Part of the fun of being a metal historian, as writers about metal tend to become looking back at the evolution of the art form, is to pick apart threads of history and then look where they converge. These points are horizons, and in each are many paths, some still unexplored.
Tony Iommi gets credit for fusing Jethro Tull, The Stooges, King Crimson, and Cream into a new vocabulary of power chord music based on the phrase, which in turn affected song structure, designed to make dark chromatic intervals into places of possibility.
Black Sabbath put his riffs together into prog-like passages which hover on the edge of riff salad, but make sense when you look at them as if they were a form of narrative like poetry. Consider “A National Acrobat,” perhaps the most death metal of the Black Sabbath songs:
Theme 1: 2x
Theme 1 doubled: 2xTheme 2 (verse) + Theme 1 doubled: 2x
I am the world that hides
The universal secret of all timeDestruction of the empty spaces
Is my one and only crimeTheme 3 (verse/inversion) + Theme 1 doubled: 2x
I’ve lived a thousand times
I found out what it means to be believedThe thoughts and images
The unborn child that never was conceivedTheme 1 doubled: 1x
Theme 2: 2x
When little worlds collide
I’m trapped inside my embryonic cellAnd flashing memories
Are cast into the never-ending wellTheme 3 (verse) + Theme 1 doubled: 2x
The name that scorns the face
The child that never sees the cause of manThe deathly darkness that
Belies the fate of those who never ranTheme 4 (chorus): 12x+
You gotta believe, yeah
I’m talking to youWell, I know it’s hard for you
To know the reason whyAnd I know you’ll understand
More when it’s time to dieDon’t believe the life you have
Will be the only oneYou have to let your body sleep
To let your soul live onI want you to listen
I’m trying to get throughLove has given life to you
And now it’s your concernUnseen eye of inner life
Will make your soul returnStill, I look, but not to touch
The seeds of life are sownCurtain of the future falls
The secret stays unknown(solo)
Theme 4 (chorus): 7xTheme 4 (chorus): 4x
Just remember love is life
And hate is living deathTreat your life for what it’s worth
And live for every breathLooking back I’ve lived and learned
But, now, I’m wonderingHere, I wait and only guess
What this next life will bring, haha!Theme 5 (takedown): 3x
Theme 6: 3x
Theme 7: Root shift: 1x
Theme 6: 1x
Theme 8 solo: 4x
Theme 9: 2x
Theme 10: 6x
Theme 11 (endstop): 1x + run up
The above numbers are approximate, but it shows us the song format in its barest:
Intro:
Theme 1: 4x
Verse-prechorus loop:
Theme 2: 2x
Theme 3: 2x
Midpoint:
Theme 1: 1x
Repeat verse-prechorus loop
Chorus:
Theme 4: 24x with solo in the middle
Reduction:
Theme 5: 3x
Elaboration:
Theme 6: 3x
Theme 7: 1x
Theme 6: 1x
Theme 8 solo: 4x
Conclusion:
Theme 9: 2x
Theme 10: 6x
Since the themes are very similar in composition, borrowing many of the same notes and often serving as directional inversions of one another, the melodic development through a riff interplay at the end with additional solo serves as a balance to the dominant theme, which does not appear past the midpoint.
Iommi shows us his signature here, which we might call “doppler riffing,” or the ability to double notes on the half-time in order to make it feel as if another note has been selected, much like his iconic riff for “Iron Man.”
It is as if a riff development is interrupted for a verse-prechorus song with extended chorus, and then extended through riffs that are nearby ideas but develop the mood to offset the initial more cheerful theme and give it both a sense of pervading doom and a playful mystery.
And we should let the comments section take it from here…
Tags: black sabbath, cream, Heavy Metal, jethro tull, king crimson, proto-metal, the stooges, tony iommi
It really resembles a death metal composition. A too free form composition usually ends in a randomness feeling while a rigid one usually ends on boredom. It is a shame that this way of making music is so hard to find. Good article.
but once you find it…and there’s more than enough out there for a lifetime. but it would be cool to be able to listen to more great music in the flesh. but it has always been this way and always will be as humanity stumbles through its dark passage to the stars.
Yes, and for now, we are a niche audience, although it seems the 1960s was more geared toward brainy music.
