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Blue Murder – Blue Murder
(Image credit: Warner Bros. Records)
Dixie Chicken Two Trains Roll Um Easy On Your Way Down Kiss It Off Fool Yourself Walkin’ All Night Fat Man In The Bathtub Juliette Lafayette Railroad
Led by the songwriting genius Lowell George, Little Feat formed in Los Angeles in 1969, and although the blues was the foundation of their sound, they happily mixed it with country, funk, soul and rock to much effect – perhaps the finest example of how blues rock in the US in the 70s could adapt its sound.
Rumour has it Frank Zappa fired George from the Mothers Of Invention for mentioning drugs in the song Willin’. Striking out with his own band proved the making of Lowell George. Willin’ appeared on 1971’s Little Feat, and again on 1972’s Sailin’ Shoes (so George could play the slide part handled on the debut by Ry Cooder, as George had damaged his hand at the time)
Guitarist Paul Barrere joined the group in 1972 before their classic third album, Dixie Chicken, with fellow newcomers, Louisiana musicians Kenny Gradney and Sam Clayton.
Every week, Album of the Week Club listens to and discusses the album in question, votes on how good it is, and publishes our findings, with the aim of giving people reliable reviews and the wider rock community the chance to contribute.
Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. – Bruce Springsteen & the E-Street Band
Approximately Infinite Universe – Yoko Ono
Holland – The Beach Boys
Who Do We Think We Are – Deep Purple
Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only the Piano Player – Elton John
The Six Wives of Henry VIII – Rick Wakeman
Artificial Paradise – The Guess Who
Back in ’72 – Bob Seger
Doug Sahm and Band – Doug Sahm
GP – Gram Parsons
Heartbreaker – Free
In Concert – Derek and the Dominos
Let Me Touch Your Mind – Ike & Tina Turner
Naked Songs – Al Kooper
What they said…
“Partially due to the New Orleans infatuation, the album holds together better than Sailin’ Shoes and George takes full advantage of the band’s increased musical palette, writing songs that sound easy but are quite sophisticated, such as the rolling Two Trains, the gorgeous, shimmering Juliette, the deeply soulful and funny Fat Man in the Bathtub and the country-funk of the title track, which was covered nearly as frequently as Willin’.” (AllMusic)
“The problem with Lowell George isn’t so much that he doesn’t write good songs as that he doesn’t write great ones. He’s immersed in blues – it’s his idiom. But his own boast to the contrary, “eloquent profanity” doesn’t come easy to him, and it should – in a real blues artist, the secret of a simple trope like Two Trains is that it seems spontaneous and conventional both at once, while George’s clenched throat and staggering slide bear witness to his creative effort.” (Robert Christgau)
“Released in 1973, Dixie Chicken is now considered a watershed and landmark album for the band. The title track for the album has gone on to be the band’s signature song, and the album included several other fan favourites such as Fat Man In The Bathtub. Stylistically, the record exhibited a particular affinity for New Orleans and included one song by that city’s legendary singer/songwriter/producer Allen Toussaint called On Your Way Down.” (David V. Moskowitz: The 100 Greatest Bands Of All Time, 2015)
What you said…
Adam Ranger: A band I have not really listened to before today, so it was good to put that right. Not sure what I expected, but it was probably Southern rock, what I actually got was a form of funky swamp rock. And I liked it.
It’s not an album I would necessarily rush to put on again. But I would certainly not turn it down or off it came on my playlist. Great songs that just move along, and a surprisingly good voice. Not sure why that surprised me, but it did.
I imagine this band at its height would have been great to see live. A few different styles here. Including funk, bluesy rock and an Exile-era Stonesy tune in Fat Man In The Bathtub. I like It!
Brian Carr: The Club to the rescue! Due to Lowell George’s connection to Frank Zappa, I always wanted to check out Little Feat but haven’t until this week. I had heard the title track in passing a handful of times, but wow, I really dug this album a lot. Southern funky grooves without extended jams that often lead me to tune out. I particularly loved the slow burns Roll Um Easy, On Your Way Down and Kiss It Off. The instrumental closer Lafayette Railroad also caught my ear, but there was nothing at all on Dixie Chicken that I didn’t like.
Mike Canoe: Dixie Chicken is a much darker and more despondent album than the raucous title track might suggest. Bandleader Lowell George’s voice is deep in the mix, reminding me of other famously “murky” albums like the Rolling Stones’ Exile On Main Street or There’s a Riot Goin’ On by Sly & the Family Stone. Like those albums, it also feels like an “end of the dream” record, where the ideals and optimism of the 60s gave way to the cynicism and paranoia of the 70s. Harder drugs, harder women, harder to get up and face the day. Well-played dismay.
John Davidson: Little Feat are one of those bands that defy easy categorisations, part southern rock, part Stonesy blues, sprinkled with a little funk, but ultimately just themselves.
Lowell George has a great voice and does most of the songwriting, but the musicianship (and the vocal harmonies) make this fully a band album where everyone seems to carry their weight.
Despite a couple of mid-tempo numbers (Dixie Chickens and Two Trains) the overall impression is a very relaxed album. One to savour on the banks of a lazy river with a cool drink and some amiable company. 8/10.
Greg Schwepe: Thanks to this week’s selection of Little Feat’s Dixie Chicken, I can now cross Little Feat off of my “I Should Really Check This Band Out Because I’d Probably Really Like Them” list. And yes, I’ve known OF Little Feat for a long time, knew a little about what they were about, who some of the members were…and that’s about it.
As soon as I hit Play on the title track Dixie Chicken, it confirmed pretty much everything I figured Little Feat would be. Funky, swampy piano, growling vocals, female harmony vocals, cool drumbeats, harmonica, lots of slide guitar. And at the risk of repeating myself in a review, I had another “why did I wait this long to check this band out?” moment.
And then it’s rinse and repeat for the remainder of the album. The same sweet vibe that keeps you chuggin’ along. Similar instrumentation but maybe more piano and organ on one song (On Your Way Down), or something in a more acoustic vein (Fat Man In The Bathtub). Not a bad track on the album for me.
If you’re looking for laid back music that keeps any part of your body moving rhythmically, well this is it. The kind of stuff I could listen to back to back for a week, or two. 9 out of 10 on this one for me.
Philip Qvist: Little Feat is another one of the bands that I have heard a lot about, without hearing much of their music – so Dixie Chicken is a first for me.
It’s not a bad album, but not something that will appear on my Essential Playlist. That said, it is solid enough with plenty of good songs on it, as band leader Lowell George did most of the heavy lifting here with the singing and songwriting.
My favourite tracks were On Your Way Done (written by Allen Toussaint) and Juliette, but there are no obvious duds on Dixie Chicken. A good record – with a 7 from me this week.
Steve Pereira: Yeah, it’s a nice album. But it’s just a little too, well, nice. I’ve tried over the years to get into it, because there are those who respect this album. But for that New Orleans r’n’b vibe, I’d rather go to Exile On Main Street (which in that odd cross-influencing way that musicians have, was influenced by early Little Feat, and then in its turn influenced Dixie Chicken).
And for a bit more spice on the chicken leg of New Orleans r’n’b, I’d rather go to Dr John’s Gris Gris. For the swamp rock vibe I’d rather have the awesome Brothers And Sisters album by The Allman Brothers. And for the lazy smile while rocking on the back porch vibe I’d go for the well-stoned yet stunningly over-looked Okie by J. J. Cale.
Dixie Chicken reminds me of those four albums, and – for me – falls so behind them that I can’t enjoy the album.
Final score: 7.67 (43 votes cast, total score 330)
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“With the success came all the trappings and we tried every one of them. The drugs, the travel, the women. Our lives were forever changed”: The chaotic story of Black Sabbath, the band who did more than anyone to invent heavy metal
(Image credit: Chris Walter/WireImage)
This July, Ozzy Osbourne is set to reunite with his Black Sabbath bandmates Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward one last time for an all-star farewell performance at Villa Park in Birmingham. But it’s far from the first time Sabbath have reunited over the course of their 55 year-plus career. In 2012, three quarters of the band’s original line-up were back together, with a series of shows and a Rick Rubin-produced comeback album in the pipeline. Hammer talked to Ozzy and Geezer about the band’s return and their staggering legacy.
