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ROCK AND ROLL! => Black Sabbath => The Ozzy Years => Topic started by: KiloDeltaCharlie on November 24, 2020, 07:06:09 AM
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I decided we would go with '13' so as to complete the Ozzy albums. We can go onto the Dio years later but I suspect we'll lose Typhon at that point.
I suspect Charger will be similarly dismissive of this album as he has been of TE and NSD, but it will be interesting to see if there's anything he likes! ;)
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I'll start with End of the Beginning. This was one I didn't much like when the album arrived, I think the first couple of minutes was too slow for me, but once it speeds up a bit it is great and I can live with the start. Silly lyrics about a robot, but really this has one the boys best jams to keep you hooked.
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I decided we would go with '13' so as to complete the Ozzy albums. We can go onto the Dio years later but I suspect we'll lose Typhon at that point.
No, you wouldn't lose me quite yet, but soon afterward. :beerbang:
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Right off the bat, the opening lyric from End Of The Beginning is profound. As soon as I heard it, after decades of no Ozzy fronted Sabbath, my reaction was "Wow! Now that is cool." The song eases you in, then eventually picks up, and hammers it home. A great opening track to usher in the return of Sabbath's originals.
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End of the Beginning starts with "Black Sabbath"-sounding chords played with Dehumanizer-era production values. Ozzy is much, much older than he was in 1968... tbh, this exercise is going to get me to listen carefully to the full album all the way through, which I have not yet done. My first impressions when it came out were pretty much "meh" and I didn't buy it.
As it is, this is definitely revisiting "Black Sabbath" by way of Heaven and Hell lineup sensibilities. It sounds like Ozzy singing a song originally written with Dio in mind. Lyrically, I'm hearing a sort of re-explained chapter in Iron Man's story. Funny enough, the "OK All right" part has a "Dirty Women" Beatle-esque fade to it - is this where Ozzy took over a bit of the writing?
So the band are serving up a pastiche of sonic clues from their earlier compositions in a not unpleasant way. It's not a "buy this album NOW" sort of intro song, but it ticks enough boxes to be a good tune, even if it is uneven. Certainly not as bad as TE/NSD low points, not by a long shot. But the progressiveness in the song is forced, the various parts don't flow easily into each other like they did on SBS or Sabotage or the H&H lineup albums. Still good, but not great.
Deep Purple released Now What?! in the same year, and I'm going to compare the two as I go along. Similar old-school bands at similar ages. "A Simple Song" starts off with a much, much older Gillan than the one we knew from In Rock, but he's also singing to that age in terms of his lyrics, going for some very reflective and thoughtful material. The soft intro to hard rock is a move as old as Wishbone Ash, but it works so, OK. But when the hard rock starts, we get the oldsters showing off their licks, just as Tony and Geezer do - and the lyrics hearken back to IGB's Scarabus, which Gillan likes to favor more than he lets on. When it gets back to the soft ending, there's just enough variation to make it a proper prog-rock progression. While this song did not force my purchase, it kept my interest enough to want to hear the rest of the tracks and eventually buy and love this album.
So, will going through each song from 13 in honest, full listening get me to buy the album? I will see. It's not that I can buy only one or the other - times have been good to me, I can buy both if both warrant a purchase. NW?! was a great album from the Morse lineup, so now I need to hear if 13 does for me what BS-Sabotage did for me. I'm going to need a bigger hit than EotB, though, to close that gap.
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13 won't be getting quite the same level of slamming from me as the two previous albums did....but it won't get the praise that the early albums got either.
End Of The Beginning is among the better tracks on the album. Although it is practically just a carbon copy of the song Black Sabbath structure wise it is still a good song. And most importantly it clearly sounds like Black Sabbath...but at the same time ofcourse it also sounds like Black Sabbath trying to do a song like Black Sabbath, which takes away from both creativity and originality.
It is clear that Ruin Rubin gave the Sabbath boys a mission for this album: "Make songs that sound like songs from the early albums" and that's what they did.
There is very little "originality" in the song, in terms of music and vocal delivery and the lyrics are bit iffy I suppose which only shows that Geezer wasn't all that keen about returning to lyric writing duties.
This is however a heavy doomy sounding number. And those are the kinds of numbers Sabbath does best.
