Satan laughing spreads his wings! This part of the song always gives me shivers. I love the choice they made, to just play the cymbal metronome and let Ozzy pierce your soul with the lyrics, the words feel so important and heavy
I've been told that when I'm very drunk I can do a passingly decent karaoke version of this song. That's interesting to me because I don't remember ever doing karaoke, but I guess I was really drunk.
I just love your interpretation of this song. Your sbtle facial expressions as you listen are worth a thousand words . Keep the wonderful content flowing!
The word is dirge. A funeral march pace. Implying doom and foreboding. Also classical phrasing and bombastic drumming with a harbinger vocal delivering smooth timing.
They played jazz for some time before. You hear all over it resonated with them. Other classic bands of that time( Deep Purple, Zeppelin) had only Blues and some Folk and Classic below their rock.
Back in the day Sabbath used Laney Clip Amplification which was very good and clear , also back then they would have played much louder than you would be able to nowadays because of legal volume limits.
I loved your analysis. By golly, you gave it a pass! It is common for some people to dismiss this song, this band, this genre. This song is so well constructed, so powerful, and so well executed. It is a masterpiece. When this was released, it was unlike anything before it. Personally, I have a hard time grouping Black Sabbath into the Metal genre. It's so much more than metal. It's Black Sabbath. It is its own thing. It's the darker side of Rock & Roll! Thank God for Black Sabbath! They changed the world. Thank you for your video. You do a great job, and I really enjoy watching your video's. Please don't take offense, but I really admire your open-mindedness. That such a nice, sweet gal as you would even consider giving heavy music like this a listen is beyond cool. I have watched many of your videos and it's high time I subscribe. I'm a fan. Thankyou!
It's funny that you mentioned Jimi Hendrix because I consider this song the 2nd best anti-war song and Jimi's Machine Gun the best. I'd love to see her react to it. Amy if you're reading this you really should give Machine Gun by A Band of Gypsys a listen, it too is a masterpiece.
Darker side yes, but I find that a lot of their songs, including Ozzy's,, are proponents for the good and the light. I find that they have been pigeonholed as revelling in the darker side, but if you listen to their message it's the total opposite... thanks 🙏👍
What I enjoy most about your videos is that it feels very much like I’m just hanging with a friend and we are jamming to tunes. The added benefit being that you’re also educating me about music in a way that does not feel too academic, but very casual and enlightening. Thank you.
Great review as usual. This song got criticized back in the day, cited as being evil for it's refences to witches and Satan. The truth is: The people that song was directed at knew exactly what he was saying and they didn't like it one bit.
Evil people never like it when you expose their corruption. The Pharisees didn’t when Jesus exposed their hypocrisy. They hated him and had him killed.
Brilliant! I loved it! This was one of my most anticipated songs for you to do, I have been making the case for it since the beginning of your journey. There are so many brilliant gems in how you tied the musical components to the song's theme. Loved your description of the guitar solo and tone. One of the key reasons I always thought you would find more to appreciate in their music, compared to a lot of the darker metal that was influenced by Black Sabbath, is their superior musical composition skills. Such as with their varied dynamics and tempo, rather than just being a wall of sound that continues with the same intensity and tempo throughout the song. They also have a lot more musicality with great thematic, melodic and harmonic variations (often represented in Tony Iommi's guitar and/or Geezer Butler's bass), with many of their songs doing complete change-ups from one section to the next. I also think they have some of the best lyrics of any heavy metal band, with this song being a prime example. Excellent reaction! One of my favorite reactions so far!
Hey Lee, how are you doing? I just knew you would not be able to not comment on Amy's reaction to "War Pigs". Have you noticed how, now that she has gained so much more experience in the rock genre, her understanding and appreciation of the music has blossomed? It's fun to watch.
@@terrykennedy-lares8840 Hey Terry! Yes I have noticed, and I am glad you brought that up since I almost added, "but I'm glad you have waited until now to do this, rather than doing it when I first requested it at the beginning, since you now have so much more experience with rock music to better appreciate it."
I think you're stretching it, in fact their lyrics are often hilarious. I would draw attention to such examples such as "tinkling bell". In a Uk radio poll this particular song "War Pigs" was voted one of the 10 worst lyrics ever . Personally , as for a lot of people, this track always sends shivers down the spine, cannot explain why really, maybe it's the "lizard brain".
Bill Wards drumming on this is so fantastic. Some of the greatest metal drumming ever. As for beutiful heavy metal, there is some. But its also a lot of finding beauty in the ugly. Some Doom metal bands like Pallbearer would probably be considered beautiful. The whole genre of "doomgaze" is built around the juxtaposition of ugly and beauty. Thick layers of fuzzy dirty guitars overlayed with clean etherical melodies. A lot of post-black metal bands like Alcest or Agaloch also plays with this kind of contrast.
Another genre of metal that incorporates beauty in its design, melodic and harmonic structures, vocal tembres and styles, and choice of instrumentation is symphonic metal. One example would be "Poet and the Pendulum" by Nightwish.
Clips of Ward playing this song live in the early 70s never fail to inspire me to play. So much of why I want to drum is just the idea of thrashing the shit out of a four piece Ludwig kit in an interesting and groovy manner.
I think that something that is important to consider when looking at music like this is fixing it in its own time. There really was nothing like this that had come before. They were truly breaking fresh ground.
The sentiments expressed in this song are as true today as they have been throughout human history, and probably will hold true as long as humanity, or some few survivors, are still breathing. Sad. Or am I too cynical?