The debate about who or what instigated the birth of heavy metal will almost certainly continue until we are all reduced to ash or worm food, but for those of us who cherish this music and embrace the culture and lifestyle that goes along with it, there is only one band who can truly lay claim to being the authentic forefathers of everything we hold dear.
The musical elements that combined to form that life-affirming clangour that has resounded around the globe for more than 40 years now can be fairly traced back to earlier points in time, whether they be the primitive blues of the Mississippi Delta, the raucous simplicity of late 50s rock’n’roll groups or even the psychedelic fumblings of early fuzz-merchants like Blue Cheer and Jimi Hendrix.
But the truth is that the essence of heavy metal found its first bona fide expression in that ageless opening riff to Black Sabbath’s eponymous theme song: the opening track on their self-titled debut which was unleashed onto an unsuspecting world on February 13, 1970. That creepy, doom-laden shift from G to D flat – the key ingredients of the notorious Devil’s Interval, music theory fans! – injected an unprecedented level of malevolence, eeriness and foreboding into rock music; the sound of the Birmingham quartet’s blues roots being filtered through a hazy, disorientating occult prism.
“We were influenced by The Beatles, and in Tony’s case, The Shadows,” bassist Geezer Butler explains to Hammer. “They inspired us to want to play music. The roots of our music came from blues and psychedelic bands and singers. When we first formed a band together we were playing mostly blues stuff, like Skip James, Robert Johnson, Willie Dixon and John Lee Hooker. In fact, Warning by The Aynsley Dunbar Retaliation made it onto our first album. We used to jam off that song into our original stuff. We built up a following playing in blues clubs and bars around Birmingham and wherever anyone would have us, but we gradually introduced our own songs into the set, and to great success!”
Black Sabbath in 1970: (from left) Geezer Butler, Tony Iommi, Bill Ward, Ozzy Osbourne (Image credit: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
Rock’n’roll would never sound the same again after Black Sabbath and it scarcely needs emphasising that without that song, this band or the phenomenal body of work that they produced during the 70s – not to mention the many other great works that bore the Black Sabbath imprint in later years – this magazine and the vast majority of music that we celebrate within its pages would simply not exist. It took a while for the band’s unique approach to making music to catch on, however, and the initial critical response to that now classic debut was generally pretty scathing.
“We didn’t give a damn about that,” states Ozzy Osbourne. “I was just happy about getting a record out there. Looking back, it’s a great record. And with the success came all the trappings and we tried every one of them. The drugs, the travel, the women. Our lives were forever changed!”
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It would be easy to be cynical about the current proliferation of reuniting rock veterans or the validity of wheeling out old songs to new generations of music fans who have grown up with the pick’n’mix culture that often seems to regard music as a disposable art form, but the return of the original lineup of Black Sabbath deserves to transcend such notions of cashing-in and pandering to idle nostalgia.
This feature originally appeared in Metal Hammer issue 232 (May 2012) (Image credit: Future)
Black Sabbath matter because heavy metal matters. Listen to those riffs, those melodies, those lyrics and those compelling grooves and you will hear the sound of our precious world turning: heavy, heartfelt, inspirational, unstoppable and as relevant to the music we love as they ever were.
“We were never a media band, more of a word-of-mouth band,” Geezer tells Hammer. “So with the internet, iTunes and YouTube, we’d probably be more successful now, since we wouldn’t have to look to radio or MTV to try getting our music known. The biggest differences, apart from the ease of communication, is the way the songs are written. Everyone now has a means of recording, whether a simple tape recorder or a computer, whereas we had no means of recording. Reel-to-reel tape recorders, the only means of recording back then, were hideously expensive so every song we wrote had to be memorised! I wish we’d had a means of recording the jams we used to have back then. There’d probably have been some very interesting things going on! The business side of it has all changed too. People now know to consult lawyers and accountants before committing their lives to contracts and major record companies are more reluctant to give original music a fair chance, relying more on what is commercially safe.”
The excitement about a possible reunion of the original Sabbath lineup began in earnest back in August 2011 when a local Birmingham newspaper confirmed that the band had decided to regroup and were making plans to rehearse and record together again. Both Ozzy and Geezer had issued equivocal denials of any plans to reform in the preceding months and, given that Ozzy in particular was visibly immersed in his own solo career, few fans had any real expectations that a genuine reformation was in the offing.
However, when the internet became rife with speculation, Tony Iommi was quick to dispel the idea that anything definite had been agreed, stating on his website that the journalist responsible for the story had used an old quote and that no official reunion had taken place. This, of course, was far from an unequivocal denial and the fact that neither Tony nor his former colleagues came out and kicked the speculation into touch did seem to imply that there was something going on behind the scenes, even if it was at such an early stage that no one was willing to publicly commit.
Another reason that Sabbath fans may have started to get very excited about the possibility of their heroes’ return was that the band have hardly been shy about reforming in the past. The original lineup’s first era came to a rather abrupt end after the release of 1978’s Never Say Die album when Ozzy was unceremoniously booted out due to his reportedly erratic and famously drink and drug-fuelled behaviour. Drummer Bill Ward later stated that the band had become “toxic” and that Ozzy’s inability to turn up for rehearsals eventually drove the rest of the band to conclude that it was time to try something new.
This they did, of course, by enlisting Ronnie James Dio to become the band’s new singer and with that rather smart move the Black Sabbath name was enabled to live and fight another day, albeit in a different form and with a noticeably different musical atmosphere. Ronnie’s contribution to the Sabbath legacy is undeniably important. In fact, it’s hard to imagine that the band would have survived without him or the resurgence they enjoyed as a result of 1980’s classic Heaven And Hell album.
Black Sabbath’s Ozzy Osbourne onstage at the California Jam festival, April 6, 1974 (Image credit: ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
Nonetheless, the sacrosanct status of the original Sabbath lineup remained unassailable and so despite the popularity of the Dio era, fans were ecstatic when Ozzy, Geezer, Tony and Bill reconvened for their first public reunion in 1992, performing at the end of one of Ozzy’s supposedly final solo shows in California. Somewhat ironically, the event led to an acrimonious split between Sabbath and Dio – who had released the crushing Dehumanizer album earlier that year – but also seems to have sown the seeds for the full-blown reunion that took place in 1997, when Black Sabbath were charged with the task of headlining that year’s Ozzfest tour in the US. Initially, the band were aided by Faith No More’s Mike Bordin, who stood in on drums due Bill Ward’s outstanding commitments with his own solo band.
However, the full Sabbath lineup eventually hit the stage together, fittingly enough at Birmingham’s NEC arena, for two shows in December that were recorded and released as the aptly titled Reunion album in 1998; a release that also featured two brand new but slightly underwhelming studio tracks, Psycho Man and Selling My Soul. This flurry of activity seemed to spark something within the Sabbath boys and the years that followed saw them reunite multiple times, headlining festivals on both sides of the Atlantic and even venturing into the studio with producer Rick Rubin to attempt to record a new album.
Sadly, those sessions fizzled out and as the new millennium dawned, events undoubtedly conspired to keep the band apart, not least due to Ozzy’s sudden reinvention as a reality TV celebrity via MTV’s The Osbournes.
BLACK SABBATH – “Black Sabbath” Live 1978 – YouTube
Fast forward back to 2011 again and events were conspiring once again, but in a positive direction this time. The death of Ronnie James Dio in 2010 had put a firm full stop at the end of his Heaven And Hell project with Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and drummer Vinny Appice that delighted so many and proved to be an extraordinary creative epitaph for the great man.