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We next come to God Is Dead?... the low point on the album in my view. While not Changes or Am I Going Insane bad it's not a huge improvement.
When first released I gave it a chance but it quickly became a must skip, not even the uptempo section can save it. Dreadfully slow, dreadful lyrics and 9 minutes too long. ;)
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God Is Dead? on this listen has me again wondering if this was a song written for Dio and they just didn't tell Ozzy so he'd sing it and they wouldn't have to do a bunch of rewrites.
It is very much like Dehumanizer in the instrumental feel. Ozzy's got some fire in his delivery at the end, and I like that. But a song this length to have such a small amount of variation makes for potential monotony, and that's where this song goes. Megalomania works at that length because it has different sections. Same thing for Child in Time or Roundabout... Now, spacerock gets away with it because of the steady backbeat that carries it forward, but this ain't spacerock. It's slow, deliberate, and long.
Doing my DP pair-up, Weirdistan is also a slow tune, but the variety is there within the first minute. I don't care for the processing on Gillan's vocals in this version - it's much better live without thoae effects - but the chorus is great, even though the keyboard solo annoys the hell out of me. Like Iommi, Morse gives me something that is expected and, if I like that style, I'm not disappointed. The phase shifts and break down at the end are what makes the song for me.
But all in all, I hold these two to be about the same. These two songs haven't yet sold me on their respective albums, but the DP tracks have kept my interest better.
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I mirror KDC's sentiments on God Is Dead...
That song is the giant turd of the album.
The overlong intro part of the song is the epitome of tedious. Monotonic, uninspired and boring. When the song starts going with that Hole In The Sky ripoff riff it gets better but that is waaaaay too late.
Lyrics are bad, there's really no other way around it.
But one can just imagine what the hell was going through their minds when they thought it would be a good idea to do a song with a 6 minute intro section... :doh:
And zzz....They would never EVER write a song this tedious and slow with Ronnie...So there is no way in hell this is was written for the Devil You Know follow up..
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I liked God Is Dead the very first time I heard it, and it has only gotten better as time has past. My only complaint would be its position on the album. It should have been placed 3 or 4 slots away from EOTB. Having 2 lengthy tracks to start is an error. Other than that, it's an epic track.
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I agree that God Is Dead is waaay too long. About one minute of that song is bankable, and it starts over six minutes in.
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And zzz....They would never EVER write a song this tedious and slow with Ronnie...So there is no way in hell this is was written for the Devil You Know follow up..
The riff progression, however, is very Dio-era stuff, reminded me of "After All (The Dead)"
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Well....maybe...but if this would have been a Dio-era number that intro would have lasted 30 seconds and then the fast part would have started.
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Next is Loner. This was one of the songs that I liked straight out the box. And while I still like it, it has slipped in the albums overall ordering a little. Heavy, mid-tempo with some nice vocal embellishments.
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Loner comes right at you with a strong tempo, mixed in with a few pauses here and there. Nicely done. I like how Ozzy sounds in this tune as well. Personally, I can relate to these lyrics. After all, I'm a loner. ;D
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Loner is a good track. Lyrically themed something that Ronnie could write (Lonely Is The Word and Rainbow In The Dark type of theme) although the lyrics ofcourse are much more straight forward and simple.
Ozzy vocal melody is even bit Ronnie-like...(part from those silly "alright now" lines ofcourse.)
It's a nice little rocker, could be tad bit heavier though, the riff lacks a little punch but the groove is nice, reminiscent of Voodoo actually and the solo has a bit of Lonely Is The Word in it. The tempo change in the middle is classic Sabbath.
This was one of the songs I too liked from day one and it hasn't changed.
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Fourth "yes" vote from me for Loner. And I'm with Charger: musically, this is a variation on the main theme from Voodoo, and I'll add that the middle vocal section is very much like the chorus of N.I.B. I like the variation in the song, just wish it had been present on the previous track... but, yeah, this one is selling me on the LP.
Side-by-side, Deep Purple's third track from Now What?! is "Out of Hand" - and this one turns up the volume and hardness, and it's got me bobbing my head along with the track. This is also the first track that really sells me on the album. Good and hard, but with plenty of fun touches to keep the interest level up.
