Black Sabbath - Vol. 4

 

Cost: $2.00

This is actually my very first time owning this album and even hearing it in its entirety. Aside from Paranoid and Sabotage, all of the regular Ozzy-era Sabbath albums were very scarce (or were snapped up very quickly) finds even at normal used CD prices, and I don't ever recall even seeing Vol. 4 before. Since I was far more obsessed with other metal bands, I could never be bothered to buy it new. 

As I mentioned in an earlier Sabbath post, I think the best early Sabbath material is spread widely over their albums, but no single album is truly consistently great. So I pretty much only knew this as the album that had "Snowblind" on it, which is indeed my favorite track on here. Had also heard "Changes" before and was familiar with "Laguna Sunrise" since it was used at an outro at some live gigs (it's a wonderful instrument, but still nowhere as good as "Fluff"). For the rest, I can see why "Supernaut" is well-liked for its psychedelic sound, but it's not my kind of thing. "Cornucopia" and "Under the Sun" are pretty good but I'm disappointed they both get pretty upbeat after those MONSTER doomy riffs that open each song.

Feels considerably weaker than the albums that directly preceded and succeeded it, but I'm glad I finally got to hear it!

A Tribute to the Songs of Ozzy Osbourne & Black Sabbath (2004)

 

Cost: $1.00

A tribute CD of female artists doing acoustic covers of Sabbath and Ozzy. I've never heard of any of them before, but I saw several of them also appear on a Fleetwood Mac tribute on the same label. Oh dear. As you will note, the tracklisting skews towards very popular tracks, and there are no mellower songs like "Planet Caravan" or "Changes" that might have a decent chance of translating well. The whole concept seems extremely lame, but it can't be as bad as the Stryper tribute, right? Let's find out...

1. Linda Benskin - Hole in the Sky 

Not a big fan of this as a cover. The vocals feel weird in this context, although the arrangement is well done. I suspect this will be a recurring theme. 

 

2. Robin McDonald - Sabbath Bloody Sabbath

I like the arrangement, but the vocals feel stilted and overly talk-singy at times. There's a slight reverb(?) effect on the vocals during the verses which makes them sound like an old woman.

 

3. Julie Griffin - Never Say Die

Much more soulful vocals here. Even if they come off a bit overzealous at times, at least they sound enthusiastic.

 

4. Linda Benskin - Crazy Train

Sounded promising from the opening melody but the rest of the arrangement is kind of simplified. It's the lethargic vocals that really bring this down, though.

 

5. Heather Nolan - Flying High Again

Southern lilt to the singing which gives this a bit of a country feel. Vocals are very unenthused sounding, but it's not as bad as the previous tracks.

 

6. Camille Boscardin - Iron Man

Stands out a bit from the other tracks due to the somewhat folksier arrangement and the layered vocals. Not great, though.

 

7. Aj Kusuhara - Paranoid

Not how I ever want to hear "Paranoid," but at least it's not as bad as some of the other versions.

 

8. Cindy Mendenhall - War Pigs

This song just doesn't translate to the style that they're going for well.

 

9. Jen Lettellier - Bark at the Moon

Again, weird choice to cover in this type of fashion. Vocals remind me a little of Lisa Loeb.

10. Julia Orr - Sweet Leaf

As a song this works better for this than some of the others. Vocals sound a bit like if the singer from the "Never Say Die" cover reined it in a little.

 

11. Kim Coger - N.I.B.

This was the cover I was most curious about, because I could see it working as an acoustic version, but given some of the other tracks, I was prepared for a trainwreck. This song certainly works a lot better in this style than a lot of the others. Vocals aren't the worst but not the best on this album, either.

 

12. Kymberly Evans - No More Tears

Strictly as a cover version, this is probably the best track on here. I think the original song is just okay (especially in comparison to some of the Sabbath classics on here), which says a lot about the compilation.

