Now, I've written a memory on Zeppelin and Deep Purple. In my mind, there is one other band to complete the Hard Rock/Metal triumvirate of 70's Classic Rock. That band is Black Sabbath.
I started this past weekend off by planning a Friday night trip to the movie theater to catch the new Iron Man 2 movie. As I drove to the theater, I dialed up Black Sabbath's Paranoid on my MP3 player and went straight to track #4(of course) Iron Man. So, I thought to myself..."Which came first...the comic book character or the song by Sabbath?" Well, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby created in 1963. Which means (in a historical overview) it was before the Beatles came to America. Which means Ozzy Osbourne and bassist Geezer Butler had yet to meet. As odd as it may seem, Ozzy was a huge Beatles fan in his youth. He figured if a bunch of guys from Liverpool could form a band and make it big, so could he.
How does a good church going boy from the state of Nebraska find out about a hard-edged band from Birmingham, England? After all, I was only 3 years old when Black Sabbath released their 2nd album Paranoid in 1970.
My first memory of this album is a little unsure. I remember the early 80's when Ozzy began his solo career and the influx of rumors and stories of his lunacy. I was 13 or 14 when the story was widespread of Ozzy biting the head off of a bat. Of course, that story has followed him for the past 30 years. That is my earliest knowledge of Ozzy. But, this blog/memory is about Black Sabbath's Paranoid.
I believe my first exposure to this album was during a Boy Scout campout in the early 80's. My friend Tom had an older brother. So, he had the exposure to bands like Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Rush and Aerosmith. For me, my favorite bands at the time were Styx and the Electric Light Orchestra(ELO). At these campouts, someone (or a few of us) would bring a small tape recorder and some tapes. As time went by, we went from mono tape recorders to stereo boom boxes. I remember many nights staying up in a tent listening to Cheech and Chong, Steve Martin, REO Speedwagon, Styx and (for me) lots of the Beatles. I don't remember who but someone had a copy of Sabbath's Paranoid. I remember the sound of that overly distorted guitar on Iron Man as I looked at one of my fellow scouts lip-synching to the words...
I AM IRON MAN!!!
But, I distinctly remember once the tape got to the track Planet Caravan, someone said "can you believe that's Ozzy singing?" AHA!!! Ozzy and Black Sabbath...I had made a connection. Was it okay for me to like this? I remember being a good church going Christian boy thinking "I can't like this."...But it intrigued me! I honestly believe that the sound of a good distorted rock guitar feeds the teenage male with extra testerone.
As my listening tastes expanded and I began enjoy the "heavier" rock stuff, I began to hear more about Black Sabbath and Ozzy. By this time, Ozzy was no longer in the band. He was replaced by Ronnie James Dio and then later by Deep Purple singer-Ian Gillan. Even my drumming hero-Carmine Appice had a connection with Sabbath. His younger brother Vinnie was brought in to replace original drummer Bill Ward after the recording of Ronnie James Dio's Heaven and Hell album with Sabbath.
During my senior year of high school, me and some friends decided to put together a makeshift band for a school talent show. I can't remember how many songs we prepared. But, we did decide on at least two songs...Ted Nugent's Free for All and Sabbath's Paranoid. That was the first time I really paid attention to the song. Paranoid was loud and brash. I wasn't sure how Bill Ward had played the drum part. But, I was unconventional and instead of riding on open hi-hats, I played that part riding on my CRASH CYMBAL!! COOOOL!! Rock N' Roll! I really thought that song was awesome and soon became a favorite of mine.
When I started college in Kearney in the fall of 1985, I soon discovered that my favorite place to go in Kearney was DUSTYS Records. I would have marching band and symphonic bands practice until about 5pm every afternoon and after that I would head down to Dustys. I would be there flipping through the Rock section of the LP's constantly. I was getting familiar with a ton of artists' names I had never heard of before. When Dusty started selling used LP's, I began to buy a lot more just to build up my growing collection. I remember buying rock staples like AC/DC's Back in Black and (of course) Black Sabbath's Paranoid. I remember listening to Paranoid (in full) with my roommate-Brian. We had the same 8am class on Tues/Thurs (I think) and then we wouldn't have a class until 11am. So, we would usually go back to our dorm room and lay down (on our respective bunks), listen to some music and catch some Zzzz's. I distinctly remember digging the first two tracks War Pigs and then Paranoid. Then the mood of the album changes with the song Planet Caravan. I remember thinking this was the song that someone had pointed out years ago on that campout. It was mellow, spacey and almost otherworldly. The song would start and by the time it finished, I would have drifted off to sleep. In 1994, Pantera covered Planet Caravan on their album Far Beyond Driven. Faith No More covered War Pigs on their 1989 breakthrough album The Real Thing. In 1996, the Cardigans presented an electronic spin to Iron Man. I remember hearing that version with my jaw dropping to the floor followed by a smile of amusement.
Of course, many of these songs would become part of both Sabbath's and Ozzy's live sets for years to come. I believe Ozzy still ends most of his shows with Paranoid.
Instead of going through all the tracks on this album, I'll quote from the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before you Die.
All the Sabbath trademarks are here! Ozzy's eerie, ominous wail; supple, tempo shifting dynamics from drummer Bill Ward and bassist/lyricist Geezer Butler: and, most recognizable, the hulking presence of guitar hero and lord of the riff. Tony Iommi.
As I listened to the album again, I'm impressed that a band that many have viewed as a "Stupid" Metal band can change tempos from a slow plodding metal behemoth to a swinging instrumental tour-de-force that keeps any listener on their toes.
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