Black Sabbath: Paranoid

Black Sabbath: Paranoid

1970

Vertigo Records

Format I Own it on: Compact Disc

Track Listing: 1. War Pigs  2. Paranoid  3. Planet Caravan  4. Iron Man  5. Electric Funeral  6. Hand of Doom  7. Rat Salad  8. Fairies Wear Boots

This is one of those albums, similar to ACDC's "Back In Black" and Led Zeppelin's 1,2 & 4, that I've heard so many times, I never want to hear it again...I' know I loved it at one time, but it's been so overplayed by radio, television, and  my teenage self  that the thought of hearing "Iron Man" one more time makes me sick to my stomach...

 I used to own this on glorious vinyl growing up...I can still recall my young brain attempting to process that album cover...



What the hell was going on?! Who was that guy in the crash helmet and neon clothes (complete with LSD trails)?  Why was he so pissed off? The cover told us he was "Paranoid." Was it the LSD? And who gave him the sword?

Apparently, the record was supposed to be titled "War Pigs" and the guy on the cover was supposed to be a War Pig, I guess...The record title was later changed to "Paranoid" making the album cover nonsensical...A little disappointing I guess...but this disappointment was later relieved by the revelation that "Iron Man" was originally called "Iron Bloke." So balance is restored in the universe...

Anyway, I left my Black Sabbath records in Michigan when I moved to Arizona...Because I was so sick of it and I realized even then I hadn't listened to it in about 5 years and didn't see myself listening to it anytime soon... I honestly didn't buy another copy of it until about 2012, which means I hadn't listened to it in about 18 years! Whaaat?!?!

But one day I was looking at the back cover at Zia Records and realized I couldn't remember what "Hand of Doom" sounded like, so I figured enough time had passed...

Turns out I was wrong...I just couldn't get into "War Pigs", "Paranoid", "Planet Caravan", "Iron Man", and "Fairies Wear Boots" anymore! I had officially overdosed on "We Sold Our Souls For Rock N' Roll"! And there was no way back!



 So basically, this album has become the "Electric Funeral"/"Hand of Doom"/"Rat Salad" EP...But I really enjoy this EP!

"Electric Funeral" is such classic Black Sabbath I'm stumped why this one never gets any airplay...As usual, Ozzy's vocal follows the big, stoner wah-wah  riff exactly,  but he sounds undeniably awesome as he takes you through a guided tour of a nuclear holocaust...  And it took me about one second to remember what "Hand of Doom" was! A slow creeping number about drug abuse, that's the best song here...I love that chugging guitar riff in the "You're having a good time baby, but that won't last..." section. So heavy...Totally worth sitting through my 1 billionth listen of "Iron Man" to get to this...

I'm really kind of pissed off I can't enjoy this whole album anymore! I mean, it's a classic record that features Black Sabbath in their prime! How did I manage to get so damn sick of it?! Does this ever happen to you guys? Is there a pill for it? !!

Oh well, let's listen to "Hand of Doom"...Enjoy...

Black Sabbath: Black Sabbath

Black Sabbath: Black Sabbath

1970

Vertigo Records

Format I Own it on: Compact Disc and Vinyl

Track Listing: 1. Black Sabbath  2. The Wizard  3. Wasp/Behind the Wall of Sleep/Bassically/N.I.B  4. Wicked World  5. A Bit of Finger/Sleeping Village/Warning


I love putting this on...When the needle touches down you're greeted with the sound of a thunderstorm and ominously clanging church bells, and then comes Tony Iommi's legendarily oppressive tritone guitar riff...

"Nyerrr Nyerrrrr Neyyeyyeyyer... " Yea, that's what I fell like doing when I hear it!

"What is this that stands before me?"  Ozzy sings in a low moan...The horror in his voice is palpable...What ungodly sight could he possibly be witnessing? Is it my checking account balance after a night at the bar?

 "No! No! Please God, Help me!"he screams, as Satan comes 'round the bend and  the music becomes a howling maelstrom all around him... There's no disputing it, the 1970 debut album by Black Sabbath is the birth of Heavy Metal... (I mean, you can dispute it if you want...But you're just going to sound silly..)
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And it's a pretty easy birth, it turns out...Like an episode of "I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant..." It just kind of falls, fully-formed, into a world that wasn't quite ready for it...Critics were confused and Parents feared it...