 

I noticed the booklet only credits the singers, and the guitar playing is of a uniform quality all across the tracks, so it's obvious the same person/team recorded all the guitarwork. Even the "better" tracks don't really justify the existence of the CD--this doesn't even have the cheesy fun factor that can come out of string tributes or even those baby song tributes. I can see a few of these covers working at a coffeehouse's open mic night or a free public park gig, but not as the basis for a compilation CD.

 

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.

Black Sabbath - Live at Last (1996 reissue)

 

Cost: $2.99

 

This is in fact the very same copy of Live at Last I mentioned in the Wrekking Machine post--I finally decided to clean the old store stickers off and shelve it properly. Ironically, I've been finding lots of Sabbath discs in the bargain bins lately, which would have been absolutely unheard of back when I got this (this was the only Sabbath CD I ever saw for under $5-6 for YEARS). I even remember being a little annoyed at having to pay an extra buck over most of the other Wherehouse clearance discs for a decidedly cheap looking version (one-panel front insert, no liner notes, no band pics), but I also knew it wouldn't last in the store long.

Musically it's ok. "Children of the Grave" is probably my favorite Ozzy-era Sabbath song, and just by virtue of its inclusion I consider this to be a satisfactory live album. It's not a bad release, but it doesn't seem like a particularly noteworthy live performance, and I think it tries to cover too many albums in too few tracks.  It is nice to hear "Into the Void" as a part of the medley in the middle of "Wicked World," but at 19+min., the whole medley seems like a waste of space, especially the "Sometimes I'm Happy" bluesy jam stuff. I would have much preferred a couple of additional full songs.

Everything Comes & Goes compilation (2005)

Cost: $1.00

An experimental/indie tribute to Ozzy-era Black Sabbath.

1. Matmos - F/X

 Disposable intro track.  Replicates the guitar noises of the original with electronic effects.

2. Ruins - Reversible Sabbath

Short medley of drum/bass-only versions of several infamous Sabbath riffs. Midway through the track the entire medley is played through backwards, hence the name.  The heaviest and most technically proficient track on here.

3. Grails - Black Sabbath

Twangy, feedback-laden instrumental version.  Initially it seems as if it's going to be a fairly minimalist drone or sludge style cover, but they throw a violin in the background and as the song tempo builds it ends up being a very interesting rendition.  

4. Four Tet - Iron Man

Acoustic rendition of the main riff over a beat track with minor electronic influences.  Mellow and suprisingly pleasant.

5. Curtis Harvey Trio - Changes

Starts off straightforward, but 45 seconds in becomes an acoustic-guitar driven folk/country version.  Due to the music style and it being the first track (and one of the few) with vocals, it stands out negatively compared to other tracks.  Okay for what it is, but admittedly lacks the melancholic feel the original accomplished with just a piano and vocals.

6. Paul Newman - Fairies Wear Boots

Straightforward garage rock instrumental version.  Unfortunately it's sorely missing the Iommi guitar tone and although well-played, has no real novelty that compels me to listen to it again.

7. The Anomoanon - Planet Caravan

No distortion on the vocals and the percussion is much less prominent than on the original.  While the original has an extremely psychedelic feel, this is more mellow and spacey.

8. Racebannon - Sabbath Bloody Sabbath

Could have been interesting, but has noisecore-styled multi-layered snarling/wailing/screaming vocals.  Yes, they're discordant on purpose, but too distracting to make the track enjoyable.

9. Greenness w/ Philly G - Sweet Leaf

Sort of a bouncy post-rock version with some electronic effects.  Vocals are good but the main riff seems off.

Even with the varying styles the quality level here is generally high.  My initial verdict is that this CD comes off a bit better than the typical "genre X covers genre Y" compilations, which are usually just excuses to be overzealously avant-garde or to make musically incongruous covers for irony's sake.  While some of the tracks are adapted well, I don't see this escaping the fate of being played only a few times for novelty value.  Time will tell.