Black Sabbath - "The Eternal Idol" (LP Review)

Yesterday I was texting with Scott about "Family Favorites", a bonus EP of covers from Entombed and the subject eventually turned to different versions of Black Sabbath, where we both agreed that "Vol. 4" is probably our favorite LP, and both Ozzy Sabbath and Dio Sabbath are great, but we treat them like separate bands and don't compare between them.  I even stated that I'm a big fan of Gillan Sabbath (Scott may have agreed on that, it's not clear), but certainly "Born Again" should be enjoyed separately and not compared with the Ozzy or Dio.  Although we did not discuss it last night, I've stated before that I even kind of liked "Seventh Star", mostly because I appreciate Glenn Hughes's bluesy vocals. 

This discussion made me recall that my interest in Black Sabbath came to an abrupt end with 1987's "The Eternal Idol".  I still have the vinyl packed away somewhere, one of the last vinyl LPs I ever bought new.  If I remember correctly, I bought it in my freshman year of college and I'm pretty sure I haven't listened to it since.  Clearly I didn't like it, but I couldn't quite remember why.

I've since read that Tony Martin-led era of Black Sabbath (of which "The Eternal Idol" was the first LP) has developed a cult following.  Had I missed something?  My interest in metal was waning in college, so perhaps I did not give it a fair listen?

With that in mind, today I re-listened to the LP (via YouTube -- I did not dig up my vinyl) for the first time in ~30 years, and the verdict is... it's awful.  Tony Martin is not a good singer, he's not even interestingly bad: he's just bland, generic, and would be right at home at your local bar in a Queensryche cover band.  There are spots where Tony Iommi's playing still shines through, but the vocals (and the simplistic lyrics) sometimes make it difficult to even locate, much less enjoy, Iommi.

The next LP in the Tony Martin era, "Headless Cross", receives a lot of praise but I'm in no hurry to listen to it.  In 2010, the demo version of this LP with Ray Gillen singing was released, and after a few spot checks Ray might be a bit better than Tony Martin, but not enough to matter.  Neither Gillen nor Martin bring an interesting vocal interpretation like Ozzy, Dio, Gillan, or even Hughes.  The most interesting part of the LP is the cover, with a live model reenactment of Rodin's sculpture "The Eternal Idol" (for which the models were both hospitalized because the bronze paint was toxic; further expanding the suffering caused by this LP).

Standout songs: "Scarlet Pimpernel" (it's an instrumental)

Songs that appear: "The Eternal Idol" (this would be vastly better as an instrumental)

Skip 'em songs: the rest (full LP playlist).

Final score: 3/10.  Maybe I'll revisit it again in another 30 years.

Rainbow - "Since You Been Gone" (the song remains the same)

While researching my "Frida" post last month, I learned that "Since You've Been Gone" was also written by Russ Ballard.  Like most people, I first heard this song from Rainbow, from their 1979 LP "Down to Earth".  I recall the video from MTV but I'm not sure if the local radio ever played it.

MTV used to play a handful of Rainbow videos in the early days, but I became a big Rainbow fan after I learned about Ronnie James Dio and started working my way backwards through his discography.  "Down to Earth" was the first Rainbow LP post-RJD, and although I haven't listened to it in forever, I recall it was similar to many of the post-RJD LPs: ok, but not great.  But as I watched this video for the first time in a long time, I was reminded that this lineup of Rainbow was great: obviously guitarist Ritchie Blackmore is the center piece of the band, but it also has Cozy Powell (Jeff Beck Group, later Whitesnake, Black Sabbath, and many others) on drums, Roger Glover (Deep Purple) on bass, and journeyman keyboardist Don Airey (later Ozzy, Deep Purple, and others).  Even vocalist Graham Bonnet, in his single LP with Rainbow, is pretty good even though he's no Ronnie James Dio.

So with a lineup that strong, other than a handful of good singles, why aren't the post-RJD LPs more memorable?  RJD consistently brought a fantasy, D&D feel (e.g., "Kill the King", "Man on the Silver Mountain"), and earlier Deep Purple often had an epic, sci-fi mysticism (e.g., "Child in Time", "The Mule").  Starting with "Down to Earth" and continuing through the 80s, Rainbow scored some radio-friendly hits, but the LPs themselves don't have a unifying theme and are not special.

