# Best Black Sabbath Album?



## Celloissimo (Mar 29, 2013)

Not how much feedback this thread will get but the taste seems pretty diverse here.

Debut
Paranoid
Master of Reality
Vol. 4
Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
Sabotage
Technical Ecstasy
Never Say Die!
Heaven and Hell 
Mob Rules


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## Itullian (Aug 27, 2011)

Paranoid...................


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

I would have said Paranoid but the instrumental track Rat Salad screams 'filler!'. Probably a toss-up between Sabbath Bloody Sabbath and Master of Reality otherwise.


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## The Sound Of Perseverance (Aug 20, 2014)

Sabbath bloody sabbath


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## neoshredder (Nov 7, 2011)

Paranoid by far.


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## brotagonist (Jul 11, 2013)

Paranoid would be my #3 (it was pretty raw yet), Vol4 my #2 (even though it has some of their greatest, but quite a lot of duds, too), and Master of Reality is my #1 (an essentially perfect album with only one filler track that is still workable as an interlude). I guess that puts the debut album at #4 for me.

Sabbath Bloody Sabbath was so formulaic, that I was barely able to tolerate it when it came out; Sabotage was so devoid of spunk that I permanently wrote the group off my auto-buy list; and Technical Ecstasy (a friend had it) sounded like generic radio rock. I could no longer stomach the group. I had also turned 20 and was getting heavily into Stockhausen and other avantgarde composers. Rock had lost it's appeal to another genre and there has been no going back


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## Cheyenne (Aug 6, 2012)

Black Sabbath for me -- for _The Wizard_ and its glorious Harmonica playing! So simple but so sweet!


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## violadude (May 2, 2011)

Celloissimo said:


> Not how much feedback this thread will get but the taste seems pretty diverse here.
> 
> Debut
> Paranoid
> ...


What about the other ones?


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## BurningDesire (Jul 15, 2012)

Hmm, I have yet to hear all of them, there's so damn many. My personal favorites are their debut and Vol. 4, but I also really love Mob Rules, and Forbidden (the one people like to hate for no good reason).


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## Badinerie (May 3, 2008)

The first lp... So many memories from when I discovered this one as a young teen. Sabotage comes a close second though. From Never say die onwards....Pfft! forget it.


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## Celloissimo (Mar 29, 2013)

violadude said:


> What about the other ones?


I honestly forgot to add in the Tony Martin albums actually. And Dehumanizer, which is a personal favorite of mine: such dark, crushing, and heavy guitar work.


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## EdwardBast (Nov 25, 2013)

Although I now see the question as akin to asking about ones favorite root canal, as a teen I would have said Paranoid ;-)


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## BurningDesire (Jul 15, 2012)

Celloissimo said:


> I honestly forgot to add in the Tony Martin albums actually. And Dehumanizer, which is a personal favorite of mine: such dark, crushing, and heavy guitar work.


there's also the other new Dio album, the new Ozzy album, the live albums, and the albums with other singers like Ian Gillan on Born Again. :3


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## violadude (May 2, 2011)

BurningDesire said:


> there's also the other new Dio album, the new Ozzy album, the live albums, and the albums with other singers like Ian Gillan on Born Again. :3


And that one that was just supposed to be a Tony Iommi solo album but they made it into a Black Sabbath album still...because marketing.

I think it was called Seventh Star or something like that.


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## BurningDesire (Jul 15, 2012)

I also don't get why people like Paranoid so much more than everything else. I think alot of it has to do with that being the only album that gets any airplay on the radio, so since its the only one most people have ever listened to at all, of course its their favorite by far.


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## BurningDesire (Jul 15, 2012)

violadude said:


> And that one that was just supposed to be a Tony Iommi solo album but they made it into a Black Sabbath album still...because marketing.
> 
> I think it was called Seventh Star or something like that.


Yeah, I have Seventh Star X3 its not bad, but I think I'll file it under Tony Iommi instead of Black Sabbath, since thats what it is really. Like how I file "Heaven and Hell" albums as Black Sabbath.


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## OperaGeek (Aug 15, 2014)

This is probably heresy to many Sabbath fans, but my vote goes to *Headless Cross* for Tony Martin's vocals, some of the heaviest riffs around, Cozy Powell's groove and some "devillishly" good tunes :devil:, not least the epic title track.


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## cwarchc (Apr 28, 2012)

Has to be Black Sabbath Black Sabbath it was the seminal album of it's time followed by Masters of Reality


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## Celloissimo (Mar 29, 2013)

BurningDesire said:


> there's also the other new Dio album, the new Ozzy album, the live albums, and the albums with other singers like Ian Gillan on Born Again. :3


Dehumanizer is other Dio album.


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## BurningDesire (Jul 15, 2012)

Celloissimo said:


> Dehumanizer is other Dio album.


No, The Devil You Know.


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## AClockworkOrange (May 24, 2012)

The Dio-era is my favourite era of Black Sabbath. I would have to say Mob Rules is my favourite overall, followed by The Devil You Know and Dehumanizer. I discovered Dio with his Master if the Moon album and prefer Dio's voice as he got older.

Tony Martin's tenure with the band is sorely underrated. Cross Purposes is my favourite album with him up front.

Eternal Idol is really Ray Gillen's jewel, than heavens it has finally been made available at last.

Of the Ozzy-era, Volume 4 is my favourite, followed by Master of Reality and Sabotage.