But when one door shuts, another one opens. On November 11, 2011, at a private press conference at Los Angeles’ famed Whisky A Go Go club, the four members of the original Black Sabbath lineup announced that they would be reuniting for both live performances and a brand new studio album; their first in 34 years. Anyone who had heard Heaven And Hell’s remarkable The Devil You Know or Ozzy’s widely lauded Scream album was more than aware that the band were individually firing on all creative cylinders and so, the sneering of a few online trolls aside, the news that new material and a live rebirth were on the cards was greeted with a universal shudder of excitement. In the UK, of course, fans nearly exploded with joy when it was revealed that Black Sabbath would be headlining this year’s Download festival at Castle Donington. Oh lord, yeah!
Nothing is ever simple in Sabbath World, though. 2012 began with two major setbacks for the band’s planned reunion. Firstly, in January it was revealed that Tony had been diagnosed with the early stages of lymphoma; an announcement that elicited an outpouring of support and heartfelt tributes from throughout the rock and metal world, as everyone send their best wishes to this living icon.
As a consequence of Tony’s battle with illness, it had also been decided that Black Sabbath’s planned world tour would be cancelled and, with the exception of Download, the dates would be fulfilled by Ozzy and a host of guest stars, performing under the banner of Ozzy And Friends. To help Tony remain near his much-needed medical facilities, Sabbath’s recording sessions were moved from California to London.
Black Sabbath onstage at the London Astoria in December 1999 (Image credit: Brian Rasic/Getty Images))
Secondly, in January Bill Ward made a statement online claiming that he would be unable to participate in the forthcoming live shows due to dissatisfaction with the contract he had been asked to sign. Amid wild and generally unfounded speculation about what exactly was going on behind the scenes, the remaining band members swiftly responded by saying that they had no choice but to continue recording their new album without him but that the door was “always open” if Bill ever changed his mind. Fans around the world duly crossed their fingers and hoped that all these obstacles could be overcome and better news would soon be forthcoming.
In March, Tony issued a statement on his official website, indicating that his ongoing treatment was going well and that he expected to be ready and able to tread the boards with his Black Sabbath brothers this summer. He also said that sessions for the new album were going well and that the band had written some “great new tracks”.
Further glad tidings came in early May when Jane’s Addiction frontman Perry Farrell announced that Black Sabbath would be headlining this year’s Lollapalooza festival in Chicago in August, thus confirming Sharon Osbourne’s previous statement that the band would now perform just one festival show in the UK and one in the US. Throw in the glorious news about Sabbath’s homecoming warm-up show at Birmingham’s O2 Academy on May 19 – tickets for which sold out in less than 10 minutes – and it seems that despite all the turmoil, the Black Sabbath reunion is gathering pace.
Meanwhile, speculation continues about who might replace Bill Ward should his contractual problems not be resolved. Many names have been thrown around, most notably Mike Bordin, Ozzy’s current drummer Tommy Clufetos and, inevitably, Vinny Appice who had been a member of Black Sabbath in the early 80s, performing on the classic Mob Rules album, and of Heaven And Hell in more recent years.
However, Vinny has since ruled himself out, stating that he is focusing on his current band, Kill Devil Hills, which also features ex-Pantera/Down bassist Rex Brown in its ranks. Curiously, Bill Ward’s name has since reappeared as part of the official lineup on Black Sabbath’s Facebook page, so although no definitive statement has been made about whether or not he will be taking part in the reunion shows, the signs seem to be pointing towards a positive outcome.
If anyone remains in any doubt about how fundamental to heavy music – and, indeed, a vast amount of music beyond it – Sabbath are or why the return of the original lineup is such a big deal, they need only read on and witness the vast number of tributes and statements of admiration and adoration from major figures in our world. In musical terms alone, the sustained impact of Black Sabbath and their music is second to none. The band themselves are immensely proud of their huge catalogue of eternal anthems and they are relishing a fresh opportunity to play them all again.
“Lyrically I’d say I’m most proud of songs like War Pigs, A National Acrobat, Spiral Architect, Hole In The Sky and After Forever,” says Geezer. “It’s very hard for me to pick a favourite because it depends on my mood. They all deal with different subjects. But musically I’d probably go with Black Sabbath. It was our first totally original song and it summed up the personality and mood of the band and set the standard for our future writing.”
“For me, it has got to be Paranoid,” says Ozzy. “Through- out my solo career and with Sabbath, I’ve always ended every show with that song. It feels as good to play it now as when we first wrote it.”
Everything worth a damn that has happened in hard rock and heavy metal since the band first emerged in the late 60s bears traces of the Sabbath sound within its DNA and that is even true of bands that have never listened to Master Of Reality or Paranoid. There have been many great masters of the art of the riff over the last 40 years, but no one has produced as many timeless classics as Tony Iommi and his comrades.
Black Sabbath’s original line-up announce their reunion in 2011 (Image credit: Lester Cohen/WireImage)
Sabbath’s influence can be heard everywhere: from the pioneering metallurgy of Judas Priest and Iron Maiden, the speed-fuelled thrash revolution of Metallica, Slayer and Megadeth and the defiant underground hardcore punk of Black Flag and Discharge through to the entire grunge movement of the early 90s – Nirvana, in particular, frequently cited Black Sabbath as a primary inspiration – the dark grooves and genre-bending mischief of nu-metal and, of course, every last stoner rock or doom band ever to fire up a bong and fling on a pair of flares. Black metal, death metal, thrash metal, grindcore, metalcore, djent… you name it, it can all be traced back via one route (or root) or another to the original source of all that is heavy.
Black Sabbath’s music continues to resonate with a freshness, energy and spirit that defies the passing of time. As each new generation of fans embraces heavy metal, the flame of Iommi, Butler, Osbourne and Ward continues to burn brightly; unerring, fiercely relevant, immortal. They belong to us and we to them. Black. Fucking. Sabbath. We need them more than ever.
“I didn’t know we were the forefathers of metal!” Ozzy tells Metal Hammer. “When I used to do Ozzfest I hadn’t realised we had such an impact on the young bands. I’m proud of that alone. I wasn’t aware for a long time, I thought everyone was just taking the piss, you know? But now I feel very comfortable with the guys and the songs we are writing. The reunion’s always been on a backburner. It’s always been there.”
Originally published in Metal Hammer issue 232, May 2012
Dom Lawson has been writing for Metal Hammer and Prog for over 14 years and is extremely fond of heavy metal, progressive rock, coffee and snooker. He also contributes to The Guardian, Classic Rock, Bravewords and Blabbermouth and has previously written for Kerrang! magazine in the mid-2000s.
The ’70s were defined by change for Genesis. Their first album of the decade, 1970’s Trespass, became their last with co-founder Anthony Phillips. And so it went.
They were already shifting the group’s musical approach ahead of a rocket ride to superstardom in the decade to come: After scoring four consecutive gold-selling albums, the less-dense, more radio-ready And Then There Were Three became their first platinum success in the U.S.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, these ever-shifting lineups brought a thrilling diversity of creativity and perspective. Arrivals and departures changed Genesis forever – and that’s reflected in the music, lyrics and production. Here’s a look back at Genesis’ best songs from the ’70s:
No. 10. “Ripples” From: Trick of the Tail (1976)
The moment when Phil Collins started to become Phil Collins. Genesis was never the same: A Trick of the Tail matched their best-ever U.K. chart finish at No. 3 and launched them into the U.S. Top 40 for the very first time – a place in which Genesis would soon become very comfortable. They did it by shedding their prog pretensions, slowly at first and then at a feverish pace. “Ripples” begins that journey, yet still retains enough of their earlier approach to make the perfect bridge. Collins’ vocal, sad then soaring, sits atop a complex musical track that builds off a 12-string guitar piece from Rutherford toward a piano-driven middle section written by Banks.
No. 9. “The Knife” From Trespass (1970)
Unlike so many other Gabriel-era albums, Trespass hasn’t enjoyed a significant critical reevaluation. It remains, in many ways, an album without an audience — more famous for what it mapped out than for anything it actually accomplished. Still, “The Knife” shows how much Genesis had evolved after hammering themselves into shape with a merciless touring schedule. Playing almost nightly, a sound — something, finally, that was distinct to the group — started to emerge. Out on the road, they began to play louder, better and longer, moving confidently away from original Genesis producer Jonathan King’s more commercial song-based approach. “The Knife” is the sound of a band finding itself.
