One of the lesser-known albums of the original lineup, and it never seems to get its due IMO. Tracks like "Gypsy" and "You Won't Change Me" are mainstays in my Sabbath playlist. I'm curious as to how others view this one in this day and age.... it isn't one of the radio darlings and although I'm no Sabbath expert, I'm making the educated guess that they didn't play much of it live following this period. But I think it's got several great tracks on it...
Anyone else here a fan of this one?
Interviewer of reprobate ne'er-do-well musicians of the long-haired rock n' roll persuasion at: www.velvetthunder.co.uk and former scribe at Classic Rock Society. Only vaguely aware of anything other than music.
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No, not really a fan. The first side of Sabotage was the last great Sabbath music released by the original band (I think they took a break after side 1, snorted an eight ball and drank a couple of fifths and then wandered in to complete side 2 - the differences are that dramatic to me). I remember when Technical Ecstasy came out, everyone pretty much knew Sabbath was done.
"And your little sister's immaculate virginity wings away on the bony shoulders of a young horse named George who stole surreptitiously into her geography revision."
Occasional musical musings on https://darkelffile.blogspot.com/
I did not like this release for many years (was aghast when it was released) but several years back I played it again and then some more and I have grown to like it. Probably more a factor of realizing, until "13" was released surprisingly, that this was the last I would hear from this lineup, which was the music of my adolescence.
Not one of my favorites from BS but over the years, I come back to it and like this "musical journey" of them jeje ... have to find my lp version ... :-)
Pura Vida!.
There are two kinds of music. Good music, and the other kind. ∞
Duke Ellington.
The same here!!Originally Posted by Magic Mountain
Pura Vida!.
There are two kinds of music. Good music, and the other kind. ∞
Duke Ellington.
I like Technical Ecstasy.
4/10
Sad to say, I think the original line-up had simply run out of steam- the decline on Technical Ecstasy and the follow-up is marked when compared to the unimpeachable run of six classics preceding them.
That 'meathead reputation' was down to rock critics, several of whom loathed the band (sound familiar?). There's a Rolling Stone negative review of Paranoid where the guy is actually reviewing Black Widow.
But some musicians like Frank Zappa mentioned their admiration of the band at the time. And I think some writers like Lester Bangs came around to them. I don't really share Bangs' views on music but at least with him you get the sense he listened to what he wrote about. Writers like Christgau, it was more about them trying to be hip. Many a band who became really popular in the 70s got slaughtered- some of the writers were stuck in the 60s. And look at the 'Rock Hall, they still are.
Last edited by JJ88; 04-18-2017 at 04:05 AM.
While I agree that the first couple of tracks on side two of Sabotage are weaker, I *love* the closing track "The Writ/Blow On A Jug".
I'm guessing you chose to ignore Never Say Die. You wouldn't be the first...
I've got that Reunion set, and had completely forgotten "Dirty Women" was on it! "Spiral Architect" too, another 'deep cut' I've always liked (albeit from a stronger and more acclaimed album).
I do wonder how many others would find that they liked some of the tracks on Technical Ecstasy if they re-assessed it after all these years.
Interviewer of reprobate ne'er-do-well musicians of the long-haired rock n' roll persuasion at: www.velvetthunder.co.uk and former scribe at Classic Rock Society. Only vaguely aware of anything other than music.
*** Join me in the Garden of Delights for 3 hours of tune-spinning... every Saturday at 5pm EST on Deep Nuggets radio! www.deepnuggets.com ***
I always thought this was an excellent album from day one. IMHO this was the last of the "classic era" Sabs....(I never really warmed all that well to NSD...some good songs on it but I think I was moving on to Prog and Sabs were starting to sound dated to these ears)
I like the first two songs and then I thought the album bottomed out after that.
I could agree that the last three tracks on side two of Sabotage are weaker but I don't care which side I like the most, since 'The Thrill Of It All' is perhaps my favourite track off that album.
Just out of curiosity, does someone know why the heck they named it 'Technical Ecstasy'? IMO, it's the first album title that stands completely out of their usual context.
