Black Widow [Import, Original recording remastered]

Black Widow | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 14, 2006)
• Original Release Date: 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import, Original recording remastered
• Label: Repertoire
• ASIN: B000FQWG88
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #107,526 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Tears & Wine

2. Gypsy

3. Bridge Passage

4. When My Mind Was Young

5. Journey

6. Poser

7. Mary Clark

8. Wait Until Tomorrow

9. An Afterthought

10. Legend Of Creation

11. Wish You Would (Bonus Track)

12. Accident (Bonus Track)

Editorial Reviews

Digitally remastered reissue of this British hard rock band's self-titled sophomore album from 1971, now featuring two bonus tracks. Often compared to their contemporaries Black Sabbath and early Jethro Tull, Black Widow's cult following continues to grow 30 years after they disbanded.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Black Widow's Best, October 26, 2009

By 

Aron D. Rush "missouri reb" (Cross Timbers, Mo usa) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Black Widow (Audio CD)

This is progressive rock of the highest quality. So many prog bands are nothing more than jazz/rock outfits of varied talents, with not much to seperate them from the pack. Liecester's Black Widow was unique among their peers, and not just because they featured occult lyrics and stage performances, though very few others had entered this territory at the time. Listening to a Black Widow record is like entering a strange, dark and mysterious dream world, perhaps only achieved to this extent by HP Lovecraft in the late 60's.

This was the band's third effort (if you count Pesky Gee), and in my opinion, their finest. They'd toned down the occult references this time around, but still managed to acheive as dark a vibe as Sacrifice, allowing the music to communicate.

The disc opens with Tears And Wine, a slow tempoed aural painting of immense beauty. Rockin' guitar, dark organ passages, haunting vocal harmonies. An intense serious band, totally focused. The songs flow through various moods and styles, as the sleeping mind passes from one dream to another. Folk with gorgeous flute passages, straight up rock, down and dirty blues, progressive, it's all here. Mary Clark is a beautiful nightmare, atmospheric music as good as it gets. Wait until Tomorrow is about as close to metal as Black Widow ever got. The Story of Creation is a progressive powerhouse and allows Clive Jones to show his prowess on flute and sax.

As always, Repertoire Records has done an excellent job, as on all their reissues. Their efforts are always a welcome addition to my collection. They deserve our gratitude for bringing out these classic records that didn't receive their due the first time around. This is an amazing album, an amazing band.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Won't find Satan there!!, April 10, 2006

By 

T. Olson "hobbitkiller" (Scandinavia WI USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Black Widow (Mlps) (Audio CD)

Awesome album by the originators of Black/Doom Metal. I own the 1989 Repertoire label release but all the songs remain the same. Not as dark as Sacrifice but equally as good. This came out around 1971 and I would compare it to Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Uriah Heep, Yes, and Jethro Tull. I highly reccomend this disc to anyone who loves early 70's Heavy/Progressive Rock.

5.0 out of 5 stars amazingly good for being a lost classic, April 15, 2010

By 

B. E Jackson (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Black Widow (Audio CD)

What's really cool about Black Widow's second album is that it actually doesn't sound like EITHER Black Sabbath or Jethro Tull, and furthermore, this band has actually developed their own style. Sacrifice and this album sound like nothing else out there.

Oh sure, some of the flute solos might remind you of Jethro Tull, and *maybe* some of the guitar playing will remind you of Black Sabbath from either their debut or Volume 4 album, but truthfully, Black Widow stands apart from the rest with their interesting blend of folk, hard rock, and just a touch of evil lyrics to give them a distinct sound.

"Tears and Wine" might recall "In Ancient Days" from their Sacrifice album, but only slightly (and for just a few moments in the beginning of the song). After that, you're treated to a very melodic, eerily quiet, and tastefully played keyboard jam, before the song breaks out into a *scorching hot* guitar jam. Imagine the guitar playing from Led Zeppelin's "How Many More Times" extended for twice as long and TWICE as heavy, and that might give you an idea what this particular guitar solo is like. I love it.

"Poser" has a funky rhythm that reminds me of a certain Allman Brothers song, however, the difference is that the Black Widow song has a really melodic flute jam that eventually breaks out into some tastefully played keyboard and guitar playing. A magnificent song, and because of how often I admire jams, this just might be my favorite song here.

It should be noted that what Black Widow was doing for this album is somewhat abandon their evil gimmick in favor of doing what they do best- write memorable half folk/half blues rock jams. I can't recall another band during this time period that attempted the same thing, or at least, not one with songwriting THIS good.

For most people "Mary Clark" is memorable for the lyrics, but for me personally, I haven't heard anything like the way the song is written. Okay, maybe (and this is somewhat of a stretch) Love's "All Alone Or" is written is a similar fashion with the quiet build-up in vocal delivery, but like I said, this is definitely a stretch. Either way, Alice Cooper may have been inspired by this song for all we know.

"Legend of Creation" contains more guitar and keyboard playing that leaves me speechless. An underrated band if there ever was one, Black Widow certainly had something good going back in the day, and this album in particular should be held in the same light as Sacrifice. I see no reason why time hasn't been so kind to this album as it has for Sacrifice when both albums are pretty similar (minus the scary gimmick for this outing).