Black Sabbath are undeniably pioneers of the metal genre, wrenching rock from its paisley-clad roots and thrusting it into the darker, grittier future of the 1970s.
While they drew inspiration from The Beatles, this influence was deeply embedded within their sound, overshadowed by Tony Iommi’s de-tuned guitar riffs and the band’s stylistic fascination with the occult.
This potent formula propelled them to rapid success, making them one of the defining groups of the decade. In 1970 alone, they released two highly influential records that would leave a lasting impact on the music world.
While Sabbath remains one of the most essential groups of their era, forming a triptych of metal pioneers alongside Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple—who themselves built on the foundations laid by The Yardbirds, Jimi Hendrix, and Mountain—their story is far from one of unbridled enjoyment. Like any band of true significance, their career has been a rollercoaster, marked by intense partying, internal strife, and their fair share of critically panned music. Despite these ups and downs, their influence on the genre remains undeniable.
Although Sabbath have seen many notable members come and go, including frontman Ozzy Osbourne, bassist Geezer Butler, as well as later members such as the refreshing force Ronnie James Dio and former Deep Purple vocalist Ian Gillan, Iommi was their rock throughout.
He was their only constant member for five decades, steering them through personal issues and changing times. Without his steadfast nature, it is likely that at the end of the 1970s, when the group was stuck in a sludgy morass of cocaine and alcohol and artistically grinding to a halt, they would have ended. Who knows what would have become of their legacy then?
As Iommi has been there through it all, he is better placed than any of the classic lineup to comment on the group’s journey. He is no doubt about what made the band so great in their pomp and, on the other hand, the terrible quality of moments that he and everyone else concerned would rather forget. Appropriately, perhaps due to the frank nature requisite of being a Brummie, Iommi is also fully aware of what being a metal pioneer means, from refreshing guitar music to spawning divisive groups criticised for their hollow approach, such as glam metal outfit Poison.
Due to his ever-realistic outlook, Iommi has also torn into moments cherished by Black Sabbath lovers, possessing an inside line on what brought them to life. One of these is their high-octane cover of ‘Blue Suede Shoes’, the energetic rock ‘n’ roll classic that was written and first recorded by Carl Perkins in 1955 before being taken to new heights by the hip-swinging king himself, Elvis Presley, on his self-titled 1956 debut.
In an eye-opening conversation with one of his most prominent disciples, Metallica leader James Hetfield, for Guitar World in 1992, Iommi was asked about his band covering the genre staple. In response, he offered frank insight into what produced their bootlegged cover. The guitarist was in no doubt that it is a horrendous version that nobody should listen to.
He explained that Black Sabbath were getting ready to play on a British TV show and started fooling around with ‘Blue Suede Shoes’ during the sound check. Osbourne didn’t even know the words, so their cover sounded terrible, but as the crew worked on their camera angles to make sure everything was set, they asked the band to play something, and so they did the rock ‘n’ roll staple. They didn’t expect it to see the light of day.
Concluding, “Somehow, it got bootlegged. I’m afraid our version is obscenely bad – no one should be subjected to it.”