"Lord of this world, evil possessor, Lord of this world, he's your confessor now."



MASTER OF REALITY (released July 21, 1971-UK, September 27, 1971-US)

With the albums Black Sabbath and Paranoid, Sabbath had laid down the foundation for heavy metal...with Master Of Reality they defined what HEAVY truly is. This one album is probably more important to the sound of heavy metal than almost any other. It's also the primary inspiration for everything from Soundgarden to the "stoner" movement of bands like St. Vitus, Kyuss, Sleep, etc.

The success of Paranoid allowed the band to move into a better studio (Island Studios in London) and gave them a month to really hone the sound of the record. Rodger Bain was again the producer, though this would be his last album with the band. However, the biggest change in sound was born of necessity....

Iommi's hand injury was becoming more problematic with the constant touring Sabbath had to do. That coupled with the fact that you couldn't buy light gauge strings in the early 70's prompted him to make a significant change. He detuned his guitar one and a half steps (C#) to ease the tension and make it easier to play. The byproduct of this was all of a sudden everything was immediately HEAVIER. That in combination with his switch to Orange brand amplifiers gave Master Of Reality a sound that nobody had ever heard before...one so timeless that it still pummels most of the imitators into pulp almost 40 years later. Iommi's guitar sounds like molten lava pouring from the speakers.

...and they had the songs to back up this new sound! Tracks like Lord Of This World, Children Of The Grave and Into The Void are beyond classics, they are masterpieces of heaviness...in fact the entire record sounds so alien compared to anything else from the same year it seems to have come from another planet entirely. I can't imagine what this record sounded like to people in 1971!

Aside from the opening bit of fun that is Sweet Leaf (Geezer's love song to marijuana, introduced by Iommi choking on a hit), lyrically Geezer continued to mature as a songwriter. Whether tackling subjects like religion (After Forever, Lord Of This World) or the need for the young to make changes to avoid oblivion (Children of The Grave), the subject matter was both timely and timeless. The "heavy" lyrical themes perfectly complimented by the sound of the album.

Again, Sabbath also decided to show they had range, performing the plaintive ballad Solitude which has always been a personal favorite. Iommi tackles the guitar, flute & piano on this song. His guitar solo is melodic perfection.

This is (in my mind) a PERFECT album...one of the best of all-time. Not an ounce of power has been lost over all these many years. After all, you can try and copy a masterpiece...but it's never quite the same as the original. Master Of Reality IS an original.

*notes*

Master Of Reality was already certified gold before it was even released, based solely on pre-orders. (and this is a band that wasn't releasing singles by this point)

The album reached #5 on the UK Charts and #8 in the U.S. It has gone beyond double platinum in the U.S. alone.

The original LP release featured embossed lettering (instead of the grey letters on the later issues) and contained a poster.

Another monster release for Sabbath!!!! Great album, not as good as Paranoid in my opinion, but none the less a great album!

I love this album and I like it better than 'Paranoid'. The lyrics to 'After Forever' shows that those folks who felt that Black Sabbath were in league with Satan were not really listening.

I think it was true it was people like you
That crucified Christ
I think it sad the opinion you had was the only one voiced
Will you be so sure when your day is near
Say you don't believe?
You had the chance but you turned it down
Now you can't retrieve.

Perhaps you'll think before you say
That God is dead and gone
Open your eyes, just, realize that he is the One
The only One Who can save you now from all this sin & hate
Or will you still jeer at all you hear?

Dare I say this lyrics may even reflect that Black Sabbath were not rejecting their Christian upbringing but may even be embracing it and warning those who choose another path.

Anyway 100% classic and belongs to any self respecting headbanger's collection.

I am in the "better than Paronoid" dept as well regarding this lp.

"Into The Void" has that riff that reminds me of cartoon barbarians on a frolic in the park :metal:

Another classic ! Really great stuff on here. This is how it's done. My favorites are Children Of The Grave and Into The Void.

Ah, the first three Sabbath albums...absolute metallic perfection.

Their best album. "Sweet Leaf" is the heaviest song ever.

Master Of Reality is my fave Sabbath from the Ozzy era, and is a perfect album indeed. I still refer to Geezer's lyrics on this album when I need inspiration.

So, how am I doing so far with giving props to all the albums without barely mentioning Ozzy?

I totally agree with Detuned on this one. This one of the most perfect albums regardless of genre that I can think of. It's frankly amazing that a single album is basically responsible for for so many metal and rock styles that that came after. Whether it's doom, stoner, sludge or any of their offshoots they all point back to this record.

Quote:

So, how am I doing so far with giving props to all the albums without barely mentioning Ozzy?

I totally understand that many see Ozzy as the joke that he's turned into over the years, but it's so hard to imagine what these albums would have been with another vocalist. His very limited vocal range in comparison to say, Dio, just fits these records perfectly. The combination of Ozzy's vocal style with the down-tuned guitar is just pure magic.

I will give Ozzy credit for having a unique voice and his voice fitting in perfectly with Black Sabbath, I just won't give him 50% of the credit for their success.

I think Ozzy has a limited voice but a memorable one that I enjoy hearing on these albums. Even if the rest of the band were doing the heavy lifting, that counts for something to me.

The consistency of Sabbath when they started is remarkable to me. Master of Reality is the third home run in as many tries for them, and it's probably the most important album in terms of influence on metal.

Don't get me wrong gang, I still love what Ozzy did in Sabbath...I'm just a little irritated with him right now due to the lawsuit thing.

Ozzy's range was limited, but his voice is so unique that he deserves alot of credit. Sure, he was lucky...but he's also iconic.

