The band that signalled the end of “actual music” for Tony Iommi
Arguably, no band in the world is a better reflection of their environment than Black Sabbath, not only in what they wrote about but in the tone of their music. Their unique sound is the result of Tony Iommi losing the tops of his fingers and bassist Geezer Butler knowing guitar but having to play the bass. It is all a complete reflection of who the band are, where they live and what their circumstances were. In other words, you will never get music that is more honest than with bands like Black Sabbath.
You know just how vital this sound was to the band as well. Iommi once spoke about his favourite and least favourite Black Sabbath albums and many of the records he looks back on with trepidation; he does so because the band were trying too hard to be experimental with their sound and became confused within the process.
The debut, Black Sabbath, and second album, Paranoid, were written and recorded relatively quickly and within quick succession, meaning people were graced with the authentic sound of Black Sabbath. After that, though albums were still quite well received, they were also complicated and had no common thread running throughout them.
As a band so proud of how they can accurately portray themselves, it’s no surprise to hear that Iommi was never a massive fan of bands who only made music because that kind of music was trendy at the time. He felt like this particularly in the 1980s during the rise of hair metal, as a lot of authenticity was taken away from music, and instead, there was a strict formula to follow if you wanted your band to be perceived as cool.
There was one band in particular he sees as been the start of the hair metal movement: Poison. They were the perfect glam rock band, with their hair being the only thing louder than their riffs. “That’s when that music came out, Poison and that sort of band, so many, all sounding the same,” said Iommi, “I’m like, ‘Blimey, what’s happened here?’ It became more of a posing thing than the actual music.”
Tony Iommi’s stance on music is unequivocal: it doesn’t matter whether he likes what you’re playing or not, so long as you are doing something you like and are passionate about, he has time for it. The hair metal and glam rock era didn’t coincide with his beliefs, as this ushered in an era of bands who put the look before the music.
“I believe in following what you believe in and sticking to that. If you like it, that’s it, and then if you can influence other people to like it… I’ve always had that thing,” he said, “We’ve got to like it first, and then if people like it, great; if people don’t, don’t listen to it.”
This should be a belief held by most musicians, but often, it is hard not to be swayed by what is popular at the time. If you are ever struggling creatively, remember to always think like Tony Iommi, and you won’t go far wrong.