"Beethoven can write music, thank God, but he can do nothing else on earth. ". Ludwig van Beethoven
I always thought the title "Technical Ecstasy" had to do with the album cover (two industrial, robotic forms on an escalator having mind sex or something), or as Ozzy once said, "two robots screwing on an escalator."
As far as Sabotage, "The Thrill of it All" starts out wickedly fantastic, carrying over the power of side one, but then, inexplicably, it peters out at around 2:40. A different song after that, becoming more commercial-sounding, and representative of the downhill slide of the rest of side 2:
"And your little sister's immaculate virginity wings away on the bony shoulders of a young horse named George who stole surreptitiously into her geography revision."
Occasional musical musings on https://darkelffile.blogspot.com/
I think the album title came first though, hence Hipgnosis' artwork. I think Ozzy's on to something with that description actually!
Interviewer of reprobate ne'er-do-well musicians of the long-haired rock n' roll persuasion at: www.velvetthunder.co.uk and former scribe at Classic Rock Society. Only vaguely aware of anything other than music.
*** Join me in the Garden of Delights for 3 hours of tune-spinning... every Saturday at 5pm EST on Deep Nuggets radio! www.deepnuggets.com ***
Agreed.
Although You Won't Change Me from TE was the last great Sabbath song for me.
no tunes, no dynamics, no nosebone
A fellow-Sabbath friend of mine thinks this is their best album, because, as he says, it's their progiest. Personally, it's not their best, but I kinda like it.
Technical Ecstasy is often relatively unfairly maligned; because the album has a better production (the bass is much more audible) than in SBS or 'Tage and with still a few honest tracks. I'd say that TE suffers from the following lacklustre NSD's chronological proximity.
There are a couple of tracks that are worth the detour (but not the price of admission), such as the almost-brilliant 6-mins+ You Won't Change Me, All Moving Parts or even the almost-delicate She's Gone.
But a big part of the album is filled with some heavy unrefined rock tracks, like the opening Backstreet Kids, RnR Doctor, Gypsy and the closing Dirty Women.
As the track titles unwittingly demonstrate, you'll easily guess that the lyrics are really not a strength in this album.
my music collection increased tenfolds when I switched from drug-addicts to complete nutcases.
It's Alright
The truth will set you free, but first it will piss you off
One of their best albums. I rank it above such classics, as debut, Master of Reality, and Sabotage, and Never Say Die..Technical Ecstasy is probably not very appreciated among fans, because it's a sentimental album, their most melodic LP of Ozzy era. And Iommi guitar sound is totally killling - as his guitar parts in Gypsy and You Won't Change Me.
Lesser-known...haha....Well I remember what a bomb it was in 1976...In word of mouth popularity, of course - we never had hit parades ranking...Great, freshly sounding, original progressive hard rock album...Compare this to the overpraised album they released recently..trying to picture their most routine cliches. Technical Ecstasy is original, and in the run of albums it looked perfectly - they were not repeating themselves back then, cared of new vibes, new intonations
I like Technical Ecstasy a lot. There are a few misfires on it, but Back Street Kids, Gypsy and especially You Won't Change Me are Sabbath classics in my opinion, and the rest has enough variety to not get too boring even when it's not particularly great.
By the way, I think Dirty Women has been on the setlist on all the Ozzy/Sabbath reunion tours. In fact, it's one of the very few post-Master of Reality songs they are doing on the current "farewell" tour. Seems that they really like that one!
What he said.
TE is a fine album. I like how their sound continued to evolve. 'Sides, I can never not listen to Iommi.
Interesting. I rank "The Writ" as not only the single greatest Sabbath accomplishment, but arguably the most definitive heavy rock "epic" ever penned.
I find it surprising that on a "prog" forum this is the second post which seems to ignore "The Writ." IMO, it is breathtaking in its arrangement and execution. Such power, yet so much discipline. And the harmonic developments and flow of ideas is utterly stunning to my ears. One of my favorite tracks of all time by anyone in any genre.
Butler conceived of the title as a way to describe his experience of seeing thousands of people at their concerts "turned on" by the power of sound.
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