Customer Reviews

Black Sabbath, Vol.4

5 star:		(110)
4 star:		(35)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

_Black Sabbath Vol. 4_ was the first album where classic sludge-rockers Black Sabbath (Ozzy Osbourne-vocals, Bill Ward-drums, Geezer Butler-bass and Toni Iommi-guitar) started experimenting - which possibly foreshadowed what would be more emphasized on the following album, _Sabbath, Bloody Sabbath_. I just want to make a clarification before I move on: Black Sabbath's music is not about satanism or devil worshipping - it's subject matter is mainly about the harsh realities of life (i.e., crime, war, drugs, mental illness and more), which is rather "dark". Moving onto the tracks:

The album opens with "Wheels Of Confusion/The Straightener", which is a sludgy/heavy powerhouse. This is arguably the heaviest on the album. The lyrics are reflective and sad. "Tomorrow's Dream" is a r&b-rocker with groove. "Changes" is a beautiful piano-based ballad. The combination of Ozzy Osbourne's emotive vocals and the sad orchestral backdrops make this a somewhat painful track to listen to at times. "FX" is a short experiment featuring eerie guitar feedback from Toni Iommi. "Supernaut" (to me) proves that music is a transcendent force without limits or boundaries. The mix of boogie, classic psychedelic r&b and metal, shows that unlikely combinations can work - which almost makes it seem like it was never "unlikely" to begin with. "Snowblind" is a slow heavy rocker. Tony Iommi does some of his best soloing on this track. The end features some orchestral backdrops (possibly from synthesizers). "Cornucopia" is probably the most ominous sounding on here (check out the opening section). The dark lyrics contribute to this aspect as well. "Laguna Sunrise" is the beautiful and evocative acoustic guitar instrumental. If anyone were to listen to this calm, sedate and airy track (without knowledge of it being Sabbath), you wouldn't guess that this was the same band known for their dark and sludgy output - that's talent. "St. Vitus' Dance" is an upbeat, summery and "happy" sounding rock track - at least on a musical (excluding lyrics) level. "Under The Sun/Everyday Comes And Goes" sounds the most "Sabbath-esque" on here. The beginning is heavy and ominous. It then segues into a straightforward heavy rocker. The lyrics are deep, thought-provoking and rebellious. They address such issues as religion, personal beliefs and violence.

In short, _Black Sabbath Vol. 4_ is a classic metal album, which deserves to be owned by diehards, as well as those interested in Black Sabbath, or the roots of heavy metal. This would serve as a good introduction, as it features a well-crafted balance between heaviness and mild experimentation.

1972 was a watershed year for hard rock and Black Sabbath both. Luckily, the maturing group was able to spearhead the next part of the Proto-metal Revolution they'd founded with 'Master of Reality' in the form of this, their best work. 'Volume Four' was a functional, utilitarian name that was used to try and capture something whose essence could not be described with any adjective except, perhaps, 'shifting'. Unlike any of their previous three albums, the Sabs were able to keep their distance from a formula [more or less homogenous doom rock with the occasional 'let up' (although their first LP is a mish-mash of blues and the beginnings of their 'doom rock')] and make this effort become an entire soundscape filled with moving atmospheres - the ultimate in a heterogeneous texture.

'Wheels of Confusion/The Straightener' - THE STORYTELLER. The whining guitar notes, basic chord structures and past tense narrative lyrics find an experimental-minded band. The shifts in tempo were something they'd become very familiar with by this time but it never had sounded this good. Instrumental 'The Straightener' kicks in to round out the epic. Geezer's bass text is used as a canvas by Iommi here as he spatters riff spirals and twists all over the place. 'Laguna Sunrise' - THE MIND CREATES A FANTASY. Pretty number written for the beachfront where the Sabs were staying during their work on 'Volume Four'. A very haunting superimposition of Spanish guitar over a strings backing.

