James Galloway

Mrs. Hill

English 10 CP

May 8, 2002

Black Sabbath

"Generals gathered in their masses!" A tall dark figure stands with three other men on a stage; silver crosses hang from his neck, swaying with the cry of the war siren. He points the microphone at me or one of the other 10,000 fans, who is trying, but only failing to scream louder than me, "…Just like witches at black masses!" Two hours later, I reflect on the reason Black Sabbath is my favorite band: the music they play, the surreal instrumentals, and Ozzy Osbourne’s undying passion for his cause and the music.

Black Sabbath has a very unique type of music that they play. At first glance, they sound like any other extremely talented heavy metal band. The fact is, however, that they are much more. For instance, they use this ‘metallic’ sound to convey their message and appeal to a wider audience, while keeping the intensity and reality alive and entertaining the audience with awe-inspiring music. If the listeners aren’t paying any particular attention to the lyrics, but just the sound, they still know that whatever is being sang, is being meant. Next, it is sometimes difficult to look past the heartless metal shield and decipher the meaning behind a song, but it is always possible because Black Sabbath plays with such emotion and belief. Every song, they get out onto the stage, whether they’re playing for 10,000 in Birmingham in 1997, or the staff and one paying customer in a bar in the same city, in 1967, and put forth every ounce of their energy and emotion. For example, the very first song they played together at that recording studio in England was no different than the marvel witnessed by 10,000 others and myself in the NEC Arena. Finally, it is always very hard to put forth emotion without a cause to believe in. Black Sabbath plays about things such as war, Communism, and Christianity/Satanism, and pretty much anything anti-establishment (making them "what every parent loved to hate"). For instance, "War Pigs" brings about how easy it is for a big-time government-head or official to wage war and then not have to fight or feel the same pain. Hence, Black Sabbath played a very powerful, unique type of music.

When I’m not appreciating the uniqueness and emotion, I am drooling for the amazing instrumentals. First is Tony Iommi, who has no fingertips and a thirst for that which is not truly attainable: complete and total anarchy. Ordinarily, the loss of one’s fingertips would end his/her career as a guitarist. This pioneer guitarist of heavy metal, however, used this handicap to his advantage. For instance, he was forced to lower the tuning in his strings because the tension was too much for his tender fingers and he also covered the tips with metal fingers, giving everything a deeper, guttural, and literally a "metallic" sound to carry Ozzy’s waling voice. Next is the bass. Black Sabbath creates some of the most unique sounds in music because of the manner in which Terrance "Geezer" Butler can manipulate the 4-string beast. For example, in "Fairies Wear Boots," the bass is what carries the song through the seven-minute song and delivers such a feeling of hopelessness, like whatever bad situation this song is representing (in this case, oppressive, dictatorial control, or Fascism) will be one not soon escaped. Finally, and most importantly, a person would have to be legally deaf to not pick up on the complexity of Bill Ward’s drumming abilities. For instance, if you pay attention to him closely, more than anything else, you might notice that he not only could give himself a stroke from his own intensity, but he also demonstrates great self-control. A fine example of this is in one of Ozzy’s solos. For example, he might only stomp the bass once or twice per measure to add some depth to his otherwise shrill, high-pitched voice, rather than constantly trying to be the star of the show, but his playing is mesmerizing. Indeed, Black Sabbath can put down some deafening, but quality instrumentals.

If I can’t enjoy Black Sabbath for the music they play or the surreal instrumentals, I appreciate Ozzy Osbourne’s passion for his music and his personality (face it: he made Black Sabbath). First, is the way he cares for his family. For instance, he is often seen as a "modern day Dracula" or some sort of demon; that is not the case. He has three kids and a wife. They stuck together all throughout his music career and grew together on the road. From the time he met his wife, Sharon, to this day, she took up the roll as manager for Ozzy’s band, while at the same time, caring for their two kids on the road. That is not to say that Ozzy took up the roll of the slob; he was bringing home the bacon with his still red-hot music career—all of it going towards his two children and wife. Next, as a child, Ozzy’s family had no money and his father died in his arms, only after never teaching Ozzy a thing about life, but to drink. Ozzy lived a very hard life, with four siblings and a single mother in a 2-bedroom house in a small town in England. He still did everything in his power to support his family, even after he left for the states in hopes of finding better luck there by sending a percentage of every check to his mom. For instance, when he finally made it big with his new albums such as Bark at the Moon and Paranoid, he sent his mom and closer family each a check for $1,200 (about 800 pounds at the time) to do what they please with. Finally, is Ozzy’s devotion to his work. To this day, he still values his art in the way he did in high school and still claims not to play for the audience, but for himself. Indeed, Ozzy Osbourne sports a winning personality and sings great songs.

The kind of music, the surreal instrumentals, and Ozzy Osbourne’s undying passion for his music and personality—these are the main reasons Black Sabbath is my favorite band. The next time you are driving home from work and you hear that talented music group begin to play and you recognize the singer’s voice as "that bat guy," leave it on the station, turn it up, and try to appreciate, like I do, the true quality and style of this band.