Forostar
Ancient Mariner
I'm sorry. I really thought it was open til later but I can be wrong indeed. I just bought the D&W album and wanted to vote tonight. No prob if that is too late.
Metal Essentials I: Grandfathers of Metal (1970 - 1975) - FINAL ROUND - Zeppelin vs Sabbath
- Thread starter Mosh
- Start date
Forostar
Ancient Mariner
- The Wizard
- Aqualung
- ---------------------------
- Traveller In Time
- Cross Eyed Mary
- ---------------------------
- Easy Livin' (This song has a major victory, but I do not find it great at all. It's just that its opponent is not that good (either))
- Mother Goose
- ---------------------------
- Poet's Justice
- My God
- ---------------------------
- Circle of Hands
- Hymn 43
- ---------------------------
- Rainbow Demon
- Locomotive Breath
- ---------------------------
- Paradise/The Spell
- Wind Up
Thanks for keeping it open Mosh. Let's hope @mckindog (and others) will still vote, as intended.
Paradise/The Spell: some CD versions have this combined as one track. Mine has not and the original album also had two songs. In any case: Paradise sucks immensely. The Spell has its moments but as a whole this is not enthralling. If these songs were separate, another Tull song could have joined the party.
Aqualung is not my fav Tull album. But I like it way more than D&W. From a first listen, this is a dull and simple album. I expected more grabbing moments or interesting atmosphere.
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The Wizard sounds very familiar, almost as if it was a song written and produced by someone today to sound like the early '70s. It's got that obvious hippy vibe and is highly reminiscent of early Queen. It's also a pretty good song.
Unfortunately, it's up against such a monster track. Aqualung may be the best song we've heard so far in this game, including War Pigs and Highway Star. A great opening riff, multiple sections and tempos, a raw, ripping solo, that madness-tinged vocal delivery, the cutting, evocative lyrics — it's got everything I look for in music.
What do people think of David Byron's vocals? They are very clear and high and seem to be technically pretty good, but for me they lack the power or rawness I look for in a vocalist. Traveller in Time has a good riff, nice melodies and a catchy bass line in the faster parts. I'm not so sure about wah sound that is so predominant throughout (is that a Hammond?) This is a good hard rock song that suffers a bit from the production of its era.
I can't listen to Cross Eyed Mary without hearing the Maiden version, which I absolutely adore. It's exactly the same song without the punch of Maiden's sound and the slightly sped-up tempo. The verse riff and the rhythm structure is excellent. The production is a bit turgid — neither song in this match has the punch, or separation I like in my music. Anderson's no Bruce, but his vocals fit the song's message — a ripping take on the hypocrisy of the church — very well. Two good tracks here, but this one has more substance.
This is more like it. The throbbing bass and organ give Easy Living the pulse that the previous Heep songs lacked. The lyrics don't match the urgency of the music but the brevity nicely compensates for its simplicity (I'm guessing Foro would call it monotone), but the song is memorable and it makes me move.
Musically, Mother Goose treads similar hippy territory as The Wizard. Good acoustic riff and a nice vocal melody early on, but it runs out of steam before the electric guitars start to toughen up the folkiness in Zeppelinesque fashion late. Not bad, but Heep gets my vote in this round for being much more exciting.
Poet's Justice totally reminds me of another song, I just can't place which one. It's another well-composed hard rock song and I like the simple proto-Lizzy solos bookending that climbing organ part in the instrumental section. Again, Byron's doing some technically good singing that fails to touch me emotionally
The acoustic intro of My God reminds me of BOC's The Vigil, or some early Metallica stuff, very portentous. I like the slow, heavy, doomy riffing, but don't like the way it devolves into the churchy flute/vocal section. It reminds me of Queen's The Prophet's Song, and like The Prophet's Song, even though I can appreciate it, it's not really my thing. Again, Anderson's doing some technically iffy singing that emotionally grabs me. This was a tough choice. I should like the progginess of My God more and probably would after repeated listenings. But right now, Heep gets my vote.
