Each one of the first six Black Sabbath albums has enjoyed a spell as my favourite Sabs record. At the moment though, it’s the groundbreaking 1970 debut that takes the top spot. The evil riffing is timeless, Ozzy’s voice sounds uniquely mournful and I love every note of Tony Iommi jamming away on The Warning while everyone else has nipped to the pub. And, in case the cover’s upside-down cross, haunted watermill and iconic magical, mystical woman aren’t Hammer Horror enough for you, Black Sabbath captures the Brummies at their most atmospheric and spooky musically too. Making it my Sabs of choice this Winter.
HEAVY METAL OVERLOAD 
I’m sure they spooked the crap out of a lot of people back then when this record dropped.
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Spooked – yeah, even the album’s photographic gatefold opens the viewer to a setting of life’s withering strangeness.
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This album is so damn amazing. Just the title track alone still gets me going, and then there’s the whole rest of the album to get through. Such a great piece of work. What we’d call doom metal was truly born here.
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Yeah, spot on! Everything about it, the riffs, the lyrics, the imagery. Classic doom.
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This album is potent and rich in deep mood. For something dashed off so quickly it’s amazing how game changing it was
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What was it, two days to record? Crazy.
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Yep. Madness but so so powerful
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A game changer of an album. Nothing would be the same afterwards and thank the heavens for that.
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I stole my dad’s original copy of this, its the most valuable thing in ‘my’ collection.
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Do you play it or is it too precious?
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Play? its a record, why would I dream of doing that to it? weirdo!
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I have done, not recently though – it does sound fine, a bit old and crackly but that’s why vinyl isn’t a patch on MP3s.
I do remember playing it for the first time when I was about 12 and my folks were out. Main memory? liking the rainy noises and the bell at the beginning.
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I think the MP3 revival has really revealed how good at lot of those old albums sound. It’s a revelation to hear it in crisp digital.
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Some of the original Vertigo MP3s with the swirly logo sell for a bomb these days.
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Fantasic album cover!
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