No. 8. “Dancing with the Moonlit Knight” From: Selling England by the Pound (1973)
Named after a lyric in this song, Selling England by the Pound was at that point a commercial peak for the group — reaching No. 3 in the UK and going gold in America. Moments like “Dancing with the Moonlit Knight” are the reason why: A crescendoing, Mellotron-driven epic that moved from acapella reverie to brawny rock bravura, even as Steve Hackett employed both his unique tapping technique as well as an interesting sweep-picking sound. “What I was doing was something that was akin to a violinist’s bow technique, where you are picking across the strings and then back again very quickly,” Hackett later remembered. “It was just another way of playing very, very fast. Violinists, J.S. Bach, they all would have been there first, of course.”
No. 7. “The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway” From: The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway (1974)
Gabriel would soon depart for a celebrated solo career. He left behind an album that remains this bundle of contradictions, mysteries, narrative twists and real-life turns. Same goes for its title track. Gabriel’s larger narrative follows a half-Puerto Rican street tough named Rael roaming through a hellish New York City, trying to rescue his lost sibling. Still, as complicated and full of strange imagery as this song (and the LP) can sometimes be, Genesis catches an undeniable groove. “The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway” is one reason its parent album became one of the most musically approachable of the Gabriel era.
No. 6. “Deep in the Motherlode” From: And Then There Were Three (1978)
Though a Rutherford composition, “Deep in the Motherlode” boasts a keyboard-driven main theme that initially places Banks in a more central role. Collins shines, however, during a quiet middle section that provides the soul of this track, as he describes the main character’s search for fame and fortune – well, mostly fortune – during the American West’s gold-rush era. Everything builds toward a powerful exhortation to “Go West, young man.” (The phrase is often credited to Horace Greeley, an 1800s-era newspaperman who famously editorialized in favor of American expansion to the Pacific.) Genesis were on their own quest for gold. Gold-selling albums, that is.
No. 5. “Carpet Crawlers” From: The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway (1974)
More respected than necessarily understood, The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway became Genesis’ biggest seller in their native U.K. to that point, but also marked the end of Gabriel’s time in the band. The era – and certainly this LP – had been marked by impish turns of phrase and mind-bending imagery. Yet, the diaphanous off-topic ruminations from “Carpet Crawlers” (“we’ve got to get in to get out“) ended up having the most emotional resonance. Gabriel’s billowing, layered vocal also provided some of the first hints at the darker, less-reedy complexity that would mark his approach as a solo artist.
Hackett took a career-defining turn on “Eleventh Earl of Mar,” this engrossing retelling of an ancient Scottish uprising, just before losing his own battle for a place at Genesis’ creative table. The second post-Gabriel album arrived as disagreements between the soon-to-depart Hackett and Banks reached a high-water mark. In fact, the guitarist had already released Voyage of the Acolyte, his 1975 solo debut, in an effort to get around the four-man lineup’s creative logjam. Nothing worked: Banks received writing credits on six of the nine songs on Wind & Wuthering, then Hackett was gone.
No. 3. “The Musical Box” From: Nursery Cryme (1971)
Phil Collins and Steve Hackett, the final two pieces of the puzzle, arrived to complete Genesis’ classic five-piece lineup – and Nursery Cryme promptly became their first Top 40 U.K. hit. Originally an instrumental by the newly departed Anthony Phillips, “The Musical Box” later emerged as a soft-then-thunderously loud band collaboration with lyrics based on a Victorian fairy tale courtesy of Gabriel and an eye-popping turn by Hackett. The guitarist brilliantly updated his sound through the use of a new fretboard technique – now simply known as “tapping” – that Eddie Van Halen later brought to a wider audience.
No. 2. “Watcher of the Skies” From: Foxtrot (1972)
“Watcher of the Skies” heralded a series of ever-lengthening collaborative breakthroughs, and Genesis’ first great album. They finally found a way to balance the whimsy of the group’s earliest music, their quickly developing flair for long-form narratives and a newly discovered rock brawn – setting a template for a sequence of sometimes overblown ’70s-era prog-rock triumphs. Hackett’s guitar, often the centerpiece during his 1971-77 tenure, is complemented by Banks’ distinctive turns on a newly acquired Mellotron. Later, Mellotron manufacturers Streetly Electronics even added a preset called the “Watcher Mix” that mimicked Banks’ sound perfectly.
No. 1. “Firth of Fifth” From: Selling England by the Pound (1973)
Featuring one of Hackett’s most memorable interludes, this rhythmically complex Banks track finds the guitarist echoing Gabriel’s flute melody and then building upon it – creating a stirring, violin-esque narrative. The song itself brings in a stirring mixture of musical flavors, from folk to church music, from blues to Asian sounds, from Eric Satie to King Crimson. Hackett returns to the melody again and again, building on the statement of theme like jazz, while breaking the soloing mold for a guitarist more apt to craft brief bursts of imagination. “Firth of Fifth” remains one of Hackett’s best and longest-ever recorded solos.
Phil Collins and Peter Gabriel Albums Ranked
They led Genesis through successive eras on the way to platinum-selling fame. Here’s what happened next.
Joe Cocker has been eligible for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame since the mid ’90s, but his first ever nomination didn’t arrive until 2025, over a decade since his passing in 2014.
Cocker, who was born in 1944 in Sheffield, England, started singing in public at age 12, drawing inspiration from people like Ray Charles and Lonnie Donegan. He dropped out of school a few years later and became a gasfitter, but he did not drop his dream of pursuing music.
Fast forward several years and bands later to 1969, Cocker released his first two albums, With a Little Help From My Friends and Joe Cocker!, both of which landed in the Top 40 in America. Oh, and there was also a little show called Woodstock that Cocker took part in, where he effectively blew the crowd away with his striking voice and commanding stage presence. Later came the famous Mad Dogs & Englishmen tour, plus more charting albums and singles.
Cocker had his share of struggles with drugs and alcohol, which effected his ability to perform live. Yet, he persisted, recording and touring up until 2013. In September of 2014, Billy Joelendorsed Cocker for induction into the Rock Hall, describing him as “a great singer who is not very well right now.” Three months later, Cocker died of lung cancer.
We at UCR happen to agree with Joel. Here are 5 Reasons Joe Cocker Should Be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
He Was One of the Most Powerful Singers in Rock
It feels futile to try and describe Cocker’s vocal talent in words — you simply must hear it with your own ears to understand. In 1960, the year Cocker formed his first band, the Cavaliers, the most popular artists of the year chart-wise were folks like Roy Orbison, the Everly Brothers and Sam Cooke. All talented in their own right, sure, but a far cry from the kind of raw feeling Cocker heard in the blues, a feeling he channeled into his voice. Gritty and unpolished, Cocker’s singing embodied the sort of nastiness rock ‘n’ roll music thrives on. “It’s an emotion – a way of carrying an emotion,” Cocker would say of his singing to The Guardian in 2013.
His Woodstock Performance Is Legendary
Woodstock on the whole was a historical event, but when you break it down by act, the sheer spread of talent that performed during those three days becomes all the more impressive. Cocker’s performance with his Grease Band was undoubtedly one of the strongest of the festival, which included an astounding rendition of the Beatles‘ “With a Little Help From My Friends.” (More on that shortly.) “It took about half the set just to get through to everybody, to that kind of consciousness,” Cocker recalled to The Guardian. “You’re in a sea of humanity and people aren’t necessarily looking to entertain you.” It was a pivotal moment not just for Cocker, but for rock ‘n’ roll performance in general.
