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Credit: Tilly Antoine
Hear Geezer Butler’s isolated bass on Black Sabbath song ‘Children of the Grave’
In 1971, when Black Sabbath released Master of Reality, the band confirmed their position as rock’s new saviours. Every member of the group brought their respective expertise together to create a 34-minute rollicking listen that has stood the test of time, as this genius isolated bass part from Geezer Butler on ‘Children of the Grave’ proves.
At the time the record was released, Master of Reality was slammed by critics who harshly shunned it. Contrastingly, the public took to the album almost immediately, and it went to number one in Great Britain despite being derided by the press. In the years that followed, the media opinion shifted and it became universally accepted that Master of Reality was a pioneering triumph that helped establish the origins of heavy metal.
While the group’s first two albums were recorded accumulatively in six days, with Master of Reality, the band were afforded as much studio time as they wished for the first time in their career. This luxury gifted Black Sabbath a sense of freedom to drift outside of their comfort zone. Over three months, they experimented and produced a stonecold classic which was a significant advancement on their previous two offerings.
Speaking about the creation with Metal Hammer in 2016, guitarist Tony Iommi commented: “We all embraced the opportunity: Tony threw in classical guitar parts, Geezer’s bass was virtually doubled in power, I went for bigger bass drums, also experimenting with overdubs. And Ozzy was so much better. But this was the first time when we didn’t have gigs booked in, and could just focus on making the album a landmark.”
‘Children of the Grave’ is as magnificent as anything else in their biblical repertoire and the undisputed apex of Master of Reality. Geezer Butler’s bassline is the glue that holds the track together and allows the rest of the group to flourish.
When listening back to his contribution to ‘Children of the Grave’ through the isolated audio, it’s even more beguiling and further highlights the importance of Butler, who perhaps doesn’t get the plaudits that his talent.
In 2017, Butler spoke to Spearhead and explained how he masterminded his part. He said: “I just followed the guitar riff. Tony started the track with a galloping riff and I followed that throughout the song. We always jammed songs until we were satisfied with how we wanted them arranged. I’d usually keep the first few ideas that I had.”
Listen below to Butler’s stimulating isolated part on ‘Children of the Grave’, and discover a newfound appreciation for the Black Sabbath bassist whose understated role in establishing their dynamic sound deserves more acknowledgement.