Yes, yes, yes!! This is the review I've been waiting for. You nailed it Amy! It inspired me to listen to Black Sabbath all week long. My neighbors, get your ears ready, it's going to be loud!!
Great stuff as always! Four high caliber musicians. I like the silly sped-up ending! The critic/writer who stated "ugly" -this is his favorite band, haha.
Excellent breakdown of one of my favourite songs. I heard this off one of my mother’s Black Sabbath albums growing up and it really helped shaped my musical taste growing up. It’s one of the few songs that still hits me like it’s the first time.
We are the same age, and I absolutely love your insight on the general construction of what you are listening to. I'm learning as we go. Kudos to you/ You are perfect, for this sort of pf thing. Thank you. Peace.
I play this song with my band all the time, and the drummer always rushes the intro, so I say to him, slower man! Imagine an army of hippopotamus marching to war! Funny you had the same image. Best wishes from Rio ❤
The slow and swung rhythm in the intro has always brought to my mind troops advancing through the Vietnamese rice fields - slowly, with caution, and a bit unsteadily as each team member looks for hidden dangers! When the intro ends and we switch to the faster rhythm, the vocals switch the scene to the "Generals gathered in their masses", who (seemingly casually) give the orders that sent so many of those troops to their deaths, sacrificing them for some supposedly "higher purpose" like the "witches at Black Masses". As the music changes once again, that "higher purpose" is revealed to be ... the politicians who hide themselves away, taking little or no responsibility for the death and destruction they initiated! When the finger has been pointed (you nailed that one!), we switch back with the guitar solo depicting the troops once again living and dying amidst the chaos of battle (note the battle between the bass line and the guitar) - paying the price for the politicians' and general's desires! ... But, the War Pigs ultimately cannot escape responsibility ... Regarding the song's remaining in the lower registers (particularly through the solo), it may have been (and probably was) unintentional, but the Vietnam War, unlike the 2nd World War, was heavily ground-based - even the aviation aspects had a distinct tendency to low-altitude strafing, bombing, and other ground support roles: gone were the large fleets of bombers flying at high altitudes taking out factories and railroads - and eventually cities. The soaring rockets and missiles that come to mind with the soaring high-register guitar solos (listen to Jimi Hendrix' version of "The Star-Spangled Banner") are absent, replaced by napalm and airborne cannon fire and helicopters pulling out the wounded or shooting into the jungles. Yes, there were higher altitude battles, but largely unseen - and between fighter aircraft from each side struggling for control of the airspace, not direct participation in the primary struggle. The arpeggio for the verses is actually major in the first ascending phrase (2 measures), but minor as it descends in the second (measures 3 & 4)! The Instruments are playing root + 5th, so the major/minor is indistinct, but listen closely to Ozzy's vocal and you can hear that the ascending 3rd is major! "Beautiful"? Absolutely! It powerfully expresses the thoughts, feelings, and judgments of the subject - the *subject* is ugly, the *song* is beautiful! This song - which is probably their 2nd most recognizable hit - was first released on Black Sabbath's 2nd album, "Paranoid". The first is also from this album - "Iron Man" (no relation to the Marvel Comics character), which is almost a sci-fi mini-opera, but compressed so much lyrically that many miss the tremendous story!
The operatic/stage show qualities of the show really came through in this listen. Thanks for breaking down those powerful, symmetrical rises and falls, those questions and answers 👍
That line horrified my mother the first time she heard it. She usually let me listen to what I liked, but she laid down the law on War Pigs. Not in her house!
As I said under another reaction to this song today: 🗳 In the US, we have an election in a few days. 👉 Both candidates are War Pigs. "Satan laughing, spreads his wings."
@@hemlock399 I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely apologize to the porcine community for my grievous insensitivity and disrespect. To atone for this inexcusable slight, I will swear off eating bacon for at least the next six hours. 🐷👍 In all seriousness, I suspect that the _least_ intelligent pig trapped in a US factory farm, has more raw cognitive capacity, and far more moral fiber, than either of our two corporate sponsored candidates intent on leading the "free" world. 😐🇺🇸
As a subscriber AND a Sabbath freak, I strongly believe that no one Ozzy Era Sabbath piece is more appropriate for this channel (SPECIALLY considering Amy's classical training background) than that hugely underrated song called "Air Dance". Oh Boy, this would be a great and musically rewarding reaction!
It's crazy, but that originally turned me off of the song. But I got past it and it became one of my all time favorites I've been listening to it for almost fifty years and it never gets old.
A very thoughtful and informative reaction! Music writer, Tony iommi (eye-OWE-me), who was originally a great jazz guitarist, and who is generally (correctly) considered to have invented metal and several subgenres, wrote in his autobiography and/or mentioned in an interview (per my memory) that when writing Black Sabbath's music, his inspiration and approach was to try to recreate the emotional frission created in the more dramatic pieces of classical music. The lyrics were by the great bass player, Geezer (Terry) Butler. Between the two of them, I think they are one of the greatest songwriting teams ever.
I went to a GWAR show last week and in typical fashioned War Pigs was played before they took the stage. It's such a great feeling being in a full crowd and everyone singing along at the top of their lungs this classic rock song that helped start it all. Really gets things pumped before a great show
Oh wow, didn't knew GWAR are still around. Saw them a few times back in the 90s. Only time everyone wore white t-shirts to a rock-show :D And still treasure those fake-blood-splattered - and ofc unwashed and never worn again - shirts. The will stay with me the rest of my life as a reminder of the great times we had at those shows.
I love this song to death! I tell people all the time it's the best song ever written by four dudes, and their instruments. I really enjoyed experiencing this song again both vicariously through you, and your breakdown of the musical elements giving new meaning to every detail of the song!
