13 • Black Sabbath • A GRIM appraisal
Preamble:- Previously, I said about a come-back that went ahead without Jon Anderson that "if you can't pick a sucker in the listener within 20 minutes of a YES journey that isn't up to par, chances are, the sucker is you."
Musically, 13 retains its 'Anderson' element, but still, it is mystifying as to why the thing is at #1 on the Billboard. The only plausible explanation could be that Sabbath witch-heads were awaiting the bat-eating prodigal to return to the father; and finally, it did!
8-foot tall burning wicker by Spencer Jenkins - shot by Jonathan Knowles
End of the Beginning ∆ Refreshed in the sensibility of a New World Order beta, yet remains in the sentiment of the old decadency sword, Iron Man. ∆
God Is Dead? ∆ At the turn of the last century, thick in the belief of a Darwinian monkey god, Friedrich Nietzsche comfortably proclaimed that 'God is dead'. Hitler picked up on it and, with moolah from Rockefeller, Carnegie and Prescott, got his ethnic classing and cleansing program in motion. Freud then pushed pedal to metal and the sexual revolution exploded in the sixties with the mantra "If it feels good, do it!" still relevant. Lyrics to this song are interesting because Ozzy doesn't outrightly proclaim that 'God is dead' for fear of offending his God-fearing fans, so a question mark is thrown in at the end of the title. Although, the last line proclaims, "I don't believe God is dead" listening to the song without reading the lyrics echoes Nietzsche's sentiments. ∆
Loner ∆ Is a no brainer in lyrics and riff. Roger Waters, brainchild behind The Wall, must wonder "Now, why didn't I think of that?" ∆
Zeitgeist ∆ Has an emotional introspective blues jazzy twist - a striking departure from their usual graveyard offerings and has the potential to escalate into a hard prog-rock journey but, despite the steep trajectory that beckons, it kills itself off before you can feel it begin. ∆
Age of Reason ∆ Just as the lyrics go "Do you hear the thunder raging in the sky? Premonition of a shattered world that's gonna die." we roll our eyes. ∆
Live Forever ∆ Another no brainer. ∆
Damaged Soul ∆ In this we hear Iommi desperately switching hats with Hendrix where he stops playing rhythm during the solo just as the bellwether of rip had done with Experience - to grind axe solo over a naked bass line. ∆
Dear Father ∆ A mediocre seventies rock riff. ∆
Methademic ∆
Peace of Mind ∆
Pariah ∆
13 years in the making since the discussion in 2001 of a reunion that culminated in the title rather than a fresh quantity of grunge from the graveyard's prime practitioner, but then - a consolation - witch-heads get a real-life 8-foot tall burning wicker on the cover and under a dozen Guinness-Stout-Stone-Party fun songs, though mundane,
monotonous, repetitive, borrowed, battered, tried and tested tunes.
As the abbreviation BTDT goes, I dare say to witch-heads that would have me wickered fast in some seedy dive, that 13 isn't all BS.
Post in progress ....
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