Putting that aside, "Since You've Been Gone" has strong hooks and a crunchy guitar riff -- it's hard to believe this was not a bigger hit, as well as a karaoke favorite.  Don't take my word for it, take the word of guitar gods Ritchie Blackmore, Yngwie Malmsteen, Chris Impellitteri, and Brain May.

Russ Ballard - "Since You've Been Gone"
Rainbow - "Since You've Been Gone"

Alcatrazz (ft. Graham Bonnet & Yngwie Malmsteen) - "Since You've Been Gone" (from "Live Sentence")

Impellitteri - "Since You've Been Gone"

The Brian May Band - "Since You've Been Gone" (from "Live at the Brixton Academy")

Rush - "Subdivisions" (forgotten song)

Neil Peart, legendary drummer of Rush, died last week.  I can't begin to convey the status that he enjoyed with other musicians, but a quick scan of the condolences from his peers will make it clear how how highly esteemed he was.  Rolling Stone listed him as #4 in the best drummer of all time.

I was a pretty big Rush fan growing up, eventually collecting a sizable portion of their discography.  As established in the book "Ready Player One", when I was in college most of the computer science students I knew were Rush fans, their precision and virtuosity  being a natural metaphor for programming.

I wasn't sure which song to pick to mark his passing.  With few exceptions, Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson wrote the music and Neil wrote the lyrics, and thus all my favorite Rush songs reflect Neil, making a choice difficult.  My favorite Rush song is probably "Limelight", but a close second is "Subdivisions" from their 1982 LP "Signals".  Whereas "Limelight" reflects Neil's estrangement to the life of an adult rock star ("One must put up barriers / To keep oneself intact), "Subdivisions" is that same alienated introvert in middle and high school ("Nowhere is the dreamer / Or the misfit so alone").

The deciding factor in choosing this song is it's the only one that features a background vocal for Neil.  His is the voice saying "subdivisions" in the chorus, even though it's Alex lip synching it in the video.

We've known for a while that Rush was semi-retiring, but knowing that they've officially come to an end is disappointing.  Rush, especially "Permanent Waves" / "Moving Pictures" / "Signals" era-Rush, was the soundtrack for the suburban Gen Xers and it's sad to see that come to a close.

Rush - "Subdivisions"

Frida - "I Know There's Something Going On" (forgotten song)

I could have told you that "I Know There's Something Going On" was a song from the 1980s -- I have a vague memory of the song from back in the day, even though I don't recall the video or remember hearing it on the radio --  but it's been only 72 hours since I learned these facts:

• Frida is actually Anni-Frid Lyngstad of ABBA, who is also now a German dowager Princess and Countess and living in Switzerland.

• The song itself was written by journeyman song writer Russ Ballard, who also gave us songs like "Back In The New York Groove", "Winning", and "Since You Been Gone".

• Phil Collins was the producer, backup singer, and drummer for the entire LP, "Something's Going On".

Who knew?  Sure, "Who cares?" too, but I since I recently learned this hat trick of trivia I wanted to share it with you.  Of course, the drums have Phil Collins's signature gated reverb sound, but that was not uncommon in the 80s.  Also, I had no idea that ABBA members had solo careers. 

Frida -- "I Know There's Something Going On"

Roky Erickson - "For You (I'd Do Anything)" (forgotten song)

I'm pretty late getting to it, but on my birthday this year Roky Erickson died.  He was probably best well-known for his time in the 60s with The 13th Floor Elevators, but even they are all but lost to history, making Roky yet another installment in the "influential but not famous" category.  A song writer's song writer, his passing was noted by Rolling Stone, NPR, The New Yorker, and others. 

To say this life and career had many ups and down would be an understatement -- rather than rehash his troubles here I'll simply recommend the 2005 documentary "You're Gonna Miss Me", a documentary that is both entertaining, and then profoundly disturbing as it veers into Southern Gothic.

