Why oh why is Sabbath's 1978' Never Say Die a record so widely panned by critics and hard core fans alike?
That's the question. The whole set is a gem in of itself it's more turbocharged hard rock than their classic sludge metal but ithe is imbued and animated with dynamics like airy jazz passages that neatly contrast the hard rocking parts and rocks harder than the soft rock balladry of their prior release Technical Ecstacy. Each track is full of nuance and fresh musical ideas without any excessive indulgence just go and read my prior post on the album's best track Air Dance here;
http://lost70sgems.blogspot.co.uk/2016/11/black-sabbath-1978-air-dance.html
While the album has many incredible moments such as the badass saxophones of Breakout reminding me of Van Der Graaf Generators ' song Killer, or the triumphant coda to It's a Hard Road which reminds me of The Thrill of It All, not to mention the distorted orchestral sound of Johhny Blade's organ intro followed by some frenetic speed triplets from Ward; the band was performing at their peak creativity. This is ironic seeing as Ozzy had been fired from the band and reinstated and Ward was struggling with alcoholism while Immoi was generally burned out from the commercial pressures.
So I chose the album cut Over to You, it's musically not as adventurous but carries the exuberance of a lot of this album as Van Halen and upbeat pop and glam metal would soon come to dominate the years ahead; Sabbath were growing. The propulsive beat and Ozzys' in form vocals capture the lightning energy and plethora of ideas on show in this melodic cut. In many ways the spiralling romp of these jams hint towards Ozzys future solo work more than the Dio era of the band.
Over to You starts with a strutting power riff against a majestic organ line behind it, it's a masterful mix as Ward breaks it down into Ozzy's weary pleaing vocals. This is more funkier than their usual pace particularly when it leads to a jazzy chorus full of trickling piano runs. Full of airy echo, this gentle jazzy chorus backdrops's Ozzy delicate romantic melody before delivering us back to the Imomi and the band's central riff. Unbelievably the lounge lizard piano combines well with the grooving hard rock thanks to the wonderful mix and the rhythm section's elasticity. as the band transitions effortlessly from driving beat pounding away to relaxed shuffle with ease.
That's the question. The whole set is a gem in of itself it's more turbocharged hard rock than their classic sludge metal but ithe is imbued and animated with dynamics like airy jazz passages that neatly contrast the hard rocking parts and rocks harder than the soft rock balladry of their prior release Technical Ecstacy. Each track is full of nuance and fresh musical ideas without any excessive indulgence just go and read my prior post on the album's best track Air Dance here;
http://lost70sgems.blogspot.co.uk/2016/11/black-sabbath-1978-air-dance.html
While the album has many incredible moments such as the badass saxophones of Breakout reminding me of Van Der Graaf Generators ' song Killer, or the triumphant coda to It's a Hard Road which reminds me of The Thrill of It All, not to mention the distorted orchestral sound of Johhny Blade's organ intro followed by some frenetic speed triplets from Ward; the band was performing at their peak creativity. This is ironic seeing as Ozzy had been fired from the band and reinstated and Ward was struggling with alcoholism while Immoi was generally burned out from the commercial pressures.
So I chose the album cut Over to You, it's musically not as adventurous but carries the exuberance of a lot of this album as Van Halen and upbeat pop and glam metal would soon come to dominate the years ahead; Sabbath were growing. The propulsive beat and Ozzys' in form vocals capture the lightning energy and plethora of ideas on show in this melodic cut. In many ways the spiralling romp of these jams hint towards Ozzys future solo work more than the Dio era of the band.
Over to You starts with a strutting power riff against a majestic organ line behind it, it's a masterful mix as Ward breaks it down into Ozzy's weary pleaing vocals. This is more funkier than their usual pace particularly when it leads to a jazzy chorus full of trickling piano runs. Full of airy echo, this gentle jazzy chorus backdrops's Ozzy delicate romantic melody before delivering us back to the Imomi and the band's central riff. Unbelievably the lounge lizard piano combines well with the grooving hard rock thanks to the wonderful mix and the rhythm section's elasticity. as the band transitions effortlessly from driving beat pounding away to relaxed shuffle with ease.
So I'm the last man who can understand the pure hatred for this music, also I love the album cover too!
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