Maybe it's my mood, because it's not horrible, but I kinda want Lemmy to stomp on the flower-children love-fest that is Circle of Hands with his heaviest pair of snakeskin boots.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=13&v=QrJlyapt6OY
Again, Hymn 43 shows Tull using metal-esque riffs and structures without a metal sound. It's an OK song that wins this round because it has some dirt on it. I went searching for metal covers of Tull and was surprised to find most of them lacking, beyond Maiden's. I guess it's not just the production of the songs that matters, it's also the heart of the players.
I get the sense that Uriah Heep liked to use Dio imagery in their lyrics without actually grasping what Ronnie was saying with his words. Rainbow Demon has a solid, doomy tempo augmented by that Purplesque organ. Like most of this album the song is well-composed and the playing is good, I'm just not completely buying into what the band is selling. Part of it is the hippy messaging and part of it is the singer. Couple with the dated production I am starting to see why Heep's music hasn't aged as well as that of Sabbath or Purple, or Tull for that matter.
Case in point, Locomotive Breath. What a song, dripping with desperation, lyrically, musically and vocally. @MrKnickerbocker, you're a lyrics guy, have you digested the stuff from Aqualung? In the shuffling madness Of the locomotive breath, Runs the all-time loser, Headlong to his death. He feels the piston scraping -- Steam breaking on his brow -- Old Charlie stole the handle and The train won't stop going -- No way to slow down.
Easy winner here and the second 10 in this round.
Demons and Wizards might have done better if I wasn't pairing it off against Aqualung. Matched up like this, the grit and creativity of the latter is starting to bury the bland competence of the former. Paradise/The Spell is OK. One kinda pleasant, kinda dull hippy ballad artificially grafted onto an unrelated boogie woogie number, stitched onto a pseudo-epic finale — it just got boring. Unfair to judge a song like this on one listen, but that was my initial take.
The competition, Wind Up, is not boring. In fact, it has the same type of elements most of us enjoy in Maiden songs like Infinite Dreams, minus the aggression. It takes us on a journey. It didn't blow me away initially, but I liked it more on second listen and I suspect I could grow to like this one a lot. Another easy winner.
Never mind the 5-2 score, as an entire album artistic statement, Tull is far more provocative and engaging. Easy winner for me.
Unfortunately, it's up against such a monster track. Aqualung may be the best song we've heard so far in this game, including War Pigs and Highway Star. A great opening riff, multiple sections and tempos, a raw, ripping solo, that madness-tinged vocal delivery, the cutting, evocative lyrics — it's got everything I look for in music.
What do people think of David Byron's vocals? They are very clear and high and seem to be technically pretty good, but for me they lack the power or rawness I look for in a vocalist. Traveller in Time has a good riff, nice melodies and a catchy bass line in the faster parts. I'm not so sure about wah sound that is so predominant throughout (is that a Hammond?) This is a good hard rock song that suffers a bit from the production of its era.
I can't listen to Cross Eyed Mary without hearing the Maiden version, which I absolutely adore. It's exactly the same song without the punch of Maiden's sound and the slightly sped-up tempo. The verse riff and the rhythm structure is excellent. The production is a bit turgid — neither song in this match has the punch, or separation I like in my music. Anderson's no Bruce, but his vocals fit the song's message — a ripping take on the hypocrisy of the church — very well. Two good tracks here, but this one has more substance.
This is more like it. The throbbing bass and organ give Easy Living the pulse that the previous Heep songs lacked. The lyrics don't match the urgency of the music but the brevity nicely compensates for its simplicity (I'm guessing Foro would call it monotone), but the song is memorable and it makes me move.
Musically, Mother Goose treads similar hippy territory as The Wizard. Good acoustic riff and a nice vocal melody early on, but it runs out of steam before the electric guitars start to toughen up the folkiness in Zeppelinesque fashion late. Not bad, but Heep gets my vote in this round for being much more exciting.
Poet's Justice totally reminds me of another song, I just can't place which one. It's another well-composed hard rock song and I like the simple proto-Lizzy solos bookending that climbing organ part in the instrumental section. Again, Byron's doing some technically good singing that fails to touch me emotionally
The acoustic intro of My God reminds me of BOC's The Vigil, or some early Metallica stuff, very portentous. I like the slow, heavy, doomy riffing, but don't like the way it devolves into the churchy flute/vocal section. It reminds me of Queen's The Prophet's Song, and like The Prophet's Song, even though I can appreciate it, it's not really my thing. Again, Anderson's doing some technically iffy singing that emotionally grabs me. This was a tough choice. I should like the progginess of My God more and probably would after repeated listenings. But right now, Heep gets my vote.
