243 - Black Sabbath - (eponymous)

The album starts off so well. From natural sound and that ominous main riff slowly. limping. out. of. the. speakers. comes "Black Sabbath." Right off the bat, a sound is established that would create the foundation of an entire genre within rock. "The Wizard" flirts with a Led Zeppelin approach (slowed down, of course) and features, most notably, the harmonica - not exactly a pillar instrument in a heavy metal band. While the album doesn't maintain the lead-paced opener, the tone of the music never quite escapes the darkness and menacing that is established at the start ("Evil Woman" comes closest to escaping that sound with its bouncy rhythm).

I think Black Sabbath is a good example of an album that is very influential, but is merely "good" at the same time. It is the sound of the album that matters, that gets praised, that inspired metalheads for generations since and to come. Black Sabbath is the product of the quirks, limitations, and attitude of each of the band members. Tommy's guitar solos probably went a bit too long on many of the songs. It's got a sinister groove that is worthwhile, but there is no genius or unique spark on the latter half. The sound gets really close to their blues roots in these later songs.

If it matters to you, I listed to the original European album listing.

Songs I Knew I liked: None that I liked.

Songs I Now Like: "The Wizard," "Evil Woman"

Songs I Can Go the Rest of My Life Never Hearing Again: I don't know of any I'd actively avoid.