'F.X.' - THE UNKNOWN REALM. 1 3/4 minutes of sound effects, particularly picking noises. Probably very useful if you're doped up but much better when sober. 'Snowblind' - ROCK REFLECTION ON LIFESTYLE. The 'best' rock track of the album, 'Snowblind' was a single. It accurately depicts the group's concerns at the time. Money and fame had allotted them nicer cars and nicer drugs to fool with. 'Cornucopia' - ROCK REFLECTION ON SOCIETY. 'Take a life, it's going cheap; Kill someone, no-one will weep.' A thundering bass-driven track that's almost uglier in structure than the post industrial nightmare described by Osbourne's frenetic lyrics.

'Tomorrow's Dream' - LOVE DISCARDED. A short rocker that scored as a greatest hit. The whole feel here is of turning away from the woes of the Present and starting a whole new existence. 'Supernaut' - THE SELF TRIUMPHS. 'I've seen the future and I've left it behind.' Ward's frantic cymbal-bashing and Iommi's smokingly fast riffs and overdubs augment Osbourne's grandiose lyrical delivery perfectly. A hard, spiralling anthem. 'Changes' - LOVE REMOVED. A long piano/synth bit with Ozzy half-lamenting the joy of love taken away, half-asserting his understanding of the adjustment he's making to compensate. 'Under The Sun' - THE MIND REACTS AGAINST REALITY. Very heavy guitar and bass work drones with the strength of the nihilistic, sometimes self-contradicting lyrics. Soon the tempo changes and both the guitars and voice become more desperate to convey their point. The songs ends on a helter-skelter of doomy rhythm and amorphous riffs. 'St. Vitus' Dance' - ANTI-COMMUNICATION. This short, fast rocker bounces Osbounre's lyrics back and forth. It's about problems with understanding the female mind.

Altogether and in a sequence, these make up what is termed 'Volume Four'. There is but one other ingredient necessary to facilitate a successful listening - a mind of any type and in any condition. None of the songs will grow on you; you will see them ever after in the same light under which you orginally found them. The shade of that light depends on your perceptions and no two shades will ever be alike. This is an album saturated in an ebbing, ethereal fluid, one of the consequences being that the sounds recorded on 'Volume Four' make it quite impossible to place the whole in any single genre. This is a work that declares there are an infinite number of idiosyncratic interpretations of it available. I have given mine here: to find your own, you need to get this CD.

130 reviews, what a joke right?

here's what i find amazing about the album. it's kind of chaotic, it's disjunctive. there's a lot going on and going into this album. it's like a whirlwind. i can't believe of the reviews ive read no one comments on the opening and the closing of this album. Both standout reasons to hear this album.

If you havent heard, well.. what the hell is wrong with you? you must be 14 right?

wheels of confusion/the straightener starts and ends beautifully, it has some decent lyrics too. tomorrow's dream is a standard riff-heavy throwback to Master of Reality, mostly forgetable in my book, but there is a moment it shines around 1:40. changes, well you're in the mood for that or you're not. it's kind of just "there" to me. fx? haha. whatever, you be the judge.

supernaut! what a cocaine-induced mind-bending 1972 track. it does rock, scintillatingly, it rocks. you'll know it if you've been there before. Snowblind... wow. what a song. i always thought of that as one of their best. to heck with the references, you just know when you hear "let the winter sun shine on". Cornucopia opens pretty doomishly, and from there, it just swaggers on in a condescending and bitter way. it's one of those you're either in the mood for or not.

laguna sunrise, mmmm. peaceful and serene, but in a very down to earth sort of way. think adam and eve without the serpent element and the blackness the world then descended into (you do know who adam and ever were right? sex-thirsty monkies in the glory garden!) St. vitus dance? kind of like a hippy song gone wrong. sets the stage for killing yourself to live if you really think about it.

finally, under the sun/everyday comes and goes. ooo, so dark in the beginning. from there it chugs on in a self-serving, almost indignant way. changes to more hippy sounding everyday comes and goes which is also filled with social satire. comes back down to under the sun after a short and decent iommi solo and ends in a good way. actually ends in a very lovely and sad way, one of black sabbath's best moments here at the end of this tirade.

overall: a weird disc. much to gain at times and at others absolutely nothing at all. its a mandatory listen. give me vol. 4, sabbath bloody sabbath, and sabotage anyday.