Really the only difference between this and their later classics, is that Ozzy's voice is much lower (which makes him sound cooler and creepier...) and there's a heavy bluesiness that doesn't really happen much after this album (See the honking harmonica on "The Wizard" and the extended jamming on "Warning" for evidence).  I actually kind of miss the blues-rock aspect, they really had an original, gothic take on it....Especially "Warning"I...t has the gritty feel of recording your live set in the studio, quick and dirty! I wish bands still did this... 

The original European addition had the song "Evil Woman" which didn't appear on the US version...Hell, I've never heard  the song until very recently...Maybe it's just because I grew up with the American version, but I think "Evil Woman" doesn't gel with the rest of the album for some reason...I like it fine on its own, it's a nice catchy pop-rocker, but it detracts from the doomy, supernatural feel of the album...And apparently "Wicked World" wasn't on the European edition, which I think is the much better choice for the album... I think the current CD version has both songs on it...Mine doesn't though...

I originally owned this on cassette tape...

 I remember as a kid, the Black Sabbath albums were abundant in the cheapo cassette bin at the local K-Mart...Which was fortunate for a broke heavy metal obsessed kid...I think one of the hardest decisions in my life was deciding if I should pick up the "Sabotage" or the "Black Sabbath" cassette...This cover art ended up making the decision easy...The decaying European-style haunted house, and the figure in black on the cover, that either looked like the Mona Lisa, the Wicked Witch of the West, or Ozzy himself depending on your mood...I wish I could tell you the incalculable amount of hours I spent hanging out with Josh listening to these Black Sabbath tapes and burning incense...

(I've always been partial to the kind of incense that look like adorable little Gnome hats...)

So it's about time to put on some Sabbath, but what do you serve your guests while you're listening to this masterpiece of 70's metal at your Friday Night Record Party?

 Nahhh, it doesn't seem right to drink beer and listen to Black Sabbath for some odd reason, but this record just seems like you shouldn't be in your right mind while you're listening to it, so how about...

..Quaaludes! Perfect, and for h'orderves we serve...

"A Bit of Finger Sandwiches!"

Alright! So let's listen to "The Wizard" by Black Sabbath...Enjoy...

Black Francis: Bluefinger

Black Francis: Bluefinger

2007

Cooking Vinyl Records

Format I Own it on: Compact Disc

Track Listing: 1. Captain Pasty  2. Threshold Apprehension  3. Test Pilot Blues  4. Lolita  5. Tight Black Rubber  6. Angels Come to Comfort You  7. Your Mouth Into Mine  8. Discotheque 36  9. You Can't Break a Heart and Have It  10. She Took All the Money  11. Bluefinger  12. Polly's Into Me  13. Virginia Reel


It's weird...I've owned so many Frank Black albums over the years but this is the only one I have left...I really only periodically pick up his stuff, and then when I do I usually either lose the disc, it gets destroyed or I give them to my friends... But I do love his solo stuff.."Teenager of the Year" being a particular favorite...



(Man, I love :Headache" and "Thalassocracy" so much!)

But yea, for some reason I've been able to hold onto this one, and that's a good thing! I like this album...It had a pretty big buzz at the time; as it was  released in the midst of the Pixies reunion ... There were rumors this was supposed to be their reunion album, but they weren't quite able to make it happen (after seeing the Pixies film "loudQUIETloud" this wasn't too surprising...)

...So the rumor goes that Frank Black took the material and just recorded it as a solo album, although releasing it under the name Black Francis, which was the name he used in the Pixies...

I don't know if the story is true or not, and believe it or not, I'm soooo lazy that even Googling the answer seems like too much work...and to be honest, I kind of like the mystery...

And really, this is the most Pixies-like album he's released since the breakup...There's the Kim Deal-like backing vocals (done by his wife, I believe...Again, too lazy to Google...) and Black Francis' trademark hellish shriek is on proud display....You remember it, right? He had the most ball-shriveling scream known to man back in the day, and it's a huge thrill to hear it on full display on "You Can't Break a Heart and Have It." 

