Members present: Swedish Oxers, William A. Rawls, Cuban Pete, Plan B, Charlie Face
Members absent: ILoveDisco, Ms. Mistoffeles, Consigliere
Favorite song: “Planet Caravan”
Discussed: Noting of one-year anniversary of Album Club; Plan B’s taking the baton from Swedish Oxers with PowerPoint prowess; dark sound, inspired by horror (Boris Karloff movie “Black Sabbath”) and the occult, but addressing issues like war and drugs; group recording against the backdrop of a UK fearful of nuclear war, against US bases in UK, and witnessing mental and physical problems of US soldiers returning from Vietnam; use of the musical tri-tone a.k.a. the Devil’s interval; left-handed guitarist Tony Iommi’s unique sound created by de-tuning due to his missing fingertips; at beginning of 1970s, realization that the flower revolution did not work; band well-trained from constant touring in small clubs in UK; album’s release within same year as group’s first album; guitar’s “musical multiplier” effect, giving the band that big sound even though only four members; album’s negative reception by critics of the day, who wanted albums with hope; elements of jazz throughout the album; quick changes of tempo in songs; timelessness of “Iron Man,” a true anthem; cinematic and Gothic elements (later adopted by the Cure); definition of the moniker Geezer in the UK; music as a vehicle for poor kids in UK to find a way out; surprising quality of Ozzy Osbourne’s voice; album’s advanced sound, seeming more 1980 than 1970; “Iron” in “Iron Man” as the source of the term heavy metal, and the opening drums of that song as the moment heavy metal was born; songwriting via jamming; uniqueness of vocal, guitar, and bass on same melody; Ozzy’s singing with the guitar line because band improvised so much
Next album, courtesy of Charlie Face: Night Owl, Gerry Rafferty (1979)
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