Overview:
According
to pretty much everyone, Sabotage was
the last “great” Black Sabbath album, as tension within the band and substance
abuse had a hand in derailing one of the most successful bands of the era. The entire album is much lighter in nature,
not nearly as gloomy as past albums were.
Hell, it even included a piano-led song that would sound more
appropriate on a Beatles record than a Sabbath one. The band still show they are experts on their
respective instruments, but the cohesion as a band is not as evident as it used
to be, with many of the songs almost feeling like they are going through the
motions and not be nearly as mentally involved as they were in the past.
Tracks you may
know:
“It’s Alright”: I
like the song, just not as a Sabbath song.
It would make a great Beatles tune and you can see their influence
here. Bill Ward does a great job both on
the drums and singing here, but it just feels like the least Black Sabbath in
an album full of non-Black Sabbath tracks.
“Dirty Women”: A
staple of the live set, this track is one of the most “Sabbathy” sounding ones
on the record (probably why it has passed the test of time.
Tracks you should
know:
“All Moving Parts (Stand Still)”: It has a nice, bass-led groove to it and Ozzy
doesn’t oversell the vocals. This is a
good song, and might be a highlight on anyone else’s album.
“She’s Gone”: It
honestly feels more like Ozzy’s solo stuff (especially his stuff from Blizzard of Oz) than it does a Sabbath
track. It’s sad and gloomy, just not
with the same weight that you would find in an earlier Sabbath release.
My personal favorite:
“Dirty Women”: This
is the only song that really feels like it could be transplanted onto any of
Sabbath’s later records (anything post Master
of Reality). It has the right tempo,
not upbeat or poppy like “Rock ‘N’ Roll Doctor” or straight up out of character
like “It’s Alright”, to be a classic Sabbath song.
Album rating:
It’s
not the worst album I have ever heard, but it’s not up to the high bar Sabbath
set for itself in the earlier stages. I
don’t think it’s entirely the fault of drugs or band in-fighting for the poor
musical direction that this album took.
As other bands were popping up that were going heavier as a result of
Sabbath’s influence, they mellowed out considerably. Unfortunately Technical Ecstasy is more filler than hit.
4/10
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