13 - For Completists Only?

[Zzzptm]

13 is a Black Sabbath album. If you gotta have them all, you have to have this one, too. But, will it get played any more than a few times and then become a bookend for your Sabbath collection as you keep playing SBS and Vol. 4?

I actually didn't even buy it, I was so unimpressed with what I heard... 

[Typhon]

I play various parts of 13 on a regular basis.  I have the version with the bonus disc and love that too.  If you are as big a fan of the Great 8 as I am, then one should find 13 chalk full of excellent material.  My favorites in no particular order:
     
End Of The Beginning
Zeitgeist
Age Of Reason
God Is Dead
Pariah
Methademic

[Axefiend]

The only song that I've listened to in the last couple of years from 13 is Pariah. It's not that I think it's a horrible album, but why bother when I can listen to so many other Sabbath albums that are miles ahead. Maybe the vinyl will change my mind a little, if I ever get around to ordering it, it might be a little more dynamic than brickwalled CD version.

[Thelemech]

I have three copies - One signed, another still sealed and the one that I now listen to. Also I bought it on Itunes on my old computer and it says 130 listens. I have not listened to it in a few months but I generally play it every couple of weeks.

But I am admittedly a completist when it comes to Black Sabbath. 

[JSTHECONQUEROR]

13 was a great album. I listened to it for about a year straight! 2013 was one of the best years of music for me ever! That being said, I have not listened to the album in quite some time. I definitely wore it out. I will have to give it a spin sometime soon.

[BOGBLAST]

I have not listened to the album in quite some time. I definitely wore it out. I will have to give it a spin sometime soon.

Yeah I think I OD'd on it myself JS. But you're right, it does deserve another spin soon.

[Charger]

I haven't listened to this covers album in a long time.

A huge disappointment in song writing department after the brilliant The Devil You Know....they just went back in time and copied everything they'd done in the past...naturally that was the idea in Ruin Rubin's mind all along so it is mainly his fault.

But it is clear there was very little originality and passion involved when they did this.

There is a huge difference between sounding like Black Sabbath and copying how Black Sabbath sounded in the early 70s.

[Typhon]

There is a huge difference between sounding like Black Sabbath and copying how Black Sabbath sounded in the early 70s.

I've read this script before, must be a copy.  Okay then:

Age Of Reason - What's that a copy of?
Methademic - What's that a copy of?
Pariah - What's that a copy of?
God Is Dead? - What's that a copy of?

It is the same band, so of course there will be some similarities.  Copy, shmopy!

[Charger]

There is a huge difference between sounding like Black Sabbath and copying how Black Sabbath sounded in the early 70s.

I've read this script before, must be a copy.  Okay then:

Age Of Reason - What's that a copy of?
Methademic - What's that a copy of?
Pariah - What's that a copy of?
God Is Dead? - What's that a copy of?

It is the same band, so of course there will be some similarities.  Copy, shmopy!

Well God Is Dead uses a nearly identical riff to Hole In The Sky so...

But it's not really about just copying the songs it's the over all lack of originality that plagues the album as a whole. Everything has a tired and been there done that feel to it. It's the lack of trying to write new and original material that bugs me...and many others I might add.

[JSTHECONQUEROR]

You really think at their stage of life they are going to come up with a original material. A back to roots approach was the only thing they could have done. Their not going to release an experimental progressive jazz instrumental album. They were trying to hit all the nostalgic Sabbath fans right in the feels. It was either that approach or Forbidden would have still been their latest album. It is so unrealistic to have any higher expectations than its a album that you would expect Black Sabbath to make. Its a timestamp in history where you will remember that when even though Sabbath didn't have to, they wanted to give their fans ones more morsel to chomp on before their drift off into the beyond. I for one am a fan of 13 and will always remember the most fantastic year with music I had in 2013.

[Tyr66]

You really think at their stage of life they are going to come up with a original material. A back to roots approach was the only thing they could have done. Their not going to release an experimental progressive jazz instrumental album. They were trying to hit all the nostalgic Sabbath fans right in the feels. It was either that approach or Forbidden would have still been their latest album. It is so unrealistic to have any higher expectations than its a album that you would expect Black Sabbath to make. Its a timestamp in history where you will remember that when even though Sabbath didn't have to, they wanted to give their fans ones more morsel to chomp on before their drift off into the beyond. I for one am a fan of 13 and will always remember the most fantastic year with music I had in 2013.

this.

[Typhon]

You really think at their stage of life they are going to come up with a original material. A back to roots approach was the only thing they could have done. Their not going to release an experimental progressive jazz instrumental album. They were trying to hit all the nostalgic Sabbath fans right in the feels. It was either that approach or Forbidden would have still been their latest album. It is so unrealistic to have any higher expectations than its a album that you would expect Black Sabbath to make. Its a timestamp in history where you will remember that when even though Sabbath didn't have to, they wanted to give their fans ones more morsel to chomp on before their drift off into the beyond. I for one am a fan of 13 and will always remember the most fantastic year with music I had in 2013.

JSTHECONQUEROR just earned an awesomeness point from me.  He talks from the heart here. 

[Billy Underdog]

I agree with JS too.
And i find it sad that there doesn't seem to be much love for Live Forever. It's one of my faves from the album. Pretty run-off-the-mill, really, but great at that. It's just something with that triplet groove that always resonate with me.

I'm very glad we got that album, would've loved another one too, but in hindsight the album should probably've been called The End... We saw it coming with the album ending with rain and church bells, didn't we?

[Typhon]

I'm very glad we got that album, would've loved another one too, but in hindsight the album should probably've been called The End... We saw it coming with the album ending with rain and church bells, didn't we?

The 4 new tracks on "The End" are pretty awesome though.

[Billy Underdog]

I'm very glad we got that album, would've loved another one too, but in hindsight the album should probably've been called The End... We saw it coming with the album ending with rain and church bells, didn't we?

The 4 new tracks on "The End" are pretty awesome though.

Yeah, i wish they would just put out all 16 tracks on a double album straight away. With those extra songs and a different running order the album might've been better...

Someone over at the other place made this running order out of the bonus tracks and The End ep, it makes for a pretty good running order:

Season Of The Dead
Pariah
Piece Of Mind
Methademic
Isolated Man
Naïvité In Black
Take Me Home
Cry All Night

That makes for the more "modern" Sabbath album Charg wanted, i think.