Edit: i actually LOVE paranoid, not hate it.

THE BAND: Tony Iommi (guitars), Ozzy Osbourne (vocals), Geezer Butler (bass), Bill Ward (drums).

THE DISC: (1972) 10 songs clocking in at approximately 43 minutes. The Warner Bros issue has 2-pages of liner notes and no artwork to speak of (basically the cover artwork and song titles inside). The remastered version is now considered an import from Castle Communications (1996)... this one has the digitally remastered sound from the original master tapes, as well as the "faithfully restored artwork" - 10 pages including all band photos that the original vinyl had, song credits and lyrics. I got lucky and found a used copy of the remastered version for a fraction of the cost.

COMMENTS: While maybe not their strongest effort in many a critic's mind, this is STILL one of my all-time favorites from Black Sabbath. Tony Iommi's muffled and distorted guitar(s) are in rare form on this album... almost a constant electric buzz (except for one heartfelt acoustical masterpiece that is probably Iommi's best ballad to date - "Laguna Sunrise"). "Vol. 4" was original titled "Snowblind"... due to the obvious reference to cocaine it was considered an unsuitable album title by Warner Bros. The songs that opened my eyes to Sabbath were "Snowblind", "Supernaut", the 8 minute "Wheels of Confusion" and "Tomorrow's Dream" (the first hit released from the album). These stand out among the others and are hard rocking Sabbath classics. "Cornucopia" and "Under The Sun" are underrated deep album rockers. The music seems varied, complex, and open to a little experimentation - much more so than on previous Sabbath albums. Sabbath's debut (1970), "Paranoid" (1970) and "Masters Of Reality" (1971) were equally brilliant early metal classics... and "Vol.4" showed a different side to the band. That's why I fell in love with this album... it was just a tad different than anything we'd heard before from Ozzy & Co. Great disc (4.5 stars).

This album is my favorite album of any I've ever heard from Sabbath, well actually of any band. This is the definative Sabbath album.
1.Wheels of Confusion-great song with cool riffs and bass lines.5/5
2.Tommorrow's Dream-awesome song with a great meaning behind it.5/5
3.Changes-this song is very saddening, especially with Ozzy's moaning vocals portraying a very hurt individual. 5/5
4.FX-very useless and the only song (if it can be called a song) on the album i dislike 2/5
5.Supernaut- one of the best blues/metal songs ever written. This song can never be duplicated in it's complete majesty. This is sabbath at it's best 6/5 :)
6.Snowblind-this anthem about cocaine is my favorite Sabbath song of all time (other than Supernaut, and Junior's Eyes)10/5
7.Cornucopia- cool song about people dying in wars such as the Vietnam War 5/5
8.Laguna Sunrise-this song is a really good song but it's not near as good as Orchids 4/5
9.St. Vitus Dance- I love this song. It's friecken awesome. The lyrics are complimented by great music and cool bass lines. Great song-period 5/5
10.Under the Sun- This song is awesome. It's heavey as hell and explodes into the room whenever I play it. 5/5
Hope this review helps ya

5.

With todays music scene seriously dipping in quality, I've been doing what alot of people have been doing : going back in time and discovering the older bands such as Pink Floyd, King Crimson and my latest discovery Black Sabbath.

After Master of Reality, Black Sabbath had sort of backed themsleves into a corner. The fans where in love the slow pounding sludge guitar that was Sabbath's trademark, Sabbath had begun to experiment a tiny bit on Master of Reality with tracks like After Forever and Solitude but that was just the beggining. You see Vol.4 not only rocks harder than MOR it also beats it songwise. This album grabs you by the kneck from beggining to end whereas Master of Reality was tough to get listen to at times not so here. Another thing about this album is it's rocking power, it seems like the band let loose and went wild, Iommi's guitar is allowed to breathe, while on the last record it sounded layed back and so did the band.

The songs I most enjoy are Wheels of Confusion, Yesyerday's dream, Supernaut, Snowblind, Cornucopia heck I love each and every song on here!! Changes sounds like something Ozzy would go on to do with his solo carreer.