Was that a bit of low profile headbanging? 😅 Oh, you got it spot on with your analysis, so glad you found it beautiful ❤️ and for the record, most metal, or at least the ones that count are on this vain, beautifully denouncing society's dark and evil side, cheers and thanks for a great video!
You are so on point. You nailed what sets this band apart from just about every metal band that came before them and many have tried to do after them and that’s that SABBATH SWINGS!
Been a casual viewer since shortly after you started your reactions to metal. It is amazing how far you have come in that time as far as appreciating what it is all about. I enjoy watching the reaction as well as the analysis as it gives me even more insight into the 'why' behind why I enjoy the music as is hehe. That being said.. for additional Black Sabbath reactions I would suggest 'Heaven and Hell' with Ronnie James Dio as vocalist. The music is different.. yet still similar. The vocal delivery is very different due to Dio being a more operatic, if wandering, vocalist. Arguably one of the best (especially for the time) in the business. I know it's been reacted to by many other channels and may be considered cliche to suggest... but it is a good introduction to Dio's vocal style and the effect his addition had to the band's music. Either way, am glad you enjoyed this song from multiple perspectives. Here is to many more such experiences.
Ozzy's take on big topics like this are not the most sophisticated (there's more to the decision to to go war than evil and destruction, after all), but it's hard to deny his moral clarity. I don't know that much about his personal life, but I have seen him in a lot of pics and videos wearing a cross. I don't know if he's a Christian, but I wouldn't be surprised. People often say that metal guys are satanic, but more often than not, they're WARNING about evil, rather than promoting it. I've always loved the swing in the intro. When it snaps into straight time it's like waking up, though a bit of swing remains in the drums, if you listen for it. This song is not the first time that the #9 (which you interpreted as "You!") has been used to suggest a gunshot. Black Sabbath have an interesting cultural significance. When they started to get popular around 1970, the zeitgeist was starting to shift from the hippy-dippy peace and love stuff of the 60s, to the societal decay of the early 70s. There's a lot of cultural stuff around that time that that shift can be felt in. In movies: Easy Rider. In literature: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (especially the "high water mark" passage). In other music Neil Young's Rust Never Sleeps.
There is an interesting fact: this song was created describing a scene of witches doing a black magic ritual, following the horror theme of the song "Black Sabbath". There is a version with this lyrics in a Ozzy's Greatest Hits Álbum (look for Walpurgis). But the band decided to change the lyrics because they didn't want the fame of satanists. Then, they changed the lyrics to this anti-war masterpiece.
Ozzy's vocals in those first handful of verses floors me every time. We have this grimy, tension filled guitar and bass intro, then his voice comes in clear and defiant. It just slices right through all of the chaos.
Thanks for sharing ! I've always associated the words "colorful, inspiring (to play guitar), medieval, ominous, divinely inspired (though they didn't know it) or other worldly coming from regular blokes.
@ Benny Goodman I totally hear that. Ward probably studied Krupa or other jazz drummers, you can really hear that. I think swing is what made rock and roll fun.
@ all those guys that came out of the sixties studied jazz drumming. Rock drumming was a new thing and lacked the vocabulary and available teachers that jazz had Even in England.
This was so much fun for me to watch Amy's reaction and dissection of the birth of Heavy Metal. What is really interesting is that now Amy has a better understanding of rock and it's versatility as a whole and it is coming out in her true appreciation of the art form. BTW, I am in awe of how good Amy's ear is at picking things out on her harp. Watching a true master at their instrument is so rewarding. I know it is probably too much to ask, but If Amy, you were to start learning to play that guitar hanging on the wall behind you it would give you a better understanding of the genre and the players considering that the guitar is the primary instrument at the heart of most of rock and roll. As a side note as you are listening to Black Sabbath its good to know that Tony Iommi is missing a finger on his fingering hand which gives his guitar playing a certain flavor and style to it, that many more able players don't have. Please, give some thought to picking up that guitar and start fooling around with it in your "spare time". ( I know, with little Liesel there probably isn't too much of that) LOL
Tony chopped off the ends of the middle two fingers of his fretting hand on his last day of work before touring. He has used various prosthetics to protect the tips. Mainly, it caused him to drop-tune his guitars to make the strings more slack and easier to bend, which also helped develop his heavy sound.
Even after 55 years of hearing this hundreds of times, I still get goose bumps when Ozzie shouts "Oh Lord, yeah!" and somehow, you are able to cut it off right in the middle.
A very good and perceptive analysis of one of my favorite songs by Sabbath since I was 10. Now I'm 60 and have broadened my music taste.😊 But I still love this! Gold is gold! The live version from 1970 in Paris is insane. The drummer, Bill Ward, should have a golden medal. Playing the drumsticks the other way around to make the hard beats even heavier!
Completely pertinent today. It is eloquent. I love all music. My folk fan friends scowled at Black Sabbath in the ‘70’s. I had the 8 track of this album and LOVED IT. I am sad that Ozzie couldn’t pull it together and stay with the band. We need to stand up to today’s war pigs on every front.
Its always interesting to hear folks like you pick apart a song and hear things that I have always taken for granted when listening to a song like this. I'll never listen to this the same in the future. Thank you for your interpretation of such a great classic song.
This analysis by a true, classical musician is very intriguing. What an unexpected delight, thank you! I remember when this album came out. The Vietnam war was in the nightly news every night. We were going to the moon at the same time. It was a crazy time. Drugs and partying were going on all the time. Classic rock bands were playing in every good sized city steadily. It was wild.
