Sabotage (Black Sabbath album)

Sabotage
Studio album by Black Sabbath
Released	27 June 1975 (U.S.) 28 July 1975 (U.K.)
Recorded	February–March 1975 at Morgan Studios in London, England
Genre	Heavy metal
Length	43:44
Label	NEMS Vertigo Warner Bros. (US/Canada)
Producer	Black Sabbath, Mike Butcher
Black Sabbath chronology
Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (1973) Sabotage (1975) Technical Ecstasy (1976)

Sabotage is the sixth studio album by the British heavy metal band Black Sabbath, released in June 1975.

Recording

Black Sabbath began work on their sixth album in February 1975, again in England at Morgan Studios in Willesden, London. They had a decisive vision to differ the sound from their previous album Sabbath Bloody Sabbath. Guitarist Tony Iommi, who produced the album, said that "We could've continued and gone on and on, getting more technical, using orchestras and everything else which we didn't particularly want to. We took a look at ourselves, and we wanted to do a rock album - Sabbath, Bloody Sabbath wasn't a rock album, really."^[1]

Over the years, singer Ozzy Osbourne has often complained in interviews^[when?] that this album marked the beginning of what he described as Tony Iommi's studio production obsession. Sabotage took considerably longer to record and produce than each of their preceding albums, making it the most costly Black Sabbath album to that point.^{[citation needed]} In comparison, the band's first album, Black Sabbath (1970), took only 12 hours to record at a cost of a few hundred pounds.^{[citation needed]}

Music and lyrics

The album is a mixture of heavy riffs and softer experimental styles - often in the same song. "Hole in the Sky", the first song on the album, is an up-tempo, fairly typical Black Sabbath song. That song abruptly ends and the classical-styled, acoustic instrumental "Don't Start (Too Late)" begins. That interlude leads directly into "Symptom of the Universe" which starts out in a heavier style then transitions to acoustic jazz at the end. "Megalomania" begins in a psychedelic rock vein then changes mid-stream to more of a straight forward rock style, featuring a main guitar riff with a flanger effect that progressively increases at each break. "The Thrill Of It All" starts out in a hard rock style with several heavy riffs then transitions midway into more of an upbeat "pop" style. "Supertzar" is arguably the most experimental song on the album - featuring a choir and a harp juxtaposed against Tony Iommi's guitar work. "Am I Going Insane (Radio)", (the title of which caused some confusion due to the "(Radio)" part, which led people to believe the song was a radio cut or radio version. However, this is the only version of the song. The term "radio-rental" is rhyming slang for "mental".[2]) is very different from the typical Black Sabbath song in that it features no heavy guitar riff; instead, after a keyboard intro, a bass riff is prominent. The song concludes with "insane laughing and crying" which carries forward into "The Writ" - a song that combines several elements as well, including a slow bass solo intro, an acoustic bridge, and several heavy guitar riffs.

Geezer Butler is Black Sabbath's chief lyricist. The lyrical theme of the album seems to be one of darkness and anger juxtaposed with a glimpse of hope and positivity. The band was in a transitional phase at the time: having just experienced several legal and managerial shake-ups. Many of the members describe the time as "tumultuous" citing the belief that they had been "ripped-off" by their managers. Lawsuits were filed and summons were delivered to the band members during the recording process. The lyrics to "The Writ" (penned mostly by Ozzy rather than Geezer) and "Megalomania" give a glimpse into the band's frustration towards their management at the time.

Sabotage has been called Black Sabbath's most progressive album by some, due to the diversity of styles employed and to the way many songs transition into one another (a practice Black Sabbath rarely used).

