Fretplay.com Black Sabbath CD reviews Black Sabbath guitar tabs Black Sabbath CD reviews Black Sabbath tabs Greatest Hits


Black Sabbath - Greatest Hits Audio CD

A fair review of the Black Sabbath "Greatest Hits" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Black Sabbath reviews here, or go back to the Black Sabbath tabs.

Black Sabbath Band: Black Sabbath
Title: Greatest Hits
Rating:
Release Date: 1996-01-01
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Paranoid 2: N.I.B. 3: Changes 4: Sabbath Bloody Sabbath 5: Iron Man 6: Black Sabbath 7: War Pigs 8: Laguna Sunrise 9: Tomorrow's Dream 10: Sweet Leaf

For those with a passing interest in a pioneering rock band
Just a classic rock enthusiast and a casual album collector. I'm not a Black Sabbath historian or really a fan. I liked their singles, so bought the CD. If you fall in that category as well, this should fit the bill!

I would have paid a couple bucks just for the 7 or 8 minutes of "War Pigs" bliss. But liked all the tracks at least a little. There are the hit singles, an instrumental, a couple of slower songs, a bit of cartoon-y Satanism perhaps. (Tame and inoffensive by today's standards I assure you. )

Yes, the serious collector should know that there are NO liner notes to speak of. However this is a good sound quality CD from a groundbreaking band at a good price!.


Lacking Something
Except that it is missing Snowblind and Fairies Wear Boots. This compilation seems fine. There are more comprehensive Black Sabbath greatest hits out there. .


Tracks are...
Paranoid
2. 1. N. I. B
3. Changes
4. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
5. Iron Man
6. Black Sabbath
7. War Pigs
8. Laguna Sunrise
9. Tomorrow's Dream
10. Sweet Leaf
.


quintessential ozzy-bath
it is simply the cream of black sabbath during the ozzy period. if you want an ozzy sabbath collection without any filler, this is the one to get. every song is a killer - but i think you already know that. if you want a more extensive collection with detailed notes, photos etc look elsewhere. for me this works! i first had this on tape 15 years back and was lucky to get this on cd as well. at its price you can't get a better deal!.


Forget the stereotypes
I'll admit it. I was NOT a Black Sabbath fan. I'm not really interested in hearing the same 3 chords played brutally loud over and over while some guy in S&M gear bleats lyrics about Satan and his minions. Certainly the band had never really tried to present any OTHER image, so for an outsider like me, it was hard to imagine they'd do songs about: love and loss or the fallacies of war to name two. My wife, however, had this CD as part of her collection so when I "inherited" it post-marriage, I gave it a chance. I have to admit I was (happily) surprised. You do NOT have to be a "turn it to 11!" kinda guy (or gal) to appreciate BS.

In response to other reviewers, the sound quality is great for the vintage (I didn't hear any horrible hiss or distortion. . . actually, it seemed very clear for an obviously budget CD), I had zero problem getting it to play in my CD-ROM drive, and I think (short of the 2 I mention below) that the track selection is very good (for the band's early material). What the reviewer says about the liners being non-existent and the spine upside down IS correct. . . it's obviously a budget release and not the "official" Warner Brothers greatest hits.

As to it being a "collector's" item, I think that's overly optimistic: At least in the U. S. where I live this has been readily available in the big chain record shops for around $5 or so new.

For those not that familiar with the band, this English group more or less created the heavy metal genre. The band (as heard on this CD anyhow, the lineup has changed over the years) is Ozzy Osbourne (vocals), Tony Iommi (guitar), Geezer Butler (bass), and Bill Ward (drums).

HIGHLIGHTS:
"Paranoid" opens the disc with a straight ahead rock and roll blast about feeling isolated and unhappy, complete with a great fuzz guitar solo. "N. I. B. " has a very odd experimental intro with a brief somewhat funky bass solo that completely fades out, then the main guitar riff comes in to establish the song. (This one and "Black Sabbath" are the only songs that actually deal with the occult). The song actually incorporates sections that are spare with only a tambourine and a bass that sound as "heavy" as the moments driven by the electric guitar. Piano/organ ballad "Changes" tale of love lost is actually haunting. . . very pretty. "Iron Man" is a comic book style fantasy about a metal man who brings on the apocalypse. "War Pigs" is a great anti-war song that pictures a terrible end for the architects of armed conflict (And as God has struck the hour/
Day of judgement, God is calling/On their knees the war pigs crawling/Begging mercies for their sins/Satan, laughing, spreads his wings"). "Laguna Sunrise" is a pretty acoustic guitar instrumental (with strings!)

LOW SPOTS:
"Black Sabbath", unfortunately, was everything I had in my worst fears realized: stupid melodramatic plodding "Satan coming to get you" boring heavy metal. It's doubly sad that THIS is the cut they take their name from because it was easily my most disliked one on the disc. "Sweet Leaf" was decent musically, but the pro-marijuana ode's lyrics weren't up to snuff.

BOTTOM LINE:
You don't have to be able to make the "devil horn" sign or bang your head to enjoy this. Despite the image they tended to portray, only 1 song here really deals with Satan/Lucifer/the Dark Lord/fill in your nickname here. . . albeit a creepy one as Ozzy Osbourne decides to sing the song from Old Scratch's point of view. For the price, it's a bargain.


You can see a complete list of all Black Sabbath discography, or go back to the Black Sabbath tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.

Search guitar tabs

#ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
[ Search tabs | Guitar tabs | Bass tabs |
Easy guitar tabs | Guitar solo tabs |
Acoustic guitar tabs | Guitar chords |
How to read guitar tabs ]
Forum topics
Music forums
- Bands and artists - Songwriting and lyrics - Tablature talk - Promote your band
Instrument forums
- Guitar basics - Gear & accessories - Bass guitar
Community
- The pit - Site Feedback - Reviews
[ User survey | About us | Privacy statement ]