Unlike most metal bands Black Sabbath only had one guitar player so Tony Iommi's playing really stands out in the mix. He doesn't try to saturate the sound with distortion like many single guitar bands do, he's not afraid to leave spaces, very much like his friend Brian May.
There are a number of songs that can lay claim to be precursors of 'heavy metal', but this is when the genre really begins IMO and deserves that name. I agree that it's all the more powerful because it doesn't just 'run around all over the place screaming and shouting'. It stays very focused and concentrated in its targeted anger, and very musical in its heaviness.
The sound of the beginning always reminded me of the mechanized war machine plodding incessantly into mutual destruction. Bill Ward's rapid fire drumming is like machine gun fire.
Happy All Saints Day, Phil Leah from Grateful Dead just passed way, let me suggest Dark Star from Live/Dead. I just saw your two other Sabbath videos and loved them. Peace be with you.
Bill Ward beat those drums like they owed him money.
He owned em. Powerful.
Top 10 best drummers.
he probably owed them money
Bill Ward and Geezer make the band sound awesome.
Bill had a very good basis in Jazz. He is totally using a jazz drum style
All these years later, this song still makes my hair stand on end.
Satan laughing spreads his wings!
This part of the song always gives me shivers. I love the choice they made, to just play the cymbal metronome and let Ozzy pierce your soul with the lyrics, the words feel so important and heavy
@@lukefender94 Unfortunately just as relevant lyrics today as when they were written. We humans never learn.
It's one of those songs that I do NOT want in the background. When I listen to it, that's ALL I want to do.
I've been told that when I'm very drunk I can do a passingly decent karaoke version of this song. That's interesting to me because I don't remember ever doing karaoke, but I guess I was really drunk.
100%
I just love your interpretation of this song. Your sbtle facial expressions as you listen are worth a thousand words . Keep the wonderful content flowing!
The word is dirge. A funeral march pace. Implying doom and foreboding. Also classical phrasing and bombastic drumming with a harbinger vocal delivering smooth timing.
I like your analysis. Much of our lives are a dirge, at a slow march pace.
THATS IT !!!
It was completely new musical territory at that time. Incredibly effective at what it tried to convey.
I played the drums to this song in a bar on open mic for the first time and messed up the high hat part twice - oops.
But you got up there and did it, good on you.
Wow,,,,,impressed that you listened. It truly is a timeless CLASSIC. Glad you like it. 💥💥💥🤘😎
I love how you picked up on the swing nature of the drumming in the intro. Bill Ward and Black Sabbath swung hard.
Also, Geezer Butler on bass.
They played jazz for some time before. You hear all over it resonated with them. Other classic bands of that time( Deep Purple, Zeppelin) had only Blues and some Folk and Classic below their rock.
you are awesome! I love your open mind and willingness to try all different genres!
The shrill of the air raid sirens sets the tone at the beginning. Chilling.
It's KEY to the song.
If I'm not mistaken, it was Rodger Bain's idea.
Scared the shit outta me when I was thirteen.
Germany when they had curfew
18:30 an arpeggio which keeps repeating itself. Just like history.
Bravo, perfect way to express it 🤘
Insightful comment 👍👍
Excellent insight!
Black Sabbath was designed to be played back at full blast through the biggest speakers you can find.
Back in the day Sabbath used Laney Clip Amplification which was very good and clear , also back then they would have played much louder than you would be able to nowadays because of legal volume limits.
In a cemetery.😈😈
Yes, but it sounds really amazing in headphones
@@mikehocquard2843 at home I play sabbath through 130 watt Yamaha Amp Cambridge Floorstanding speakers and 170 watt Dali sub woofer
I abide by that rule to this day. I have also included ancillary rules of needing a glass of bourbon, and the room being nearly dark.
It never ceases to amaze me to watch you translate things over to the harp, with such speed and precision.
Black Sabbath was THE original heavy metal band. They laid the groundwork for all the bands that followed them.
The "Unholy Trio" Black Sabbath, Led Zepplin and Deep Purple.
Correct.
@@BenChokin Yes sir those boys had some very cool music indeed !!
@@BenChokin I like smoke and lighnin, heavy metal thunder. they invented the words.
Ummm. Vanilla Fudge. 1965.
I loved your analysis. By golly, you gave it a pass! It is common for some people to dismiss this song, this band, this genre. This song is so well constructed, so powerful, and so well executed. It is a masterpiece. When this was released, it was unlike anything before it. Personally, I have a hard time grouping Black Sabbath into the Metal genre. It's so much more than metal. It's Black Sabbath. It is its own thing. It's the darker side of Rock & Roll! Thank God for Black Sabbath! They changed the world. Thank you for your video. You do a great job, and I really enjoy watching your video's. Please don't take offense, but I really admire your open-mindedness. That such a nice, sweet gal as you would even consider giving heavy music like this a listen is beyond cool. I have watched many of your videos and it's high time I subscribe. I'm a fan. Thankyou!
Very well said!
It's funny that you mentioned Jimi Hendrix because I consider this song the 2nd best anti-war song and Jimi's Machine Gun the best. I'd love to see her react to it. Amy if you're reading this you really should give Machine Gun by A Band of Gypsys a listen, it too is a masterpiece.
Darker side yes, but I find that a lot of their songs, including Ozzy's,, are proponents for the good and the light. I find that they have been pigeonholed as revelling in the darker side, but if you listen to their message it's the total opposite... thanks 🙏👍
with you 100%
@@nickdomenicos5987 I totally agree.