The two albums in my view are now neck and neck - all to play for.
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Next we have Zeitgeist, the mutant child of Planet Caravan... and I absolutely love it. This is so much better than Planet Caravan, and it has one of Ozzy's best vocal melodies in years, the lyrics are pretty good too.
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Zeitgeist is indeed a relative of Planet Caravan. Since I've always liked PC, I like this relative even more. A very nice BFTO tune.
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I'm sorry right of the bat KDC as this might not be a pleasant read for you buddy! :D
Zeitgest is the second giant turd of the album. It's nothing but a Planet Caravan remake with just worse lyrics, worse music, worse delivery and worse...well everything really.
I wish they would have tried to to something bit more original for a slow number, or better yet leave the slow number out completely.
I think I've listened to this song three times through and through...I tried to listen to this again yesterday, but only got about minute and half in when I just had to skip it to avoid an aneurism.
The irony is if they had done this track back in 1970 it would have been cool, but now it's just the most blatant self plagiarism I have ever heard.
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^^^
No need to apologies, I'm well aware that it is a love/hate song for people. I'm probably more forgiving because I don't mind that a couple of songs were rehashed from their back catalogue, particularly when it's better than the original! ;)
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My first impression of Zeitgeist, well that's this listen I'm having now. It's FX meets Planet Caravan, and the vocal is not to my liking. I would have preferred a softer touch, maybe put it in a lower key. I like quiet songs, but not this one, sorry. The descending scale element is very nice, but goes better with, well, a softer vocal. The guitar solo is a quiet relief and then that flute note plays, and it's PC, once again. In terms of convincing me to plonk down my cash to buy the record, this one did not do anything for me. So far, I'm considering picking up "Loner" as a single tune and leaving the rest on the table.
And this is where Now What?! launches its rocket, "Hell to Pay." Where Black Sabbath went slow - slow and too long - rock - slow again, Deep Purple did slow - slow and pretty - hard - hard and fast. "Hell to Pay" is the "hell yes" song that makes me feel strong about committing to the album. Sure, it's the same style they've been doing all these years, but the ideas in it are nevertheless fresh. I don't feel like I've already got a copy of this song, laying about somewhere.
While I think the albums were pretty much even up to the end of the third track, in the fourth, Sabbath stumbles while Purple surges ahead. Without the bonus Spotify tracks, Sabbath is now halfway through the album, Deep Purple is only a third of the way through their album. So are those Spotify tracks in consideration for this album?
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^^^
My understanding is that the Deluxe version of 13 sold way more than the basic edition so I'm intending to include those songs particularly as one of them is a standout track!
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^^^
My understanding is that the Deluxe version of 13 sold way more than the basic edition so I'm intending to include those songs particularly as one of them is a standout track!
Good to know, then it's 11 for each album to match to each other.
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Zeitgeist seems to kick off for the first bit sounding like an outtake from the Paranoid sessions. There's a hint of a leslie mic, and the hand percussion. As the song progresses it seems to move away from the atmospheric elements and put Ozzy's vocal front and center. The rest of it is still there, but less. Somehow.
I'm not sure what to think about this track. It feels forced, but maybe that's because of the inevitable comparison to Planet Caravan. Ozzy's vocal has an edge/harshness that seems out of place.
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On to Age of Reason and the standout track on the album. It's got a great riff, nice "we're killing the planet" type lyrics, and a great solo. Slight gripe is it just sort of ends unexpectedly.
Anyway another top 10 Ozzy era song for me (I counted back and it's the 11th!!)
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Age Of Reason continues the streak of excellent tracks. The riff is powerful, the lyrics are good, and the tempo changes work well together. A Sabbath trademark.
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Age Of Reason is a good track. It's nothing special but it's still a nice solid track.
I think for this song Ruin Rubin said the to the band write a song that could fit on Sabbath Bloody Sabbath and they did. It isn't a heavy track but it's a metal track though.
Lyrically this is among the better tracks on the album as well.
