Ozzy Osbourne- RIP

BS was great. I am a fan. So, not knocking the band in anyway shape or form. I don't know how old you are but I am older to toward certified old.

Saying BS invented metal is similar to saying the Beatles invented rock music. Neither are true.

Rock was created from the blues and some of the African American country/blues/folk, while European folk from Woody Guthrie among others joined and they slowly formed a pre-rock sort of sounds (not really, but there was the beginnings. Then Sister Rosetta Tharp was playing the first sounds of rock in 1930s and 1940s. Then Fats Domino, Chuck Berry, Little Richard really made it what has influenced everyone in rock music for the next 70 years.

But, you may not know that rock died in the late 50s and crooners like Perry Como and Paul Anka and Pat Boone took over. The Beatles then brough American rock back to the Americans and all of Europe/Asia/Oceana etc.

It was Cream, The Who, Zeppelin, The Beatles who were creating the first inklings of metal before BS.

BS created an awesome sound, identified clearly as BS, but did not invent metal, certainly not the only band credited with doing so. Also, the semi-religious, and devil-like schtick was a BS thing, not a metal thing.

And at the end of the day, it is all roughly rock music, with beleive it or not classical sensibilities, very European-like. You can take many of the great metal songs and turn them into classical. This is already often done with symphonies playing Metallica melodies....

2/2

Replying to myself. For fun, I did an AI search in case I was imagining things or if I have missed anything....this is the return, which I have always understood nearly word for word how it went from the late 60s and on:

AI result:

While Black Sabbath is widely credited with pioneering heavy metal, several bands and songs from the late 1960s laid the groundwork for the genre. Bands like Blue Cheer, Led Zeppelin, and Cream, among others, explored heavier, more distorted sounds that foreshadowed the heavier sounds of Black Sabbath. These bands pushed the boundaries of rock music, incorporating elements that would later become hallmarks of heavy metal.
Here's a more detailed look at some key examples:

Bands and Songs Before Black Sabbath (1968-1969):

Blue Cheer:
Their 1968 cover of Eddie Cochran's "Summertime Blues" is often cited as one of the first heavy metal recordings.

Led Zeppelin:
While not exclusively a heavy metal band, Led Zeppelin's early work, particularly songs like "Communication Breakdown" (1969), showcased a powerful, distorted guitar sound and heavy drumming that influenced the genre.

Cream:
Cream's blues-rock fusion, especially Eric Clapton's powerful guitar work, contributed to the development of the heavy sound.

The Beatles:
The Beatles' "Helter Skelter" (1968) is another song that has been cited as an early example of heavy metal, featuring a raw, powerful sound.

Steppenwolf:
Their song "Born to Be Wild" (1968) is also considered an important precursor to heavy metal.

Other Bands Mentioned in Relation to Pre-Sabbath Heavy Sounds:

The Jimi Hendrix Experience:
Hendrix's innovative guitar work and heavy use of distortion were influential.

Iron Butterfly:
"In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" (1968) is another track that showcased a heavier, more psychedelic sound.

Vanilla Fudge:
Known for their heavy rock versions of popular songs, they also contributed to the heavier sound.

Deep Purple:
Their early work, including "Hush," was also part of the developing heavy rock scene.

MC5:
Their energetic and aggressive performances and sound were also a precursor to heavy metal.

Cactus:
This band's heavy, blues-rock sound, especially their version of Howlin' Wolf's "Evil," was also an influence.

While Black Sabbath brought a unique darkness and heaviness to the genre, these bands laid the groundwork for what would become heavy metal, experimenting with powerful riffs, loud amplification, and distorted guitars.

RIP to a man who influenced so many. The Prince of Darkness has given me light on many a long run

This here was the beginning of heavy metal ...

Reminds me of Gord Downie doing one last concert tour before brain cancer claimed him. A true thank you to the fans in both cases and these legends got to do what they love one last time.

No, no, no, no, NO!!

1. War Pigs

2. Into The Void

3. Snowblind

4. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath

5. Sweet Leaf

None of that pop music crap he was making after Sabbath!!