Maybe it's my mood, because it's not horrible, but I kinda want Lemmy to stomp on the flower-children love-fest that is Circle of Hands with his heaviest pair of snakeskin boots.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=13&v=QrJlyapt6OY
Again, Hymn 43 shows Tull using metal-esque riffs and structures without a metal sound. It's an OK song that wins this round because it has some dirt on it. I went searching for metal covers of Tull and was surprised to find most of them lacking, beyond Maiden's. I guess it's not just the production of the songs that matters, it's also the heart of the players.
I get the sense that Uriah Heep liked to use Dio imagery in their lyrics without actually grasping what Ronnie was saying with his words. Rainbow Demon has a solid, doomy tempo augmented by that Purplesque organ. Like most of this album the song is well-composed and the playing is good, I'm just not completely buying into what the band is selling. Part of it is the hippy messaging and part of it is the singer. Couple with the dated production I am starting to see why Heep's music hasn't aged as well as that of Sabbath or Purple, or Tull for that matter.
Case in point, Locomotive Breath. What a song, dripping with desperation, lyrically, musically and vocally. @MrKnickerbocker, you're a lyrics guy, have you digested the stuff from Aqualung? In the shuffling madness Of the locomotive breath, Runs the all-time loser, Headlong to his death. He feels the piston scraping -- Steam breaking on his brow -- Old Charlie stole the handle and The train won't stop going -- No way to slow down.
Easy winner here and the second 10 in this round.
Demons and Wizards might have done better if I wasn't pairing it off against Aqualung. Matched up like this, the grit and creativity of the latter is starting to bury the bland competence of the former. Paradise/The Spell is OK. One kinda pleasant, kinda dull hippy ballad artificially grafted onto an unrelated boogie woogie number, stitched onto a pseudo-epic finale — it just got boring. Unfair to judge a song like this on one listen, but that was my initial take.
The competition, Wind Up, is not boring. In fact, it has the same type of elements most of us enjoy in Maiden songs like Infinite Dreams, minus the aggression. It takes us on a journey. It didn't blow me away initially, but I liked it more on second listen and I suspect I could grow to like this one a lot. Another easy winner.
Never mind the 5-2 score, as an entire album artistic statement, Tull is far more provocative and engaging. Easy winner for me.
Diesel 11
As you scream into the web of silence...
I love them. One of my favorite '70s vocals, hands-down.
MrKnickerbocker
clap hands
I’ll be honest, I gave these records one good listen and voted based on intial reactions. Those lyrics are great, though.
Forostar
Ancient Mariner
I haven't had a chance to listen and I likely won't before the end of the weekend.
Spambot
Meme Lord
See, this is an argument I do understand. Fast learner, I see.Oh yeah, well, nanny nanny boo boo, stick your head in doo doo.
Anyway, where's the next round?
Also, if I understood correctly this pairing are just a one-term deal, right? There won't be a a knock-out phase?
Both these bands and albums have been with me since I was a spotty teenager, but I've always been more of a fan of Heep than of Tull. I appreciate Aqualung both for its musical quality and historical significance, and the title track outshines every other song on this list. But overall, I am more of a fan of Demons and Wizards. David Byron is one of my favourite singers ever, and while Mick Box is no Martin Barre, he's as precise as a clockwork.
There was a time when I really loved the meandering, boundless and in many ways timeless quality of 60's and 70's rock, be it defined in a prog or psychedelic way, but I have lost my appreciation for it somewhere along the way. I've been trying to recover it for years by re-listening to my old favourites and discovering other bands from the period I was unaware of, but somehow, the magic just won't return to me. Tull is one example of a band which I just don't like as much as I used to anymore. Heep has also lost something for me, but not in the same way.
And for the record: Aqualung/Traveller in Time/Easy Livin'/My God/Circle of Hands/Rainbow Demon/Wind Up
There was a time when I really loved the meandering, boundless and in many ways timeless quality of 60's and 70's rock, be it defined in a prog or psychedelic way, but I have lost my appreciation for it somewhere along the way. I've been trying to recover it for years by re-listening to my old favourites and discovering other bands from the period I was unaware of, but somehow, the magic just won't return to me. Tull is one example of a band which I just don't like as much as I used to anymore. Heep has also lost something for me, but not in the same way.
