Overview:
I’ll let you in on a little
secret…I didn’t actually own Vol. 4
until a couple weeks ago. I had heard it
back when I was in high school, and it was always on my “to do” list in terms
of albums to get, but I just hadn’t, and honestly if it wasn’t for this series,
I may have gone longer without it. This
would have been a huge mistake though, as Vol.
4 is the last truly great Black Sabbath album, and is quickly becoming one
of my favorites in the catalog.
Tracks you may
know:
“Snowblind”: This is
the track that you always hear live or that many people associate with this
album and the band because cocaine was pretty prevalent in their lives around
the time this was written. This is a
great song and fits in really well with the rest of the album in terms of the
overall tempo and the way it has sped everything up while staying gloomy.
“Changes”: Ozzy and a
piano, who knew? This is a well known
track probably more because of its break from the norm than anything else. It’s “Mama I’m Coming Home” before Sharon was
around to write for. Regardless of the
fact that it’s not a track you commonly associate with Sabbath, it’s one of
their best.
Tracks you should
know:
“Wheels of Confusion-The Straighteneer”: The opening track to the album is like
visiting an old friend. It’s a speedy
little song that is prototypical Sabbath.
It’s a quality tune and sets the stage for an album that serves as a
great follow-up to Master of Reality.
“Laguna Sunrise”: No vocals, no problem! This is just an exercise in the master guitar
player that Tony Iommi is. It’s soothing
and actually quite interesting. It feels
like the kind of song you would put on in your convertible while driving around
Southern California in 1972.
My personal favorite:
“Supernaut”: There
are so many to choose from on this album, but “Supernaut” is just a prototypical
Sabbath tune that is hard to find any fault with. A killer riff combined with a guitar solo
(and a mid-song drum solo) that make this one of the standouts of the album.
Album rating:
Not too much filler here (except for maybe “FX”). Sabbath is still at their creative peak and it shows. Unfortunately that peak
doesn’t last too much longer.
8/10
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