Warner Bros / Wea
1971
Master Of Reality
About This Album
With Paranoid, Black Sabbath perfected the formula for their lumbering heavy metal. On its follow-up, Master of Reality, the group merely repeated the formula, setting the stage for a career of recycling the same sounds and riffs. But on Master of Reality Sabbath still were fresh and had a seemingly endless supply of crushingly heavy riffs to bludgeon their audiences into sweet, willing oblivion. If the album is a showcase for anyone, it is Tony Iommi, who keeps the album afloat with a series of slow, loud riffs, the best of which -- "Sweet Leaf" and "Children of the Grave" among them -- rank among his finest playing. Taken in tandem with the more consistent Paranoid, Master of Reality forms the core of Sabbath's canon. There are a few stray necessary tracks scattered throughout the group's other early-'70s albums, but Master of Reality is the last time they delivered a consistent album and its influence can be heard throughout the generations of heavy metal bands that followed. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
Track List
(try tracks 1,2,3,4,5 and 6)
1.
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C'mon now, does "Stephen Thomas Erlewine" really sound like the name of someone who would know metal? I submit that it does not! Black Sabbath - indeed, metal fans period - have long known to pay little heed to what critics say....or else we'd just be listening to the Beatles or Justin Timberlake.
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Soundgarden' s interpretati o n of Into the Void was plain brilliant. Sweet Leaf and C.O.T.G. are all masterpieces as well. As well as one can expect from coke addicts. Tool nailed it when they noted that all the best albums from the 70's were "rrrrrrrrrre e e e e e e e a l f**kin high".
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I really liked this album. Tend to skip orchid and embryo. Kind of moved on from that kind of guitar whacking. But, would rather listen to this album in its entirety than most albums. Top 100 in my book
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ditto....to thomas mcgarr...but i will also add # 7 and # 8...with that being said # 9 the first w/o ozzy,is also totally awesome,but in my opinion its the only one thats really good after ozzy....
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I disagree with the review being "right on". I think it is ignorant and short sighted. "The last time they delivered a consistent album."?? What about Sabbath Bloody Sabbath? Or Volume 4? In my experience, Sabb freaks love albums 1-6. They're all different and original. Obviously, some weak songs here and there, but it was the 70's. All this is opinion, but seems like the reviewer needs to re-visit the Sabbath catalogue. Or have someone else do the review.
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Chaz said, "sweet leaf. now there's a song most of us who grew up in the 70's can relate too!" Well, I 'came of age' in the late '80's~early '90's and I can assure that our generation, as well as many to come, can relate to Sweet Leaf. "...you introduced me to my mind and left me wanting you and your kind, I love you Sweet Leaf"!
Peace and rock'n'roll! ! PS: I was on sweet leaf in the womb so i guess technically I can relate to '70's sweet leaf! ;-) |
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sweet leaf. now there's a song most of us who grew up in the 70's can relate too!
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This review is trash. Erlewine, go review some truly crappy bands like pearl jam or poison or something. Black Sabbath=MAST E R S OF METAL!
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black sabbath rules!! everyone know it...Master of Reality is prob my fav
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Sabbath rules, every album! This critic obviously doesn't know and shouldn't write reviews on metal.
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I don't think they repeated the Paranoid formula with this album. I think that each album they made was totally different than the one before or after. Yeah, most had crushing riffs and rumbling bass and Ozzy yelping,but the songwriting on the first 6 albums has more diversity than ignoramuses that only know the well known songs give credit for. These cats weren't just a heavy band, there were other things going on. Like "After Forever", it has quite a guitar melody in there AND a crushing riff.
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