What I enjoy most about your videos is that it feels very much like I’m just hanging with a friend and we are jamming to tunes. The added benefit being that you’re also educating me about music in a way that does not feel too academic, but very casual and enlightening. Thank you.
This is a great insight into a track I've heard a thousand times. You helped me hear it with new ears!
Great review as usual. This song got criticized back in the day, cited as being evil for it's refences to witches and Satan. The truth is: The people that song was directed at knew exactly what he was saying and they didn't like it one bit.
I fell for the limited and misdirected opinion.
@@brianboye8025 😯
Is hilarious they told them to ditch the original concept (Walpurgis) for being too controversial
Exactly! You just have to listen to the lyrics. Pretty obvious!
Evil people never like it when you expose their corruption. The Pharisees didn’t when Jesus exposed their hypocrisy. They hated him and had him killed.
Brilliant! I loved it! This was one of my most anticipated songs for you to do, I have been making the case for it since the beginning of your journey. There are so many brilliant gems in how you tied the musical components to the song's theme. Loved your description of the guitar solo and tone. One of the key reasons I always thought you would find more to appreciate in their music, compared to a lot of the darker metal that was influenced by Black Sabbath, is their superior musical composition skills. Such as with their varied dynamics and tempo, rather than just being a wall of sound that continues with the same intensity and tempo throughout the song. They also have a lot more musicality with great thematic, melodic and harmonic variations (often represented in Tony Iommi's guitar and/or Geezer Butler's bass), with many of their songs doing complete change-ups from one section to the next. I also think they have some of the best lyrics of any heavy metal band, with this song being a prime example. Excellent reaction! One of my favorite reactions so far!
Hey Lee, how are you doing? I just knew you would not be able to not comment on Amy's reaction to "War Pigs". Have you noticed how, now that she has gained so much more experience in the rock genre, her understanding and appreciation of the music has blossomed? It's fun to watch.
@@terrykennedy-lares8840 Hey Terry! Yes I have noticed, and I am glad you brought that up since I almost added, "but I'm glad you have waited until now to do this, rather than doing it when I first requested it at the beginning, since you now have so much more experience with rock music to better appreciate it."
I think you're stretching it, in fact their lyrics are often hilarious. I would draw attention to such examples such as "tinkling bell". In a Uk radio poll this particular song "War Pigs" was voted one of the 10 worst lyrics ever . Personally , as for a lot of people, this track always sends shivers down the spine, cannot explain why really, maybe it's the "lizard brain".
Great comment, Lee. It's my favorite classic Sabbath song. The deliberately slow beginning sets the rest of the song up for the dynamic punches.
@@yinoveryang4246 the U.K. version had different lyrics in parts of the song, personally I like the version here much more.
I've been listening, closely, to most of the music you react to for decades, and you still find things I've missed. Thank you for the insight
Bill Wards drumming on this is so fantastic. Some of the greatest metal drumming ever.
As for beutiful heavy metal, there is some. But its also a lot of finding beauty in the ugly.
Some Doom metal bands like Pallbearer would probably be considered beautiful.
The whole genre of "doomgaze" is built around the juxtaposition of ugly and beauty. Thick layers of fuzzy dirty guitars overlayed with clean etherical melodies.
A lot of post-black metal bands like Alcest or Agaloch also plays with this kind of contrast.
Definitely agree regarding the drumming, it's always been my favourite part of the track.
Another genre of metal that incorporates beauty in its design, melodic and harmonic structures, vocal tembres and styles, and choice of instrumentation is symphonic metal. One example would be "Poet and the Pendulum" by Nightwish.
Clips of Ward playing this song live in the early 70s never fail to inspire me to play. So much of why I want to drum is just the idea of thrashing the shit out of a four piece Ludwig kit in an interesting and groovy manner.
NOOO not some of the greatest metal drumming ever - Some of the greatest drumming ever
That hi hat is iconic
Wow, Black Sabbath being described as eloquent and beautiful! Love it! I learn stuff from you. Thank You.
I think that something that is important to consider when looking at music like this is fixing it in its own time. There really was nothing like this that had come before. They were truly breaking fresh ground.
Still get goosebumps after my 517th listen!
This review isn't what I expected actually it is much better great work Amy❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
The sentiments expressed in this song are as true today as they have been throughout human history, and probably will hold true as long as humanity, or some few survivors, are still breathing. Sad. Or am I too cynical?
You're not.
You’re on point. Narcissists run the world.
You’re not
Ask the Palestinians
No, about right. I still maintain that there is nobility in the struggle against those tendencies, and no honour whatever in participation in them.
Honestly I think the outro is one of the most beautiful pieces of hard rock I’ve heard. The bass is simply phenomenal.
Only Ozzy can make “Oh Lord yeah” and “yeah” sound cool 😎. Can’t forget his “Alright now’s” and “Come on’s.
Opening of _Sweet leaf...!_
Yes, yes, yes!! This is the review I've been waiting for. You nailed it Amy! It inspired me to listen to Black Sabbath all week long. My neighbors, get your ears ready, it's going to be loud!!
Great stuff as always! Four high caliber musicians. I like the silly sped-up ending! The critic/writer who stated "ugly" -this is his favorite band, haha.
Been watching your channel since the beginning. Love the appreciation you have developed for the art form, as well as a tasty guitar lick. 😎
Awesome breakdown.
Loved the "air guitar" fingers during the solo. 😁
Great song and great analysis.
This one almost got you headbanging
Hey Virgin Rock never thought I would ever hear you react to Black Sabbath and break it down like you did. Absolutely fantastic thank you.
