C/D: Black Sabbath Mob Rules

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As a whole, I enjoy it. Not as good as Heaven and Hell for Dio era, but the riff on Sign of the Southern Cross is one of their heaviest and catchiest ones ever. Turn up the night has the great lick right after the chorus, and the title track is pretty great. I'd call it generic rock to a degree, but put together very well. My biggest complaint is E5150 (named after the amplifier?) is kind of a waste. Other opinons?

― Bryan Moore (Bryan Moore), Monday, 5 January 2004 07:04 (twenty-one years ago)

Well it has a scarier jacket than Heaven and Hell. I've been briefly in love with all the songs on the album at one time or another, and at their worst "Voodoo" and "Country Girl" sound like something from Dio's last Rainbow album, minus the cocaine references. I'd call Mob Rules a little bit underrated.

― Ian Christe (Ian Christe), Monday, 5 January 2004 08:57 (twenty-one years ago)

"Slippin' Away" is unusual for them, sounds like Molly Hatchet or Lynyrd Skynyrd. "Voodoo" is their best Dio-era song. "Falling Off the Edge of the World" is probably their worst song ever.

― dave q, Monday, 5 January 2004 10:45 (twenty-one years ago)

Total classic. And "E5150" is a great, omnious build-up to the title track! What could possibly be your problem with it?

The title track alone is simply flawless. That's right, I said FLAWLESS!

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 5 January 2004 12:52 (twenty-one years ago)

I still prefer this to Heaven and Hell, which makes it my second favorite Sabbath record after the anomalously mind-blowing Born Again. Best opening of a heavy metal record ever, as far as I'm concerned.

― ara, Monday, 5 January 2004 15:06 (twenty-one years ago)

Born Again is your favorite Sabbath record then? Wow. You actually prefer the Ian'n'Bev line-up over Paranoid?

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 5 January 2004 15:16 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah, this is a weird canoe trip up the Rio Sabbath, but I agree that these three albums are Sabbath at their most Gothic and expansive. Probably because the balance of power was tipped in Iommi's favor without the whole band chemistry going to crap. I lucked into a Gillan-era live Sabbath show a few days ago. Let's face it, the guy's not a method actor, but hearing him screaming out "Children of the Grave" and "Heaven & Hell" is THE SHIT.

― Ian Christe (Ian Christe), Monday, 5 January 2004 18:15 (twenty-one years ago)

My god, you are all so wrong. Master Of Reality is the best Sabbath album, followed closely by their 1st eponymously titled album.

Dio was excellent with Rainbow, and to a lesser degree solo. But his Sabbath work is nowhere near the heavy metal Godliness of Ozzy's early stuff.

― Davlo (Davlo), Monday, 5 January 2004 20:52 (twenty-one years ago)

On all rational grounds, the Ozzy line-up is definitive. But I don't think they came up with a single whole studio album as good and as durable as the three with Gillan and Dio. Master of Reality and Paranoid would be no.s 4 and 5 on my list, and the debut, as a complete album, isn't even close. For me Iommi's progress plus improved production minus the vocalists' regress was still an upward composite curve through Born Again. After which it plummeted like a pewter flamingo with a head cold.

― ara, Monday, 5 January 2004 21:30 (twenty-one years ago)

Am I the only one who refuses to listen to anything by Black Sabbath that doesn't have Ozzy singing?

― Sasha (sgh), Tuesday, 6 January 2004 03:26 (twenty-one years ago)

> Am I the only one who refuses to listen to anything by Black Sabbath that doesn't have Ozzy singing?

No, my landlord agrees with you. He and his chihuahua love Ozzy. For me, Sabbath (and heavy metal) starts there in 1970, but continues through the Born Again album. So I'm glad to give it this five seconds of attention before getting back to learning the knockout flute solos from Master of Reality.

Tower Outlet in NY has Ozzy lego figures on sale for 99 cents. And a signed Franklin Mint plate for $25.

This thread and the Halford/Numan thread this week have reminded me of something I knew when I was 14, but forgot: Dio and Halford have really amazing voices. Gillan's pretty good, too.

― Ian Christe (Ian Christe), Tuesday, 6 January 2004 04:00 (twenty-one years ago)

Until Mob Rules, I refused to acknowledge anyone other than his Ozzness as a Sabbath vocalist. But damn if the title track to same didn't win me over. I think I churlishly shunned Born Again solely due to Bev "ELO" Bevan.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Tuesday, 6 January 2004 13:45 (twenty-one years ago)

one year passes...

But Bev Bevan didn't play on "Born Again" - it was Bill Ward! I think Mr. Bevan just replaced him at some point during the tour. I have to admit, though, I churlishly shun "Born Again" due to Ian Gillan.

― Pangolino 2, Monday, 25 July 2005 22:32 (twenty years ago)

five years pass...

Until Mob Rules, I refused to acknowledge anyone other than his Ozzness as a Sabbath vocalist. But damn if the title track to same didn't win me over.

such fucking magnificence, such flaming hair. nothing tops the title track, but "turn up the night" = one of the greatest reductions of ethos ever put to lip. could listen to that shit for days that solo that solo that solo. contrast between geezer's stubborn heaviosity and the rest of the band's increasing nimbleness is fascinating. whole of side 1 is flawless, including E5150.

― naked human hands and a foam rubber head (contenderizer), Monday, 18 October 2010 08:56 (fifteen years ago)

if I were to compose a challop-only no canon list of favourite Sabbath songs 'Country Girl' would be right up there

― rmde cat and the dweebs (DJ Mencap), Monday, 18 October 2010 09:26 (fifteen years ago)

yeah, that's a jam (currently)

― naked human hands and a foam rubber head (contenderizer), Monday, 18 October 2010 09:57 (fifteen years ago)

appice, IMO

― naked human hands and a foam rubber head (contenderizer), Monday, 18 October 2010 09:57 (fifteen years ago)

Curious as to why people thought Bevan played on Born Again. It's pretty clear in the sleeve that it's Ward, for god's sake.

― Zeppelin to Howlin Wolf: "Suck It" (Bill Magill), Monday, 18 October 2010 13:53 (fifteen years ago)

e5150 going into Mob Rules is one of the adrenaline producing music moments of all time.

― Zeppelin to Howlin Wolf: "Suck It" (Bill Magill), Monday, 18 October 2010 13:54 (fifteen years ago)

"Falling Off the Edge of the World" is probably their worst song ever.

dave q is wrong.

― Brad Nelson (BradNelson), Monday, 18 October 2010 15:19 (fifteen years ago)

Yeah, that's a terrible call from dave q. I love that song.

― dressed up better than anyone within a mile (Bill Magill), Monday, 18 October 2010 15:33 (fifteen years ago)

http://thegreatsouthernbrainfart.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/dio_lookout.jpg

― the first Asian legislator in our Nevada State Assembly (Shakey Mo Collier), Monday, 18 October 2010 19:44 (fifteen years ago)

fourteen years pass...

Listening to this for the first time ever, and holy fuck, holy fuck, it's magnificent. Nearly every latter-day Sabbath album sounds to me like it should be a towering pinnacle of the genre... I guess a lot of them are

E5150 sounds like the template for [the first couple minutes of] Pink Floyd's Sorrow!

― TheNuNuNu, Wednesday, 6 August 2025 09:56 (two months ago)

Do you hear metallized Tull in the folky riff of "Country Girl"?

― Halfway there but for you, Wednesday, 6 August 2025 14:07 (two months ago)

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