Born Again is a strong album and Seventh Star is a hidden gem in the Discography regardless of the artist name on the cover,


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## HaydnBearstheClock (Jul 6, 2013)

I'm more a fan of Dio-era Sabbath. Tony Martin was really good too. 
Favourite Sabbath albums: Heaven and Hell, Mob Rules
Tony Martin: Headless Cross
Ozzy Osbourne: Sabotage, Sabbath Bloody Sabbath


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## HaydnBearstheClock (Jul 6, 2013)

OperaGeek said:


> This is probably heresy to many Sabbath fans, but my vote goes to *Headless Cross* for Tony Martin's vocals, some of the heaviest riffs around, Cozy Powell's groove and some "devillishly" good tunes :devil:, not least the epic title track.


I liked Headless Cross too, seems to be quite underrated.


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## Marschallin Blair (Jan 23, 2014)

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> I'm more a fan of Dio-era Sabbath. Tony Martin was really good too.
> Favourite Sabbath albums: Heaven and Hell, Mob RulesTony Martin: Headless Cross
> Ozzy Osbourne: Sabotage, Sabbath Bloody Sabbath


"The mob RUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUL-EEEEEEEEEEEES!"-- I love that song! "Turn Up the Night!" too.

Blonde hair flying all over the place.

It doens't exactly make for safe driving though.


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## Marschallin Blair (Jan 23, 2014)

I like parts of the first album, _Paranoid_, _Master of Reality_, and _Sabbath Volume IV_, myself.

Chris Cornell, are you listening?-- Sabbath would like their 'Soundgarden' back.


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## Marschallin Blair (Jan 23, 2014)

AClockworkOrange said:


> The Dio-era is my favourite era of Black Sabbath. I would have to say Mob Rules is my favourite overall, followed by The Devil You Know and Dehumanizer. I discovered Dio with his Master if the Moon album and prefer Dio's voice as he got older.
> 
> Tony Martin's tenure with the band is sorely underrated. Cross Purposes is my favourite album with him up front.
> 
> ...







Love "Hard Life to Love."


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## kerrcophony (Dec 21, 2015)

I like the Dio stuff primarily, and "Mob Rules" is maybe the coolest song ever. I have the 12-track version of "13" and that's outstanding, even though Ozzy is far from a favourite singer.


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## Kjetil Heggelund (Jan 4, 2016)

Tie between Sabbath bloody sabbath & Master of reality...I also grew up on Born again, nobody mentions that album  ...somebody did!


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## gHeadphone (Mar 30, 2015)

Vol 4 for me! Its a great listen, ill have to dig it out tonight


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## Iean (Nov 17, 2015)

Headless Cross :angel:


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## Dr Johnson (Jun 26, 2015)

For me it is the first album.


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## Martyn Harper (Jan 27, 2016)

The first album is just brilliant. The first track (also called Black Sabbath) is the band's magnum opus. I also have a great fondness for the Ronnie James Dio fronted 'Heaven and Hell'.


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## Kivimees (Feb 16, 2013)

http://www.voanews.com/content/a-13-a-2003-01-02-6-estonian-66298342/541859.html






Enjoy! :lol:


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

Not a band I am into but back in the day (1970s) this was THE album to have:


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## ldiat (Jan 27, 2016)

Itullian said:


> Paranoid...................


agree!!! #1 all the way


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## ldiat (Jan 27, 2016)

BurningDesire said:


> I also don't get why people like Paranoid so much more than everything else. I think alot of it has to do with that being the only album that gets any airplay on the radio, so since its the only one most people have ever listened to at all, of course its their favorite by far.


cause its the only one that has some of the best cuts


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## Bradius (Dec 11, 2012)

Black Sabbath is my all time favorite metal band. I love it all! If I had to choose, I'll go with Vol. 4. Supernaut just gets me.


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## MJongo (Aug 6, 2011)

Master of Reality


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## ldiat (Jan 27, 2016)




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## sosophisticated (Feb 4, 2016)

Black Sabbath were a band that I must admit that I looked down my nose on for some years, even as a teenager. My main contact with them was my older brother playing Ozzy Osbourne's Blizzard Of Oz nearly constantly on his car tape deck in the early 80s, and I'd the heard the song Paranoid a few times. Catchy but stupid, I thought. So to em Black Sabbath were simply "Ozzy Osbournes old band" Then a few years later I bought on a whim a cheap box set of the debut, Paranoid and Sabbath Bloody Sabbath. I was blown away. These guys were great! The really managed to capture a unique musical chemistry in their early days. The Beatles of heavy metal, undoubtedly.

Like many I think they declined a bit post '75, but I'm a glass half full type of person when it comes to music, and I think there are many good moments in even their later work. I'm not that familiar with their mid to late 80s work to be honest. The Dio mini reunion of the early 80s thought was pretty good actually. I enjoy some of the Dio era stuff, but after the Born Again debacle I was reluctant to explore them further, and then my music tastes changed for a while, so I seldom listened to them.

Personally I think their first 6 albums are great. I admit I get annoyed a bit at the seemingly overwhelming popularity of the Paranoid album but I do think it's still one of their best. For the Osbourne years I rank them

1) Debut. It's a bit patchy on the later songs, but it has an incredible atmosphere to it.
2) Sabbath Bloody Sabbath. At their most melodic
3) Master Of Reality. The darkest.
4) Paranoid
5)Sabotage
6)Never Say Die. I know some don't like this one, but I do!
7) Vol 4. There are some great songs here, but I find the sound quality distracts me
8) Technical Ecstasy. They're losing focus...


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