Excellent breakdown of one of my favourite songs. I heard this off one of my mother’s Black Sabbath albums growing up and it really helped shaped my musical taste growing up. It’s one of the few songs that still hits me like it’s the first time.
We are the same age, and I absolutely love your insight on the general construction of what you are listening to. I'm learning as we go. Kudos to you/ You are perfect, for this sort of pf thing. Thank you. Peace.
I play this song with my band all the time, and the drummer always rushes the intro, so I say to him, slower man! Imagine an army of hippopotamus marching to war! Funny you had the same image. Best wishes from Rio ❤
Hippos can run faster than any human. Truly furious and terrifying.
The slow and swung rhythm in the intro has always brought to my mind troops advancing through the Vietnamese rice fields - slowly, with caution, and a bit unsteadily as each team member looks for hidden dangers! When the intro ends and we switch to the faster rhythm, the vocals switch the scene to the "Generals gathered in their masses", who (seemingly casually) give the orders that sent so many of those troops to their deaths, sacrificing them for some supposedly "higher purpose" like the "witches at Black Masses". As the music changes once again, that "higher purpose" is revealed to be ... the politicians who hide themselves away, taking little or no responsibility for the death and destruction they initiated! When the finger has been pointed (you nailed that one!), we switch back with the guitar solo depicting the troops once again living and dying amidst the chaos of battle (note the battle between the bass line and the guitar) - paying the price for the politicians' and general's desires! ... But, the War Pigs ultimately cannot escape responsibility ...
Regarding the song's remaining in the lower registers (particularly through the solo), it may have been (and probably was) unintentional, but the Vietnam War, unlike the 2nd World War, was heavily ground-based - even the aviation aspects had a distinct tendency to low-altitude strafing, bombing, and other ground support roles: gone were the large fleets of bombers flying at high altitudes taking out factories and railroads - and eventually cities. The soaring rockets and missiles that come to mind with the soaring high-register guitar solos (listen to Jimi Hendrix' version of "The Star-Spangled Banner") are absent, replaced by napalm and airborne cannon fire and helicopters pulling out the wounded or shooting into the jungles. Yes, there were higher altitude battles, but largely unseen - and between fighter aircraft from each side struggling for control of the airspace, not direct participation in the primary struggle.
The arpeggio for the verses is actually major in the first ascending phrase (2 measures), but minor as it descends in the second (measures 3 & 4)! The Instruments are playing root + 5th, so the major/minor is indistinct, but listen closely to Ozzy's vocal and you can hear that the ascending 3rd is major!
"Beautiful"? Absolutely! It powerfully expresses the thoughts, feelings, and judgments of the subject - the *subject* is ugly, the *song* is beautiful!
This song - which is probably their 2nd most recognizable hit - was first released on Black Sabbath's 2nd album, "Paranoid". The first is also from this album - "Iron Man" (no relation to the Marvel Comics character), which is almost a sci-fi mini-opera, but compressed so much lyrically that many miss the tremendous story!
Very eloquently said!
Much more Sabbath ! Please please please.
Black Sabbath 1968-eternity🤘
The final solo in this song practically spawned 80's metal on its own
One of the greatest intros of all time. The siren just kills me every time.
That is some of the best metal has to offer, and Ward is providing so much spice and essence to it .
The operatic/stage show qualities of the show really came through in this listen. Thanks for breaking down those powerful, symmetrical rises and falls, those questions and answers 👍
You are a keen observer. I've seen new details of a song I have listened to deeply many times; thanks to you. God bless.
The imagery of "Satan, laughing, spreads his wings" sends shivers down my spine.
It should, as Satan agrees with the mercy they'll get. NONE! Judging by the Letter of The Law is the Slanderer's whole claim-to-fame.
That line horrified my mother the first time she heard it. She usually let me listen to what I liked, but she laid down the law on War Pigs. Not in her house!
As I said under another reaction to this song today:
🗳 In the US, we have an election in a few days.
👉 Both candidates are War Pigs.
"Satan laughing, spreads his wings."
@@3rdOption-l9t Sad but true. But to be fair, comparing one of the candidates to a pig is an insult to pigs rather than to the candidate.
@@hemlock399 I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely apologize to the porcine community for my grievous insensitivity and disrespect. To atone for this inexcusable slight, I will swear off eating bacon for at least the next six hours. 🐷👍
In all seriousness, I suspect that the _least_ intelligent pig trapped in a US factory farm, has more raw cognitive capacity, and far more moral fiber, than either of our two corporate sponsored candidates intent on leading the "free" world.
😐🇺🇸
Along with another great review, I came here to listen to "War Pigs" played on a Harp. I never thought of that when I first bought the album in 1970.
That is why it is a music icon! It crosses over genres and conveys a message in such a meaningful and powerful way!
As a subscriber AND a Sabbath freak, I strongly believe that no one Ozzy Era Sabbath piece is more appropriate for this channel (SPECIALLY considering Amy's classical training background) than that hugely underrated song called "Air Dance".
Oh Boy, this would be a great and musically rewarding reaction!
This is a good song. Rhyming "masses" with "masses" was a bold move. 😄
Seems to have worked out Cotton.
Poetry used to do that all the time, particularly when the meaning of the word was different, as is the case here.
Yup, my thoughts exactly. Poets, mate, poets. Suck that up Eminem.
It's crazy, but that originally turned me off of the song. But I got past it and it became one of my all time favorites I've been listening to it for almost fifty years and it never gets old.
Just like witches with fat arses
The Sabs churning out tales of death and destruction: "It is basically an E minor arpeggio". Great stuff!
