Best Black Sabbath Album

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In light of the best band from Birmingham poll, what is the best Black Sabbath Album then?
My vote goes for Vol IV. My mate Harry says Sabotage is his fave.

Poll Results

Option	Votes
Vol IV	28
Paranoid	22
Master Of Reality	18
Sabotage	11
Black Sabbath	9
None of them, I don't like Black Sabbath	6
Sabbath Bloody Sabbath	5
Heaven And Hell	3
Mob Rules	1
Technical Ecstasy	0
Forbidden (the one with Body Count on it)	0
Cross Purposes	0
Dehumanizer	0
Headless Cross	0
TYR	0
Headless Cross	0
The Eternal Idol	0
Seventh Star	0
Never Say Die	0
Born Again	0

― Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy, Thursday, 5 April 2007 11:55 (nineteen years ago)

Is there a critical consensus on the best album these days? Throughout the 1990s it definitely seemed to me Vol IV was the one. (can't speak for before then I'm afraid). But nowadays Black Sabbath and Paranoid Seem to be as popular, if not even more popular now.

Obviously diehard fans have their own faves. I'm sure someone somewhere loves Tyr.

― Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy, Thursday, 5 April 2007 12:16 (nineteen years ago)

Oh this is impossible. I'll go for Vol IV, since it has Supernaut, which just edges it ahead of the debut and Paranoid.

― Dr.C, Thursday, 5 April 2007 12:42 (nineteen years ago)

Sabotage.

― Pashmina, Thursday, 5 April 2007 12:49 (nineteen years ago)

vote cast for IV

― Stormy Davis, Thursday, 5 April 2007 12:58 (nineteen years ago)

"Throughout the 1990s it definitely seemed to me Vol IV was the one."

really? who knew?

― scott seward, Thursday, 5 April 2007 12:59 (nineteen years ago)

sabotage might be my sentimental fave. paranoid might be the strongest song for song. the debut might be the most godly. master might be the best stoner-doom album ever made. sabbath bloody sabbath might be the best cocaine nightmare ever made. or maybe volume four is. i dunno. maybe i'll go with my boyhood fave sabotage. though the debut was a big fave too. hmmmm....

when i was a little kid i asked my dad to get me vol.4 and a glenn miller album for christmas (i really dug "in the mood"). he came through for me.

― scott seward, Thursday, 5 April 2007 13:07 (nineteen years ago)

Anyone who prefers Dio era over Ozzy? I know one person IRL who is just that. Infact he hates ozzy's voice so prefers Dio's versions of the Ozzy era songs.

― Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy, Thursday, 5 April 2007 13:43 (nineteen years ago)

master

― am0n, Thursday, 5 April 2007 14:06 (nineteen years ago)

The first four Sabbath albums are my favorite four album stretch by anyone with the possible exception of the Fall from Dragnet through Room to Live. I'll go with the debut since it has a certain vibe of undiluted doom and murk that the later, tighter albums don't have, but they're all unfuckwithable.

― Brent, Thursday, 5 April 2007 14:35 (nineteen years ago)

Sabotage. They didn't need to be experimental or eclectic - I'd have been happy with an LP full of "Supernauts". But Sabotage remains surprising and engaging throughout. And "Am I Going Insane?" shoulda been the big hit single it was surely intended to be.

― Myonga Vön Bontee, Thursday, 5 April 2007 15:07 (nineteen years ago)

Heaven & Hell

― Jordan, Thursday, 5 April 2007 15:10 (nineteen years ago)

Vol. 4 for sure.

― unperson, Thursday, 5 April 2007 15:27 (nineteen years ago)

Master Of Reality (just to be contrarian.)

― Alex in SF, Thursday, 5 April 2007 15:29 (nineteen years ago)

master of reality seconded.

none of the others feature 'into the void'.

― m the g, Thursday, 5 April 2007 15:30 (nineteen years ago)

King Fowley of Deceased claims with a straight face that Tony Martin was the best Sabbath singer and that Tyr was their best. But he also says Slayer started rap metal on Reign In Blood (he actually will get jiggy as he exaggerates the last sylables of "Night will COME and I will FOLLOW, For my victIMS, no tomORROW, Make it FAST, your time of SORROW...") so this is another reason I decaler him a metal contrarian.

