The five best Black Sabbath songs, according to Geezer Butler
There is so much about Black Sabbath that immediately draws the eye that many of its fundamental parts can be overlooked.
For instance, when you look at Michelangelo’s David, you become so enamoured with the detail, the technique and the intricacy that the pick and marble used to create it are barely given a look. In the case of Black Sabbath, the bass guitar was the marble and Geezer Butler held the pick.
Black Sabbath is very much a band that is a product of its surroundings. One of the clearest examples of this is the toned-down sound of the guitar. It gives the band a very doom-like feel and is the result of Tony Iommi losing the tips of his fingers and having to tune down his guitar to ensure he could still bend the strings. Another is the depth that Sabbath has, resulting from Geezer Butler playing bass despite being a guitarist.
All of these elements are grounded in working-class necessities. And that captures the DIY spirit of rock ‘n’ roll at its best. As Eddie Van Halen said when celebrating Sabbath, ”Rock ‘n’ roll today wouldn’t exist without them.”
The guitarist added, “They started the whole riff thing, you know. They came up with licks instead of just strumming the guitar, it wasn’t your typical songs with a chorus.“ Much of that is tied to their brooding bass player. And it is showcased in the songs that he defines as the Brummie band’s very best moments.
Butler was originally a guitar player, so when he was asked to play bass for the band (as they were in desperate need of a bassist), though he was willing, he didn’t know how to write bass lines. A lot of the music being made at the time, such as The Beatles and that undeniable Motown sound, had pretty, running basslines accompanying songs, but Butler had no idea how to put them together.
Instead, he played the guitar parts again, which doubled the doom-laden sound, giving it more depth and making it appear even heavier. This significantly contributed to Sabbath’s overall tone and helped establish the heavy metal genre.
Butler was also responsible for a great deal of songwriting. It wasn’t enough for Sabbath to have a dark sound; the way that songs were put together and the lyrics used within their music had to reflect the theme they were going for. Butler understood this better than anyone and subsequently could pen lyrics and songs that established Black Sabbath as a band well outside of the social norm.
When asked about Sabbath lyrics and which songs he is most proud of, Butler was quick to reel off five tracks in particular. “I like ‘Sabbath Bloody Sabbath’, ‘Paranoid’… ‘War Pigs’ I really like,” he said, “’A National Acrobat’ I like, well, the first part, anyway. ‘Supernaut’.” Those five classics have an anthemic appeal that captures the power of the band alongside Butler’s admiration for meaningful lyricism which is often wrongfully overlooked in their outlook.
Speaking specifically about ‘War Pigs’ Butler said it was a song that “never goes away,” given the lyrics manage to describe the atrocity of war so well that they can act as a protest song for most conflicts. Those timeless moments, where the band transcended metal and horror, are the ones that Butler highlights as the grooving group’s true apex.
As a bassist who mimics the guitar parts of songs, Geezer Butler is often overlooked for his importance in Sabbath. The fact is, without his playing technique, the songs wouldn’t carry as much depth. Equally, if not for his ability as a songwriter, it would be impossible for Black Sabbath to have the barrage of hits they do now.
Then, of course, there’s the drama that added mirth to their mix. “Being in Black Sabbath felt like being an actor in a soap opera,” Butler wrote in his memoir.
Concluding, “It’s a minor miracle all four of the original lineup survived beyond the 1970s, let alone that we’re all still here. Along the way, we consumed enough booze and drugs to sink a battleship. Music writers spent decades trying to tear us down. There were so many lineup changes I sometimes didn’t know what band I was supposed to be in.”
Geezer Butler’s favourite Black Sabbath songs
- ‘War Pigs’
- ‘Sabbath Bloody Sabbath’
- ‘Paranoid’
- ‘Supernaut’
- ‘A National Acrobat’