I don't understand the people who give the album bad reviews, personally I can't find anything wrong with this one, great introduction to the band if your new ot them.

Vol. 4 was the first Black Sabbath album I heard. I picked it up in a thrift store (in 8-track form) back in the early 80s. I've upgraded since then and Vol. 4 is still one of my favorite Sabbath albums. I'd only put Sabbath Bloody Sabbath above it as it is more solid. Some of the tracks here are amazing! "Wheels of Confusion," of course, is classic. "Cornucopia" is perhaps the darkest track here followed by "Under the Sun" (until it starts rocking during the bridge) and both are excellent. I like the lyrics to "Under the Sun" (I don't want no preacher telling me about the God in the sky and I don't want no one telling me where I'm going to go when I die") as well as the guitar solo at the end. This album offers variety with the slow "Changes" and the pleasant instrumental "Laguna Sunrise." "FX," which some regard as pointless, always intrigued me. As a kid, I'd swing the drawer knockers on my dresser to try and replicate the knocking noises on the track. It is not great even from an experimental standpoint, but, at least it is a quiet interlude and is not annoying (not to me anyway). "St. Vitus Dance" has an almost country sounding guitar that begins to rock at the verses. My favorite, though, is "Snowblind." Most of the reviewers here agree and why not--it is amazing! It is my all-time favorite Sabbath track. It is about cocaine abuse ("Feeling happy in my vein Icicles within my brain"). Anyone just getting into Ozzy and Sabbath who does not have that song needs to get this album right away! Neither "Snowblind" nor Vol. 4 will disappoint.

Black Sabbaths trademark sound changes a little bit become more grungy and bleak. The guitar is overly distorted and fuzzy, instead of the pristine heavy metal tone it was in the previous albums. This album was the beginning of the downfall of Black Sabbath, the drugs were getting to them and from this album on it was a slow decline to the bottom. But nevertheless this is a great album. Hears what I think of the songs.

1.Wheels Of Confusion (5/5)-The whole song has a sort of Confused mood to it, a song about tripping out on acid
2.Tommorow's Dream (4.5/5)- A heavy riff, the song is kinda unfocused though
3.Changes (3/5)-An okay pop song, whatever its not like they sold out and started playing pop like many bands tend too do.
4.FX (1.5/5)- A weird instrumental of strange tapping noises, I guess you gotta be on acid or something to fully appreciate it.
5.Supernaut (5/5)-great original riff, very heavy
6.Snowblind (5/5)-the best song on the album, one of my favorite sabbath songs, Melodic but still maintains its heavyness
7.Cornacopia (3.5/5)
8. Laguna Sunrise (4.5/5)-A moody acoustic instrumental, theres no singing but the melody still paints an image in mind
9.St.Vitus Dance (4/5)- Good song, an iron man like riff
10.Under the Sun/Every Day Comes and Goes (4/5)- A very bleak song, still good

If you like metal, or hard rock check this album out.

If you liked this album you may also like:
The Scorpions-Lonesome Crow
Uriah Heep-The Magicians Birthday
Judas Priest-Sad Wings Of Destiny
Alice Cooper-Billion Dollar Babies