His Ability to Interpret the Work of Others Was Exceptional
If we had to narrow it down to just one singular reason Cocker deserves a place in the Rock Hall, it would probably be for his outstanding ability to interpret the work of others. It may sound straightforward, but covering another artist’s song requires a certain level of creativity, originality and respect – the idea being that homage to the original recording is paid while also transforming it into your own singular work. This Cocker excelled at. Over the years, he put his spin on songs by the Beatles, Bob Dylan, Jackson Browne, Leonard Cohen, R.E.M., Bill Withers and many more. And don’t just take our word for it, take it from a Beatle. When Cocker passed away in 2014, Paul McCartney made sure to mention that he thought Cocker’s version of “With a Little Help From My Friends” was “just mind blowing, totally turned the song into a soul anthem and I was forever grateful for him for doing that.”
He Carried the Torch of Blues and Early R&B Music
To be clear: there is a much broader conversation to be had about the role of blues, and more specifically of Black musicians, in the world of ’60s and ’70s rock ‘n’ roll. There is no Joe Cocker or Rolling Stones or Led Zeppelin without the likes of Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf and Chuck Berry, all of whom were influences on Cocker’s career. Entire essays and books have been written about the fine line between appreciation and appropriation as it relates to this topic, and with hindsight, it’s not hard to see the through line from Delta blues and early R&B to British skiffle, hard rock and even metal. But when Cocker came onto the scene, that was still quite a new concept. “He brought Ray Charles to the mix as an influence on rock ‘n’ roll,” Steven Van Zandt of the E Street Band explained to Rolling Stone in 2010.
He Was an Incredible Live Performer and Frontman
Many rock ‘n’ roll frontmen also play instruments in their respective bands, but not Cocker, which left him free to be the star of the show. If you watch basically any footage of him performing at Woodstock, on tour with Mad Dogs & Englishmen and beyond, you’ll see just how animated of a performer he was, gesturing wildly and dancing around the microphone stand. “I never knew what to do with me hands,” he confessed to Classic Rock in 2013. “Most people feel rhythm in their feet, but that was how I expressed myself. It looks daft, but I can’t help it.” We would argue it was not daft at all but invigorating — the music felt literally alive at those ’70s shows in particular.
Woodstock By the Numbers
Going inside the numbers at the original Woodstock festival, from portable toilets to injuries caused by guitars.
This year’s Super Bowl Halftime Show caused the most controversy we have seen during a Super Bowl performance since the Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson spectacle. While that controversy stemmed from an incident that happened during the performance, this year’s backlash was caused mostly by people over 50 who had no idea who Kendrick Lamar was. That wasn’t the only reason, though. The fact that Kendrick Lamar decided to showcase his dispute with Drake in front of the largest TV audience of the year was just another public display of juvenile behavior that, for the most part, people are tired of.
For the past 20 years, the Super Bowl Halftime Show has largely shifted toward hip-hop and rap music. Now, while my generation did not grow up on that type of music, I have no problem with it. I truly believe that every generation deserves its own music to grow up with, and for the most part, that’s what hip-hop and rap have been to people probably 40 and under. Nonetheless, I think it’s time for a change.
There was a great five-year stretch in the early 2000s where we saw bands like The Who, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Bruce Springsteen, and Paul McCartney perform fantastic halftime shows. Of course, people at the time criticized those performances, but you can’t please everybody. So, for next year, we’re proposing a list of bands that we would love to see bring rock and roll back to the forefront. These picks are based on rock bands that we feel have a large audience and would satisfy most of the Super Bowl’s viewers. I completely understand that younger people may not know who that Lynyrd Skynyrd or Led Zeppelin guy was, but what better way to introduce young people to some classic rock and roll?
We are serious about this list. These are bands that are still together or could possibly reunite for one more show—who knows? But these groups could actually do it, and we believe they would put on a fantastic halftime show. So, here’s a list of the bands or solo musical artists and why they should take the stage.
This list includes only musical artists who have never played the Super Bowl.
# 10 – The Doobie Brothers
The Doobie Brothers are back with a brand new album, marking the first record in over 40 years to feature Michael McDonald, Tom Johnston, and Pat Simmons on vinyl. What better way to celebrate The Doobie Brothers’ reunion than with a Super Bowl Halftime performance? Everybody loves The Doobie Brothers, and this would be a perfect opportunity for them to reach a younger audience while everyone else celebrates their reunion.
Everyone loves Heart—even younger generations recognize the song Barracuda. This is an absolutely perfect choice. The band has countless hits, and they still sound incredible. Imagine how Ann Wilson would light up the stadium with her phenomenal voice, while Nancy Wilson captivates the audience with her stunning guitar work and signature high kicks. Now picture this: Jimmy Page joins them on stage for a roaring rendition of Rock and Roll to close out the show. That would be the ultimate rock and roll performance!
Just imagine an all-star jam featuring Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Marshall Tucker Band, and The Outlaws. Think about the songs these three bands could play together or individually during the Super Bowl Halftime Show. Then, for the grand finale, Free Bird performed with members of all three bands on stage together. Am I getting carried away? Probably. Could this actually be done? Oh yes—let’s make it happen!
Listen, we’re not going to get Led Zeppelin. There’s no way Led Zeppelin would ever reunite for a Super Bowl Halftime performance. And, of course, all true-blue Led Zeppelin fans realize that the band was done when John Bonham died. However, Jimmy Page and The Black Crowes is a definite possibility. If you ever caught any of the tours they did or have heard the live album they released, it was phenomenal. Additionally, there are plans to release another live album featuring Jimmy Page & The Black Crowes. This would make for an incredible Halftime Show.
If you caught any of the Sammy Hagar & The Best of Both Worlds tour shows, you know this would be a phenomenal performance. Sammy Hagar, Michael Anthony, Joe Satriani, and Kenny Aronoff are absolutely on fire, tearing through classic Van Halen tracks and Hagar’s solo hits. Now, here’s the real kicker—if they could get Alex Van Halen to play drums and maybe David Lee Roth to share the lead vocal mic and turn this into a celebration of Eddie Van Halen’s life, you would have an entire stadium and millions around the world dancing and crying at the same time. That would be incredible! Eddie deserves to be honored in front of the biggest audience of the year.
Right now, the Eagles are a stadium band—one of the biggest in the world. Large venues are all they play. Of course, it’s not the same without Glenn Frey, but they’re still packing stadiums and putting on phenomenal shows. This is a solid pick.
Who doesn’t love Rod Stewart? If there is one rocker who can charm an entire audience of people of all ages while also rocking the roof off the joint, it’s this man.
Sting may have performed at a Super Bowl Halftime Show with Gwen Stefani, but The Police never did. This is probably the longest shot on the board, but when The Police reunited for a tour back in 2008, it was spectacular. Not many people would argue against this choice. This is another one of those bands that are universally recognized, with songs that span generations. This would be an absolutely phenomenal pick, but Sting probably wouldn’t do it. But then again what do I know? Are you listening Gordon?
It wouldn’t be the same without Christine McVie, but if you could get Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks back together on stage as part of Fleetwood Mac, I think many people would be on board. Just imagine them opening the Halftime Show with Tusk—anyone who has seen that video would understand exactly what I mean. And then they close with Go Your Own Way. Holy smokes, would that be earth-shattering!
Our top two choices are pretty much interchangeable. Since they have toured together many times, the ultimate pick would be for both of them to perform the Halftime Show. However, it’s been a long time since they shared a stage, so either one of them performing the show by themselves may be the more realistic possibility. That woudl be great also. There aren’t many musical artists who have spanned generation after generation in music history popualiryty like these two. The Beatles are probably the ultimate example, but the next two would likely be Billy Joel and Elton John. These two are stadium acts. These two are legends.
Ask anyone who saw King Crimson’s 27-date tour of the UK in November and December 1972 what they recall of the show there’s a good chance that the name of one person will be uppermost in their memories: Jamie Muir.
The death of the 82-year old musician and artist sparked numerous tributes and a wave of appreciation not just for his work as a member of the now-legendary Larks’ Tongues-era quintet but also for his pioneering contribution to the UK’s free jazz scene of the late 1960s and early 1970s where he worked as part of The Music Improvisation Company alongside luminaries such saxophonist Evan Parker and guitarist Derek Bailey.
