Things You'll Need:
- Black Sabbath albums
- Something to listen to them on (as always, good speakers are preferable)
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Step 1
Start with Black Sabbath's 1971 sophomore album "Paranoid." Not only does the album contain songs listeners will recognize from classic rock radio (the title track, "War Pigs," and the deathless "Iron Man"), it is the most consistently excellent studio effort of Black Sabbath's career. Every song does the job, from the cautionary heroin horrorshow "Hand of Doom" to the pummeling "Fairies Wear Boots," and every essential element is in place: Ozzy Osbourne's declamatory wail, guitar riffs that are as catchy as they are heavy, a tight, intuitive rhythm section, and silly but fun lyrics.
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Step 2
Check out the band's self-titled debut. On the opening title track, rain and churchbells draw you into the gothic atmosphere suggested by the creepy album cover before the triumphant entrance of Tony Iommi's devilish, gnarled guitar riff and drums that sound like the footsteps of a Tokyo-sized monster. The sound is remarkably distinctive; simply put, no one had heard anything like it before. An industrial accident had taken 2 fingertips off of Iommi's fret hand, forcing him not only to construct artificial replacements out of melted plastic covered in leather, but to detune his strings, creating that impossibly sludgy sound.
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Step 3
Check out "Master of Reality" and "Volume 4" the Sabbath's third and fourth records. "Master of Reality" is especially strong, seeing the band finding ways to expand their formula both musically and in the lyrics, which still stumble at times but show a more speculative side to the band. The Iommi riff-machine is still running strong; see "Sweet Leaf," "Children of the Grave," and especially "Into the Void." "Volume 4" is more inconsistent. The band's drug hoovering in L.A. during the album's recording was exacerbating personal tensions and draining the group creatively, but the album's standouts are still shockingly good. Opener "Wheels of Confusion" goes on a multi-part musical journey with a sensibility inspired by psychedelic rock, and "Supernaut" is simply the most rocking tune they ever produced, swinging hard and sporting one of Tony Iommi's best solos.
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Step 4
Look at the rest of the band's catalog chronologically. The band's fifth effort, "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" is generally viewed as the last essential album by the original lineup. It features contributions by Yes keyboard wizard Rick Wakeman, and the results are hit and miss. The album still has a great deal to recommend it, especially the title track. The follow-up, "Sabotage" managed to ward off the downhill slide somewhat with a number of strong songs ("Hole in the Sky," "Symptom of the Universe") but 1977's unfortunate "Technical Ecstasy" was the last before Ozzy quit. He was replaced by Rainbow frontman Ronnie James Dio. The general rule about Dio Sabbath is that the less a listener enjoys metal, the less they will enjoy Black Sabbath's Ronnie James Dio years, although the "Heaven and Hell" album is well-regarded.
