Black Sabbath: Vol. 4
1972
Vertigo Records
Format I Own it on: Compact Disc
Track Listing: 1. Wheels of Confusion/The Straightener 2. Tomorrow's Dream 3. Changes 4. FX 5. Supernaut 6. Snowblind 7. Cornucopia 8. Laguna Sunrise 9. St. Vitus Dance 10. Under the Sun/Every Day Comes and Goes
If I was forced to choose my favorite Black Sabbath album, I'd have to choose this...It's kind of like a more varied, more coked-out version of "Master of Reality." They even thank cocaine in the liner notes...
This record seems so 70's to me...So beautifully 70's! Even though I'm listening to it on a CD player right now, I can't process the fact that I'm not listening to an 8-Track...
Yea....That's more like it...An orange 8-track...I'll also accept a vinyl record with a big ol' dustbunny on the needle...
Anyway, so much great stuff here...When the brief guitar noodles give way to the behemoth riff at the beginning of "Wheels of Confusion/The Straightener" is just monumental in my mind...
...and this is the record with "Snowblind" and "Supernaut" on it..."Supernaut" sounds like nothing less than a wrecking ball bouncing down a street, and "Snowblind" has such a convincingly icy tone that the temperature usually drops a few degrees every time I play it...I'm calling "Snowblind" my favorite Black Sabbath song...At least in the top two...In two days we'll find out what other song is vying for that title...Try not too get too excited for the revelation...Here's a few step you can take to calm yourself down if you find yourself getting overly anxious for the results...
- Relax. It's perfectly acceptable to continue your day-to-day activities while waiting for the Friday Night Record Party to post...In fact the time may go by faster if you keep yourself occupied with busywork (feeding your children, going to work, taking care of sick relatives...)
- Stop Negative Thinking. Don't worry, I'm not going to OD on Slim Jims and Mountain Dew in the next two days, and even if I do, it's not a big deal...I usually write these things a couple of days in advance, and I usually have them set to autopost...
- Use Coping Statements. "There are things in life that are out of my control...Like, I can't help it if everyone is against me! That's their problem not mine!"
- Accept Your Feelings. "Aww, it's probably gonna be some shitty song like "Supertzar" or something off of "Never Say Day" anyway..."
- Look at the fluffy clouds...
Oh, and this has Ozzy's first power ballad on it...Sure, Sabbath had a couple of slow songs before, but I feel "Planet Caravan" and "Solitude" fall more into the category of bongwater soft rock...."Changes" is epic and heartfelt and Ozzy is loud and clear this time...I wasn't the least bit surprised when a live recording of this became a hit later in his career...But really "Changes" and the gentle acoustic instrumental "Laguna Sunrise" are the only respites from the heaviness...
"Laguna Sunrise" has always sounded like a fruity cocktail that you'd drink on vacation...I'm kind of sad that it doesn't really exist, so I'm going to make up a drink on the spot called a "Laguna Sunrise." Now, I'm just throwing out these ingredients off the top of my head, so don't blame me if you mix one and it tastes bad...Blame Tony Iommi or something...
Laguna Sunrise:
4 cups orange juice
2 oz rum
1 1/2 cup champagne or sparkling wine
and I don't know how about 1 cup Gingerale? That sounds pretty good...
Garnish with a 'luude...
Alright, so let's sip on our Laguna Sunrise and listen to "Snowblind" by Black Sabbath...Cheers...
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