The only Black Sabbath song to feature Tony Iommi singing
As pioneers of the metal genre, Black Sabbath boasts an impressive catalogue of unparalleled material. During their early years, the band veered rock music in a darker direction, characterised by a slow and ominous style that resonated with the mood of the 1970s. This era witnessed a shift towards increasing pessimism as the dream of the counterculture faded and the post-war consensus began to crumble.
Although listeners weren’t ready for their groundbreaking work towards the end of the 1960s, their 1970 debut, which featured cuts like ‘The Wizard’ and ‘N.I.B.’, would start to change their minds. What ensued after this release was one of the most essential album runs of the era.
Later that year, the group built on the foundations they laid with their first with Paranoid, a stellar second album that asserted why they were to be taken seriously, despite the oft ridiculous nature of the lyrics. Boasting the title track, ‘Iron Man’ and ‘War Pigs’, it confirmed the hallmarks of the burgeoning metal genre.
The quartet followed this up with Master of Reality in 1971. A widely influential title, it’s another flawless album that saw them establish the blueprint for genre spin-offs such as grunge, stoner and doom metal. Then, its successor, Vol. 4, was the last excellent album they released before the trappings of success, drugs, and general hellraising started to affect the creative process, with personal relationships strained.
With 1973’s Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, things got weirder as the group headed deeper into the hedonistic abyss. Following this album, it became apparent that the group was tearing at the seams. Despite the tension, they ploughed on, releasing Sabotage and Technical Esctasy before the recording of 1978’s Never Say Die! confirmed that they could not continue in their present guise. Frontman Ozzy Osbourne, who had already briefly quit the band before recording, permanently left following entering the studio. He would not return until 2013’s 13.
As the personal relationships within the band were at rock bottom during the making of Never Say Die! and their sound was more uncoherent than ever, bassist and lyricist Geezer Butler thinks it’s “easily the worst album” they released. He admitted that the band didn’t know how to move forward, as they were at loggerheads with each other in many non-musical ways, leading to its messy character.
The album is so bizarre that one song is noted for being the first and last time guitarist Tony Iommi sang backing vocals. It’s a strange experience to hear his baritone on top of the more melodic harmonies of Butler and drummer Bill Ward, and in his autobiography, Iron Man, the influential axeman revealed that singing it was also a struggle. He recalled that Butler couldn’t take him seriously whenever he sang and found it impossible to keep a straight face. Understandably, this affected his performance.
Listen to ‘A Hard Road’ below.
