1177. Black Sabbath / Volume 4. 1972. 4/5

If you go back to those first three Black Sabbath albums, it is still amazing to hear just how awesome they are, how brilliant the song writing is, and how amazing the playing from those four musicians is. Sure, there is some quirkiness about a few of the songs, especially I guess from the self-titled debut album when they were still coming out of the hippy happy late 1960’s period. But from that had come songs that as influential today as they were when they were released - “Black Sabbath”, “N.I.B”, “War Pigs”, “Iron Man”, “Paranoid”, “Sweet Leaf”, “Children of the Grave” - and practically every other song. All three are outstanding albums, fuelled by alcohol and marijuana.
Following the end of the tour to promote “Master of Reality”, the band headed back into the studio in the US to start the process of coming up with their fourth album. By this time however, their tastes had changed, and cocaine had come onto the scene. Both Ozzy and Tony in their autobiographies describe how speaker boxes full of the white powder were delivered daily to the studio as the band worked. Is it any wonder that the blizzard of white found its way into the lyrics of several songs recorded for the album.
Was it a deliberate ploy to make any significant changes to the style that the band employed in their music for this album? No one really seems capable of making a wholehearted answer of ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to that question. There is of course still plenty of the aggressive style in their music on some of the tracks that eventually made the final cut for “Volume 4”. But there is also little doubt that there is a little more experimentation in the track list. And for some people, myself included, it feels as though it was a bridge too far, or at least too quickly. Tony Iommi himself was quoted as saying in 1975 that the album "was such a complete change – we felt we had jumped an album, really ... We had tried to go too far."
Having said all of that, is the album really that much different from what had come before it? The first thing that I have to say is that this is still a great Sabbath album, don’t be fooled into thinking it isn’t. But it is different, and the songs are different, and that could be for several reasons. It could be that the band wanted to head in a slightly reformed direction with their music. It could be, as has been suggested in several forums, that it was the change in drugs that the band were using at the time that created these musical changes. And others believe it was just the next step in the generation of the music.

Let’s go about this album two ways. Firstly, just put it on and listen to it from start to finish. Conclusions? Another great Black Sabbath album. Like the albums that came before it, the great songs are broken up by little musical interludes that aren’t really songs but are labelled as such. And some of those make you wonder “uhhh... why?”. But by the end of the album, you’ve heard great vocals, great riffs, great drumming, and you leave happy.
OK. So that’s the easy version. Here’s another version.
The album opens with “Wheels of Confusion”, a song that goes through three different phases from start to finish. It could almost be three different songs put together, or at least three different sections that eventually were melded into place. Bill Ward’s drum bashing through the middle of the song is amazing. Those drummers from that era – John Bonham from Led Zeppelin, Keith Moon from The Who, and Bill Ward, never left any skins left on the shells. How their sticks survived at times in beyond belief. The mood is fantastic and is a great opening to the album. This is followed by “Tomorrow’s Dream” which continues in the same instance, with a great riff from Tony and amazing complementing bass riff from Geezer.
“Changes” is the immediate first change to what is going on. The song is all through piano and keyboard, and Ozzy singing over the top. It isn’t a ballad as such, but a piano based thought piece. Apparently, the story goes that there was a piano at the home that the band were writing and recording this album, so Tony taught himself how to play the piano while he was there, and then came up with the chords that make this song. I mean, really, it must suck to be talented, right? That’s an amazing thing to do, to just teach yourself an instrument, and then come up with the chords that produce a song that is such an amazing piece of Black Sabbath history, because it is so different. Fantastic lyrics written by Geezer as well, and Ozzy sings it perfectly. Amazing.
“FX” is a waste of space. I mean, what is it doing here? It fills in one minute and 39 seconds on the album, and more or less just acts as a go between, from the quiet serenity of “Changes” to the smash ‘em and crash ‘em that returns with “Supernaut”. Surely there was a better way to do this. Probably just by not adding it. Tony has said in the years since that he agrees with this sentiment. Anyway.
Yes, then “Supernaut” crashes back in with Tony’s brilliant riff and Bill just smashing away on the drums, along with his own solo piece in the middle of the song. This has always been a great song, and sonically here it is brilliant. Tony’s guitar sound is perfect, surprisingly fitting in to close out the first side of the album excellently.
Side Two opens with the amazing “Snowblind”, a song that remains one of my favourite all time Black Sabbath tracks. No prizes for guessing what the lyrics are about, but everything about this song for me is a work of art. Bill’s drumming, Tony’s iconic riffing, the three different main riffs that make up the song are just outstanding. Geezer’s bass guitar, following its own path separate from the guitar but somehow drawing the whole piece together, and Ozzy’s great vocals, able to move between the manic and the serene. It’s a great song, a triumph. “Snowblind” was also the title the band wanted to use for the album, but the record company shied away from it. For some reason...
The rest of side two is still great, but it is a different level to what has come before it. “Cornucopia” and “St Vitus Dance” change things up a bit again. “Laguna Sunrise” is Tony’s instrumental piece, apparently written after waking up and watching the sunrise over Laguna Beach where they were writing and recording. And “Under the Sun” completes the album in a jaunty vision of what has come before it.