There was still a big gap in music consumption in those days — there was music for social functions (which recordings of would only be purchased by DJs or the like), and then consumer records, which were only bought by music nerds, and thus had to appeal to that market. As the market for consumer records got larger, it got dumber out of necessity.
Maybe, but I feel it is simpler: with culture you have a hierarchy, and hierarchy rewards quality. When too many outsiders come into a genre, they create chaos and the genre suffocates. Same thing happened to jazz, punk, and probably disco but who cares.
Good summary. Freedom of form is great, but unless that form is organized toward expressing a complete thought, it’s either randomness or repetition.
I guess one can say it’s a matter of balance and compensation. If transitions aren’t that good, let’s say, then there have to be some different section or texture that helps to maintain or advance the main idea.
(Black Sabbath/Judas Priest/Scorpions/Thin Lizzy/Iron Maiden first two) > music after 1981
Especially the second Iron Maiden, but death metal and black metal pushed even further in a lot of ways. What is “My Journey to the Stars” but a response to the proggy Maiden songs?
Sabbath is of its time and yet utterly timeless. I was stuck on Vol. 4 all of last week. They really tapped into something elemental on those albums.
The first three albums have been dominating listening here. Sometimes, I wish they were more concept-oriented because some tracks just seem random. That one Sabbath compilation, We Lost Our Souls For Rock ‘N Roll, or something like that, was a pretty good listen but I think even it had “Changes.”
I hate ballads, and Changes holds that “L” even if it comes from Sabbath, one of my favorite metal bands.
Very much, and I think the band viewed it as a cash-in, too, so best skipped. Like Motorhead, sometimes Sabbath is best as collections of songs rather than the albums, with the exception of the first three. Iron Maiden on the other hand is an album band but also was more deeply invested in the progressive rock idea, crossed over with soundtracks from history documentaries apparently.
I have that Black Sabbath compilation you mentioned that I won’t mention again because the title is too long. I feel as though “Changes” breaks the moment of that album, and if I have it playing in the background while preoccupied doing other things, I have to divert my attention to skip to the next track. Very unfortunate. Like you said, that track is a cash-in, and Sabbath’s attempt to cater to a broader audience, and I hate they went this route. It feels very not metal to me to cater to normies. Same exact thing what Mastodon did. Changed their original sound to cater to retards and normies.
Ballads are bad mmkay
I feel differently towards Changes. Just like the softer moments on The 2nd Judas Priest it is daring to look beyond the genre in a way many conservative bands today wouldn’t dream of , while progressive bands would turn these ideas in an actual cheesefest. Charles Bradley covered it in 2016 I think, while off course as accessible as it gets, it’s a decent way to prove even your parents that Black Sabbath is actual music.
Paranoid is the only one that holds up as a full album, IMO. The debut is a great EP on the A side with a B side that should never be listened to, and Master of Reality is two amazing songs (Children of the Grave and Into the Void) with a lot of boring stoner songs around it.
This is pretty much my conclusion. The inconsistency of their work is consistent with drug use. Some is great… most of it is, well, sort of filler.
Paranoid is great but sabbath bloody sabbath is their best imo. Never cared much for the first album and everything after sbs has its moments but doesn’t work together the way it and to a lesser degree paranoid does
Brett, you have terrible taste in progressive rock and clearly know little about it. Otherwise you’d be blogging about progressive music instead of Mastodon and all that other horseshit.
If I wanted to write about progressive rock, I would, but I just moved on to classical instead.
Classical has the great advantage of conservatories and renditions, not to mention that is one of the seven arts, obviously.
You forgot to mention Gentle Giant in your other comment about progressive rock. ATT, TF and Octopus have and interesting take on symphonic prog (without losing its main style), closer to renaissance and baroque than the other heavy hitters.
Instead of crying and bitching, Mastodon Guy just started talking about Mastodon.
I had reason to, ARetard. I was asking Brett to incorporate Mastodon into the DMA. It’s just a humble request. I didn’t ask for others to interject and contribute to the conversation, you all chose to.
You know how this comment section works… everything is public, there is no privacy and no shame either. Might as well just post some homosexual porn or ethnic slurs while you’re at it.