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Hrm. Age of Reason is another slow track. And I'm hearing more Sabotage than SBS, but, yeah, like the other songs, there's a definite reach back to earlier days - not a bad thing in and of itself. My objection to the song is that its just dragging along. At around 3:40, I get my hopes up that the band puts in a speedy section, but nope. They just shift from first to second... and then back to first. It's dreary. Iommi's solo after the 5 minute mark points back to Over and Over/Lonely is the Word - how much of this album is a "miss you" to Ronnie James Dio?
I do like the song better towards the end, but the end itself is a bit of a confirmation of the joke that Iommi's solos have no beginning or end, just a middle. Yes, I've heard solos of his with beginnings and ends, but this one, this time, this song... it's a middle only. And then it's off.
Meanwhile, the 5th track on the Purple album keeps the energy going with "Body Line." Nice shuffle beat and jaunty guitar set up a perky little tune that rollicks along. There's a lot more life on that track and, well, a lot more musical fun with it. A couple more tracks as good as this, and it's cheaper for me to buy the whole album to get 'em all. Meanwhile, 13 isn't making me as disappointed as TE or half of NSD! did, but if I had to choose between what I've heard so far and my least favorite of the first six, I'd take my least favorite of the first six.
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Live Forever next, and it's one of the weaker songs on the album, not actually bad but certainly has a whiff of filler about it.
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Live Forever starts off well enough but takes a commercial turn as soon as the verse kicks in...the lyrics are quite weak as well. I mean "I don't want to live forever but I don't want to die"...really?
Has a very strong Ozzy solo number feel to it honestly.
Agreeing with KDC on this one...a definite filler throwaway feel to it.
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Damaged Soul is a heavy blues song. I really like this song, but I do have to be in the right mood for it. Good bass and a great guitar track, I don't think the harmonica adds anything to the song. Vocals are quite good but I'm undecided about the lyrics.
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Damaged Soul is muscially quite brilliant even. Tony's solo is pure magic. Although the effect on his guitar during the solo is bit annoying and unnecessary.
Ozzy's preformance on the other hand leaves much to be desired. His delivery is tired and the over use of vocal enhancements in his voice doesn't help either.
The lyrics fall bit on the cliche side as well...."I don't mind dying cause I'm already dead..." "Dying is easy it's living that's hard" seriously????
I can't help but think how this song would have sounded with Ronnie on the vocals...I think it would have been an instant masterpiece. But as it is now it falls short.
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Live Forever is an interesting song given the subject matter. Nobody wants to die, but the longer you live, the more physical difficulties you encounter. I really love how the tempo changes when necessary, to give the listener a chance to ponder the predicament. This is a song that could not be written by the band in their earlier years. I can understand how younger fans are unable to appreciate the lyrics. Perhaps as they get older, they may be better able to relate to this thought provoking tune.
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Catching up here...
Live Forever - Great stoner riff intro and main line. Loved that. Like Typhon says, the lyrics worked for me. But the doomy slowdowns in the choruses left me nonplussed. I wanted those to hit harder, not back off the gas. They left points on the field, as the sports saying goes...
Across from that song is "Above and Beyond", an absolutely lovely lyrical elegy. It's not a fast rocker by any stretch, but it's amazing. Textured, deep, and beautiful.
Live Forever, I dunno. Above and Beyond, yes, please, may I have some more.
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Damaged Soul - MAN I LOVE THIS GUITAR LINE, it's some excellent blues-fueled stoner sound. The harmonica goes wonderfully with the track, and I'm glad to have a pared-back production that lets the guitar do the talking. This is very much like another band I love, Wo Fat, and their body of work. While I had dreaded a nearly 8-minute track after the earlier offerings, this one works and works exceptionally well.
For the vocals, meh... I almost wish this track was just a 4-way instrumental jam sesh. Loner I liked, but Damaged Soul I love.
And opposite Damaged Soul is DP's exceptional, bluesy salute to financial crises - Blood From a Stone, another must-have tune from NW?!. I consider them both amazing. I wish more of 13 was like Damaged Soul, now...
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Last track on the basic album is Dear Father. It's a strange one, because I've never really liked it, but I can't put my finger on why. It's not bad and I quite like the uptempo section, the lyrics are among the better ones on the album. The bells and thunder at the end don't seem appropriate for this track.
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Damaged Soul is the heavy blues number. It's fine, I guess, if you like blues music, which I don't. So, as far as this song is concerned, I can take it or leave it.