You may well have already guessed that I had a hard time getting into this album when I first got it. Unlike the first three albums, which are full of songs that everyone knows, “Volume 4” has relatively few songs that well known to the average fan, and that along with the change in out and out heavy songs at the time that I got the album threw me a curveball. It was also at a time when my real music focus was on the ‘modern’ heavy metal that was coming out in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, and at the time that didn’t fit my listening profile.
Over the years that of course changed, and the more I heard “Volume 4” out of the mix of these other bands, the more it grew on me. And much like the band themselves went on to suggest, it is an album that perhaps came too early in their career to be completely understood. And in retrospect, given the changes that came on the albums later in the 70’s decade, this is much less of a change than came then.
In recent years, this album has become a regular one that I pull out to listen to, much to my surprise. During the covid lockdown weeks and months I actually listened to the whole Black Sabbath discography, and went about ranking all of the albums in order (my order of course, which disappointed many people, and brought back the argument over what constituted a ‘real’ Black Sabbath album – but more of that down the track on a future episode). During that period, I ranked this at number 9 overall, which I think is probably still reasonable. It is far better than some of the later albums that came with different members, but isn’t quite at the level that ranks it as one of the greatest. But what I remembered during that period, and have again over the last few weeks, is what a solid and joyful album it is to listen to. “FX” is a mistake, but Black Sabbath didn’t make many of those in these years.
On its release, this album reached number 1 in Australia, the only country it did so. And last year it received a Super Deluxe release with demo versions and a brilliant concert as recorded at the time, which I spoke about recently on the episode reviewing their “Past Lives” album. All of this makes for a great Sabbath album, one that still stands the test of time, 50 years on. In fact, you will scarcely be able to believe that this ground breaking album and its amazing tracks can possibly be 50 years old.

1176. Alice Cooper / Raise Your Fist and Yell. 1987. 4/5

In recent times, as you have to do with bands and artists that have been around for centuries and release albums every two years like clockwork, I have done a lot of podcast episodes on Alice Cooper albums. There has been “Schools Out”, there has been “Zipper Catches Skin”, and others around the times. It does mean that sometimes it feels as though I am repeating myself, so if that also feels like the case to you, then please accept my apologies. On that very recent episode reviewing “Zipper Catches Skin”, I mentioned the difficult times that Alice had been going through in regards to his creative vision, along with his drug and alcohol addiction that was at that time dominating his life. That episode was right in the middle of that crisis, and the downward spiral his music was taking as a result. An episode from Season 1 of this podcast, for his “Constrictor” album, then explained his comeback. Having fought and beaten his addictions, he teamed up with guitarist composer Kane Roberts, and rediscovered the magic that got him back in the game. Following that album and the successful tour that promoted it, it was time come up with a follow up album, one that could build on the goodwill that that album had been able to inspire, and to once again find that quintessential “Alice Cooper” trademark. The same main trio that had recorded “Constrictor” returned for this new album – Alice himself, Kane Roberts on guitar and co-composer of the album, and young bass guitarist Kip Winger.
This album came out within 12 months of “Constructor”, another reminder of how often bands would release albums back in the 1980’s. Building on the themes that had been prevalent on that album, “Raise Your Fist and Yell” has songs that are based and themed around the slasher film genre that was prevalent in the b-grade movie cinemas at the time. They are upbeat, and again mixed with anthemic cries in the lyrics along with the horror themes of those B-grade movies we all watched during that decade, all drawn together by great guitar riffs and hard hitting drums that probably allowed this album to not be as goofy as its twin preceding album, but continue along that line of Alice moving from his 70’s shlock to the early 80’s new wave to the late 80’s hard rock and hair metal genre with remarkable adaptability.

