Is "13" Black Sabbath's Best Ablum Ever?

[SteveSly]

Seriously…….I keep coming back to this one again and again. Giving it a spin this afternoon while cleaning the house and I just love this thing. The music is great, the songwriting / lyrics are top notch. Ozzy sounds the best he has sounded in years and the whole thing is just very very well done. Even though my all time favorite Sabbath album has always been “Heaven And Hell” I think “13” blows away “The Devil You Know” from a few years ago, and ranks right up with the classic Ozzy stuff. Anyway, just throwing it out there……

[Vic2012]

I've only been a serious fan for a little over a year. I wouldn't say 13 is their best ever. For me the cream of the crop are: Paranoid, Master Of Reality, Vol. 4. The firt two albums with RJD are GREAT but I just can't compare those to the earlier classics. It's kind of like comparing Bon-era AC/DC to Brian Johnson-era AC/DC. Both are great but can't really say one era is better than the other.

I played 13 a few days ago. I still really like it a lot. On average I probably play it once a month but I'm kind of starting to burn out on it.

[JJ88]

No. It might grow on me but I thought it was too dirgey, and too reliant on former glories. The classic albums had much more variety I think.

[klothos]

What I like about "13" is that it doesn't sound dated -- it doesn't sound or feel like a bunch old guys that can't get their collective musical asses out of the 70s or 80s...Its got a modern feel without sounding contrived.

[SteveSly]

No. It might grow on me but I thought it was too dirgey, and too reliant on former glories. The classic albums had much more variety I think.

Yes, it is dirgey, no doubt about it, but that is part of what I like about it. That sound is so intrinsically Sabbath, yet not dated to my ears.

[SteveSly]

I've only been a serious fan for a little over a year. I wouldn't say 13 is their best ever. For me the cream of the crop are: Paranoid, Master Of Reality, Vol. 4. The firt two albums with RJD are GREAT but I just can't compare those to the earlier classics. It's kind of like comparing Bon-era AC/DC to Brian Johnson-era AC/DC. Both are great but can't really say one era is better than the other.

.

I came a bit late to the Sabbath party myself. I discovered them through Dio and "Heaven And Hell". It was not until later that I went back and explored the Ozzy stuff. I am also a pretty big fan of some of the Tony Martin era albums.

[Rael]

I was pleasantly surprised at just how good "13" is. It'll never make it into my top ten or anything but it far exceeded my expectations.

[WytchCrypt]

Been into Sabbath since I saw the California Jam TV broadcast in '74. Nothing they could possibly do would ever beat the Paranoid album for me...War Pigs (or the very cool alternate take "Repent Walpurgis") is one of my fave songs of all time

[Trane]

certainly not better than their first six of the first two Dio albums......

What I like about "13" is that it doesn't sound dated -- it doesn't sound or feel like a bunch old guys that can't get their collective musical asses out of the 70s or 80s...Its got a modern feel without sounding contrived.

I was pleasantly surprised at just how good "13" is. It'll never make it into my top ten or anything but it far exceeded my expectations.

Yup, a pleasant surprise (but then again I wasn't expecting anything at all from them), but I didn't buy it...

[Gerardo]

What I like about "13" is that it doesn't sound dated -- it doesn't sound or feel like a bunch old guys that can't get their collective musical asses out of the 70s or 80s...Its got a modern feel without sounding contrived.

This. I still listen to it from time to time, the production is great. That being said, I don't know if it's the best Black Sabbath ever. Personally, I'd put it after the first Sabbath and Paranoid.

[ronmac]

No. Sorry, I mean HELLO NO!

While I think it's good, I don't think it holds up well against anything up to and including "Sabotage."

[Rufus]

No

[profusion]

I would put it in the same class as any of the best Sabbath albums. Their sound changed so much, even during the original Ozzy years, that it's pointless to make exact comparisons. I find 13 to be considerably stronger than The Devil You Know, which is sad to me because I generally prefer the Dio version of the band these days.

[nosebone]

Definitely no for me.

Ozzy sounds like he's reciting the lyrics and the riffs are forgettable.

Sabbath bloody sabbath was their peak IMO.