― NYCNative, Thursday, 5 April 2007 17:18 (nineteen years ago)

Oh, and Vol. 4 GMV

― NYCNative, Thursday, 5 April 2007 17:19 (nineteen years ago)

Master for sure - kinda surprised that's not the consensus, actually!

― Shakey Mo Collier, Thursday, 5 April 2007 17:28 (nineteen years ago)

To be honest, the one I listen to the most is that double live CD thing that came out a couple of years ago.

― Alex in SF, Thursday, 5 April 2007 17:35 (nineteen years ago)

The only consensus I've ever seen from people is that the 1st 5 are essential.
And that the 1st album with Dio was a return to form.
Who is going to see Heaven & Hell? There's UK dates just been announced too.

― Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy, Thursday, 5 April 2007 17:42 (nineteen years ago)

Dismiss Born Again at your own peril! A great classic-sounding record with some great songs ("Zero The Hero," "Trashed") that gets lost in the shuffle unfairly! (It didn't get my vote as best but it doesn't suck at all.)

― NYCNative, Thursday, 5 April 2007 17:47 (nineteen years ago)

Cross Purposes
Forbidden

I've never even heard of these. Was Dehumanizer The Return Of Dio?

― Matt #2, Thursday, 5 April 2007 18:02 (nineteen years ago)

It was.

― Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy, Thursday, 5 April 2007 18:06 (nineteen years ago)

How was it?

― Matt #2, Thursday, 5 April 2007 18:08 (nineteen years ago)

i'm going to flip a coin between 'paranoid' and 'volume 4' though i have a LOT of love for 'sabbath, bloody sabbath' too.

― stirmonster, Thursday, 5 April 2007 18:13 (nineteen years ago)

Really, the first four are pretty great, but Master of Reality wins top honors. The first two Dio-era albums were awesome, too.

― novaheat, Thursday, 5 April 2007 18:22 (nineteen years ago)

best of black sabbath :D

― wesley useche, Thursday, 5 April 2007 18:29 (nineteen years ago)

i voted for master but after some thought I think I should have gone with IV. hard to tell.

― QuantumNoise, Thursday, 5 April 2007 18:38 (nineteen years ago)

haha you cant really fuck with the sequence on "sold our souls for rock and roll."

― chaki, Thursday, 5 April 2007 18:39 (nineteen years ago)

http://www.ilxor.com/ILX/ThreadSelectedControllerServlet?boardid=41&threadid=22405

― Stormy Davis, Thursday, 5 April 2007 18:41 (nineteen years ago)

How can anyone deny these:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WL_svZmiGWw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBi7XvJKlMo

(Okay, the production on "Trashed" is weakish... Steve Albini would have made it even bettah...)

― NYCNative, Thursday, 5 April 2007 19:12 (nineteen years ago)

I need to pick up Born Again. Right now I'm listening to Reunion, which is better than I thought it would be, but not as good as Past Lives obviously.

― unperson, Thursday, 5 April 2007 19:38 (nineteen years ago)

this one is tough. first four are near perfect. sabotage is great as well...never heard sabbath bloody sabbath...also gotz love for heaven n hell.

― M@tt He1ges0n, Thursday, 5 April 2007 19:40 (nineteen years ago)

Master of Reality, just ahead of the other three (out of the first four). Mostly for "Lord of This World", "Into the Void", "Children of the Grave".

― Pye Poudre, Thursday, 5 April 2007 19:56 (nineteen years ago)

is sabbath bloody sabbath good?

― M@tt He1ges0n, Thursday, 5 April 2007 19:59 (nineteen years ago)

fuck yeah!

― scott seward, Thursday, 5 April 2007 20:00 (nineteen years ago)

Yes.

― Alex in SF, Thursday, 5 April 2007 20:00 (nineteen years ago)

all oz sab is worth owning. tech x might be the weakest, but even that's got cool riffs and stuff. never say die is the big sleeper. such a good album.