Would you like me to? I can post some links. :)
YETH PLZ
The G.O.A.T. See?
https://www.pakettiradio.net/gaas.html
What do you think Goatse is up to these days, Brett?
And you are taking a defensive position because…? (We know, don’t worry)
I used your infamous replies to exemplify that if one wants to talk about something relevant just go ahead. Anyway Brett has the hammer.
You were on the defense with your original comment, ARetard. You’re bringing me up in a separate comment section where I didn’t even mention Mastodon, you did. Why are you still hanging on to this topic?
Best Sabbath albums:
Pop Giants: Volume 9
Landmark album of better-known tracks from the earlier phase of Sabbath’s career. This one is hard to find now, but well worth the search for serious Sabbath collectors. All of Sabbath’s signature early classics, such as Iron Man and Evil Woman, and more are to be found within the dusty, crackling grooves of this ancient consumerist relic.
Attention! Black Sabbath Volume 2
Despite some overlap in song selection, forget Volume 1 if you’ve got Pop Giants. This album handily contains most of Sabbath’s other good songs – for the real connoisseur. Look out for the rare Japanese misprint sleeve in which Tony Iommi’s image has been replaced by that of Osamu Dazai, the exquistely sensitive modernist Japanese author whose career and writings bear no connection or relation to the works of our daunting doomsters.
Reflection
It was time for Sabbath to take a break from the debauch and mayhem of their constant touring. “Reflection” is an apt title for an album that thoughtfully draws together all of the songs the band’s fans know and love. There is a sense of pause between each of the album’s tracks that mirrors the reflectiveness the band was experiencing at this point, together with rumours of their involvement with Sai Baba.
We Sold Our Soul for Rock ‘n’ Roll
The quintessential Sabbath album – all killer and no filler. Boring songs are wisely left aside so that Iron Man can really shine again. A special shout out on this one for the judicious ordering of tracks. I’m sure I’m not the only one who likes to get the older, less appealing songs out of the way first. Before long, you’re pumping your fist to all the songs from that old tape someone left in your car after they gave you half a bottle of vodka and some Xanax and just left you there.
Greatest Hits
What it says on the the tin and for that reason hard to beat. Iron Man, Paranoid – all of Sabbath’s most cherished heavy metal monuments have been etched in one or another forms of plastic, inserted into folded paper and card, emblazoned with the band’s unique iconography, and sent forth to conquer both the world and our hearts with their earthy yet otherworldly oomph.
The Best: The Ultimate in Heavy Metal
The title of this superb album stakes an ambitious claim before the album goes on to substantiate it with all of THE BEST Sabbath songs you hear on the radio. Forget all your “cool” bands like Blue Oyster Cult, Captain Beyond, and Lucifer’s Friend – this album showcases THE ULTIMATE heavy metal experience and puts posers to shame. Just how often does HIT-FM play Godzilla as compared with Iron Man? You see? You should be ashamed of yourself.
The Collector Series – The Collection
Don’t let the pedestrian title fool you: Sabbath had by this stage really learnt how to put together a chronologically ordered set of the only songs anyone knows or cares about. And it really didn’t matter that Tony Martin or whoever was singing at this point. This album “collects” 10 points for allowing fans to ignore the present as it was then to continue celebrating the only songs that ever made them feel part of something bigger than themselves.
Backtrackin’
This cutely titled album does not cast a wide net into the back catalogue of our favourite boys from Birmingham, yet service up a glittering haul of of hitherto sunken treasures, such as Paranoid and N.I.B., on a conveniently sized silver platter. After listening to this one, I felt confident enough to tell my friend who likes Thin Lizzy and UFO to fuck off and give up on the hipster drag act. To wit, Backtrackin’ is worthwhile addition to any Sabbath fan’s library.
The Singles
Sometimes simple is best, as this melange of songs you forward past because you already heard them earlier today courtesy of some guy’s ringtones on the train amply demonstrates. This classic album is a one-stop-shop of Sabbath goodness, and includes all those towering masterpieces of song for which Sabbath has come to be so known and loved. What “The Singles” show us so powerfully is that while these “single” monuments stand alone, their brethren songs are always nearby, shading each “single” with anticipations of other staggering moments in the history of music. Buy it now.
Now do “Dead but Dreaming”!