And check out "Threshold Apprehension." How long has it been since you heard something so Black Francis-y...It's got a panicked strut that'll give you "Trompe Le Monde" flashbacks...

"Grand Marnier and a pocket full of speed!"  So great...

But at the same time, much of it still of a piece with his post-Pixies discography...You cannot picture "Platform Blues" on "Doolittle" for example, and songs like  "She Took All the Money" continue his recent forays in rootsy Americana...

 Oh yea, apparently the album is a concept record about Dutch musician/artist Herman Brood (who apparently sang about drugs all the time...I listened to about 5 or 6 of his songs and I think each one had at least a passing mention of drugs....), who took his own like in 2001...Although, I had no idea it was a concept album until I read about it later....Mr. Brood's life apparently seems to fit in quite well with Frank's normal subject matter...So if you have an aversion to Rock Operas, you're totally safe here..The only overt tribute is the cover of  an apparently unreleased Herman Brood song "You Can't Break a Heart and Have It." I listened to the original version, and it was a sort of high-octane piano-based boogie-woogie number, but Frank turns it into exhilarating noise-rock...You've got to check it out...I have posted a video below for your convenience..


                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

Black Flag: In My Head

Black Flag: In My Head

1985

SST Records

Format I Own it on: Compact Disc

Track Listing: 1. Paralyzed  2. The Crazy Girl  3. Black Love  4. White Hot  5. In My Head  6. Out of this World  7. I Can See You  8. Drinking and Driving  9. Retired at 21  10. Society's Tease  11. It's All Up to You  12. You Let Me Down


 Black Flag's third album of 1985, following "Loose Nut" (which I discussed yesterday) and the instrumental album "The Process of Weeding Out" which I've never heard (but has an incredible album cover...)



"In My Head" is Black Flag's final studio album, and it finds them almost fully embracing metal....It still  retains the jazz-punk sound they had been flirting with on the last couple albums,, but they do it with more heft and precision...

And the instrumentation sounds tight...The Rollins/Ginn/Kira/Bill Stevenson line-up was easily their most musical, and the sound is clean and easy on the ears...When compared to other Black Flag records at least...

The  lo-fi rumble and odd mixes are a thing of the past...Which I have mixed feelings about actually...It's great when the songs and the band click (like on the opener "Paralyzed" for instance), but lesser material like "The Crazy Girl" feels much lesser than before, because they don't have the exciting looseness it might have had if it appeared on "Slip It In' for example...It's a brave move and I do feel it  pays off more than it backfires....

Yea, it's not a perfect album, but it was cool Black Flag could get together one last time for a record, and we get another classic or two...I mean, this album has "Drinking and Driving" which actually has a good message worthy of a "One To Grow One" installment...(don't drink and drive!) which Henry delivers in a very entertaining manner...You can just picture his deadpan grin as he intones, "Drink...Drive...Kill..."

 The CD version also includes 3/4ths of the 1989 "I Can See You" e.p, which was their final studio release (until the Black Flag reunion album that comes out alter this year...I've only heard the one song from it and I wasn't nuts about it, but I'll reserve judgement until I hear the whole thing...).



(Woah, that can't be a Raymond Pettibon cover...I guess he stopped giving the band art to use after the band kept destroying the originals...To be totally honest, I think Raymond's visuals are a key component in Black Flag's appeal...

 You knew before you even heard any of the music that it was going to be kick-ass and dangerous...The brutal and witty album covers and the iconic "Bars" logo said all you needed to know...Would Black Flag be so well-remembered and beloved  today without all that imagery? It's a fair question...)

The "In My Head" CD drops "Kicking and Sticking," (which is fine by me....) and the song "I Can See You" is nothing great, but "Out of This World" is easily one of my fave Black Flag tracks! Henry sounds so laid back and demented...

"I'm out cold! And I'm Never Coming To..."

Damn, that kicks ass...Once I hear it I'm singing it all day...Hell, I'm listening to it as we speak...

