By: Jay Broderick - There is much debate about who the true Godfathers of Heavy Metal are. Some will say Led Zeppelin. For me, that's a hard NO! Classic Rock, while some like Zeppelin have an edge, is simply Classic Rock. Deep Purple? Well, this is where the conversation gets a little more challenging, especially with the band's music from the late 1970s to early 80s, but looking at their full catalogue, I don't give them the title either.
For me, there is a hard, undeniable, simple answer... Black Sabbath! The band's name screams metal, and the band's debut album is heavy as hell! As you run through their catalogue, there is simply no denying, given the fact that they were formed in the late 1960s, and they had maintained their heavy sound throughout their career, that these guys are the true Godfathers of our beloved music genre.
Today, February 13, 2025, we celebrate the 55th Birthday of the self titled debut album for Black Sabbath. If you were around in the 1960s or 1970s, you'll know that the world was vastly different. The music? There was simply nothing like the music that emanated from the speakers when the album Black Sabbath was placed on the turntable, and the stylus was dropped onto the vinyl. That was 55 years ago! INSANE!!! Let's take a look back!
Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath
This album starts off with an unsettling storm. Thunder is heard as a Church bell chimes, and then a haunting guitar riff takes over. The atmosphere is tremendous, as though we are watching a Hammer Film that has us on the edge of our seats. The mood is enhanced once the lead singer's vocals crack through the eerie ambience. With lyrics about the Devil himself, rising up to take you, the album's title track, "Black Sabbath" is frightening evening listening today. Can you imagine the horror that would have been felt over half a century ago? If it was your bag, you were immediately hooked. If not, you would have been appalled! The world is going to hell, and Heavy Metal was born! "Black Sabbath" reached the pinnacle, being named the Greatest Heavy Metal Song Of All Time by Rolling Stone Magazine.
The iconic harmonica intro to "The Wizard" is one of the most recognizable ever... in all genres. The tempo picks up from the doom filled "Black Sabbath", but the message is just as daunting. While bassist Geezer Butler claims the song is an homage to 'Lord of the Rings' wizard Gandalf, many believe "The Wizard" is about a drug dealer, and maybe more specifically, the band's drug dealer. If you pay close attention to the lyrics, it's not a far cry to make the latter assumption. "Everyone's happy, when the Wizard walks by". Remember... this is 1970... scandalous!
"Behind the Wall of Sleep" is the 3rd song on Black Sabbath's debut album. On the American release, the intro to this tack was given the title "Wasp", but the UK release simply has the song listed as "Behind the Wall of Sleep". While the intro is groovy, the riff beyond the intro is superb and Ozzy's voice melds perfectly. It is such a rhythmic tune. While that may not be a typical descriptive for heavy metal music, the groove on this song hooks you differently than most Sabbath tracks. The song then immediately transitions to the last song on the first side. It's a track titled "N.I.B" that has become just as synonymous with Black Sabbath as Tony Iommi. Like "Behind the Wall", "N.I.B" has an intro that was given its own track name on the American release. The Geezer Butler bass intro is amazingly called "Basically" on the US version. "N.I.B", or "Nativity in Black", opens with another legendary riff that has stuck with metal fans for decades. How do you know a great song? When the whole world knows the melody, and remembers it years later. Lyrically, the track is dark. As Butler explains, the track is about Lucifer falling in love with a human woman. Dare we ever feel that even Satan himself can become a "nice guy"? While the love of a woman can certainly move mountains, "a nice guy"??? Hmmmmmmm......
Most of us on this side of the pond know side 2 to start off with "Wicked World", but the UK release, that was released on this day (the US release did not happen until June 1970) starts off with "Evil Woman". If you are unfamiliar with this song, it's a cover of the 1969 track by American band Crow. It's got a fantastic jam, and was a big hit when Sabbath decided to record it, but I'm a little more partial to the American release's "Wicked World".
In another significant difference between the UK and US releases, the intro to "Sleeping Village" is called "A Bit of Finger" on the US version. Mainly an instrumental, "Sleeping Village" opens with the lyrics "Red sun rising in the sky, Sleeping village, cockerel's cry, Soft breeze blowing in the trees, Peace of mind, feel at ease" but the remainder of the song is a battle between bassist Butler, and guitarist Tony Iommi showcasing more of his talents. Talents that would eventually go on to give Iommi his own page in the annals of rock and roll.
Black Sabbath closes with the 10 and half minute "Warning". As much as I love the first 6 songs on this album, "Warning" ranks up there as one of my favourites. Again, the groove and beat are not specifically synonymous with heavy metal, but there is a heaviness to this song that you can feel the weight of. Lyrically, Ozzy finishes his task just ahead of the 3:30 mark, and the remaining 7 minutes are Iommi, Butler and drummer Bill Ward showing the world that they are going to be a force to be reckoned with. It is multi-layered genius. The fingering that Iommi unleashes 6 minutes in, is unparalleled, or at least was at the time this album was released. There's a complete bluesy jam thrown in here, before Ozzy closes out the track. Talk about all the elements. MAN!!!
Produced by then unknown British Producer Rodger Ban (who later became best known for his work with Black Sabbath, Judas Priest and Budgie), Black Sabbath was insanely recorded in one day. How is that even possible? Today, I'm not even certain of the possibility of recording a bad album in just one day, let alone the record that gave birth to Heavy Metal.
In May of 2022, I counted down the Definitive Top 10 Metal Albums of All Time, and absolutely Black Sabbath is deserving of the placement that was given. It's the album that started it all. They are the band that started a movement that would become known as Heavy Metal.
On February 5, 2025, Black Sabbath announced 'Back to the Beginning: The Final Show', that will see the band's original lineup perform one last time in their native Birmingham. The show comes 57 years after the band's inception in 1968, and sadly, I think it will truly be The Final Show. Lead Singer Ozzy Osbourne is confined to a wheelchair due to his ongoing battle with Parkinson's Disease.
4 word: BLUE CHEER - Vincebus Eruptum 1968 (I think)
Agree with this while heartily! Sabbath paved the way in the Metal genre.