Although Muir was only a member of King Crimson for a few months he was a hugely influential figure, not only during his tenure on stage and in the making of the Larks’ Tongues In Aspic album, but also left a legacy would resonate through successive line-ups thanks to his coining of the phrase ‘larks’ tongues in aspic’ when he was once asked to describe that quintet’s music.
King Crimson – Larks’ Tongues In Aspic Part I (OFFICIAL) – YouTube
Born in 1942 after initially taking to the stage as a trombonist after being expelled from art school in Edinburgh in 1966, he would ultimately become a drummer. Having founded a group called The Assassination Weapon in which he also controlled the band’s psychedelic light show, his aim shifted from Edinburgh to London where he quickly became embedded in the improvisation scene while funding himself with a day job as a salesman in Bentalls Department Store. Muir, who was also briefly a member of Pete Brown’s Battered Ornaments, saw King Crimson performing at Hyde Park in 1969 when the original group supported The Rolling Stones. Impressed by the force of Crimson’s set, decades later he told me in the first of many interviews, “Most bands come along and then develop but Crimson just came on and exploded with this very adult, intelligent, cutting-edge music. It was just this whole package that went wallop!”
Muir also played with Sunship, a jazz-rock outfit that included ex-Soft Machine sideman saxophonist Lyn Dobson, Allan Holdsworth, and future Gilgamesh/National Health keyboard player Alan Gowen, with whom Muir had also played in the Afro-rock combo Assegai in 1971. The other notable band Muir was part of was Boris. Championed by Melody Maker’s Richard Williams, Boris mixed rock, jazz, free-improv, and theatrical presentation led by Muir himself. Williams, who recommended Muir to Robert Fripp in the summer of 1972, recalls, “Jamie was such an interesting man. He was a funny combination of intensity and craziness. There was a looning side to him obviously. That Dadaist thing was interesting. He was obviously very serious but serious in a way that most musicians wouldn’t have understood, which is why Robert, even with his meticulous viewpoint, did respond to him.”
Just three years after witnessing King Crimson Muir found himself jamming with Robert Fripp to become the first recruitment to the new incarnation of King Crimson. Jamie recalled the occasion. “Fripp came round and we played for a couple of hours, upstairs in my little rehearsal room with mattresses plugged up against the windows. All I remember was playing some really fast and furious blowouts, which from a drummer’s perspective was the Tony Williams/Billy Cobham type of thing. It was fairly energetic stuff and I think we enjoyed ourselves. My feeling about getting the call was: ‘Terrific.’ King Crimson was the ideal for me because it was a rock band that had more than three brain cells. I was very much more an instrumental style of musician rather than being song-based and there weren’t many other bands that I would have been any good in. I was extremely pleased and I felt completely at home with Crimson.”
A little older than everyone else, he was quick to lead with suggestions for ideas or approaches to the material and musical vocabulary they were attempting to develop. Such was the sense of adventure and open-mindedness in those formative days nobody in the group baulked at or questioned the percussionist’s arsenal of pistachio shells, bags of dried leaves, domestic baking trays, tuned plastic bleach bottles, old suitcases, rolled-up newspapers, a large saw, duck calls, toys, and an aerophone – a brass mouthpiece affixed to a length of rubber hose which when whirled above the head produced a pitch with a doppler effect – in addition to a more conventional drum kit, cymbals and gongs.
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(Image credit: Getty Images)
Situated near the centre of the stage, Muir provided a visual focus for many in those audiences. Dressed in a split fur jacket that had once belonged to a girlfriend, he resembled something akin to a shaman dressed in animal skins as he moved rapidly around his array of percussion and toys. In the climatic sections of the music, he would work himself into a frenzy, moving with an anarchic abandon as though possessed, flailing his kit and nearby equipment flight cases with chains while appearing to be spitting blood from his mouth. Although these were theatrical capsules secreted in his mouth, the visual effect was startling. If the punters regarded him as something of an eccentric performer, then spare a thought for his fellow musicians on stage who had no inkling as to what Muir would do when he joined them on stage.
Many of the sounds and ideas Muir came up with were adopted and accommodated no matter how unorthodox they appeared to be. During the making of Larks’ Tongues In Aspic, Muir suggested the buzz of overlapping voices heard at the coda of LTIA Part I, the otherworldly and tape-manipulated sounds that grace the opening of Exiles and of course, recording the sound of hands sloshing around in buckets of mud during the introduction of Easy Money. While many of these sounds were fleeting and ephemeral in their nature and deployment, that did not prevent them from becoming etched into Crimson’s future musical vocabulary. The shocking screeching marking the transition between the climax of The Talking Drum and the grating intro of LTIA Pt II was produced by the band members blowing as hard as they could into the reeds of vintage bicycle horns. Many of those sounds left an indelible drummer Pat Mastelotto, whose habit of triggering electronic samples of Muir’s work had the effect of summoning that mercurial spirit into the 21st-century body of King Crimson.
Prompted by a profound spiritual awakening, Muir quit Crimson, music, and London, after the recording of Larks’ Tongues In Aspic in February 1973. However, before driving north he paused long enough to tell Yes’s Jon Anderson about Paramhansa Yogananda’s book, Autobiography Of A Yogi and thereby inadvertently inspired the conceptual framing for Yes’s Tales From Topographic Oceans. Thereafter Muir joined the Samye Ling Monastery near Eskdalemuir in southern Scotland to pursue a monastic Buddhist life, also attended by artist Fergus Hall who would provide the cover art for The Young Persons’ Guide To King Crimson and The Compact King Crimson. Upon returning to secular life in the early 1980s Muir once again became part of the improvised music scene and also took to painting large surrealist paintings. Not many of these have survived thanks to Jamie’s habit of burning those canvases he no longer liked. Happily, a less pyrotechnically inclined means of deleting unsatisfactory work presented itself after he began creating digital art in the early 2000s.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Although I only saw Jamie once in December 1972 with King Crimson, the memory of his incandescent presence never left me. I’m doubly lucky to have talked to him several times in subsequent years about that period of his life. Not only was he an inspiring, catalysing force of nature, he was also a lovely, modest soul. A long-time resident of Somerset, although he’d clearly moved on with his life, whenever I talked to him Jamie retained a great fondness for what was achieved during King Crimson. “The essence of it was that we were five musicians carrying with them their qualities and gifts and still trying to find a way of welding it all together into one distinct personality.”
Sid’s feature articles and reviews have appeared in numerous publications including Prog, Classic Rock, Record Collector, Q, Mojo and Uncut. A full-time freelance writer with hundreds of sleevenotes and essays for both indie and major record labels to his credit, his book, In The Court Of King Crimson, an acclaimed biography of King Crimson, was substantially revised and expanded in 2019 to coincide with the band’s 50th Anniversary. Alongside appearances on radio and TV, he has lectured on jazz and progressive music in the UK and Europe.
A resident of Whitley Bay in north-east England, he spends far too much time posting photographs of LPs he’s listening to on Twitter and Facebook.
Kansas have canceled their next two concerts following news that vocalist Ronnie Platt is battling cancer.
The singer revealed earlier this week that he was diagnosed with thyroid cancer on Feb. 11. “Before everyone gets all excited, it has a 99% survival rate [and] it has not spread,” he wrote on social media. “It’s contained to my thyroid [and] I just have to have my thyroid removed. [I’ll] go through some rehab time and be right back in the saddle. I sincerely appreciate everyone’s positive thoughts and prayers. I have some absolutely amazing people going to bat for me. As it has been put to me, this is just a bump in the road and will be behind me very soon! So everyone, please CARRY ON!”
As a result of Platt’s current situation, Kansas made the decision to cancel two Louisiana concerts in New Orleans on Feb. 21 and Lake Charles on March 1. Tickets will be refunded at point of purchase. They also rescheduled two earlier dates in Oklahoma to November. “Our goal is to be back on the road as soon as possible,” assistant band manager J.R. Rees tells UCR. “Right now, we’re all focused on supporting Ronnie through this.”