Essa foi realmente engraçada 😂
A very thoughtful and informative reaction! Music writer, Tony iommi (eye-OWE-me), who was originally a great jazz guitarist, and who is generally (correctly) considered to have invented metal and several subgenres, wrote in his autobiography and/or mentioned in an interview (per my memory) that when writing Black Sabbath's music, his inspiration and approach was to try to recreate the emotional frission created in the more dramatic pieces of classical music. The lyrics were by the great bass player, Geezer (Terry) Butler. Between the two of them, I think they are one of the greatest songwriting teams ever.
Absolutely. And along with Ozzy's vocals and Bill Ward's insane drums, the perfect team to define heavy metal.
I think I speak for all hippos when I say we are not fat nor clumsy.
They are juggernaut. People living by them are terrified of what they can do in the water and on land, including outrunning any human.
😂😂
The power of this track best emerges in live settings.
Would love to see you react to King Crimson's 21st century schizoid man, great vid btw
Elephant man
I went to a GWAR show last week and in typical fashioned War Pigs was played before they took the stage. It's such a great feeling being in a full crowd and everyone singing along at the top of their lungs this classic rock song that helped start it all. Really gets things pumped before a great show
Oh wow, didn't knew GWAR are still around. Saw them a few times back in the 90s. Only time everyone wore white t-shirts to a rock-show :D And still treasure those fake-blood-splattered - and ofc unwashed and never worn again - shirts. The will stay with me the rest of my life as a reminder of the great times we had at those shows.
I just can't after they parted ways with Sleazy.
I don’t know how you popped up, but I’m glad you did. I really enjoyed this.
🎼🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻
I love this song to death! I tell people all the time it's the best song ever written by four dudes, and their instruments. I really enjoyed experiencing this song again both vicariously through you, and your breakdown of the musical elements giving new meaning to every detail of the song!
The best description I've heard of Tony Iommi's guitar sound, "earthy and meaty". Love it.
Was that a bit of low profile headbanging? 😅 Oh, you got it spot on with your analysis, so glad you found it beautiful ❤️ and for the record, most metal, or at least the ones that count are on this vain, beautifully denouncing society's dark and evil side, cheers and thanks for a great video!
Bobby Lee shouted out this channel on his podcast! I’m glad he did, because your videos are awesome!
I value your breakdown of Black Sabbeth,i was twelve when i was sold by album art alone;i knew nothing of music,so i purchesed my first 8 track tape.
I love the addition of the soundtrack at the bottom, such a good idea, amazing job
Cracking take on one of my favourite tunes
Thank you for supporting my journey!
One of the best written song's ever.
You are so on point. You nailed what sets this band apart from just about every metal band that came before them and many have tried to do after them and that’s that SABBATH SWINGS!
Your thoughtful insight just makes me smile, thank you 😊
Ah , The Wonderland of my youth the 70s 80s , One of the best Concerts i ever saw , Black Sabbath and Deep Purple. A evening of Acid , Alcohol and Pot
A superb analysis of an important part of my life's soundtrack. Thank you so much.
Been a casual viewer since shortly after you started your reactions to metal. It is amazing how far you have come in that time as far as appreciating what it is all about. I enjoy watching the reaction as well as the analysis as it gives me even more insight into the 'why' behind why I enjoy the music as is hehe.
That being said.. for additional Black Sabbath reactions I would suggest 'Heaven and Hell' with Ronnie James Dio as vocalist. The music is different.. yet still similar. The vocal delivery is very different due to Dio being a more operatic, if wandering, vocalist. Arguably one of the best (especially for the time) in the business. I know it's been reacted to by many other channels and may be considered cliche to suggest... but it is a good introduction to Dio's vocal style and the effect his addition had to the band's music.
Either way, am glad you enjoyed this song from multiple perspectives. Here is to many more such experiences.
Ozzy's take on big topics like this are not the most sophisticated (there's more to the decision to to go war than evil and destruction, after all), but it's hard to deny his moral clarity. I don't know that much about his personal life, but I have seen him in a lot of pics and videos wearing a cross. I don't know if he's a Christian, but I wouldn't be surprised. People often say that metal guys are satanic, but more often than not, they're WARNING about evil, rather than promoting it.
I've always loved the swing in the intro. When it snaps into straight time it's like waking up, though a bit of swing remains in the drums, if you listen for it.
This song is not the first time that the #9 (which you interpreted as "You!") has been used to suggest a gunshot.
Black Sabbath have an interesting cultural significance. When they started to get popular around 1970, the zeitgeist was starting to shift from the hippy-dippy peace and love stuff of the 60s, to the societal decay of the early 70s. There's a lot of cultural stuff around that time that that shift can be felt in. In movies: Easy Rider. In literature: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (especially the "high water mark" passage). In other music Neil Young's Rust Never Sleeps.
Pretty sure Ozzy is a member of the English Church.
Led Zeppelin, Vietnam, Ohio State, the Altamont concert fiasco, etc. That was the time period
@@n.johanness7451 Seems likely.
There is an interesting fact: this song was created describing a scene of witches doing a black magic ritual, following the horror theme of the song "Black Sabbath". There is a version with this lyrics in a Ozzy's Greatest Hits Álbum (look for Walpurgis).
But the band decided to change the lyrics because they didn't want the fame of satanists. Then, they changed the lyrics to this anti-war masterpiece.
Really appreciate your insight!Very informal.I like how country music also is about conveying a story through the instruments as well as the lyrics.
I have not watched one of your videos in a while. New respect. Excellent commentary.