He just married the wrong woman.

Anyway, enough thread derailment, back to Master Of Reality worship!!!

Ozzy's voice was great for what it was, both in Sabbath and his solo efforts, it worked! Indeed he should get 1/4 credit, but only for his tenure w/the band.

Instead od commenting on every lp, I'll just add the first six are mint! :metal: The last two w/Ozzy had some issues, but I still enjoy them.

Sad to say Candlemass is right, if he hadn't married Sharon he would be another dead rock star instead of the dead brain loser who dares to sue the master of reality for a name he legally and I might add sold off his stake in the name to Tony Iommi willingly and happily back when Ronald Reagan was still President.

That being said, I do like his voice and he is iconic, and sounds perfect on 'Master of Reality' . Also Candlemass is right Ozzy's range is not that bad back in the day.

'Master of Reality' also has one of my favorite Black Sabbath tunes 'Into the Void'.

Now this is where it's at, don't get me wrong i love the first two records i think there great and seminal in their own right but like the first two Zep records i really think they hit upon what they were about come their third record.

Even at an early age i knew this one was pretty special, this is the record i'd ask my dad to play the most..........the one with the coughing (Little did i know )! "Children Of The Grave" with the gallop and "Into The Void" with 'that riff' are my fave songs.

Impossible to think they made heavy heavier with their next one, this record no doubt started a string of 4 of greatest consecutive records ever made imo.

This was the culmination of the creation of their sound, or heavy metal itself, if you like.
The next three albums experimented with and refinded their creation. I obviously deeply respect the first three, but I don't listen to them too much anymore. But I've never gotten tired of the next three. At any rate whichever one prefers, these are all works of absolute genius.

p.s- I might be alone here, but I actually find it something of a relief that Ozzy has turned into a clown. These albums frightened me when I was a kid, and I actually enjoy them more now that I take them with a grain of salt. I wasn't quite sure whether or not they were a human creation or not when I was a teenager.

"This album represented a complete change for us. We went to L.A. and recorded Vol. 4 at The Record Plant. We rented a house in Bel-Air, and God...that's when the trouble started. We became absolutely stupid, it was like living in a big playhouse...we were partying all the time" - Tony Iommi



BLACK SABBATH VOL. 4 - (released September 25, 1972)

Vol. 4 was the first Sabbath album to be recorded with a big-time budget and allowed them to begin expanding their sonic palette. Even though Patrick Meehan (Sabbath's manager at the time) is credited as producer, it was Iommi that was actually calling all the shots on this one. Vol. 4 is probably the least "immediate" of the early Sabbath albums, requiring repeated listenings for it all to sink in. But that effort reaps major rewards.

The album kicks off with Wheels Of Confusion/The Straightener...one of my favorite songs of all-time. Featuring Sabbath's most complicated arrangement to date, it goes through numerous changes in mood and tempo throughout it's 8 minute running time. Front and center here is Iommi's performance...taking full advantage of the state of the art studio he creates an orchestral arrangement of guitar parts that are equally brutal and beautiful. The first section of the song also shows Ozzy's growth as a vocalist, no longer just following the guitar line. The second section (starting around 5:30) contains one of Iommi's best solos.

The other mega-opus on Vol. 4 is Supernaut. This song is in such a class by itself that it's hard to even put into words...it pretty much has to be experienced. The main riff is one of the most memorable of Sabbath's career (and was a personal favorite of Frank Zappa). Bill Ward is flat out amazing on this song, weaving endlessly fluid fills underneath Iommi's wall of guitar. The guitar solo features trills that are so fast that some have claimed Iommi sped up the tape (he didn't). Then mid-way through the song there's a real treat...a latin-tinged percussion section with acoustic guitar...all of this adds up to one of the most fun songs in Sabbath's discograpy...and let's face it, "fun" is usually not a word associated with Sabbath.

Snowblind (the original album title) is of course the most famous song on here, becoming a live staple for both Sabbath and Ozzy's solo career for years afterward. Another "riff for the ages" powers this loping monster of tune. There's a string section mixed in low underneath the ending solo.

If it's pure doom you're looking for, then Under The Sun delivers. One of the most evil sounding riffs ever...and endlessly copied ever since. Cornucopia is it's sister track in tone, this song was evidently so hard for Bill Ward to record that he was afraid the band was going to fire him.

Laguna Sunrise is a beautiful acoustic guitar performance that Iommi says he wrote while sitting at the beach watching the dawn. The string arrangement is lovely (and uncredited on the LP).

Probably the song on here that causes the most "controversy" is Changes. A quiet piano & mellotron driven ballad, it's a lovely composition...your enjoyment of which will probably depend on your feelings towards Ozzy. Although personally I've always loved this song.

Vol. 4 (and the two albums that follow) cause more arguments among Sabbath fans than almost any other. Some people are turned off by the experimentation...others like myself see this as the most adventurous and interesting period of their career. My love for this record just continues to grow year after year...everytime I listen to it I hear something new...

*notes*
A single was released for Tomorrow's Dream (here is the cover)


Warner Bros. had Ozzy re-record the vocals to Snowblind to remove the word Cocaine after each verse (although the band did sneak it in)

Warner Bros. also made them change the album title for the same reason.

In the thank you list, there is a mention of "the great COKE-cola company of Los Angeles".

The album went Gold within a month of release and peaked at #13 on the Billboard charts.

The original gatefold LP release had a section of pages in the middle featuring full-size pictures of all the band members and a couple live shots.

great tunes and a few different flavors here and there

Another great album! I like it, especially as it contains less "hits" than the previous three so the songs aren't overplayed.