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^^ KDC: it was the end of the regular disc, so that sandwiches with the first track, wraps it up at the end. But even with that explanation, I don't like 'em, either. But I do really enjoy that track, now I've got 3 of 8 that are more than just passing good to me.
^ Typhon: and you are correct. That Damaged Soul track is fine if you like blues music, which I do. I could have eaten a whole album of Iommi doing blues instrumentals.
Overall, I enjoyed Dear Father. I felt it could be better, but it's a good song.
Sitting across from it on the Now What?! lineup is Uncommon Man. That track continues to blow me away. It is a true epic and incorporating Copland's opus, "Fanfare for the Common Man" is genius. It towers over the album and contributes to what I consider one of DP's strongest albums, ever. If the album ended here, it would be enough for me.
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Dear Father is a good song. The lyric matter is quite deep and current...Ozzy's delivery leaves a bit to be desired though as he throws those "in ruin YEAH" type of lines bit too often...
The riff is a near carbon copy of Follow The Tears though which is a real shame...but it is a great riff, but the "original" was better...much better.
Good song and yeah the church bells outro is supposed to tie this in with the start of the first album like closing the circle, but honestly it doesn't quite fit...but I don't mind it either.
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The first track on the second (bonus) disk is Methademic. It's the only real uptempo track on the album (unless you include the bonus-bonus song Naivete in Black!). I enjoy it a lot, up there with the best on the album. Nice riff, good bass line, pacey drum pattern and one of Ozzy's better vocal performances. I would have had this on the main album swapping out Live for ever if necessary.
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Methademic is a pretty good fast up tempo song but it has it's flaws.
The slow acoustic intro should have been seperated to it's own track though.
But the real intro riff is very good, has a nice groove...but sadly it loses it's momentum with the verse. The slowdown there doesn't do the song any justice. It's like the band couldn't decide whether to do a real fast number or not... Probably they pondered if Ozzy could handle a real fast song and probably came to the realisation he can't anymore so they slowed it down for the verses. Unfortunate though as this had a real potential to be the stand out track on the album for sure.
Tony also loses the momentum a bit on the solo section, for some reason he can't keep up the main riff drive for the solo and it feels bit hollow honestly.
The lyrical theme of the song isn't among my favourites either...Bunch of 60 year olds singing about meth...nah.
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The final tune on the main disc, Dear Father is a good song, although I don't like it as much as the first 5. Good main riff, effective sped up tempo change in the center. I understand what they were trying to do with the storm and bells finish, but they should have left this out to finish The End release. That would have been perfect.
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^^^
Well they didn't know there was going to be The End release at this point yet now did they... :D
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Methademic - this is another track that feels like Dehumanizer material. I really enjoy the instrumental track. I'm with KDC, this is Ozzy doing some of his best recent work here. It's a solid stoner doom fast track that any band would be proud to have on their album. Had this been the opener or even second track, I might have taken more notice of 13 when it came out. Some great gramps with amps, here.
Apres Vous - a short proggy intro gives way to a fun shuffle beat, and Gillan has a fun time singing his song there. It's not a standout, but it sure is fun and playful.
Both of these songs are more of what I'd like to hear, that's for sure.
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Methademic is a terrific and energetic track. Whoever made the decision to not have this on the main disc should be given 40 lashes (and I don't mean from Maybelline :))). But at least we got it on the bonus disc. Ozzy sounds great in this one. Actually, the whole band does.
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Next we come to Peace of Mind. I quite like the song but it's a strange one, I feel like it should be a much longer song but it ends just as it seems to get going. It's almost as if Rubin said we need a short song, edit that one down to 3:40 and they just cut 3 minutes off of it!
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Peace Of Mind is a good song...in fact I'd say it's probably the best song of the 3 bonus tracks.
The riff is brilliant...although it reminds me of another Iommi riff again but can't quite put my finger on which one right now...
Ozzy's preformance is also top notch here..among his best ones on the whole album actually.
I like the overall heavy groove of the song. And it's got a nice tempo change in the middle as well. It does however end quite abruptly...but it doesn't sound like it's edited out though...but after Ozzy's last line you do expect Tony to go into a frantic solo which then ends the song in a fade out like Neon Knights or something...that I guess is my only gripe here really...
