Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath, Vol. 4

Artist:

Black Sabbath

UPC:

075992725927

See Also:

Osbourne, Ozzy Deep Purple Dio Gillan, Ian Rainbow Trapeze Hughes, Glenn (Bass) Electric Light Orchestra Kiss Stooges (The) Various Artists - The String Quartet Tribute To Black Sabbath Various Artists - Everything Comes & Goes: A Tribute To Black Sabbath Various Artists - Rockabye Baby! Lullaby Renditions of Black Sabbath

Description:

Black Sabbath: Ozzy Osbourne (vocals); Tony Iommi (guitar); Geezer Butler (bass instrument); Bill Ward (drums).
Vol. 4 is the point in Black Sabbath`s career where the band`s legendary drug consumption really starts to make itself felt. And it isn`t just in the lyrics, most of which are about the blurry line between reality and illusion. Vol. 4 has all the messiness of a heavy metal Exile on Main St., and if it lacks that album`s overall diversity, it does find Sabbath at their most musically varied, pushing to experiment amidst the drug-addled murk. As a result, there are some puzzling choices made here (not least of which is the inclusion of "FX"), and the album often contradicts itself. Ozzy Osbourne`s wail is becoming more powerful here, taking greater independence from Tony Iommi`s guitar riffs, yet his vocals are processed into a nearly textural element on much of side two. Parts of Vol. 4 are as ultra-heavy as Master of Reality, yet the band also takes its most blatant shots at accessibility to date -- and then undercuts that very intent. The effectively concise "Tomorrow`s Dream" has a chorus that could almost be called radio-ready, were it not for the fact that it only appears once in the entire song. "St. Vitus Dance" is surprisingly upbeat, yet the distant-sounding vocals don`t really register. The notorious piano-and-Mellotron ballad "Changes" ultimately fails not because of its change-of-pace mood, but more for a raft of the most horrendously clich?d rhymes this side of "moon-June." Even the crushing "Supernaut" -- perhaps the heaviest single track in the Sabbath catalog -- sticks a funky, almost danceable acoustic breakdown smack in the middle. Besides "Supernaut," the core of Vol. 4 lies in the midtempo cocaine ode "Snowblind," which was originally slated to be the album`s title track until the record company got cold feet, and the multi-sectioned prog-leaning opener, "Wheels of Confusion." The latter is one of Iommi`s most complex and impressive compositions, varying not only riffs but textures throughout its eight minutes. Many doom and stoner metal aficionados prize the second side of the album, where Osbourne`s vocals gradually fade further and further away into the murk, and Iommi`s guitar assumes center stage. The underrated "Cornucopia" strikes a better balance of those elements, but by the time "Under the Sun" closes the album, the lyrics are mostly lost under a mountain of memorable, contrasting riffery. Add all of this up, and Vol. 4 is a less cohesive effort than its two immediate predecessors, but is all the more fascinating for it. Die-hard fans sick of the standards come here next, and some end up counting this as their favorite Sabbath record for its eccentricities and for its embodiment of the band`s excesses. And "Supernaut." ~ Steve Huey

Track Listing:

DISC 1

1. Wheels Of Confusion / The Straightener
2. Tomorrow`s Dream
3. Changes
4. FX
5. Supernaut
6. Snowblind
7. Cornucopia
8. Laguna Sunrise
9. St. Vitus` Dance
10. Under The Sun / Everyday Comes And Goes

Album Information

Release Date:

04/26/1988

Type:

Performer

Genre:

Rock & Pop

Subgenre:

Hard Rock

Label:

Warner Bros.

Producer:

Black Sabbath; Patrick Meehan

Catalog Number:

2602

Original Release Year:

1972

# of Discs:

1

Studio/Live:

Studio

Mono/Stereo:

Stereo

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