― scott seward, Thursday, 5 April 2007 20:01 (nineteen years ago)

Yeah, okay, I'm almost through listening to Born Again (the title track just finished, and "Hot Line" is just starting) and I'm okay with its existence, but a Black Sabbath album it ain't. It's more like an early-80s Deep Purple album, with just slightly less instrumental technique. I guess I just can't hear Ian Gillan's voice without thinking of Purple, and that's a character flaw of mine, but the same thing doesn't happen with Dio. I can listen to Heaven and Hell without thinking of Rainbow, and/or vice versa. So, mixed feelings. An okay album, but unacceptable as a Sabbath album.

― unperson, Thursday, 5 April 2007 20:21 (nineteen years ago)

i like house of blue light by deep purple.

― M@tt He1ges0n, Thursday, 5 April 2007 20:31 (nineteen years ago)

voting for Paranoid because I can play along with it without de-tuning

― Johnny Hotcox, Thursday, 5 April 2007 23:59 (nineteen years ago)

the debut

― latebloomer, Friday, 6 April 2007 00:00 (nineteen years ago)

The speed riffs on Heaven and Hell are possibly the best Sabbath ever did, and I love Dio's voice, but the lyrics are just inane. I need to pick up the Black Box one of these days...

I think I got Forbidden for two bucks somewhere. It wasn't even worth it for the amusement value.

― Jeff Treppel, Friday, 6 April 2007 00:07 (nineteen years ago)

I know Ernie C of Body Count produced it. Is Ice-T on it at all?

― Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy, Friday, 6 April 2007 00:13 (nineteen years ago)

Oh yeah. He lends his considerable vocal "talent" to one of the tracks.

― Jeff Treppel, Friday, 6 April 2007 00:17 (nineteen years ago)

I'm voting for Heaven and Hell because the Ozzy records split my mental vote.

― Jeff Treppel, Friday, 6 April 2007 00:19 (nineteen years ago)

vol. 4

― poortheatre, Friday, 6 April 2007 02:04 (nineteen years ago)

It's gonna be close amongst the 1st 5 albums I think. (which is what I expected really) Unless Paranoid wins as it's the only album most people have heard.

― Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy, Friday, 6 April 2007 11:21 (nineteen years ago)

No Live Evil? No credibility!

― Noodle Vague, Friday, 6 April 2007 11:35 (nineteen years ago)

I picked studio albums only. As you know fine well, Jim.

― Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy, Friday, 6 April 2007 11:44 (nineteen years ago)

Skipping 260 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

Two weeks ago I posted this on Twitter:

Just reveling in how hard Bill Ward SWINGS on "Symptom of the Universe." Art Blakey would have approved.

― Don Van Gorp, midwest regional VP, marketing (誤訳侮辱), Thursday, 25 August 2016 02:14 (nine years ago)

Sabbath swinging...

https://youtu.be/UuqyRrwdBtQ?t=180

― earlnash, Thursday, 25 August 2016 02:56 (nine years ago)

I love that riff section and would love to hear a full horn section doing it.

― earlnash, Thursday, 25 August 2016 02:58 (nine years ago)

Master of Reality > Paranoid > Black Sabbath > Sabotage > Sabbath Bloody Sabbath > Vol. 4 >>> Never Say Die >>>>>> Technical Ecstasy.

― the hair - it's lost its energy (Turrican), Tuesday, 6 September 2016 21:09 (nine years ago)

I'd like Vol. 4 more if it wasn't for its thin and downright awful production, but as it stands its easily my least favourite of the classic run.

― the hair - it's lost its energy (Turrican), Tuesday, 6 September 2016 21:12 (nine years ago)

six years pass...

Who the fuck voted for Mob Rules?

― immodesty blaise (jimbeaux), Wednesday, 31 May 2023 05:31 (two years ago)

i respect it

― flamenco drop (BradNelson), Wednesday, 31 May 2023 05:37 (two years ago)

Mob Rules is a great Dio album.