And  I had to do a double-take when I first heard "You Let Me Down."  The normally shouting and accusatory Rollins sounds like Ward when he's disappointed in the Beav...

He's not angry so much as he's hurt...Not a great song or anything, but an unexpected and  hilarious finale to the Black Flag discography...
 
So let's celebrate that discography one last time, by checking out "Out of This World" by Black Flag...Enjoy...

Black Flag: Loose Nut

Black Flag: Loose Nut

1985

SST Records

Format I Own it on: Vinyl

Track Listing: 1.  Loose Nut  2. Bastard in Love  3. Annihilate this Week  4. Best One Yet  5. Modern Man  6. This is Good  7. I'm the One  8. Sinking  9. Now She's Black


This was Black Flag's first album (of many) in 1985...I was only in 2nd or 3rd grade at the time, so I wasn't mail-ordering sweet  SST colored vinyl just yet...I  probably spent most of that year in the Minus World, since 1985 was the year "Super Mario Bros" was released...

(And this was before GPS, so someone apparently gave Mario shitty directions and he kept ending up in the wrong castle...)

This was the same year that Coca-Cola replaced their original formula for the blasphemous "New Coke" which managed to turn the whole world upside down for six months there...

I didn't really care one way or another...I was more of a Cherry Slice, kind of kid...

This was also the year that Doc Brown invented the Time Machine, so I actually got my chance to go back in time and kill Hitler...Seriously, go ahead and re-read your history books...He's not there anymore...

I can also remember watching the Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Circus on television where they debuted their "Unicorn". (Which was discovered in 1985 to be a mere goat with a bull horn attached to its head...Which I think everybody on Planet Earth was able to determine in one second after seeing it...). Oddly enough even the Barnum & Bailey Unicorn has never heard of "Unicorn Records"...




And yes, this was also the year that "Loose Nut' came out. This was the last Black Flag album I bought, and oddly enough it turns out it's likely one of my favorite ones...Why didn't anybody tell me this album was that good?! I hardly ever hear anybody mention it, and when they do it's usually mentioned in the context of Black Flag's decline...Like they made "Damaged" and "My War" and then put out a bunch of sub-par metal albums...That assessment is waaayyy off...

I loved this as soon as I put it on...The title track kicks things off and it's straight up hard rock! Well, you're never going to hear this next to "Hot For Teacher" on the radio or anything, It's still got too much punk in it (sludgy, bass-heavy sound, vocals that sound like Henry is shouting from the bottom of a well, offensive lyrics) but boy when you want a good hard riff and a catchy chorus this thing does the job...

And unlike "Slip It In' where they attempted a similar feat, nothing on here goes on for too long...In fact, "Best One Yet" and "This Is Good" could go on all day for all I care...I love them that much...The only time things feel a little slow is the trudging "Sinking" (which wouldn't sound too out of place on "My War")  and the extended outro of "Now She's Black."

So yea, a highlight of  the punk-metal genre as far as I'm concerned...Let's check out "Loose Nut" by Black Flag...Enjoy...

Black Flag: Slip It In

Black Flag: Slip It In

1984

SST Records

Format I Own it on: Compact Disc

Track Listing: 1. Slip it in  2. Black Coffee  3. Wound Up  4. Rat's Eyes  5. Obliteration  6. The Bars  7. My Ghetto  8. You're Not Evil



I love that album cover so much! It sums up the visual aesthetic of SST Records so perfectly....A striking Raymond Pettibon drawing, garish colors, the iconic Black Flag bars logo...It's got it all...Probably my favorite album cover by the band, narrowly edging out "My War," which I love for the exact same qualities...

"Slip It In" is Black Flag's third record of 1984. Now, I loved 1984! I used to live there! I would hang out and watch "Police Academy" all day...

I also remember 1984 being the year I lived  under the mistaken impression that the music video for Billy Ocean's "Loverboy" was an official Star Wars sequel...I don't know why I thought this...Was it the Jawas in the video? (Make sure you watch that video by the way...).

And also in 1984, the Ministry of Truth reported that thoughtcrimes were down by 25%...

