Generals Gathered In Their Masses: The Battle of The Album Openers

[Jack the Stripper]

Ok, while the other game runs its coarse I thought I'd come up with a different take on the H&H game.

The Battle of the opening tracks from each Black Sabbath album.
Ranking all of them from #20 to #1

Whilst The Devil You Know technicaly doesn't come under ithe Black Sabbath moniker it's very much a Black Sabbath album to me and I'm sure it is to most everyone else too so have made an executive decision to include it in the battle.


1. Black Sabbath - 20
2. War Pigs - 20
3. Sweet Leaf - 20
4. Wheels Of Confusion -20
5. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath - 20
6. Hole In The Sky - 20
7. Back Street Kids - 20
8. Never Say Die - 20
9. Neon Knights - 20
10. Turn Up The Night - 20
11. Trashed - 20
12. In For The Kill - 20
13. The Shining - 20
14. The Gates Of Hell/Headless Cross - 20
15. Anno Mundi - 20
16. Computer God - 20
17. I Witness - 20
18. The Illusion Of Power - 20
19. Atom And Evil - 20
20. End Of The Beginning - 20

[KiloDeltaCharlie]

HitS > IoP

1. Black Sabbath - 20
2. War Pigs - 20
3. Sweet Leaf - 20
4. Wheels Of Confusion -20
5. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath - 20
6. Hole In The Sky - 21
7. Back Street Kids - 20
8. Never Say Die - 20
9. Neon Knights - 20
10. Turn Up The Night - 20
11. Trashed - 20
12. In For The Kill - 20
13. The Shining - 20
14. The Gates Of Hell/Headless Cross - 20
15. Anno Mundi - 20
16. Computer God - 20
17. I Witness - 20
18. The Illusion Of Power - 18
19. Atom And Evil - 20
20. End Of The Beginning - 20

Rarely has Sabbath ever had a poor album opener so once we've got rid of the 2 or 3 weak ones we might have call it a draw!

[Tyr66]

Trashed > Back Street Kids
1. Black Sabbath - 20
2. War Pigs - 20
3. Sweet Leaf - 20
4. Wheels Of Confusion -20
5. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath - 20
6. Hole In The Sky - 21
7. Back Street Kids - 18
8. Never Say Die - 20
9. Neon Knights - 20
10. Turn Up The Night - 20
11. Trashed - 21
12. In For The Kill - 20
13. The Shining - 20
14. The Gates Of Hell/Headless Cross - 20
15. Anno Mundi - 20
16. Computer God - 20
17. I Witness - 20
18. The Illusion Of Power - 18
19. Atom And Evil - 20
20. End Of The Beginning - 20

[Jack the Stripper]

SBS > HC

1. Black Sabbath - 20
2. War Pigs - 20
3. Sweet Leaf - 20
4. Wheels Of Confusion -20
5. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath - 21
6. Hole In The Sky - 21
7. Back Street Kids - 18
8. Never Say Die - 20
9. Neon Knights - 20
10. Turn Up The Night - 20
11. Trashed - 21
12. In For The Kill - 20
13. The Shining - 20
14. The Gates Of Hell/Headless Cross - 18
15. Anno Mundi - 20
16. Computer God - 20
17. I Witness - 20
18. The Illusion Of Power - 18
19. Atom And Evil - 20
20. End Of The Beginning - 20

[Charger]

Alright I'll play this one too unless there are objections.

I Witness is a fantastic opener, Wheels Of Confusion is a horrible opener

1. Black Sabbath - 20
2. War Pigs - 20
3. Sweet Leaf - 20
4. Wheels Of Confusion -18
5. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath - 21
6. Hole In The Sky - 21
7. Back Street Kids - 18
8. Never Say Die - 20
9. Neon Knights - 20
10. Turn Up The Night - 20
11. Trashed - 21
12. In For The Kill - 20
13. The Shining - 20
14. The Gates Of Hell/Headless Cross - 18
15. Anno Mundi - 20
16. Computer God - 20
17. I Witness - 21
18. The Illusion Of Power - 18
19. Atom And Evil - 20
20. End Of The Beginning - 20

[KiloDeltaCharlie]

^^^ There's never been a problem with you joining in.