― vmajestic, Wednesday, 31 May 2023 11:22 (two years ago)

Mob Rules rules

― Blues Guitar Solo Heatmap (Free Download) (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Wednesday, 31 May 2023 11:36 (two years ago)

I've been loving "Never Say Die" lately, that record rules

― chr1sb3singer, Wednesday, 31 May 2023 14:29 (two years ago)

Love that album, especially the horn rock number

― like the vengaboys with music degrees (Matt #2), Wednesday, 31 May 2023 14:30 (two years ago)

They should have gone Blodwyn Pig on the bit more often

― chr1sb3singer, Wednesday, 31 May 2023 14:35 (two years ago)

None of them, I don't like Black Sabbath 6

Wtf

― Master of Treacle, Wednesday, 31 May 2023 14:36 (two years ago)

I like Mob Rules better than Heaven and Hell, there's more grit in the sound and more memorable riffs, but all three Rainbow records with Dio are better than both, and so is Never Say Die.

― Halfway there but for you, Wednesday, 31 May 2023 14:59 (two years ago)

Paranoid and Master of Reality are the only two I own mainly because I also have Symptom Of The Universe: The Original Black Sabbath 1970-1978 and that covers virtually every great track from that era.

― birdistheword, Wednesday, 31 May 2023 20:26 (two years ago)

(It’s a two-CD compilation from Rhino Records)

― birdistheword, Wednesday, 31 May 2023 20:27 (two years ago)

That's a good selection, but I need every song from those first six records.

― Halfway there but for you, Wednesday, 31 May 2023 20:31 (two years ago)

Even "Blow On a Jug".

― Halfway there but for you, Wednesday, 31 May 2023 20:31 (two years ago)

man SBS really got snubbed here huh

― broken breakbeat (sleeve), Wednesday, 31 May 2023 20:38 (two years ago)

Wall of sleep is lying broken

― calstars, Wednesday, 31 May 2023 20:43 (two years ago)

Spiral blah blah blah blah

― calstars, Wednesday, 31 May 2023 20:44 (two years ago)

Sabbath Bloody Sabbath is mostly too soft/pretentious for the people who like the earliest records, while the people who love that side of the band will probably pick Sabotage instead of it.

― Halfway there but for you, Wednesday, 31 May 2023 21:00 (two years ago)

The title track is absolutely killer, but I found the rest of Mob Rules forgettable.

― immodesty blaise (jimbeaux), Wednesday, 31 May 2023 21:17 (two years ago)

‘Sign of the Southern Cross’ rules and is dooomy awesome.

― The Artist formerly known as Earlnash, Wednesday, 31 May 2023 22:24 (two years ago)

“turn up the night” completely rules

― brimstead, Wednesday, 31 May 2023 22:25 (two years ago)

“Over and over” gets my vote on MR

― calstars, Wednesday, 31 May 2023 23:11 (two years ago)

"Over and Over" lyrically I feel very often

― the manwich horror (Neanderthal), Wednesday, 31 May 2023 23:20 (two years ago)

My MR sequencing starts at the end and moves backward

― calstars, Wednesday, 31 May 2023 23:21 (two years ago)

Love Ronnie’s growl on Sign

― calstars, Wednesday, 31 May 2023 23:35 (two years ago)

I feel like “Mob Rules” is secretly better than “Heaven & Hell” but I’m not fucking checking

― thewufs, Thursday, 1 June 2023 01:21 (two years ago)

I like the faster numbers with Ronnie but I want to draw everyone’s attention to the fact that 3 separate and apparently real human beings voted for “Heaven and Hell” in this poll. You can write off 1 vote for “Mob Rules,” but 3 for “Heaven and Hell”? It’s a solid record but if that’s the best Black Sabbath album then “Load” must be the best Metallica album.

― thewufs, Thursday, 1 June 2023 01:23 (two years ago)

No becuz H&H is a solid record, but Load is a solid

― the manwich horror (Neanderthal), Thursday, 1 June 2023 01:28 (two years ago)

H & H is great

― calstars, Thursday, 1 June 2023 01:31 (two years ago)

"Great" may be stretching it.

It was a pleasant surprise when it came out, I do remember that.

