Black Sabbath CDs

The bins have yielded quite a few Sabbath CDs lately; $2 each:

 

Black Sabbath - Sabotage 

 

I'm so used to seeing the cheapo Creative Sounds pressing of this, I was a little surprised to find an actual Warner Bros. press. Feel exactly the same way about this as I do all of the previous Sabbath albums--it's a mix of OK to good songs which are largely overshadowed by the really great stuff on here ("Symptom of the Universe" and "Supertzar"). 

Black Sabbath - Technical Ecstasy

 

"Back Street Kids" is a nice heavy rock song that tends to be underrated in Sabbath's catalogue, "You Won't Change Me" is the heaviest tune here (and thus the only thing on the album really reminiscent of the earlier material), and "It's Alright" is a nice Beatlesque ballad sung by Bill Ward. The other tracks don't stand out much, although "She's Gone" is a pretty if largely unremarkable ballad. I know there's mild debate on whether this or Never Day Die is the better album. I'd absolutely pick Never Say Die based on the title track alone, although if it didn't have it, Technical Ecstasy might be a contender based on the first 3 tracks.

Black Sabbath - Never Say Die

I get the impression I like this album a little more than most metalheads, but even then, I would just rate it as OK. I can easily see someone into the heaviness and gloom of earlier Sabbath not liking the 70s rock-isms here, and even the more energetic songs are absolutely steamrolled by the Dio/Gillan eras. The title track is the standout here, although it definitely ranks lower in the pantheon of Sabbath hits. "Johnny Blade" is also a nice tune. Even if less than great, there's something enjoyable to find in just about everything else, although I never really got "Breakout" at all--the intro riff seems interesting, but the big band brass stuff just feels odd, even on an especially "open-minded" Black Sabbath album.

 

 

Black Sabbath - Mob Rules

 

I've never really had a favorite Sabbath album. The Ozzy era has standout tracks for me but no particular album elevated itself above the others. Born Again has some fantastic material, but since almost half the album is rather lukewarm to me, it seems strange to call it a favorite. Eternal Idol is very even quality-wise but doesn't contain any of my top Sabbath songs. I used to just always call Heaven and Hell my favorite for simplicity's sake, but there was a period where I would have legitimately picked Mob Rules. "Turn Up the Night" is a fantastic opener and one of my favorite Dio-era tracks, which largely drove the decision. The title track almost reaches "Heaven and Hell" levels of greatness, and I like something about every other song except for "Slipping Away." All of that said, I've reverted back to saying Heaven and Hell is my favorite--the presence of "Die Young" tips the scales firmly in its favor.

 

Black Sabbath - Headless Cross

OK album but seems a bit lightweight for post-Ozzy Sabbath. The epic title track is a highlight of the Tony Martin years, but overall I don't think the album is as strong as The Eternal Idol or Tyr.