Ronnie Platt’s History With Kansas
The vocalist has been with Kansas for more than a decade now and can be heard performing on the two most recent studio albums, 2016’s The Prelude Implicit and 2020’s The Absence of Presence. He joined the band in July 2014 after longtime singer Steve Walsh announced his departure earlier that month.
As Platt told UCR later during a 2016 interview, he got the job with Kansas in a whirlwind four day period that included him flying from his home area of Chicago to Atlanta for three hours. But the circumstances of the trip were unique, because he wasn’t being asked to audition. “We know you can sing your ass off,” they told him. “We just want to know if you’re a good guy who fits in with the band.”. By the time he woke up the next morning, he had an email from drummer Phil Ehart, letting him know that he had the gig.
“[It was] complete numbness,” he laughed, remembering the first show he played with Kansas. “You know, when I think about it, it’s still surreal. Just being a huge prog rocker from the late ‘70s, I mean, I grew up just listening to everything Kansas put out, So as a huge prog rocker and just having a similar tonality to Steve’s voice, you know, I always felt a close affection to singing Kansas stuff.”
Kansas wrapped up its 50th anniversary tour at the end of last year with a show in Pittsburgh, which featured a number of special highlights, including a guest appearance by original bassist Dave Hope. Their upcoming plans for the year include a series of co-headlining dates this summer with 38 Special.
Metal Hammer has teamed with Killswitch Engage for an exclusive bundle, celebrating the release of the metalcore greats’ new album This Consequence.
Only through the Louder webstore, you can get your hands on a variant of the latest issue of Hammer that features Killswitch on the cover. The magazine also comes with a t-shirt you can’t buy anywhere else and has a comprehensive interview with frontman Jesse Leach inside. Buy yours now while stocks last.
Inside, Leach talks openly about growing up in a religious household, the rise of Killswitch, his sudden 2002 exit, and his return to the band 10 years later.
(Image credit: Future)
Getting candid about why he left the band via email, with Howard Jones quickly taking his place, he says: “Back then, I was a very insecure, social anxiety-ridden kid, who didn’t have a total handle on my art. I started to get depressed. My anxiety was crippling me.
“I would hide out before the show, play the set, hide out after, not be sociable, not have fun, and that just started wearing thin on me. I felt very alone, I was having a rough time with my voice and my mental health. I became pretty much suicidal. I had the wherewithal at least to bail and get out of there.”
He goes on to talk about how now balances his mental health with his position singing in a prominent metal band. “You learn how to live with it,” he explains. “You exercise certain techniques and thought patterns, and there’s so many things you can do to sort of live with mental disorders. If I’m going through a bout of depression, I can write some pretty intense stuff.”
The new Hammer also comes with an in-depth review of This Consequence, which comes out on Friday (February 21) and marks Killswitch’s first album since Atonement came out six years ago. Journalist Stephen Hill offers a glowing eight-out-of-10 write-up, saying, “This Consequence sees [Killswitch] roaring back to classic form, possibly even heavier, just as emotionally raw, and still leaders of the metalcore pack.”
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On February 5, it was announced that the heavy metal originators’ founding lineup will reunite for one last show this summer, following their retirement back in 2017. The one-day Back To The Beginning event will also feature the final solo performance from frontman Ozzy Osbourne, plus a support bill that includes a ‘who’s who’ of hard rock royalty.
As the metal world gears up for what could be the defining gig of this generation, we’ve prepared the essential Q&A so you know everything you need to about the extravaganza.
Why are Black Sabbath coming back?
Black Sabbath retired following an extensive farewell tour from 2016 to 2017. The shows featured three of the band’s four founding members – singer Ozzy Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi and bassist Geezer Butler – but not original drummer Bill Ward, who pulled out of the band several years earlier due to a contract dispute.
Last year, Osbourne said on his podcast The Madhouse Chronicles that Sabbath’s career felt “unfinished” because they didn’t bow out with Ward behind the kit. He called for a true original lineup reunion, and Iommi, Butler and even Ward all expressed interest in the idea over the following weeks. The comeback finally became official with Back To The Beginning’s announcement in February 2025.
BLACK SABBATH – “Paranoid” from The End (Live Video) – YouTube
It certainly looks that way. From the moment Ozzy Osbourne started discussing a Black Sabbath reunion last year, the idea was for it to be a proper farewell with every founding member present. When Back To The Beginning was announced, it was promoted as the singer’s “final bow”, meaning it’s set to be his last time onstage both with Sabbath and as a solo performer.
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“As you may all know, four years ago, this month, I had a major accident, where I damaged my spine,” The Prince Of Darkness wrote on social media. “My one and only purpose during this time has been to get back on stage.
“My singing voice is fine. However, after three operations, stem cell treatments, endless physical therapy sessions, and most recently groundbreaking Cybernics (HAL) Treatment, my body is still physically weak.”
As his wife and manager Sharon Osbourne recently explained, the singer’s health issues have only worsened since then. She told The Sun that he can no longer walk as a result of Parkinson’s, despite his voice still being in top form. This has doubtlessly all played into Ozzy’s decision to retire from the stage after Back To The Beginning.
Which members will appear at the Black Sabbath reunion show?
Back To The Beginning will feature all of Black Sabbath’s original members: Ozzy Osbourne (vocals), Tony Iommi (guitars), Geezer Butler (bass) and Bill Ward (drums). The four men initially played together from 1968 to 1979, when Osbourne was fired due to his excessive substance use. The singer started a solo career while Sabbath continued, with Iommi being the only constant member.
The Osbourne/Iommi/Butler/Ward lineup reunited in 1999 but disbanded again in 2006. Iommi and Butler started the project Heaven And Hell, and Osbourne went back to his solo work. Though the classic Sabbath members came together yet again in 2012, Ward quickly abandoned the return due to contractual disputes.
Sabbath’s 2025 show will mark the first time Osbourne, Iommi, Butler and Ward have played together since late 2005. Their last full-length concert was in September 2005 in West Palm Beach, Florida, during the Ozzfest tour.
Black Sabbath’s original lineup in 1970. L–R: Geezer Butler (bass), Tony Iommi (guitars), Bill Ward (drums) and Ozzy Osbourne (vocals). (Image credit: Dom Slike / Alamy Stock Photo)
Who else will play at the Black Sabbath reunion show?
There will also be an all-star “supergroup” playing, with Billy Corgan (The Smashing Pumpkins), Tom Morello (Rage Against The Machine), David Ellefson (ex-Megadeth), Fred Durst (Limp Bizkit), Jonathan Davis (Korn), Wolfgang Van Halen and others among their ranks. Morello will be the musical director of the event and famed actor Jason Momoa (Aquaman, Game Of Thrones) will compere.
See the full list of performers in the poster below.
(Image credit: Live Nation)
What will happen at the Black Sabbath reunion show?
According to a recent interview with Sharon Osbourne, Back To The Beginning will start at 12 noon on July 5. “Then you’re going to see one icon playing with another icon, doing a Sabbath song and one or two of their own songs, and people playing with each other that you never you’d see,” she added. “Tom Morello is going to play with the drummer from Tool [Danny Carey] and they’re going to have Billy Corgan with them.
“Then you’ll see Slash and Duff [Mckagan] and whoever they choose to play with. [Disturbed singer] David Draiman is going to come up and sing, Jonathan [Davis] from Korn is going to be here and he could be playing with [Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer] Chad Smith or whoever! Alice In Chains are coming and they’re playing as the band.”
The day will end with performances from Ozzy Osbourne and the original Black Sabbath lineup. However, on his Sirius XM radio show in mid-February, Osbourne said he’ll only play “bits and pieces” with Sabbath onstage.
“I’m not planning on doing a set with Black Sabbath but I am doing little bits and pieces with them,” he said in full. “I am doing what I can, where I feel comfortable.”
Where and when is the Black Sabbath reunion show?
