Hole In The Sky
Don't Start (Too Late)
Symptom Of The Universe
Megalomania
Thrill Of It All
Supertzar
Am I Going Insane (Radio)
The Writ
Recorded in the midst of a deeply acrimonious fallout and ensuing legal battle with former manager Patrick Meehan, that Black Sabbath's sixth studio album actually made it onto shelves is something of a minor miracle in itself. That it ended up being one of the band's most celebrated LPs and the final entry into what is widely regarded as their golden era is nothing short of remarkable.
“That album,” drummer Bill Ward later mused, “it was so hard for us making it. But when I listen back to it now… God, it’s incredible.” He's not wrong. Both Sabbath's heaviest record and one of their most fearlessly experimental offerings, the creeping paranoia and growing bitterness slowly suffocating Osbourne, Iommi, Butler and Ward can be heard sewn into tracks like Am I Going Insane and The Writ, the latter named after the moment Meehan's lawyers arrived unannounced at Morgan Studios in Willesden, where the four-piece were recording.
Things quickly went downhill from here. Two more Ozzy-fronted albums followed, 1976's Technical Ecstasy and 1978's Never Say Die!, but neither fared particularly well critically or commercially and are all but ignored now. Ozzy would be kicked out of the band in 1979, leaving Sabotage as the last truly great album recorded by the original lineup.
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.
Other albums released in July 1975
- Trooper - Trooper
- Roger Daltry - Ride A Rock Horse
- Fleetwood Mac - Fleetwood Mac
- Gentle Giant - Free Hand
- Ronnie Wood - Now Look
- UFO - Force It
- Lou Reed - Metal Machine Music
- REO Speedwagon - This Time We Mean It
What they said...
"Sabotage is not only Black Sabbath‘s best record since Paranoid, it might be their best ever. Even with the usual themes of death, destruction and mental illness running throughout this album, the unleashed frenzy and raw energy they’ve returned to here comes like a breath of fresh air." (Rolling Stone)
"This is the Ozzy we all know, displaying enough range, power, and confidence to foreshadow his hugely successful solo career. He saves the best for last with album-closer The Writ, one of the few Sabbath songs where his vocal lines are more memorable than Tony Iommi's guitar parts; running through several moods over the course of the song's eight minutes, it's one of the best performances of his career bar none." (All Music)
"Ultimately, Sabotage is the album where Sabbath stretched themselves to breaking point. It might not have the leaden consistency of Master Of Reality or doom-pop immediacy of Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, but for its hard rock brinkmanship and the sheer ambition on display, it takes some beating." (The Quietus)
What you said...
Phillip Qvist: I think most people would agree with the assessment that Sabotage is the last great Black Sabbath album that featured Ozzy. I guess it was always going to be difficult to top their first six albums - and so it proved. It was definitely Tony Iommi's show, with some strong guitar playing throughout all eight tracks. Ozzy sounds just fine on vocals, while Geezer and Bill put up their usual strong rhythm playing. There's even time for some choir practice in the form of Supertzar, which is interesting enough. I feel Side 1 had the stronger songs, especially Hole In The Sky, Symptom of the Universe and Megalomania. That all said, this is a strong record from start to finish.
Greg Schwepe: Black Sabbath’s Sabotage is probably their last great album before they stumbled to the finish line with Technical Ecstasy and Never Say Die! and then gave Ozzy his walking papers. My first semi-deep dive with Black Sabbath came in college when I borrowed a copy of the compilation We Sold Our Soul for Rock ‘N’ Roll to record. There was only one song from Sabotage on that album (Am I Going Insane (Radio)), so I was not familiar with a lot of the Sabotage content. Years later when filling out their back catalogue and finally getting a full listen: “Holy crap! This is some killer stuff!”
Mark Herrington: Sabotage gets less attention than some Black Sabbath LPs, coming at the very end of their six-album blockbuster run. The band's well-known tensions and troubles at the time triggered them to spawn this thrilling , underrated metal masterclass. This and Sabbath Bloody Sabbath are often considered to be the formative roots of progressive metal - maybe that’s why it feels so ageless. Ozzy sings like the Devil himself, producing possibly his best ever vocal album performance. A simply fantastic album, 10/10 - and the Sabbath album I have always listened to most. Just don’t mention the cover and Bill’s red tights (borrowed from his wife).
Chris Downie: While finding no reason to challenge the common consensus that the first six Black Sabbath albums encapsulate one of the finest consecutive album runs in rock and metal history (perhaps only bettered by Iron Maiden's seven-album run from 1980-88 and Rush's iconic 1976-82 stretch from 2112 to Signals), there is also a case to be made that on Sabotage, like its predecessor Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, cracks were beginning to show.
Undoubtedly the last great album they made with Ozzy (although that is admittedly a low bar given the mediocrity of the next two and the disappointment of the too-little-too-late attempt to capture past glories that was 13), there are some real career highlights on show here; opener Hole In The Sky is a barnstormer and Symptom of the Universe a candidate for greatest Sabbath riff (and arguably greatest metal riff, period) ever, while The Writ sees them stretching their musical chops further, like they did on previous classics like Wheels Of Confusion and Spiral Architect.
Where things fall slightly is in tracks like Am I Going Insane which, whilst far from being a discredit to the band, does give the impression of a forlorn attempt to capture a 'hit' in the vein of Paranoid. All in all, Sabotage is a great - albeit slightly flawed - album which, like its predecessor, marked the start of a period of decline which was only arrested when Ronnie James Dio came to the fold and they delivered two of their greatest albums with Heaven and Hell and Mob Rules.
Adam Ranger: My favourite Sabbath album for a number of reasons is the predecessor Sabbath Bloody Sabbath. However, this is perhaps the most complete Sabbath album and the last great Sabbath album. They released some great songs and some good albums after this but never reached these heights again. Any album with Symptom Of The Universe and Megalomania on is going to be hard to top.The start of prog metal? Maybe yes. Not a duff song on the whole album. Not even the instumental filler Some have said the cover is disappointing but as a teenager it fascinated me for some reason. I loved the image in the reverse of the album being the same shot but from behind.
Adam McCann: Always been a big fan of side one of this album; Symptom of the Universe is one hell of a mighty riff, possibly one of the best ever written. However, side two is arguably the start to the decline of Sabbath towards the end of the 70s. Flashes of utter brilliance mixed with too many extra-curricular activities and bad management. Not as good as previous work, better than the next two Ozzy fronted albums.
Keith Jenkin: A fantastic record that captures Sabbath at their most musically ambitious (Megalomania, Thrill Of It All and The Writ) and their heaviest (Hole In The Sky and Symptom Of The Universe) and pretty much every minute here is perfect. Complete contrast to the sleeve art: what were they thinking? The first Sabbath album that wasn't cool to carry around under your arm in the school playground and with that dress sense on offer, it was one of the reasons why punk had to happen.
Final score: 8.39 (109 votes cast, total score 914)
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