There are many parallels between Roky and Daniel Johnston, who died a few months after Roky.  One of the things they shared in common was a near universal respect from other artists.  As such, I'm choosing to mark his passing with a song I learned of from "Phases", Angel Olsen's excellent 2017 LP of covers, demos, and outtakes.  Angel Olsen is a tremendous song writer, and on "Phases" she covers a song by Bruce ("Tougher Than The Rest") as well as "For You (I'd Do Anything)" from Roky's 1995 LP "All That May Do My Rhyme".  There are about 100 reasons why I think Angel Olsen is incredible, and that fact that she does obscure covers from Bruce and Roky is one of those reasons. 

Roky Erickson - "For You (I'd Do Anything)", live version (IIRC, this is from the documentary)
Angel Olsen - "For You"*



Bonus link**: 13th Floor Elevators - "You're Gonna Miss Me"

Bonus bonus link: trailer for "You're Gonna Miss Me"


* So technically, Angel misnames her cover.  "All That May Do My Rhyme" has two different songs with similar titles: "For You" and "For You (I'd Do Anything)"; the song that Angel covers is actually "For You (I'd Do Anything)".

** By law, every article about Roky must mention this song. 

Gary Myrick And The Figures ‎- "She Talks In Stereo" (forgotten song)

I was listening to "Underground 80s" recently and heard the song "She Talks In Stereo" by Gary Myrick And The Figures, a single from their eponymous 1980 LP.  It sounded vaguely familiar, but I wasn't sure if I ever heard it on MTV (possible) or the radio (unlikely).  I asked Danette and some of my friends but no one remembered it.  Later I learned it was on the soundtrack of 1983's "Valley Girl" -- perhaps I remember it from there?  I saw the movie back in the day, and I know it's notable for helping launch Nicholas Cage's career, but otherwise I remember almost nothing from the film itself.

"She Talks In Stereo"

B-side bonus link: "Model"

The Cars - "Since You're Gone" (forgotten song)

Ric Ocasek, best known as the main creative force behind The Cars, died last month.  Although associated with the late 70s / early 80s new wave movement, it's hard to overstate the influence that The Cars had on modern music.  Much like the Beatles, the reason why The Cars do not sound dated today is because they directly and indirectly influenced everyone who came after them.  I will not attempt to replicate the many memorials that followed his death (for example: Weezer's tribute and this retrospective in Rolling Stone), but instead I'll offer my own perspective.

The Cars hit their peak popularity right at the time I was hitting the age where one really becomes aware of music.  I always liked what I heard on the radio (and at the time, you heard it a lot), but "Shake It Up", their fourth LP from 1981, is the first one I remember coming out as a "new" LP; prior to that their previous three LPs had always existed, represented both on the radio and in the record store bins that I would browse but seldom have the cash for purchasing.  I did get "Shake It Up" on cassette tape shortly after it came out.

This is also the LP that corresponds with the debut of MTV in 1981, and while they probably had videos prior to MTV, they were one of the bands that quickly embraced the medium and went beyond simple concert footage.  While the title track had a good video, my personal favorite was the melancholy "Since You're Gone".  I'm not 100% sure, but I believe those were the only two singles that received videos and radio airplay.  "Shake It Up" is not necessarily considered one of their "classic" LPs, but it's the first one that I bought and thus remains special to me.

Of course, one has to note that Ric Ocasek's contributions to music were not just through The Cars; his production credits alone would guarantee him a place in the hall of fame.  Although the list is a who's-who of alternative bands, I'm especially fond of his work on my two favorite Weezer LPs, "Blue" and "Green"; imagine how much better "Pinkerton" would have been if they had worked with Ocasek on that one as well.

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention one of my middle school crushes, Julie, who was a huge fan of The Cars (as well as The Police, well before they were popular) who even at the time could articulately explain the significance of The Cars and their impact on music. She was a year ahead of me, exotic, and infinitely cooler than I was (or indeed, cooler than entire neighborhood we shared).  She would later be a member of one of the many alternative bands our high school would produce. I would have eventually formed the same opinion of The Cars on my own, but I am indebted to her precocious insight and tutelage about which bands are truly innovative and why.


The Cars - "Since You're Gone"