Ozzy's vocals in those first handful of verses floors me every time. We have this grimy, tension filled guitar and bass intro, then his voice comes in clear and defiant. It just slices right through all of the chaos.
Thanks for sharing ! I've always associated the words "colorful, inspiring (to play guitar), medieval, ominous, divinely inspired (though they didn't know it) or other worldly coming from regular blokes.
Sabbath used that swing feel in their songs, gave it a real rock and roll feel.
Great observation Hartlor, and the swing feel probably accounts for why I often get them confused with Benny Goodman. (just kidding😉)
@ Benny Goodman I totally hear that. Ward probably studied Krupa or other jazz drummers, you can really hear that. I think swing is what made rock and roll fun.
@@Hartlor_Tayley Yeah, I was thinking the same thing on the Ward/Krupa connection.
@ all those guys that came out of the sixties studied jazz drumming. Rock drumming was a new thing and lacked the vocabulary and available teachers that jazz had Even in England.
This was so much fun for me to watch Amy's reaction and dissection of the birth of Heavy Metal. What is really interesting is that now Amy has a better understanding of rock and it's versatility as a whole and it is coming out in her true appreciation of the art form. BTW, I am in awe of how good Amy's ear is at picking things out on her harp. Watching a true master at their instrument is so rewarding. I know it is probably too much to ask, but If Amy, you were to start learning to play that guitar hanging on the wall behind you it would give you a better understanding of the genre and the players considering that the guitar is the primary instrument at the heart of most of rock and roll. As a side note as you are listening to Black Sabbath its good to know that Tony Iommi is missing a finger on his fingering hand which gives his guitar playing a certain flavor and style to it, that many more able players don't have. Please, give some thought to picking up that guitar and start fooling around with it in your "spare time". ( I know, with little Liesel there probably isn't too much of that) LOL
Totally agree Terry. Very well said.
She needs to plug that white LP into a dimed-out Marshall stack to get the real experience.
Tony chopped off the ends of the middle two fingers of his fretting hand on his last day of work before touring. He has used various prosthetics to protect the tips. Mainly, it caused him to drop-tune his guitars to make the strings more slack and easier to bend, which also helped develop his heavy sound.
Even after 55 years of hearing this hundreds of times, I still get goose bumps when Ozzie shouts "Oh Lord, yeah!" and somehow, you are able to cut it off right in the middle.
A very good and perceptive analysis of one of my favorite songs by Sabbath since I was 10. Now I'm 60 and have broadened my music taste.😊 But I still love this! Gold is gold! The live version from 1970 in Paris is insane. The drummer, Bill Ward, should have a golden medal. Playing the drumsticks the other way around to make the hard beats even heavier!
And this was such an early entry within the heavy metal (and progressive) genres! 😃
Been waiting on this for a while!!
Glad you enjoyed it Amy
Completely pertinent today. It is eloquent. I love all music. My folk fan friends scowled at Black Sabbath in the ‘70’s. I had the 8 track of this album and LOVED IT. I am sad that Ozzie couldn’t pull it together and stay with the band. We need to stand up to today’s war pigs on every front.
I was just hoping the other day that you would do another Sabbath song. Wonderful timing.
Its always interesting to hear folks like you pick apart a song and hear things that I have always taken for granted when listening to a song like this. I'll never listen to this the same in the future. Thank you for your interpretation of such a great classic song.
Bill Ward was like a jazz drummer who happened to start the first heavy metal band.
Harp things be dammned,( fancy harpists pkaying the songs) she just played the notes, not some fancy cover. That's what made it real for me. 10/10
Classic! Question and response...
The space is what matters here. In between marvellous playing is a sense of breathing.
Fantastic then, and very much the same now.
easily one of my favorite reaction channels, i love your viewpoints on these tunes
21:35 No one is ever ready for this riff the first time. It's emotional impact is always massive.
30+ years of listening to this song and the ending solo still hits me like a truck every time.
This analysis by a true, classical musician is very intriguing. What an unexpected delight, thank you! I remember when this album came out. The Vietnam war was in the nightly news every night. We were going to the moon at the same time. It was a crazy time. Drugs and partying were going on all the time. Classic rock bands were playing in every good sized city steadily. It was wild.
Unlike most metal bands Black Sabbath only had one guitar player so Tony Iommi's playing really stands out in the mix. He doesn't try to saturate the sound with distortion like many single guitar bands do, he's not afraid to leave spaces, very much like his friend Brian May.
Thank you for your work.
There are a number of songs that can lay claim to be precursors of 'heavy metal', but this is when the genre really begins IMO and deserves that name. I agree that it's all the more powerful because it doesn't just 'run around all over the place screaming and shouting'. It stays very focused and concentrated in its targeted anger, and very musical in its heaviness.
I hit the Like button when you started playing the harp. Love the theory discussion, and now I want a War Pigs harp cover :)
The sound of the beginning always reminded me of the mechanized war machine plodding incessantly into mutual destruction. Bill Ward's rapid fire drumming is like machine gun fire.
WOW .just wow. Sabbath I grew up with .
Happy All Saints Day, Phil Leah from Grateful Dead just passed way, let me suggest Dark Star from Live/Dead. I just saw your two other Sabbath videos and loved them. Peace be with you.
Great reaction! I can't wait for the next Black Sabbath reaction. "Fairies Wear Boots" is another classic.
21:35 Hearing thousands of people singing along with that riff at one of their shows…soul-chilling in all the best ways
Smokin' Sweet Leaf watching this. Oh yea Baby, Love old Sabbath man.
The BEST Black Sabbath tune... #1 in my books.
Wheels of confusion - best.