Anyway, "Slip It In"  followed the "Family Man" LP, which I don't own and most likely never will..I've heard it, but I can't say I'm too crazy  about it...Side one is mostly Henry Rollins' spoken word and side two is entirely instrumental...





"Slip It In" however, is a proper Black Flag record...The band integrates metal into their trademark sound, and the instrumentation gets a little trickier in places, most notably the instrumental "Obliteration." 

The songs are quite a bit longer than before too...Not as long as side two of "My War" mind you, but most of it is pretty close...This might be the reason I've never gotten into this one quite as much as "My War." I mean, the expanded song lengths are fine when the song is great (the fist-pumping "Black Coffee" or "Wound Up" for example) but when it makes the lesser songs feel like an eternity  (the excrutiating "Rat's Eyes" or "My Ghetto"for example...).

And then there's the title track which is an awesome hard-rock/hardcore hybrid which is a great rockin' time but after awhile you're checking your watch...Christ, four minutes? Then comes the unfortunate sound of Henry Rollins pretending to have sex and you realize you still two more minutes to go!! It would probably be a highlight of the band's catalog at about 3-3:30 minutes but over six minutes you get kind of tired of it...

(I always love looking at old flyers...Just last night we were talking about if I had a time machine, I would probably just spend all my time going to old shows...Oh, and killing baby Hitler...)

So yea, a mixed bag... I enjoy the good-time-party vibe (that feels like a bit of a put-on), and there's some absolute classic stuff here to be sure, but I honestly think it could have been a bit better...Yet it's hard to talk trash when you're looking at that beautiful, bright red cover...*sigh lovingly*

Holy cow! Black Flag made a video for "Slip It In"! Is it true this was really played on MTV?! That's hard to believe...Over six minutes, features an orgasm solo, and looks like it was shot on a home video camera...I wasn't aware this existed until recently...Check it out...

Black Flag: My War

Black Flag: My War

1984

SST Records

Format I Own it on: Compact Disc

Track Listing: 1. My War  2. Can't Decide  3. Beat My Head Against the Wall  4. I Love You  5. Forever Time  6. The Swinging Man  7. Nothing Left Inside  8. Three Nights  9. Scream

The band's first album of new material after a long three year hiatus that was a result of the band's legal dispute with Unicorn Records...

Man, what the hell is "Unicorn Records"? That doesn't sound like a label that would put out an ass-kicking hardcore out an album by Black Flag...

I mean look at it! As an anti-parent...I find Unicorns to be anti-anti-parent creatures...And I can't recall ever running into another record that was released on Unicorn Records...

I take back what I said the other day about "Jealous Again." The song "My War" is the greatest, most gut-wrenching Black Flag track ever...A brief jazz-punk intro gives way to Henry's anguished scream, "MYYYY WARR!" and the band explodes like a stick of freakin' dynamite...Incredible! 

All of side one rules, actually...This album somehow seems a lot more antisocial and scarier than the Black Flag of "Damaged." Like they were just locked up for those three years, letting all the self-loathing and animosity build up, until they were finally let loose to exact vengeance on a  cold world full of phony friends and fake smiles....The creepy cover drawing says it all!

"I Love You" even manages to make pop-punk sound frightening!

"I practice my knife, I feel the power
I look in the mirror and I want to destroy her..."

Holy cow!  That girl might want to look into a good, firm restraining order! You know this ain't ending good!

Usually either seen as a masterwork of caustic nihilism or a self-indulgent bore, side two is where this album often divides people... The band forgoes high-speed hardcore and dives into the sticky tar-pit world of marathon-length sludge-metal...None of the tracks on side two fall under the six minute mark...Long, doomy dirges that split the difference between Black Sabbath and Flipper...I actually enjoy this stuff, but I can see how it could turn off some people...There's not much cathartic aggression...Only howling desperation...As a jaded 36 year-old man, this may seem a little quaint now, but I can tell you when I was a 15 year old kid, alone in his bedroom, this was the most harrowing shit ever....

...And this was just the start...The band released three studio albums and a live record in '84...But before we get to all that, let's check out "My War" by Black Flag...