Alice’s albums often have an anthem to kick them off, to get the listener into the right mood immediately. Think “School’s Out” or “Teenage Frankenstein”. Nothing changes here with the brilliant “Freedom”, which invokes the album title within its lyrics. Its challenge to the rock censorship movement at the time is obvious throughout. There is a great quote from Alice at the time, which I’ll read here in full. “I think somebody had to say something back to these people. They start out with the premise that kids in America are too stupid to know what they’re listening to, and that’s really wrong. They say bands are trying to manipulate teenage minds — but kids know they’ve been manipulated all their lives by lots of things, including teachers, the media, their own parents and especially television. So we just have fun with it. Alice Cooper does not preach violence or devil worship, but he DOES make fun of just about everything.” True words. There is more of this on “Give the Radio Back”, another battle cry from the kids to their authoritative overlords. Alice goes straight to the heart of the matter as he sees it for the kids, just like he did in 1972 and 1982. Add to this queue “Step on You” and you have the songs, both lyrically and musically, that have been staples of Alice Cooper’s reign for that almost 20 year period when this was released. Alice and Kane still get it from their main audience’s view, and they are anthemic. They complete side one with “Not that Kind of Love”, a theme that was pursued more on the next Alice Cooper album.
Around these songs are the tracks that are like those B grade horror films I mentioned earlier. Robert Englund (perhaps better known as Freddy Krueger from A Nightmare on Elm Street) makes a guest appearance on “Lock Me Up” to help sell its title. “Prince of Darkness” leaves little doubt as to the subject matter, though it apparently appeared very briefly in the John Carpenter movie of the same name on someone’s Walkman. Seems that this was a movie that passed me by without seeing it. The album then concludes with the continuing schlock horror theme with “Time to Kill”, “Chop, Chop, Chop”, “Gail” and “Roses on White Lace”, all which deliver perfectly with the lyrical visuality and great riffing from both Roberts and Winger, delivering the joy of the material in perfect unison throughout. Alice best explains it again when he was quoted as saying “This is the highest energy music I’ve ever done. I think it’s because I’m experiencing that kind of energy physically. I’m in a hundred times better shape than I ever was — that has to do with wanting to tour and be competitive. Mentally, of course, I’m sicker than I’ve ever been…”

This album initially came my way courtesy of my heavy music dealer from high school, who seemed to be able to give me just what I needed without even knowing. And, given how much I had loved “Constrictor” (you can relive that episode from Season 1 to discover that) I never doubted that I would also love this album. In fact, if my memory still retains most of its ability, I had this recorded on one side of a C90 cassette, and Motley Crue’s “Theatre of Pain” on the other side. However, such was my love of this album, and my general ambivalence with “Theatre of Pain”, that I destroyed this tape eventually in the cassette player of my white Toyota Corolla from playing it all the way through, and then hurriedly rewinding it to listen to it again. This hastened my purchasing of it on CD, which I did from Redback Records in Wollongong on a day out.
So yes, I have always loved this album since I first heard it. The teen anthems all worked on me given I was still in my late teens when it was released and for a couple of years afterwards. It was a feeling of slight disappointment when I first saw Alice Cooper live on the Trash tour that they didn’t play anything off this album. Indeed, apart from “Roses on White Lace” on the most recent Alice tour – another one I was fortunate enough to see, along with taking my whole family – no songs have been on the live setlist from this album since that time. Which is a shame, because there are a lot of cracking songs here, all of which would work beautifully in the live environment. All of the songs are short and sharp, and the album doesn’t overstay its welcome. It’s also a shame that this was the final album that had Kane Roberts and Kip Winger playing on, but beyond this time Alice began in a similar direction but with a huge leap in personnel involved. He co-wrote and played on “Bed of Nails” on the “Trash” album but that was where his involvement with Alice concluded – until just a few short weeks ago when he re-joined the live band to replace Nita Strauss. Roberts has stated publicly he would love to do another album with Alice. Having bathed in the glory of this album over the past few weeks, we can only hope that comes to fruition. His contribution to leading Alice Cooper’s resurgence through the mid-1980's should never be overlooked.
Most fans of Alice Cooper, when asked for their favourite albums, rarely list this or its predecessor in their best five Alice Cooper albums. The early classics, or the chart toppers that followed this album are generally where the popular vote goes. For me this is easily one of the best five Alice Cooper albums ever released. I would have difficulty in ranking them in order in that top five – if pushed it would come down to either “Hey Stoopid” or “Constrictor” - but this is one of the best. And if you don’t agree, then you haven’t listened to this album enough. So pull it off the racks now, and get it spinning!

