The five Black Sabbath songs Geezer Butler is most proud of
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.
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’.” 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.
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.
Geezer Butler’s favourite Black Sabbath songs
- ‘War Pigs’
- ‘Sabbath Bloody Sabbath’
- ‘Paranoid’
- ‘Supernaut’
- ‘A National Acrobat’
