YOU ARE HERE: zharth.net / Zharth's Music Log / Week 13 (Black Sabbath)
Preface: I heard a Sabbath track on the radio, and I got to thinking that Black Sabbath is a good Halloween band. Come to think of it, most metal is, though I'm not much of a metal fan. But I do like Black Sabbath. And you hardly ever hear anything by them outside of the few knock-out tracks on Paranoid. So this week, we're gonna take a look at some of my favorite non-Paranoid tracks from Black Sabbath's early repertoire.
Monday (10/15/07): Wicked World [Black Sabbath, 1970]
Comments: Much of Black Sabbath's first album consists of a handful of songs linked by loose jam passages. I've heard some people criticize the album for "excessive noodling", but frankly I think that's what makes this album stand out from Black Sabbath's catalogue. Wicked World is actually a pretty good concise example of what the rest of the album is like - and it's a great song in its own right!
Tuesday (10/16/07): Sweet Leaf [Master of Reality, 1971]
Comments: The opening track to the Master of Reality album - Sweet Leaf. What's the song about? I dunno, but marijuana's not a bad guess. I adopted the title for a sticker on one of my guitars, since it depicts a leafy faerie. You can't get much more heavy metal than that.
Wednesday (10/17/07): Children Of The Grave [Master of Reality, 1971]
Comments: Although Black Sabbath gets a reputation for playing the devil's music and singing about evil, one look at the lyrics is all it takes to learn the truth. Sure, there are devils and evil, but there's also lords and love. You'd think Children of the Grave would be a horror song about child zombies or something. Think again.
Thursday (10/18/07): Lord Of This World [Master of Reality, 1971]
Comments: I guess, depending on your interpretation, this song brings up the issue of Satanism. But Satanism is a curious thing. It was invented by the Christians to place suspicion on "pagans" who worshipped other gods. But Pagans do not primarily worship the lord of darkness; they are not minions of an evil god; and Satan himself is not a Pagan construct but a Christian one. It is true that Christianity has had a long history of defamation and "lording over" the worlds of other cultures.
Friday (10/19/07): Wheels Of Confusion/The Straightener [Vol 4, 1972]
Comments: Welcome to the machine, my son. I guess the Wheels of Confusion are what turns when your childhood ideals fall all around you, and The Straightener is the machine that comes to fit you into your appointed place in society. Enjoy your dull, pointless lives.
Saturday (10/20/07): Supernaut [Vol 4, 1972]
Comments: Every so often the question goes around, if you could have any one superpower, what would you pick? Unfortunately, the individuals who do become superheroes (and also supervillains) rarely get to pick their power. It's more a process of coming to terms with the power they've been given. Still, the question is interesting, and a person's answer, if they think about it enough, can be revealing. Given a choice of superpowers, I would like to have the power of "ghosting". It really shows off my passive personality, but I think it would be a lot of fun to just sneak around everywhere, noone able to even sense my presence, and just watch people go about their lives. Kinda pathetic, I guess, but...
Sunday (10/21/07): Under The Sun/Every Day Comes And Goes [Vol 4, 1972]
Comments: I don't support religion. I support spirituality, but not religion. I believe that spirituality is a deeply personal thing - something that every person should individually discover on their own. And on the surface, religions seem to support this, but in reality, there's a whole lot of blind indoctrination going on. Don't tell me what god is like, and how I am and am not supposed to worship him. Don't tell me what I should value and hold dear. And don't tell me where I'm gonna go when I die. Only one person's gonna decide that, and it's me. Enough with your absolute morals which leave just as many people in the dark as they claim to bring to the light. And the last thing I want is an army of soulless followers of a plastic mold god, whom you have to wind up every sunday. Question authority and think for yourself.