― immodesty blaise (jimbeaux), Thursday, 1 June 2023 01:32 (two years ago)

"Die Young", "Neon Knights", the title track all on the same album, i mean if that ain't great then

― the manwich horror (Neanderthal), Thursday, 1 June 2023 01:37 (two years ago)

The two Dio Sabbath albums are way better than the last couple with Ozzy and production wise are maybe the best sounding records they did.

Dio version of NIB on Live Evil is awesome too.

― earlnash, Thursday, 1 June 2023 01:53 (two years ago)

All the Dio albums are great, including The Devil You Know (released as Heaven & Hell to avoid the wrath of Sharon).

― but also fuck you (unperson), Thursday, 1 June 2023 03:48 (two years ago)

Heaven and Hell and Mob Rules are classics, full stop. Ronnie and Tony both finding another gear creatively. Metal is notorious for its shocking comebacks, and this had to have been its first, or at least side by side with Ozzy.

And in the wake of leaving Rainbow this really catapulted Dio's own career. The man would dominate American heavy metal from 1980 to 87 or so, and it started with these two records.

― A. Begrand, Thursday, 1 June 2023 04:12 (two years ago)

That may be stretching the definition of "classic" a bit too far out of shape.

― immodesty blaise (jimbeaux), Thursday, 1 June 2023 04:17 (two years ago)

Dio was pretty trump tight from Elf through around Sacred Heart

― Blues Guitar Solo Heatmap (Free Download) (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Thursday, 1 June 2023 04:29 (two years ago)

I saw him on the first Dio tour, he had a great stage presence, especially for such a little dude.

― immodesty blaise (jimbeaux), Thursday, 1 June 2023 04:34 (two years ago)

This is a pretty good run of LPs for about anyone in hard rock/heavy metal across a decade.

Rainbow
Rising
Long Live Rock and Roll
Heaven and Hell
Mob Rules
Live Evil
Holy Diver
The Last In Line

― earlnash, Thursday, 1 June 2023 11:28 (two years ago)

I was a bit too young, but I was regaled by a few heads about seeing Dio fronted Black Sabbath and Blue Oyster Cult during the 'Black and Blue' tour.

I'd figure that was a heck of a show.

― earlnash, Thursday, 1 June 2023 11:29 (two years ago)

I don't like "Heaven and Hell" (the song) because I don't listen to Black Sabbath to hear mid-tempo one note basslines that go DUN duh duh DUN duh duh DUN duh duh DUN. Save that for Foreigner or Survivor.

― Halfway there but for you, Thursday, 1 June 2023 16:01 (two years ago)

The biggest problem with Mob Rules is the absence of Bill Ward.

― immodesty blaise (jimbeaux), Thursday, 1 June 2023 16:27 (two years ago)

I don't like "Heaven and Hell" (the song) because I don't listen to Black Sabbath to hear mid-tempo one note basslines that go DUN duh duh DUN duh duh DUN duh duh DUN. Save that for Foreigner or Survivor.

No children of the grave for you

― calstars, Thursday, 1 June 2023 17:10 (two years ago)

"Children of the Grave" is fast, not mid-tempo!

― Halfway there but for you, Thursday, 1 June 2023 17:10 (two years ago)

I like Appice fine on MR though I do miss Ward’s cringey attempts at swing

― calstars, Friday, 2 June 2023 13:53 (two years ago)

turn up the night: awesome
voodoo: awesome
sign of the southern cross: unreasonably awesome
e5150: awesome transition track, sabbath arguably unequalled in transition track excellence
the mob rules: awesome
country girl: awesome
slipping away: this is one of those tracks that makes you thankful for vinny appice. awesome
falling off the edge of the world: maybe the most awesome thing about this album is how much metallica obviously loves it. one of my top ten sabbath tracks
over and over: so fucking awesome

― flamenco drop (BradNelson), Saturday, 3 June 2023 06:41 (two years ago)

two years pass...

Voted for #4 because it has "Changes" on it, and Ozzie Osbourne has never ever written a better song.
― Geir Hongro, Friday, 6 April 2007 bookmarkflaglink

Just lol for a solid min over this one.

― xyzzzz__, Saturday, 26 July 2025 20:00 (nine months ago)

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