I think I'm appreciating this song now more than when the album came out...honestly I can't remember anymore...and I can't be bothered going through the old sites posts to see my old review of the album...not that I wouldn't like reading it again but because I don't want to go to that place and search for it because I'd be forced to read some of the posts from BTE while doing it...and that's a hard:
:nono:
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Peace Of Mind is a good song...in fact I'd say it's probably the best song of the 3 bonus tracks.
There are 4 bonus tracks.
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Peace Of Mind is another bonus track that is good enough for the main disc. I agree with Charger that Tony could have done some solo magic to finish the song out. But it is still a great tune even without that.
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^^^
There were 4 bonus tracks if you got the Best Buy (?) version (not an option in most of the world), so most people only recognise there being 3 bonus tracks.
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Yeah NIB 2 was just a best buy bonus and that was only available in the US. The ACTUAL bonus disc only contains 3 songs.
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Peace Of Mind is a good song...in fact I'd say it's probably the best song of the 3 bonus tracks.
The riff is brilliant...although it reminds me of another Iommi riff again but can't quite put my finger on which one right now...
Ozzy's preformance is also top notch here..among his best ones on the whole album actually.
I like the overall heavy groove of the song. And it's got a nice tempo change in the middle as well. It does however end quite abruptly...but it doesn't sound like it's edited out though...but after Ozzy's last line you do expect Tony to go into a frantic solo which then ends the song in a fade out like Neon Knights or something...that I guess is my only gripe here really...
I think I'm appreciating this song now more than when the album came out...honestly I can't remember anymore...and I can't be bothered going through the old sites posts to see my old review of the album...not that I wouldn't like reading it again but because I don't want to go to that place and search for it because I'd be forced to read some of the posts from BTE while doing it...and that's a hard:
:nono:
This gave me a laugh when I needed one. +1 to you, Charger, and thanks!
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Peace Of Mind is a good song...in fact I'd say it's probably the best song of the 3 bonus tracks.
The riff is brilliant...although it reminds me of another Iommi riff again but can't quite put my finger on which one right now...
Ozzy's preformance is also top notch here..among his best ones on the whole album actually.
I like the overall heavy groove of the song. And it's got a nice tempo change in the middle as well. It does however end quite abruptly...but it doesn't sound like it's edited out though...but after Ozzy's last line you do expect Tony to go into a frantic solo which then ends the song in a fade out like Neon Knights or something...that I guess is my only gripe here really...
I think I'm appreciating this song now more than when the album came out...honestly I can't remember anymore...and I can't be bothered going through the old sites posts to see my old review of the album...not that I wouldn't like reading it again but because I don't want to go to that place and search for it because I'd be forced to read some of the posts from BTE while doing it...and that's a hard:
:nono:
This gave me a laugh when I needed one. +1 to you, Charger, and thanks!
Glad I could be of service. ;D
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^^^
There were 4 bonus tracks if you got the Best Buy (?) version (not an option in most of the world), so most people only recognise there being 3 bonus tracks.
Yeah NIB 2 was just a best buy bonus and that was only available in the US. The ACTUAL bonus disc only contains 3 songs.
Did not know this. So you guys don't possess the song Naïveté In Black?
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^^^
Nope, I've heard it on YouTube and I quite like it, but it's never had a physical release in the UK or many other countries. I'm sorta hoping they'll release a special edition sometime including NIB and The End tracks.
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^^^
There were 4 bonus tracks if you got the Best Buy (?) version (not an option in most of the world), so most people only recognise there being 3 bonus tracks.
Yeah NIB 2 was just a best buy bonus and that was only available in the US. The ACTUAL bonus disc only contains 3 songs.
Did not know this. So you guys don't possess the song Naïveté In Black?
Nope...I tried to by the Best Buy version back in the day but they did not ship to europe so that was not possible.
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Peace of Mind - nice heavy blues opening, reminds me of Peter Green with Fleetwood Mac. Liking that old school vibe to it. Then that middle part comes up and it's doomy, like a new-school stoner band before breaking into an 80s-sounding metal verse. This song is like a whiskey flight, lots of flavors to sample from some great batches.
