What's your favorite/least favorite Black Sabbath album?

[Spaceman Spiff]

I'm on a one man quest to bring the Tailgate back to greatness, the way it once was.  You old-timers know what I'm talking about.  I understand there's not enough participants for a babe draft and that's fine.  However, all of the political/social justice threads have taken this place off the rails and while it's nice to be informed and debate on that stuff, it's not nearly as fun as...a babe draft.  Or Led Zeppelin.  Or Black Sabbath.

 

I realize they might not have the widespread appeal that LZ or some other bands have and that's fine.  However, if you like Black Sabbath, let's do this.

 

The Ozzy albums, only.  I respect Dio but those albums just don't sound the same, nor does anything in the 80s or 90s.  If your #1 choice includes the Dio, Gillan or Tony Martin albums, state your case.  Some of those albums probably stand well enough on their own if they were another band NOT named Black Sabbath, but this is a band that brought us War Pigs, Paranoid, Snowblind and others.

 

I'm including 13 here because while no one will probably pick it I thought it was a good return to form and curious to see how many pick it as their least favorite.  And, Ozzy.

 

Also curious to see the regulars thoughts on Ward, Butler, and especially Iommi.  I love Iommi, I think he never gets his due.  

[Bang]

It's been so long since i've listened to a Sabbath album as an album,,  i will try to remember based on those days.

 

I think my favorite may have been Sabotage..  it wasn't as plodding as much of the other early stuff. I like Sabbath alright, but i tend to get bored with the thud....thud....thud.... of it.

I liked Sabbath Bloody Sabbath because A/ it has an awesome cover, and B/ it has "Sabbra Cadabbra" on it, which IMO was one of their more interesting tracks

 

I didn't like Technical Ecstasy, but it's not my least, which was "Live at last", an import that i had to special order from the Waxie Maxies record store in Bowie (pretty cute girl working there as i recall.)..  it took forever to come in and when it did,,,  well, it was a disappointment compounded by anticipation. 

 

~Bang

[codeorama]

Black Sabbath is the band that helped me learn guitar.  I was't old enough during their prime time, but I learned to love them after the fact.  When I first started playing guitar, they were one of the bands that were easy enough for me to learn to play.  That is NOT a slap at them. If anything, its a huge compliment.  They have relatively simple songs that hold the test of time.

 

Volume IV is my favorite overall, but there are times where I wore out any one of their albums. 

13 is one that I have not listened to enough. 

 

As a guitar player in a band, I've played out live: Paranoid (obviously), War Pigs and one of my all time favorites, Faries Wear Boots. Other wise, I've learned so many of them its hard to count.  I like the Dio albums as well, including when they got back together as Heaven and Hell.  I still play Children of the Sea a lot now.  

 

I've often posted in guitar forums-

Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick made me want to play guitar, 

Jimmy Page made me go out and buy a guitar, 

Toni Iommi made me able to play the guitar

and EVH made me practice...

1 hour ago, Bang said:

It's been so long since i've listened to a Sabbath album as an album,,  i will try to remember based on those days.

 

I think my favorite may have been Sabotage..  it wasn't as plodding as much of the other early stuff. I like Sabbath alright, but i tend to get bored with the thud....thud....thud.... of it.

I liked Sabbath Bloody Sabbath because A/ it has an awesome cover, and B/ it has "Sabbra Cadabbra" on it, which IMO was one of their more interesting tracks

 

I didn't like Technical Ecstasy, but it's not my least, which was "Live at last", an import that i had to special order from the Waxie Maxies record store in Bowie (pretty cute girl working there as i recall.)..  it took forever to come in and when it did,,,  well, it was a disappointment compounded by anticipation. 

 

~Bang

 

The ONE thing I absolutely LOVED about Live at Last was the version of Killing Yourself to Live.... For the chorus, in stead of singing "Killing yourself to Live", Ozzy sang "then you die" and I loved that so much more than the original.

[TryTheBeal!]

Sabbath is THE band for me and Sabotage is their finest hour.  SBS would be a close second.  Anybody who votes Never Say Die as worst, hasn't really heard the album.

 

Tech Ex is a mess but kinda fun and 13 is well-intentioned but the vocals are terrible.

 

So, so good...All Hail Geezer!

 

 

[codeorama]

13 minutes ago, TryTheBeal! said:

Sabbath is THE band for me and Sabotage is their finest hour.  SBS would be a close second.  Anybody who votes Never Say Die as worst, hasn't really heard the album.

 

Tech Ex is a mess but kinda fun and 13 is well-intentioned but the vocals are terrible.

 

So, so good...All Hail Geezer!

 

 

 

I like Never Say Die a lot as well... Very underrated.

[MintHillSkinsFan]

I'm a HUGE Dio fan and Mob Rules was my first Sabbath Album so I'm still partial to That and Heaven and Hell.  That in no way diminishes my love of the Ozzy albums.  Paranoid was my second Sabbath album but I love Master of Reality.  Children of the grave is probably my all time favorite Sabbath song.

[Bang]

I liked Heaven and Hell, and felt very guilty for it. Ozzy is part and parcel Sabbath..  it felt dirty listening to someone else front the band.. but damn, Heaven and Hell was a good album, and the title track kicks ass.

 

When i was about 14 or 15 i had a pair of boots like Ozzy's on the cover of Sabotage. In fact, i liked them so much i told my mom these were the boots i wanted,, THESE on THIS album cover,, nothing else but.
I got them for Christmas, the heel wasn't quite as big, but they looked the same. They were ****ing AWESOME.

 

~Bang

[aREDSKIN]

Sabotage/Mob rules, but this is really a miss without Heaven and Hell with Ronnie James Dio imo. H&H with Dio is their best imo.

 

 

[TryTheBeal!]

Geoff Nicholls Rest in Peace.