CG > IoP

1. Black Sabbath - 20
2. War Pigs - 20
3. Sweet Leaf - 20
4. Wheels Of Confusion -18
5. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath - 21
6. Hole In The Sky - 21
7. Back Street Kids - 18
8. Never Say Die - 20
9. Neon Knights - 20
10. Turn Up The Night - 20
11. Trashed - 21
12. In For The Kill - 20
13. The Shining - 20
14. The Gates Of Hell/Headless Cross - 18
15. Anno Mundi - 20
16. Computer God - 21
17. I Witness - 21
18. The Illusion Of Power - 16
19. Atom And Evil - 20
20. End Of The Beginning - 20

[Jack the Stripper]

I'm looking more at how good or not so good the song is compared to the others as apposed as to whether it's a good song to open an album

1. Black Sabbath - 20
2. War Pigs - 20
3. Sweet Leaf - 20
4. Wheels Of Confusion -19
5. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath - 21
6. Hole In The Sky - 21
7. Back Street Kids - 18
8. Never Say Die - 20
9. Neon Knights - 20
10. Turn Up The Night - 20
11. Trashed - 21
12. In For The Kill - 20
13. The Shining - 20
14. The Gates Of Hell/Headless Cross - 16
15. Anno Mundi - 20
16. Computer God - 21
17. I Witness - 21
18. The Illusion Of Power - 16
19. Atom And Evil - 20
20. End Of The Beginning - 20

[Tyr66]

In For The Kill > Back Street Kids
1. Black Sabbath - 20
2. War Pigs - 20
3. Sweet Leaf - 20
4. Wheels Of Confusion -19
5. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath - 21
6. Hole In The Sky - 21
7. Back Street Kids - 16
8. Never Say Die - 20
9. Neon Knights - 20
10. Turn Up The Night - 20
11. Trashed - 21
12. In For The Kill - 21
13. The Shining - 20
14. The Gates Of Hell/Headless Cross - 16
15. Anno Mundi - 20
16. Computer God - 21
17. I Witness - 21
18. The Illusion Of Power - 16
19. Atom And Evil - 20
20. End Of The Beginning - 20

[Charger]

Yes there are two ways to look at this.

And they will give totally different results, but as this is the battle of the OPENERS my thinking was that the point was to treat them as openers not just songs. I'm sorry if I got that wrong again too...I guess these games just aren't for me then... I'll be moving on again then... 

[Jack the Stripper]

I'm judging the songs in the same way we judge albums or bands when we play this game Charger but you or anyone else can judge them anyway you want 

[KiloDeltaCharlie]

There is no right or wrong way to play this game, but I actually agree with Charger though. I've always said War Pigs is a top 5 song for me, and Hole In The Sky is maybe a top 15.... but as an opener HITS is much better than WP.

[Jack the Stripper]

I'm not one that thinks an opening song has to be fast or of a certain tempo/style to open an album. That's way too formulaic! It just needs to be a great song(usually it's one of the better songs on the album) that grabs the listener from the get go and keeps them enthused.

[Tyr66]

I would say , as the game is called 'The Battle of The Album', I play according to this first rule and my personnal feeling of the song  comes in second condition.
Ok , the first rule is a personnal feeling too 
so let's play as we feel it ...

[Typhon]

I'm not one that thinks an opening song has to be fast or of a certain tempo/style to open an album. That's way too formulaic! It just needs to be a great song(usually it's one of the better songs on the album) that grabs the listener from the get go and keeps them enthused.

This.   

[Zzzptm]

Exactly. And that's why I love Wheels of Confusion / The Straightener

1. Black Sabbath - 20
2. War Pigs - 20
3. Sweet Leaf - 20
4. Wheels Of Confusion -20
5. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath - 21
6. Hole In The Sky - 21
7. Back Street Kids - 16
8. Never Say Die - 20
9. Neon Knights - 20
10. Turn Up The Night - 20
11. Trashed - 21
12. In For The Kill - 21
13. The Shining - 20
14. The Gates Of Hell/Headless Cross - 16
15. Anno Mundi - 20
16. Computer God - 21
17. I Witness - 21
18. The Illusion Of Power - 14
19. Atom And Evil - 20
20. End Of The Beginning - 20

IoP, not so much...