Hang on, where's the end of the song? It's only got a beginning and a middle! :D
Meanwhile, I can get a bluesy beginning over on Now What?! with All the Time in the World. This song goes very well with Peace of Mind, actually. The DP tune plays it straight, so it's a bluesy middle - and end. The chorus is quite lovely, so again we got two great songs from two great bands.
So why weren't these bonus tracks in the main album? I mean, it's a CD, you can fit all the tracks on it and make it a standard release...
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So why weren't these bonus tracks in the main album? I mean, it's a CD, you can fit all the tracks on it and make it a standard release...
Because then you wouldn't be able to have an deluxe edition of which you can charge more money...
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So why weren't these bonus tracks in the main album? I mean, it's a CD, you can fit all the tracks on it and make it a standard release...
Because then you wouldn't be able to have an deluxe edition of which you can charge more money...
Why would you think they're out for the money?
/me sees the Vol. 4 reissue
Ohhhhhhhhhh... OK, I get your point.
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The last track on the standard Deluxe Edition is Pariah (but we will do NIB aswell).
This is a solid song without being great. I know some thought it was the best of the bonus tracks but I think it is the weakest. Ozzy's vocal melody is not his best, but musically it's fine, I actually rather like the soft start and the solo too is good.
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Pariah is a great song in every way. Worthy of being a released hit, IMO. A very catchy riff and the length is radio friendly. I can't help but groove with this tune every time I hear it. :partay:
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I heard the opening for Pariah and fully expected Tony Martin to start singing. Ozzy's vocal is not bad, but doesn't grab me like on the previous two tracks. If this song had featured an Iommi solo throughout instead of the vocal track, I think I would have liked it much more.
And when I put it up against Vincent Price, it totally falls short. DP give us another treat for our ears, full of entertainment and a deliberate cheesiness in the lyrics (seven screaming virgins on a sacrificial altar!) and music that makes it perfect as a tribute to the horror actor. It has been love at first hear for me with this song, and it's a great closer.
Overall, I'd make my own EP with individual songs from 13. It's better than I first thought, because I was turned away by the first two songs when it came out. But Now What?! remains strong as one of my favorite DP albums, and playing it end-to-end is always a pleasure.
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Pariah starts off with a very un-Sabbath-like intro but when it kicks on the high gear it's all Sabbath...or all Iommi anyways. A great riff which changes style completely mid way.
Ozzy's vocals sound like he's doing a solo song though. Quite a monotonic delivery during the verse. He does find a new gear for the chorus but it saves very little.
Musically this song is better than vocally that's for sure. The soft part in the middle doesn't work though and the autotune on Ozzy's voice during that part is dumb.
Overall the main riff is great, but then it kind of falls apart and never really manages to find it's legs...more potential than delivery on this song I think.
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I used to play Naivete in Black quite often when the album came out, but until the last couple of days I hadn't heard it for maybe 7 years. I've refreshed my memory a few times now and I can happily say it is quite a good song, certainly musically good, vocally it's solid and I have no idea what the lyrics are about :) ! It's the sort of shorter uptempo song which in the past might have opened the album.
Just added this link for those like me who don't own a copy.
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I'm not sure that past the element of surprise and the long wait to hear these 3 guys playing together again, this works in favor of the pleasure of listening to the album.
This title was the last to be discovered in Europe but quite soon after the release of 13 and really shows why it was considered as a "Best Buy" bonus. The structure of the track is ultra basic, the riff very average and Ozzy is clearly bored.
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For me too it has been several years since I've listened to this track mainly ofcourse since it was never made available here in physical format. I think the last time I heard it was more than 5 or 6 years ago...And I have to say I was positively surprised by listening to it again....
Naivete In Black is musically among the best tracks of the entire album, most certainly best of the bonus tracks. A great fast paced rocker with a groovy riff which is actually slightly reminiscent to I Witness from Cross Purposes.
Sadly though Ozzy's vocal melody is very poor. The change in melody from one line to the next is weak and just tells the lyrics and melody don't match at all. It's like Ozzy tried to fit Geezer's lyrics into his melody that wasn't up for it.
The chorus melody isn't any better sadly.