1175. Armored Saint / Raising Fear. 1987. 3.5/5

From their beginnings back in Los Angeles in 1982, Armored Saint had been in and around those bands that became such household names through the course of the 1980’s. Played with them, drank with them, and generally went along the journey with them. It’s interesting that, at different times and under different circumstances in those years leading up to this album, both leader singer John Bush and bass guitarist Joey Vera had been asked to consider becoming a part of Metallica, but both refused as they wanted to remain with their own band. That says something not only for the closeness of the band but in their belief in themselves.
The band's first two albums, “March of the Saint” and “Delirious Nomad”, were well regarded in the industry and did enough sales wise to raise the profile of the band, but it is fair to say that they were really in the second tier when it came to the coverage the band received compared to their contemporaries in the heavy and thrash metal genre during the mid-1980's.
Along with Bush and Vera, Armored Saint’s first formation included Dave Pritchard on lead guitar and brothers Phil and Gonzo Sandoval on rhythm guitar and drums respectively. However, by the time it came to write and record this album, Phil had left the group, and the album was recorded as a four piece, with Pritchard playing all the guitars.
The most noticeable thing about this album is the production and recording. It is noticeable that not only do the songs feel more structured, they are recorded better and have a bit more oomph in the production than the first two albums received. I mean, everyone who knows “March of the Saint” would agree that it would be amazing if it had been recorded a few years later with better production techniques. And while it improves even more come the next album, it still sets this album up as a better prospect in a time when so many of the great albums of the 80s metal scene were released.

Straight up, John Bush takes centre stage and dominates the opening of the album. And as much as I love Phil’s guitaring on the first two albums, I have to admit that Dave really lets rip in great style on this album. It’s interesting that this is the case, with Dave setting up those licks that he also plays off. It is especially noticeable in the opening, self-titled track. It’s a great song, and lights up the album from the outset.
“Saturday Night Special” is a cover of the Lynard Skynard song, a much more upbeat version than the original. Why does it appear on this album? I don’t really know. Maybe the band just loved the song and decided they wanted to do their own version. It’s interesting listening to it because, although it is a good version, it is noticeable that through the verses of the song the guitars don’t really take control and have great pieces like the other songs on the album do – you know, the ones the band actually wrote! No matter, it still sounds great.
“Isolation” is the standing-out-like-thumb track on the album. It mixes up the general style of song that Armored Saint had done to this point of their career, a slower more introspective track, though with the vocals continuing with their loud and powerful cry rather than silently backing off into a power ballad. It also has a great solo from Pritchard in the second half which ignites it beyond what it could have been. It’s an interesting song, one that does defying being catalogued. It is bookended by two great faster tracks. Both “Out on a Limb” and the excellent “Chemical Euphoria” drive the album back to the rafters.
The second side opens up with the excellent “Frozen Will / Legacy” with Dave’s guitaring again a highlight. “Human Vulture” has some great spots from Bush and Vera, with “Book of Blood” and “Terror” continuing on the frenzy. Closing track “Underdogs” is a beauty, screaming along with fire and brimstone from Bush on vocals and Pritchard on guitar, bringing the album to its conclusion in a pleasing fashion.

I had heard very little of Armored Saint until well into the 1990’s, again through a combination of their albums not being easily sought at the time in Australia, and the fact that none of my friend group listened to them or had any of their albums either. So it wasn’t until John Bush joined Anthrax, and came out with the amazing “Sound of White Noise” album that I thought “I wonder where the hell this bloke came from?”, and I eventually went out to track some material down. And as it turned out, this was the first album that I managed to get a hold of, so I know it pretty well. And of course it was a matter of then slowly building up to the other albums. When it came to putting this album on my playlist to listen to again to record this podcast episode, it jumped out of the speakers at me. It grabbed me again from the outset, and my initial reaction was ‘wow, why haven’t I listened to this in a while!’ And like I’ve said before, this is one of the reasons I do this podcast, in order to rediscover great albums that I may not have played in years. So after a good solid three weeks of going around and around, this has been a great catch up. There is so much to like here, and I think that I rate it higher now than I have in the past. It’s not an out and out classic that demands your attention as one of the best ever released, but it does provide all the things necessary to make a really good album.
It also acts as a tribute to Dave Pritchard, as it was his final album. Following the tour Dave was diagnosed with leukemia, and he passed away the following year while the follow up album “Symbol of Salvation” was being written. His guitaring on this album is some of my favourite from the band, and it is fitting that it is memorable because of how good it is and not just because of his passing.