And for the record: Aqualung/Traveller in Time/Easy Livin'/My God/Circle of Hands/Rainbow Demon/Wind Up
Hey all, I was planning to update this weekend but I've got a cold and don't really have the energy for making the next write up right now. I'm going to go ahead and close this now though as it has been open much longer than originally planned with Aqualung edging out Demons & Wizards. The next one will come up Friday at the latest, but I'll try to get it up earlier if I get a chance (I don't have much computer access during the week but we'll see).
If anyone wants a head start, the next round will be Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow vs Deep Purple In Rock.
If anyone wants a head start, the next round will be Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow vs Deep Purple In Rock.
Round 3: Blackmore Strikes Back
If Iommi is the first Metal riffmaster, Ritchie Blackmore is the grandfather of shred metal. Echoes of his lead guitar style can be heard on Metal guitarists from Yngwie Malmsteen to Janick Gers. He brought an element of Classical music that fit the heavy rock genre like a glove. For a genre that highly values shred guitar, Blackmore is a must in any early Metal compilation.
Of course Ritchie Blackmore is also known for working with two of rock’s greatest vocalists: Ian Gillan and Ronnie James Dio. These partnerships have certainly helped to cement his music in the realm of classics. And that brings us to today’s theme: two very different bands with two uniquely significant vocalists.
In Rock predates Machine Head by a couple years. In fact, you could say that Machine Head is the culmination of what the band began with In Rock. In Rock was our introduction to the band’s legendary Mark II lineup and the first with Gillan on vocals. It features the band’s signature heavy rock sound and Gillan’s entrance is grand as one would expect from such a powerful vocalist.
Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow takes us to a later post-Purple part of the guitarists history. This album also debuts a soon-to-be legendary vocalist. Dio brought an element of fantasy that is not unlike what was heard on Demons and Wizards, but now the music is more appropriately matched. It’s not quite Metal, but there are dark and heavy moments throughout. The blues influence is still there, but not quite as blatant as on the Purple albums. In Rainbow, Blackmore is able to stretch more as a musician. However, unlike In Rock, the band’s lineup hasn’t yet been finalized. It’s not quite the Rainbow that brought us Rising, but it’s close.
He may have been discounted in the fight against the mighty Sabbath, but what happens when two Blackmore classics clash? Will there be a clear favorite?
If Iommi is the first Metal riffmaster, Ritchie Blackmore is the grandfather of shred metal. Echoes of his lead guitar style can be heard on Metal guitarists from Yngwie Malmsteen to Janick Gers. He brought an element of Classical music that fit the heavy rock genre like a glove. For a genre that highly values shred guitar, Blackmore is a must in any early Metal compilation.
Of course Ritchie Blackmore is also known for working with two of rock’s greatest vocalists: Ian Gillan and Ronnie James Dio. These partnerships have certainly helped to cement his music in the realm of classics. And that brings us to today’s theme: two very different bands with two uniquely significant vocalists.
In Rock predates Machine Head by a couple years. In fact, you could say that Machine Head is the culmination of what the band began with In Rock. In Rock was our introduction to the band’s legendary Mark II lineup and the first with Gillan on vocals. It features the band’s signature heavy rock sound and Gillan’s entrance is grand as one would expect from such a powerful vocalist.
Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow takes us to a later post-Purple part of the guitarists history. This album also debuts a soon-to-be legendary vocalist. Dio brought an element of fantasy that is not unlike what was heard on Demons and Wizards, but now the music is more appropriately matched. It’s not quite Metal, but there are dark and heavy moments throughout. The blues influence is still there, but not quite as blatant as on the Purple albums. In Rainbow, Blackmore is able to stretch more as a musician. However, unlike In Rock, the band’s lineup hasn’t yet been finalized. It’s not quite the Rainbow that brought us Rising, but it’s close.
He may have been discounted in the fight against the mighty Sabbath, but what happens when two Blackmore classics clash? Will there be a clear favorite?