Black Sabbath. A bunch of un-educated blokes from an industrial wasteland who played simple, mindless music. Really now? You could have fooled me. I'm going to make another Black Sabbath/ Led Zeppelin comparison (Yes, I apoligize)But nor do I have any desire to put any of these bands down. If anything, it truly benifts both; as it lends a sense of understanding to both of these unique,highly influential, musically gifted bands: In their approach, and there aim. Listening to both bands, Black Sabbath, if anything, tends to be the more jazz-oriented band of the two. Whereas Led Zeppelin is truly more into the blues. Musically, timing and precision meant a great deal to Zeppelin. Black Sabbath on the other hand never really played "in time". If anything, they were more about the feel of things. And this most certainly determined the out come of a song. A greater comparison can be made ultimately when comparing both band's rythm sections. Sabbath's dummer Bill Ward was no John Bonham, in that he played on time (he didn't). Nor was his playing nowhere near as precise. It wasn't. Ward's playing, tended to be more over the map, more jazzy, in that he would time and time on add numerous, unique fills, that at times, wouldn't be needed. He was a very unothodox drummer. Just as Gezzer Butler was somewhat of an unorthodox bass player, in that he really didn't play a bass like a bass, but like a rythm guitarist (which he was before he learned to play the bass) unlike Zeppelin's John Paul Jones, who was by all means your standard bass player. Nothing wrong with this, as Jones was a superb bass player (Led Zeppelin II was clearly his album, and shining moment) Diversity is another issue: Which band played more diverse material? The answer: Both Bands. Though, Zeppelin might've beat them by one (folk ala Led Zeppelin III) But as "Black Sabbath Vol.4" would prove (as well as their next few albums), Sabbath were certainly intrested, and capable of not just playing other tpyes, other styles of music, but they were in a way, far more (than Zeppelin) successful at incorporating these other styles into their sound. Proof? Well not only were Sabbath more conservative in their views of music, but it certainly might take a few people a while to point out the various musical touches, styles, and genres buried in Sabbath's signature sound. Where as Zeppelin's attempts were far more in your face, and at times, rather hamfested(Houses of the Holy, anybody?). Both bands of course went into two different directions, as Sabbath become interested in adopting progressive arrganments into their mix. And Volume 4 was their first attempt at such an experiment. (Was it a 100% success? IF anything, it's a yes & no) At the same time, they began branching out musically. As VOLUME 4 incorporates blues, jazz (Cornucopia), pop(St. Vitues Dance), boogie (Supernaut), psychodelia (Wheels of Confusion), and even latin beats(!) (which can be found imbeded through the second half of Snowblind, Cornucopia etc) into their sludgy mix (under the sun) Lyically, this album represents the point when Sabbath stopped being preachy, and became more introspective ( an approach that become far more successful on their next two albums) VOLUME 4, also perfectly showcases Sabbath's most drug-heavy period. As this is evidence through the music, and, well, the production. Which if anything, is really the only negative thing for the album: As it's probably (audio-wise) the most poorly mixed and produced of the original Sabbath albums. As Geezer Butler's bass is sadly, at times, buried in the mix. Not even the recent release and remasters of the Black Box have really done it justice. Though, the quality has been immensly cleaned up. It was the producer's (and Iommi's) poor decision to tune out the bass so much. On the plus side, you have some of Tony Iommi's best ever guitar work, riffing, and solos. And perhaps what is drummer Bill Ward's finest hour - as his arragments and fills at times prove to be truly mind-blowing and the best of any Sabbath album.

Vol. 4 is in my opinion the pinnacle of Sabbath's total achievement, their greatest album and one of the greatest heavy rock albums ever. I love all of the Ozzy era albums, especially the first 6, but 4 does it for me best. This record proved that Sabbath were exceptional musicians as well as THE heaviest band of their time. The opener "Wheels of Confusion" is an absolute monster! Geezer's lyrics and Ozzy's voice never sounded better and Iommi lays down another sledgehammer assault on our senses, easily one of their triumphs!. "Snowblind", "Tommorrow's Dream" and "Under the Sun" continue the aural onslaught, but "Supernaut" deserves special recognition along with "Confusion" as the best song from 4. Easily Bill Ward's finest hour as a drummer, he never sounded so good. Showing a softer side and a new complection to their sound are the classic ballad "Changes" and Tony's acoustic piece "Laguna Sunrise" which was a tribute to sunny L.A. where this beast was germninated. The band's notorious cocaine intake was also indulged upon during these heady times. Fortunately like many great bands of their era, chemically intake had yet to interfere with creative genius, although strains were beginning to show in the band's interealationship. Just as their fellow countrymen Led Zeppelin created their momument to Rock on their 4 album, so the Messieurs Butler, Iommi, Osbourne and Ward acheived immortality with theirs. As great as "Paranoid" and "Master of Reality" are, Vol. 4 is Black Sabbath's magnum opus.