about Led Zeppelin, or any of
those dinosaur bands who finally got the balls to turn their
amps over 6 being the "start" of metal, but put up
"Black Sabbath’s" first album against any of those,
and the argument should be over before it’s started. The
impact "Black Sabbath" had on the late 70’s and
80’s is undeniable. The impact of continued "Black
Sabbath" influence on the new school of 90’s metal
is unbelievable. All, and I mean all, of your Korn’s, Alice
in Chains, Slayer’s, Metallica’s and any other unit
that claims any kind of piece of the hard rock action, must (and
usually quite willingly) admit the Sabbath connection on some
level. Combine that with the extensive solo career singer "Ozzy
Osbourne" built post-Sabbath, and the creative force this
man/band has spawned, is surely one of the biggest, most respected,
of contemporary musical history.
Its been over 17 years since these working
class misfits from the burnt out industrial town of Aston, England
shared the same stage space (except for a one-off appearance
at 1985’s Live Aid, and a four song set as special guests
during Ozzy’s "last ever" Show in ‘92). Until
now. Unless you’re severely out of the loop, you’ve
surely heard the hoopla surrounding the "Black Sabbath Reunion
Tour." Although the American jaunt just got started on New
Year’s Eve 1998, "Black Sabbath" had played some
shows in the UK in December of 1997. The start of the "Reunion,"
and literally first time in front of a crowd as "Black Sabbath"
in over 17 years, was in their hometown area of Birmingham, England.
And lucky you, they taped the show.
Offered on this live 2-CD set are 16 songs
pulled from "Black Sabbath’s" extensive catalog
(plus two new studio songs). I was sincerely surprised at the
scope of the songs picked. There are the obvious, like the show
opening "War Pigs," and of course you’ll need
a version of Beavis and Butthead’s favorite, "Iron
Man" (the crowd response and sing-a-long is a testament
to how well these songs are known and revered). "Paranoid"
has to be in there (a long-time favorite of beginning guitarists
everywhere), and of course, the long ago written title track
for the band, "Black Sabbath." Ozzy goes into a short
explanation of how they used to be called “Earth” and
needed a good name for the band. And as gloomy as Geezer Butler
is, he said "Well, why don’t we call the band 'Black
Sabbath’." Then a rumble of thunderclouds comes in
over the PA, with the church bell chiming in the intro to the
classic "Black Sabbath."
Speaking of classics, their live version
of "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" is mean as ever, with Geezer
Butler’s bass rattling teeth on the middle/end low break.
In fact, the technical quality of the band's performance throughout
this disk is superb. Ozzy’s voice is as strong as ever.
Drummer Bill Ward (who was the long awaited missing member to
get on board for the reunion idea) pummels big and heavy, and
the live sound is actually pretty decent. Tony Iommi’s spindly
lead rhythms and power chord chops are tight as they ever were
(although they come through a bit thin on some songs), but it’s
a live disk, and its only lacking in tone, which the energy and
vibe of the live performance more than makes up for.
Actually, we do get plenty of Mr. Iommis
talent displayed through the heavy lead work of the older (and
perhaps less familiar) numbers included, like "Electric
Funeral" and "Orchid/Lord Of This World," and
its these lesser known numbers that give this set its true value.
I mean, in all reality, what true Sabbath/Osbourne fan needs
to hear another version of "Sweet Leaf" or "Iron
Man."
What some people might need to hear, are
songs like "Behind the Wall of Sleep," "Dirty
Women," "Spiral Architect" and "Into The
Void." Although not as warmly received as say "Paranoid"
and "Iron Man," I think they are important inclusions
to help document the span and scope of "Black Sabbaths"
music.
Just to leave on a familiar note, the set
concludes with two smoking versions of "Iron Man,"
and then "Children Of The Grave." The listener is then
treated to two recent studio recordings by the band, "Psycho
Man" (which gets a decent amount of radio play in So Cal)
and "Selling My Soul," which point in the possible
direction the band might take if they continue the process and
actually come together to do a new full length studio album.
Aside from the obvious value of the live
songs, this set offers little bits and pieces of Mr. Osbourne's
insights and explanations to songs in various forms of stage
patter. Here's a song called 'Snowblind' and you know what the
fuck that one's about! says Ozzy. And during paying respects
to his joy of playing in Birmingham, an overzealous fan ran onto
stage and screamed in the mike (in your best English accent)
"Ozzy and Black Sabbath, he's the best!" and Ozzy's
reply, "What the Fuck was that! I though I had a Siamese
twin!" then falling back into props to his hometown before
rolling into a smoking version of "Fairies Wear Boots."
Plus, you get more "Let me see your Fuckin' hands"
shout-outs than songs, but, as anyone who has ever seen Ozzy
will attest, that's Ozzy.
Its true that Ozzy Osbourne has never really
stopped touring (despite his "No More Tours" tour,
plus follow-up ones, along with multiple Ozz Fests) and did include
Sabbath material in his live sets through most of his career.
Its also true that 3/4 of Sabbath did reunite for 97's Ozz Fest
Tour, and played a bunch of Sabbath for many fans that weren't
around, were too young (including myself), or just plain missed
out on the original Sabbath. So opportunities to hear some live
"as close to the real thing as it gets" Sabbath have
been present all along. Although none of these experiences should
have left a fan disappointed, there is the undeniable mystique
surrounding the energy of the original real deal. Even the band
members themselves are the first to admit it no one can play
Sabbath quite right except Sabbath. This live 2 disk set is a
testament to this founding originality.
I would say this is one of those must haves
for anyone who would brag of their allegiance to "Black
Sabbath." Its both gratifying in its production, packaging
and selection with even a few surprises. Even for the casually
acquainted, this is nice buy that will most undoubtedly offer
the listener songs they either haven't heard or don't own. Regardless
of your past intimacy with "Black Sabbath," these two
CDs offer the most viable representation of the band this (or
any other generation) will have chance to witness. The only thing
that might be better, was to have been there the first time. |
