Best Sabbath album

[psychopomp]

Poll question: Best Sabbath album

I am really starting to get into Sabotage and SBS. I started listening to Sabbath about fifteen years ago but always stuck with the first four albums.

The band's style got away from the stoner heavy metal dirges of the first three albums as the band picked up the pace and, it goes without saying, coke. The monster rhythm section got drowned out in more complex melodies featuring keyboards to back up Tony's riffing. I never got into the more commercially-oriented stuff but Ozzy's vocals on albums five and six continued to develop.

[Magrittes Pipe]

1. Master of Reality

Yum.

[psychopomp]

10. Trivia

The cough on the lead-in to Sweetleaf is Tony Iommi.

[Beware the Beast Man]

2. The first six are all classic, but I'll have to go with SBS.

With Vol. 4 follwing a close 2nd.

[psychopomp]

5. Vol 4 really marked the beginning of the move towards

something different...

The title track on SBS has a classic Iommi riff...good stuff.

[redqueen]

3. Paranoid

[vi5]

4. I picked Volume 4

The riffs, the lyrics, the melodies. Just the full package overall.

[psychopomp]

8. Wheels of Confusion

Snowblind

Can't go wrong, there!

I didn't vote, but I might have to go with Master of Reality. Too many memories (or at least I think I remember...)

[Beware the Beast Man]

6. I have to make a case for "Never Say Die," though.

There are some great songs on that album, albeit with some really terrible ones as well.

[coloradodem2005]

7. Paranoid.

Just because it, Led Zep II, and Deep Purple's "Machine Head" defined heavy metal.

[Magrittes Pipe]

9. You really should add the two RJD records to your list.

Not as good as the best Ozzy stuff, but Mob Rules and Heaven and Hell are still good albums, with a distict sound all their own.

[psychopomp]

11. Haven't given them a listen

because I thought I was a purist. Now that I am getting into the post v4 material perhaps I am ready to give the RJD albums a listen.

[Magrittes Pipe]

12. It helps if you already like Rainbow or Elf.

;)

Dio-Sabbath is definitely a different bird. But it's still Iommi; and if you dig Ronnie's voice, you'll like those albums.