Black Sabbath - Paranoid (1970)
All music composed by Black Sabbath (Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, Bill Ward, Ozzy Osbourne). All lyrics written by Geezer Butler, except for "Fairies Wear Boots", written by Ozzy Osbourne.
| Side one | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 1. | "War Pigs" | 7:57 |
| 2. | "Paranoid" | 2:48 |
| 3. | "Planet Caravan" | 4:32 |
| 4. | "Iron Man" | 5:56 |
| Side two | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 5. | "Electric Funeral" | 4:53 |
| 6. | "Hand of Doom" | 7:08 |
| 7. | "Rat Salad" (Instrumental) | 2:30 |
| 8. | "Fairies Wear Boots" | 6:15 |
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paranoid_(album)
Golf's verdict: Features what I understand may well be Ozzy's only attempt at lyric-writing, "Fairies Wear Boots". Imagine what Black Sabbath may have turned out like if he'd held the pen for their career, rather than the more war and black magic focused Geezer Butler! Features three of their best and most well known tracks in 'Iron Man', 'Paranoid' and 'War Pigs', though I have now concluded that the latter has now been usurped by the superior cover version on Epic by Faith No More.
Máire's verdict: I have a soft spot for 'War Pigs', particularly the Dresden Dolls version. The rest of the album sounds exactly as you'd expect.
Album 806/1031
David Bowie - Blackstar (2016)
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "★" | 9:57 |
| 2. | "'Tis a Pity She Was a Whore" | 4:52 |
| 3. | "Lazarus" | 6:22 |
| 4. | "Sue (Or in a Season of Crime)" (Bowie, Maria Schneider, Paul Bateman, Bob Bharma) | 4:40 |
| 5. | "Girl Loves Me" | 4:51 |
| 6. | "Dollar Days" | 4:44 |
| 7. | "I Can't Give Everything Away" | 5:47 |
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackstar_(album)
Golf's verdict: HIDDEN GEM! I confess I listened to this with trepidation. Though I sampled it when it was released last year, the shock of Bowie's death 2 days later and then the subsequent tsunami sized wave of classic hit after classic hit that dominated TV and radio for many weeks following, did relegate this album to an afterthought. Additionally, having had rather a Damascene moment of realisation during the month or so after his death (always a fan of some of his stuff, like Heroes, Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes (first 7" single I ever bought), it was only upon exposure to some of the album tracks from his 70s albums that I really began to realise what an utter genius he was. But, whilst he was consistently great for a period longer than the life of most bands, he was not without his failures - and I did not want to listen to Blackstar and conclude that this - final - album, despite being lauded as a classic, was amongst them. It would not have been unusual, even forgivable in the circumstances. So I put it on whilst making dinner and was almost immediately put at ease. It's actually nothing like any of his other records, showing significant signs of inspiration from jazz and hip-hop, but it IS unquestionably all David Bowie and one of his best albums. I've now played it about 5 times and expect to have a long and happy relationship with Blackstar, just as I do with 'Ziggy Stardust', 'Low' and 'Station to Station'.
Máire's verdict: I found this tough going today. May have to listen to it again in the future in order to re-assess.
Album 807/1031
Eric Clapton - 461 Ocean Boulevard (1974)
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Motherless Children" | Traditional (arrangement by Eric Clapton · Carl Radle) | 4:55 |
| 2. | "Give Me Strength" | Eric Clapton | 2:51 |
| 3. | "Willie and the Hand Jive" | Johnny Otis | 3:31 |
| 4. | "Get Ready" | Eric Clapton · Yvonne Elliman | 3:50 |
| 5. | "I Shot the Sheriff" | Bob Marley | 4:30 |
| 461 Ocean Boulevard — Side 2[27] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
| 1. | "I Can't Hold Out" | Elmore James | 4:10 |
| 2. | "Please Be With Me" | Charles Scott Boyer | 3:25 |
| 3. | "Let It Grow" | Eric Clapton | 4:47 |
| 4. | "Steady Rollin' Man" | Robert Johnson | 3:14 |
| 5. | "Mainline Florida" | George Terry | 4:05 |
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/461_Ocean_Boulevard
Golf's verdict: Pleasant enough selection of blues standards and covers, plus the odd original by a master player. Not really attention grabbing though.
Máire's verdict: 'I Shot the Sheriff' is the stand-out track but the rest was perfectly pleasant.
Album 808/1031
Cypress Hill - Cypress Hill (1991)
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Pigs" | 2:51 |
| 2. | "How I Could Just Kill a Man" | 4:16 |
| 3. | "Hand on the Pump" | 4:03 |
| 4. | "Hole in the Head" | 3:33 |
| 5. | "Ultraviolet Dreams" | 0:41 |
| 6. | "Light Another" | 3:17 |
| 7. | "The Phuncky Feel One" | 3:28 |
| 8. | "Break It Up" | 1:07 |
| 9. | "Real Estate" | 3:45 |
| 10. | "Stoned Is the Way of the Walk" | 2:46 |
| 11. | "Psycobetabuckdown" | 2:59 |
| 12. | "Something for the Blunted" | 1:15 |
| 13. | "Latin Lingo" | 3:58 |
| 14. | "The Funky Cypress Hill Shit" | 4:01 |
| 15. | "Tres Equis" | 1:54 |
| 16. | "Born to Get Busy" | 3:00 |
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cypress_Hill_(album)
Golf's verdict: I am not a huge fan of the weed-obsessed wing of hip-hop, but this was a pleasant enough listen. Not one I'll be racing back to though.
Máire's verdict: That was rather fun and more melodic than I was expecting.
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