September 21, 2012 Playlist

"Vol. 4" by Black Sabbath (1972)
CLASSIC ALBUM OF THE WEEK
Black Sabbath  "Vol. 4"  1972 (UK)
Black Sabbath din't invent heavy music, but they perfected it in 1970 and thus the enduring subgenre of rock known as Heavy Metal was born.  Though their influence can be felt throughout the entire ensuing history of Metal, in recent years Sabbath's influence has only increased:  "newer" microgenres (invented by "critics", and these days everyone is a critic on the Intertubes, right?) such as "Doom Metal" and "Stoner Metal" are directly derived from the BS blueprint.  Though I would not rank it as among the band's very best (those would be their first three albums), Vol. 4 is arguably one of their most influential.  It was the first record they produced themselves and is somehow both more brutal (the dinosaur riffage is practically atonal at times) yet more diverse than their previous records (melotrons, acoustic guitar, vaguely country licks and even a piano ballad!)  The end result is a labrynth of eldritch dread -- the "soft" and even mediocre parts of this record somehow just make it that much gloomier.  (And then there's this interesting synchronicity about the album cover:  Ozzy is doing the same peace sign pose that Richard Nixon would two years later when he resigned the White House!)
Here's the Fab Sabs playing a track from this album at the California Jam in 1974: "Tomorrow's Dream" -- and speaking of "Stoner Metal", here's "Snowblind", which is also from Vol. 4 and may be the least subtle drug song ever written.   More heaviness ensues during "Hole In The Sky", and 40 years later here's 3/4 of the original members still looning it up: "Into The Void".
(N) = New Release
(R) = Listener Request
Artist Song Album Year (label) Country
Jefferson Airplane (R)
D.C.B.A.-25
Surrealistic Pillow
1967
USA
Melvins
SHEvil
Stoner Witch
1994
USA
Thee Oh Sees
Will We Be Scared?
Putrifiers II EP (N)2012 (In The Red)USA
Dinosaur jr
Rude
I Bet On Sky (N)2012 (Jagjaguar)USA
Ty Segall Band The TongueSlaughterhouse (N)2012 (In The Red)USA
Mission Of Burma
Fun World
Vs.
1982
USA
 
  
Black Sabbath
Wheels Of Confusion
Vol. 4
CLASSIC ALBUM OF THE WEEK
1972
USA
Black Sabbath
Under The Sun / Every Day Comes And Goes
Vol. 4
CLASSIC ALBUM OF THE WEEK
1972
USA
White HillsThe Song Of EverythingFrying On This Rock (N)2012 (Thrill Jockey)USA
Pentagram
Walk In The Blue Light
First Daze Here
rec. 1970's, rel. 2002
USA
 
  
Budgie
Nude Disintegrating Parachutist Woman
Budgie
1971
UK (Wales)
Metallica
Crash Course In Brain Surgery (Budgie)
Garage Days Re-Revisited EP
1987
USA
NoMeansNo
Would We Be Alive?
Would We Be Alive? EP 1997
Canada
Blue Öyster Cult
E.T.I. (Extra Terrestrial Intelligence)
Agents Of Fortune
1976
USA
 
  
Can Bubble Rap
The Lost Tapes (N - previously unreleased tracks)rec. 1972 (2012 Spoon/Mute)Germany
NEU!
Hallogallo
NEU! 1972
Germany
Kraftwerk
Die Roboter (The Robots)
Die Mensch-Maschine (AKA The Man Machine) 1978
Germany
Jefferson Airplane (R)
Never Argue With A German If You're Tired Or European Song
Bark
1971
USA
Lumerians
Turquoise Towers
Lumerians 2007
USA
Blues Control
Puff
Puff
2007
USA
 
 
The Illusion
Man If It's So
1970
USA
Jefferson Airplane (R)
Twilight Double Leader
Long John Silver
1972
USA
Chase
Get It On Chase
1971
USA
Flash
Lifetime Flash
1972
UK
Hot Tuna
Half/Time Suspension Yellow Fever
1975
USA
Spirit
Star Trek Dreaming Future Games
1977
USA
 
 
Charles Lloyd
Dance Of The Gopis
Geeta
1973
USA
                 
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