In the late 1960’s, the members of the metal juggernaut that was to be were all street kids in the grimy industrial city called Birmingham. Tony Iommi, guitarist and band mainstay, was forming a band with drummer Bill Ward and bassist / lyricist Terry ‘Geezer’ Butler. John Michael ‘Ozzy’ Osbourne was suggested for the vocalist spot. Iommi was against the notion. They used to be in rival street gangs, and the guitarist had a very low opinion of the Ozzman. Wiser counsel prevailed; Ozzy was recruited, and a band that was rather laughably named ‘The Polka Tulk’ was formed.
Much like the Beatles before them, they secured a gig at Hamburg, Germany. Then disaster struck. Iommi, who used to work in a printing press, lost the tips of two right hand fingers in an accident at his workplace. Being a left hander, this is his fretting hand, and Iommi was naturally shattered. Then, a friend played him a record by jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt. ‘He’s brilliant’, said Iommi. ‘He’s got only two fingers’, came the reply. With his confidence renewed, Iommi affixed thimbles to his mangled digits, switched to lighter strings, and a lower tuning (D) – and the show went on.
Later on, Iommi quit the band, by then called Earth, to audition for Jethro Tull. At the audition, the members of Tull were quite bemused at the attachments on his fingers. He must have got something right, though, because he was selected. He appeared with the band on the Rolling Stones’ Rock N’ Roll Circus. He quit soon after, though. Jethro Tull is a band with a clear leader – Ian Anderson, and Iommi was used to a more democratic setup. However, he says that his stint with Tull helped him gain the confidence to focus on original material.
Most of Sabbath songs were composed in jams, usually at gigs, which were, as often as not, in seedy strip joints. The thought of some tacky slut stripping to the strains of early Sabbath classics like War Pigs or Hand Of Doom will forever remain one of rock folklore’s most bizarrely compelling images.
Anyway, the band, by now named Black Sabbath, finally landed a record deal, and after a buildup single, released their self – titled debut in 1970 on the 13th of February.
At this time, Geezer Butler was the band’s main lyricist. He was also the band’s space cadet – he wore the wildest clothes, did the weirdest substances, and was obsessed with the occult and horror, all of which helped contribute to the band’s gloomy, doom – laden outlook.
They started out as a jazz / blues band, but Black Sabbath had become something totally new and unique. They were critically reviled, of course, but when did music journalists ever start growing brains?! Black Sabbath’s first album is a very special thing – from the oppressive horror of the gothic title track through the nightmarish vistas of Hand Of Doom and the schlock horror of N.I.B., through to Iommi’s uncharacteristic burst of self – indulgence on Warning. This is, quite simply, The Birth Of Heavy Metal
At this time, Geezer Butler was the band’s main lyricist. He was also the band’s space cadet – he wore the wildest clothes, did the weirdest substances, and was obsessed with the occult and horror, all of which helped contribute to the band’s gloomy, doom – laden outlook.
They started out as a jazz / blues band, but Black Sabbath had become something totally new and unique. They were critically reviled, of course, but when did music journalists ever start growing brains?! Black Sabbath’s first album is a very special thing – from the oppressive horror of the gothic title track through the nightmarish vistas of Hand Of Doom and the schlock horror of N.I.B., through to Iommi’s uncharacteristic burst of self – indulgence on Warning. This is, quite simply, The Birth Of Heavy Metal
The band released another three albums – Paranoid, Master Of Reality, and Vol. 4, which together formed the foundation of the whole heavy genre. There’s no point mentioning stand – out songs – everything here is a classic. Albums like Sabotage and Sabbath Bloody Sabbath were slightly weaker – the substance abuse, commemorated in songs like the ebullient Sweet Leaf (marijuana) and the definitely downer Snowblind (cocaine), were taking their toll, apparently, though there was still a lot of great music happening.
But all was not really well; after Technical Ecstasy, Ozzy Osbourne actually quit the band, but was persuaded to rejoin after most of the next album was already recorded. This album, ironically enough, came to be released under the name ‘Never Say Die’. After this, Ozzy quit the band for good (more or less). Bill Ward remembers this as a particularly bad time – for quite long, he just couldn’t contemplate the idea of a Sabbath without Ozzy. Geezer Butler also quit the band at this time. Of course, he was soon persuaded to rejoin, when the new vocalist was found – but that’s another story for another day.
Recommended Albums:
Black Sabbath – Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath – Paranoid
Black Sabbath – Master Of Reality
Black Sabbath – Vol. 4
Black Sabbath – Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
Ozzy Osbourne – Speak Of The Devil (a recap of the Sabbath years with Ozzy’s solo band)
Black Sabbath – Reunion
Recommended Websites:
www.blacksabbath.com (The official Reunion site, setup by Sony)
www.black-sabbath.com (The most useful Black Sabbath site, run by a fan called Joe Siegler)
www.ozzynet.com (Official Ozzy Osbourne site)
www.tonyiommi.com (Currently under renovation, also run by Joe Siegler)
www.billward.com (Also run by Joe Siegler… what a man!)
As of yet, there is no proper site for Geezer Butler
Article By : JP (sinisterbass@usa.net)
Note: This article was published in June 2004