12
by O-dot
It's time for the Technical Ecstasy/Never Say Die Throwdown!
For some time I've been trying to answer the question: Which is the worst of the last two records Sabbath cut with Ozzy? There isn't much of a fan consensus, other than a general agreement that both are, well, crappy — a steep drop from the godly first six albums. They reveal a band coming apart messily. Whether it was the coke, the money, the prostitutes — who knows — Sabbath lost track of the rich vein of material that produced such killer songs as "Symptom of the Universe," "Children of the Grave" or "Electric Funeral." The guys were ready to expand their sound and didn't care how many people they hurt in the process.
But is one of these last two records better than the other?
Technical Ecstasy
Released in 1976
1.) "Back Street Kids": Hey, and we're off, and galloping down the track, and... losing a shoe, tossing the jockey and hurtling into the horse in the next lane.
2.) "You Won't Change Me": The obligatory Pointless Fast Opening Number out of the way, we ease into an eerie ballad. Iommi's solo, sounding like it needs a hug and a cocoa, classes it up.
3.) "It's Alright": The band does its best Wings impression, with Bill Ward on vocals. Not bad at all.
4.) "Gypsy": It's a long trudge to the beast of an Iommi solo at the end.
5.) "All Moving Parts (Stand Still)": Sleazy cock rock segues into clumsy prog midway through and never recovers.
6.) "Rock 'n' Roll Doctor": Another boneheaded '70s stadium rock song. Ozzy should've kept it for his solo career.
7.) "She's Gone": Ozzy sings a sad ballad. Not horrible, but it seems twice as long as it actually is.
8.) "Dirty Women": All right! Iommi finally lands on a badass riff for the ages and the rest of the gang nails it like they mostly didn't on the seven preceding songs.
Never Say Die
Released in 1978
1.) "Never Say Die": The band's tight, upbeat — but the song's a throwaway.
2.) "Johnny Blade": A synth overload at the top, then shifts into a muddy thrasher of the sort they'd execute more successfully five years later on the Born Again album with Ian Gillan.
3.) "Junior's Eyes": What's with all the Sly and the Family Stone funkiness? I mean, it's clever and everything...
4.) "A Hard Road": Christ, this "Hey Jude"ish singalong is the third 6-plus-minute song in a row.
5.) "Shock Wave": Another boneheaded '70s stadium rock song. Ozzy should've kept it for his solo career.
6.) "Air Dance": Whoa — a slinky, sultry experiment that pays off. But what does it tell you when the best track on a Sab album is the Jazz Odyssey song?
7.) "Over to You": Is this the exact same thing as "A Hard Road"? The last Sabbath song featuring Ozzy proves mostly forgettable.
8.) "Breakout": Black Sabbath, the New Orleans Jazz Funeral Extravaganza.
9.) "Swinging the Chain": Ward sings again, and quite impressively at that. Something of a bar-band song, and a weird choice to close out the record, but then there doesn't seem to have been any other option.
TE gets points for containing one undeniable Sab classic on its roster ("Dirty Women"). Nothing on NSD comes remotely close.
And frustrating as they are, neither record is an unsalvageable misfire. NSD is never a boring listen. And when TE clicks — not that often, of course — you catch glimpses of the good work they could still muster had they cut down on the nose candy.
There, it's settled: TE is better.
This is a snakeskin jacket. And for me it's a symbol of my individuality and my belief in personal freedom.