And though Randy Rhoades and Zakk Wylde are/were great players, no one holds a candle to Tony. YMMV of course, but you'd be wrong. ;-)

I'd be willing to amend the OFFICIAL list to remove No More Tears and include another Sabbath song. Iommi was a trail blazer, but Rhoads was a great composer and his playing was SO much better. The solos on Crazy Train and Mr. Crowley are legendary. Absolutely must be on the list.

Crazy Train is a pure rock 'n roll magnum opus for Rhoads.

Fully respect differences in taste, to each his or her own! Not cutting down Randy's playing, I just vastly prefer Tony's is all. All in good fun anyway; cheers!

Short tribute video.

The point is that Black Sabbath is the first band of any reknown whatsoever whose body of work consisted of heavy metal music.

They were out there in everything they did, and in a very very big way.

That was what they were, all they were, and they weren't anything else.

I agree. But I would add that they also had a lot of ballads that were big songs that are not heavy metal.

Ozzy had a wonderful voice, but he could never scream like McCartney in Helter Skelter and defined their/his own version of "metal."

If I was to listen to hard stuff that was construed as metal, Ace of Spades by Motorhead or a few near metal songs by Zep or Van Halen would do it for me. Or the two Beatles songs I mentioned.

Even the harder metal songs by Ozzy/BS are not necessarily fast even. Like Paranoia with a marching pace to its rhythm. War Pigs.....songs like Bark at the Moon for example are pop songs with some metal-ish sounding instruments.

Much of the Metal-ness of Ozzy, especially after the 1980s was schtick. Makeup, John Lennon appearance with the long straight hair and granny glasses.

But, Crazy Train is an amazing song that is fast, harder and with amazing guitar and can listen to that one every single day.

The schtick part reminds me of some country music eras where the songwriter, just has to wear a cowboy hat and a big belt buckle. But, I don't blame Ozzy, heck female pop artists all wearing bathing suit like gear with sparkles, nothing to do with the music....and looks rather silly.

Man you don’t know anything about music, specifically this style of music.

you should have stopped commenting a long long time ago.

Actually, I do.

You are just offended. Perhaps you have aligned yourself with “metal,” and your love of it is part of your identity.

Try listening to various forms of classical, especially Bach. You will find many rock songs were directly written from passages, phrasing and melodies from Bach. Metallica has basically written classical music disguised as metal with distorted guitars etc as well.

Wetcost, I am the first to admit that heavy metal is not my thing. I dabbled in it at an early age, for a day or two, and then yesterday upon his parting, I streamed Black Sabbath and Ozzy for hours (and liked it, fwiw).

If Ozzy devolved into schtick, I wouldn't know. I moved on.

But this thing with Beatles 'Helter Skelter'. I always pretty much hated that song, and still do. Since we were discussing this yesterday, I gave it a re-listening and it is terrible, imo.

If you believe in the concept of overplaying something in music, that's the textbook case. The vocals in particular are bull crap. It's clearly someone trying to act like they aren't. It doesn't work. And to a discerning ear, it's annoying.

I heard a story that the Beatles were mad that a critic was writing how their contemporaries, The Who, were fronting a movement into new harder rock, and in very positive terms. The version I heard is that the Beatles quickly released the Helter Skelter fiasco as their play in that hard rock genre, trying to outdo The Who. And btw, The Who song they were siting was the masterpiece 'I Can See for Miles'.
I have more to say about how Helter Skelter fails, but almost rallies in the second half (instrumental portion), but nobody's reading this anyways...

Here's the thing - BS went way out on a plank with a bet on heavy metal. They brought the genre to a very distinct sound and focus. They were the ones. And it mostly only matters because it was hugely f'g influential (I mean besides the fact that they kicked out some pretty good songs).

I have no issue with you not enjoying Helter Skelter. IMO I hear the vocals differently than you do. To my ears like I’ve Got a Feeling from Let it Be album, it’s just good old deep screaming but each to their own.

The isolated bass is so bad (on purpose) it’s punk. Give it a listen if you haven’t. They had to some credit Lennon some credit McCartney with playing that bass part on the 4000 series Rick.

McCartney tells the story a little bit different in that he heard Townsend on the radio saying that they recorded the dirtiest, nastiest song and McCartney wanted to do even dirtier.

Personal preference is permitted. But the industry (professional musicians and producers) often say Helter Skelter is the first metal song (not my words.

I like BS and Ozzy. I saw him live in1981, Blizzard of Oz, it was great.