Release and reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[2]
Rolling Stone	[3]

Sabotage was released on 27 June 1975. For the second time, a Black Sabbath album initially saw favourable reviews, with Rolling Stone stating "Sabotage is not only Black Sabbath's best record since Paranoid, it might be their best ever",^[4] although later reviewers such as AllMusic noted that "the magical chemistry that made such albums as Paranoid and Volume 4 so special was beginning to disintegrate".^[5]

Sabotage peaked at number 7 in the United Kingdom^[6] and at number 28 in the United States.^[7] It was certified Silver (60,000 units sold) in the UK by the BPI on 1 December 1975^[8] and Gold in the US on 16 June 1997, but was the band's first release not to achieve platinum status in the US.^[9] Songs such as "Hole in the Sky", and "Symptom of the Universe" became fan favourites. Black Sabbath toured in support of Sabotage with openers Kiss, but were forced to cut the tour short in November 1975, following a motorcycle accident in which Osbourne ruptured a muscle in his back.

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Black Sabbath. 

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Hole in the Sky"	3:59
2.	"Don't Start (Too Late)" (instrumental)	0:49
3.	"Symptom of the Universe"	6:29
4.	"Megalomania"	9:46
5.	"Thrill of It All"	5:56
6.	"Supertzar" (instrumental)	3:44
7.	"Am I Going Insane (Radio)"	4:16
8.	"The Writ"	8:09

On some of the first vinyl/cassette releases (and all of the remastered versions of the album) there is a short, 23-second hidden track titled "Blow on a Jug" at the end of "The Writ". Recorded at very low volume, it features Ozzy Osbourne and Bill Ward goofing around in the studio. "Jug" also appeared on latter CD remasters, as well.

Personnel

• Ozzy Osbourne – lead vocals
• Tony Iommi – lead & rhythm guitar
• Terry "Geezer" Butler – bass guitar (miscredited as "Tony 'Geezer' Butler" in the story of the band on the Canadian CD issue)
• Bill Ward – drums
• Gerald "Jezz" Woodruffe – keyboards
• Will Malone – arrangements for the English Chamber Choir
• Mike Butcher – co-producer / engineer
• Robin Black – engineer
• David Harris – tape operator and saboteur

Release history

Region	Date	Label	Notes
United Kingdom	28 July 1975	NEMS
United States	27 June 1975	Warner Bros. Records
Canada	???	Warner Bros. Records
Worldwide	???	Vertigo Records
United Kingdom	1996	Castle Communications	this includes a bonus track: a live version of "Sweet Leaf", taken from the Live at Last album.
United Kingdom	2004	Sanctuary Records

See also

Notes

1. ^ Rosen 1996, p. 80
2. ^ Allmusic Review
3. ^ "Black Sabbath Album Guide". http://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/black-sabbath/albumguide. Retrieved 9 November 2011. 
4. ^ Altman, Billy (Sept 1975). "Sabotage Album Review". Roling Stone Magazine #196, September 25, 1975. http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/blacksabbath/albums/album/170807/review/5946986/sabotage. Retrieved 2008-02-25. 
5. ^ Prato, Greg. "Sabotage AMG Album Review". Allmusic.com. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r2003. Retrieved 2008-03-20. 
6. ^ "UK chart history - Black Sabbath Sabotage". www.chartstats.com. http://www.chartstats.com/release.php?release=37970. Retrieved 11 October 2011. 
7. ^ "AllMusic Billboard albums". http://www.allmusic.com/album/r2003/charts-awards. Retrieved 2009-01-30. 
8. ^ "BPI certified awards". http://www.bpi.co.uk/platinum/platinumright.asp?rq=search_plat&r_id=21459. Retrieved 2009-02-08. ^{[dead link]}
9. ^ "RIAA Gold & Platinum database". http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?resultpage=1&table=SEARCH_RESULTS&action=&title=sabotage&artist=black%20sabbath&format=&debutLP=&category=&sex=&releaseDate=&requestNo=&type=&level=&label=&company=&certificationDate=&awardDescription=&catalogNo=&aSex=&rec_id=&charField=&gold=&platinum=&multiPlat=&level2=&certDate=&album=&id=&after=&before=&startMonth=1&endMonth=1&startYear=1958&endYear=2009&sort=Artist&perPage=25. Retrieved 2009-01-30. 

References

• Rosen, Steven (1996), The Story of Black Sabbath: Wheels of Confusion, Castle Communications, ISBN 1-86074-149-5