[ronmac]

Ozzy sounds like he's reciting the lyrics and the riffs are forgettable.

QFT. I'm not one to expect Tony to always be breaking new ground, but I found the riffs entirely predictable.

[Vic2012]

I love the riffs. Predictable yes, awesome yes.

[Rufus]

Definitely no for me.

Ozzy sounds like he's reciting the lyrics and the riffs are forgettable.

Sabbath bloody sabbath was their peak IMO.

^^^^^^THIS

[JeffCarney]

TBH, I can't help but think someone even pondering this question needs to be put in a room with everything from the s/t through Mob Rules for a week to truly be reminded of the standard which was set here.

13 is fantastic, however.

And I still think anybody who claims it was simply recycled riffs can't possibly have listened to the album very attentively. I certainly understand being reluctant to embrace "reunion" efforts and know all too well how they can be let downs, but this album was so good it transcended all of that for me.

I think they took ownership of an approach to rock composition which was theirs in the first place. I found the arrangements to be excellent and the twists and turns to be uniquely Sabbath. Add to that a melodic component which nobody without Ozzy Osbourne singing is going to be able to replicate and it's an album that stands out a mile in the modern world.

And Iommi ... I mean, the intensity he brings to his instrument is still peerless, IMO. The man plays like he is playing for his life on this album! Maybe he felt that he was?

[Jimmy Giant]

Yeah, Hell No here also. It's ok. Better than I expected from them. But I grew up with old Sabbath, my favorite band entering my teens.
Time is the enemy of 13. They were in the right place at the right time in the old days. You just can't recreate the feeling of the 70's even if it sounds similar.

[FrippWire]

No. Not even close. While 13 is quite good and stands the band in good stead all these years later, it comes nowhere near the heights reached on Master Of Reality, Sabbath Bloody Sabbath and Sabotage let alone the self-titled album, Vol. 4 or Paranoid.

[Trane]

Yeah, Hell No here also. It's ok. Better than I expected from them. But I grew up with old Sabbath, my favorite band entering my teens.
Time is the enemy of 13. They were in the right place at the right time in the old days. You just can't recreate the feeling of the 70's even if it sounds similar.

Interesting (I see your point loud and clear)....

IF 13 had been recorded in 76 and called 7, would it be as good as the six before or better than TE or NSD??

[JJ88]

I'm not fond of either 'Technical Ecstasy' or 'Never Say Die' and am not sure I've played either for nearly ten years. But the best songs on both are probably better than what's on here. Certainly the title track of the latter album is a good track, with a whole lot of energy.

As good as the first six? Not a chance. A run of truly classic albums, yet with a light-and-shade that eluded some of what followed in their wake within the metal genre. The early 80s ones with Dio are also great, as are Ozzy's first few solo albums.

[klothos]

'Never Say Die' and am not sure I've played either for nearly ten years. But the best songs on both are probably better than what's on here. Certainly the title track of the latter album is a good track, with a whole lot of energy.

I guess Im the only person that really loves that album....just for the title track, Johnny Blade, and Shockwave alone but I pretty much like every track. Theres a sense of apathy throughout the whole thing: normally, this is a negative, but it works for me here. Like 13, Im not saying its their best album, but I certainly like it and opt for it many times when wanting a Sabbath fix

[Jimmy Giant]

I love Technical Ecstasy and Never Say Die too. In fact, it's hard for me to pick a favorite from all the original Ozzy albums. But those last 2 came at a special time when I was more into them than ever. When I listen to them I can place myself back then at certain times, certain places. 13 doesn't have that luxury, so no matter how good it is or could have been, it's hard for me to rate it that high when you don't have the association of the time period. It matters that much.
I'm guessing younger listeners may not be able to understand that, but maybe with some other bands that were a large part of their adolescent years.
Still, Geezer/Tony are 2 of my favorite rock bass/guitar players. And when Ozzy is in tune, marvelous!

[nosebone]

I jumped off after Sabatoge.
On technical ecstasy their sound changed from doomy heavy metal into pedestrian hard rock .
But then again, I was 14 at the time and my tastes were changing.
If memory serves my favorite album in 1975 was Angel , the beginning of my love of prog.