But the music is brilliant. The riffing of the verses rocks and the little solos between the verses are classic Iommi....something that I guess zzz would call solos without beginnings of endings what ever that means. ;D
It is a real shame that Ozzy is the down fall of this otherwise brilliant tune. I can't help but imagine what this would have sounded like with Ronnie at the helm.
Overall the whole album is filled with ups and downs...more so probably than any other Sabbath album. Although it never really reaches the absolute highs of the classic albums (of any era) or that of The Devil You Know it still has some brilliant moments scattered in with the blantant self plagiarism and rehashed ideas.
Am I glad they decided to make this album after all those years and failed attempts? YES absolutely...do I wish they would have tried to make something bit more original and bit more even? YES ABSOLUTELY!
But it was a lot of fun to go through this album again which is the one that out of all the Sabbath albums I've listened to the least...
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Naïveté In Black is my least favorite of the bonus tracks. Although I like the song and find little fault with any performer in it, it seems slightly incomplete. Especially because of some of the lyrics being repeated and the abrupt ending.
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I will order the songs on 13 in this order:
1. Age of Reason
2= Methademic
2= Zeitgeist
4. End of the Beginning
5= Loner
5= Damaged Soul
7. Naivete in Black
8. Peace of Mind
9. Dear Father
10. Pariah
11. Live Forever
12. God is Dead?
The Ozzy Albums as a whole I would rank:
1. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
2. Sabotage
3. Never Say Die
4. Paranoid
5. Black Sabbath
6. Vol 4
7. 13
8. Master of Reality
9. Technical Ecstacy
MoR actually moved up a spot after this excercise!
The 11 songs I said were in my top 10 Ozzy songs were:
NIB
War Pigs
Fairies Wear Boots
Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
Killing Yourself to Live
Spiral Architect
Hole in the Sky
Symptom of the Universe
Juniors Eyes
Air Dance
Age of Reason
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Inserting my final rating of the albums for completion's sake.
13 (without bonus disc) - 8/10
13 (with bonus disc) - 9/10
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Hmmmmm...Ranking this album is bit harder than the others I'd say...as there are a bunch of songs that aren't good but aren't really bad either...
1. End Of The Beginning
2. Dear Father
3. Loner
4. Age Of Reason
5.. Naivete In Black
6.. Peace Of Mind
7. Damaged Soul
8. Methademic
9. Pariah
10. Live Forever
And these two turds are in a complete league of their own
Zeitgeist
God Is Dead
I might think about mirroring Typhon on giving these albums a ranking too but that might be bit tougher.
The album order might be something like
1. Master Of Reality
2. Black Sabbath
3. Paranoid
4. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
5. Sabotage
6. Vol 4
7. 13
8. Techincal Ecstacy
below all possible rankings
Never Say Die
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Naiviete in Black opened up and damn if it wasn't another Dehumanizer track. I really miss Dio, that's my thoughts coming out of listening to 13 as a whole.
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I really miss Dio, that's my thoughts coming out of listening to 13 as a whole.
:yes:
:diothumbsup:
100%
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13
* * *
Too much rehashing the old, not enough freshness. But still some solid Black Sabbath moments. Better producer would have gone a long way I believe.
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I have been wondering for a few days about a possible explanation of the name 13. Like everyone else, I know the geezer's taste for word games and his clever mixtures of numbers and letters.
the guys are 4 but Bill did not finally participate but still, knowing he's inseparable from the success of the band. Either 3 + 1 or 1 + 3, the 1 close to 3 can be likened to a great B like Black, like Bill, like Birmingham ... this two-part symbol burning like a pagan fire and still alive.
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^^^^^^
You're overthinking it. It was released in 2013.
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^^^^^^
You're overthinking it. It was released in 2013.
... like any fan keeps doing about his favorite bands. Also, if I'm not wrong, Geezer had said that 13 had nothing to do with neither the year of release nor the number of Sabbath albums.
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If I recall 13 was just supposed to be a working title (most likely based on the year of release) but they liked it so they kept it...no deeper meaning for it I think...
Always thought of it a rather stupid title...because it has no obvious meaning...compared to lets say Megadeth's Thirteen album which in fact was the band's 13th album.
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It was the 14th Black Sabbath album that he played bass on... but naming it "14" would be kinda silly...