The Black Sabbath return will take place at Villa Park, Aston, on July 5. The venue isn’t only in the band’s birthplace of Birmingham, but is the home stadium for the members’ beloved football team Aston Villa. Ozzy Osbourne and Geezer Butler demonstrated their love for the club last year, appearing in the reveal trailer for their 2024 kit. Iommi recently held up their colours at a photoshoot announcing Back To The Beginning.
Tony Iommi and Sharon Osbourne at Villa Park in February 2025 (Image credit: Samir Hussein/Getty Images for Live Nation UK)
Can I still get tickets to the Black Sabbath reunion show?
After multiple pre-sales, tickets to Back To The Beginning went on general sale at 10am UK time on Friday, February 14. The BBC reports that the online queue for tickets exceeded 60,000 people, while Live Nation claims that the event sold out in fewer than 10 minutes. So, unless you’re willing to keep an eye on resale sites and potentially pay exorbitant prices, your chances of getting tickets for Black Sabbath’s final show are now slim-to-none.
How much are tickets to the Black Sabbath reunion show?
After the artist presale for Black Sabbath tickets started on February 11, The Independent reported that prices ranged from £197.50 to £834. On February 13, Birmingham Live reported that one local father spent more than £6,000 on two passes for himself and his daughter.
All proceeds from Back To The Beginning will go to the charities Birmingham’s Children’s Hospital, Acorn Children’s Hospice and Cure Parkinson’s.
Depends who you ask. There were bands who took the groove of blues rock and made it heavier before Black Sabbath came around, such as Iron Butterfly and Cream. However, it’s broadly accepted that Sabbath codified the heavy metal genre with their self-titled song in 1970. Not only was it heavy, but it started metal’s lengthy habit of pulling ideas from the horror genre: guitarist Tony Iommi used an ominous tritone while bassist Geezer Butler’s lyrics were themed around a demonic encounter. Many journalists and musicians have thus called Sabbath the first real metal band.
How many albums have Black Sabbath made?
Black Sabbath have released 19 studio albums and are unlikely to make another. Here they are in chronological order:
Black Sabbath (1970)
Paranoid (1970)
Master Of Reality (1971)
Vol. 4 (1972)
Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (1973)
Sabotage (1975)
Technical Ecstasy (1976)
Never Say Die! (1978)
Heaven And Hell (1980)
Mob Rules (1981)
Born Again (1983)
Seventh Star (1986)
The Eternal Idol (1987)
Headless Cross (1989)
Tyr (1990)
Dehumanizer (1992)
Cross Purposes (1994)
Forbidden (1995)
13 (2013)
What’s the best Black Sabbath album?
There’s no general consensus on what the best Black Sabbath album is, but the fan-favourites from the band’s original lineup are Black Sabbath and Paranoid (both 1970), Master Of Reality (1971), Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (1973) and Sabotage (1975). Many are also partial to the band’s first album with Ronnie James Dio on vocals, Heaven And Hell (1980), while Headless Cross (1989) featuring singer Tony Martin is frequently described as underrated.
Classic Rock magazine recently ranked Sabbath’s albums from worst to best and put Paranoid at the top of the pile. “Released just seven months after their debut, Sabbath’s second album is their masterpiece,” wrote journalist Paul Elliott.
Paul Simon has announced a new tour for four months this year.
A Quiet Celebration Tour will play throughout North America in the spring and summer, with Simon performing at intimate venues during the run. The shows support Simon’s latest album, Seven Psalms, which came out in 2023.
In addition to songs from his most recent album, Simon will play classic cuts from his career, including favorites from Simon & Garfunkel.
After the release of Seven Psalms in 2023, Simon said he couldn’t perform live because of hearing loss. In 2024, he noted that some of his hearing had returned and hoped to play some shows again.
The upcoming concerts will be played in smaller, more intimate venues to accommodate Simon’s hearing loss. The concerts start in April in New Orleans and wrap up in August in Seattle.
This past weekend, Simon, with Sabrina Carpenter, kicked off Saturday Night Live‘s 50th anniversary special with a performance of “Homeward Bound.” Simon was one of the program’s earliest supporters, having appeared on the show several times over the past five decades.
Where Is Paul Simon Performing in 2025?
Simon worked with specialists to create a stage setup that would make performing easier for his hearing loss, which started to surface when he recorded the acoustic and mostly solo Seven Psalms.
A Quiet Celebration Tour starts on April 4 with two dates in New Orleans at Saenger Theater. Over the next four months, Simon will play multiple nights in cities such as Denver, Dallas, Nashville, Toronto, New York and Los Angeles before concluding on Aug. 3 with the second of two concerts at Seattle’s Benaroya Hall.
You can see the list of dates below.
Simon’s band for the tour includes viola player Caleb Burhans, percussionist Jamey Haddad), guitarists Gyan Riley and Mark Stewart, keyboardist Mick Rossi, saxophonist Andy Snitzer, flute player Nancy Stagnita, cellist Eugene Friesen (Cello), and drummers Steve Gadd and Matt Chamberlin alternating for performances.
Tickets go on sale Feb. 21 at 10 a.m. local time. More information can be found at Simon’s website.
Paul Simon, A Quiet Celebration Tour 2025 April 4 Saenger Theater, New Orleans, LA April 5 Saenger Theater, New Orleans, LA April 8 Bass Concert Hall, Austin, TX April 10 Bass Concert Hall, Austin, TX April 11 Bass Concert Hall, Austin, TX April 14 Paramount Theatre, Denver, CO April 16 Paramount Theatre, Denver, CO April 17 Paramount Theatre, Denver, CO April 20 Orpheum Theatre, Minneapolis, MN April 22 Orpheum Theatre, Minneapolis, MN April 23 Orpheum Theatre, Minneapolis, MN April 26 Midland Theatre, Kansas City, MO April 28 Stifel Theatre, St. Louis, MO April 29 Stifel Theatre, St. Louis, MO May 7 AT&T Performing Arts Center, Dallas TX May 8 AT&T Performing Arts Center, Dallas TX May 11 Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN May 13 Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN May 14 Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN May 17 Riverside Theater, Milwaukee, WI May 18 Riverside Theater, Milwaukee, WI May 21 Symphony Center, Chicago, IL May 23 Symphony Center, Chicago, IL May 24 Symphony Center, Chicago, IL May 27 Massey Hall, Toronto, ON May 29 Massey Hall, Toronto, ON May 30 Massey Hall, Toronto, ON June 6 Wolf Trap, Vienna, VA June 7 Wolf Trap, Vienna, VA June 10 Boch Center, Wang Theatre, Boston, MA June 12 Boch Center, Wang Theatre, Boston, MA June 13 Boch Center, Wang Theatre, Boston, MA June 16 Beacon Theater, New York, NY June 18 Beacon Theater, New York, NY June 20 Beacon Theater, New York, NY June 21 Beacon Theater, New York, NY June 23 Beacon Theater, New York, NY June 26 Academy of Music, Philadelphia, PA June 28 Academy of Music, Philadelphia, PA June 29 Academy of Music, Philadelphia, PA July 7 Terrace Theater, Long Beach Performing Arts Center, Long Beach CA July 9 Disney Hall, Los Angeles, CA July 11 Disney Hall, Los Angeles, CA July 12 Disney Hall, Los Angeles, CA July 14 Disney Hall, Los Angeles, CA July 16 Disney Hall, Los Angeles, CA July 19 Davies Symphony Hall, San Francisco, CA July 21 Davies Symphony Hall, San Francisco, CA July 22 Davies Symphony Hall, San Francisco, CA July 25 The Orpheum, Vancouver BC July 26 The Orpheum, Vancouver BC July 28 The Orpheum, Vancouver BC July 31 Benaroya Hall, Seattle, WA August 2 Benaroya Hall, Seattle, WA August 3 Benaroya Hall, Seattle, WA
Paul Simon and Simon & Garfunkel Albums Ranked
He was always an uneasy folksinger, a role his record company tried to push him into starting with Simon & Garfunkel’s debut.
