Music / Sabotage (Black Sabbath Album)

Hole in the sky. Take me to heaven.

Sabotage is the sixth studio album by Black Sabbath, released on July 28, 1975. Recorded amid a legal battle with former band manager Patrick Meehan, the band chose the album's title because they felt they were being "sabotaged" from all sides by people the band says were ripping them off. As a result, according to drummer Bill Ward, the album probably has the distinction of being the only one ever recorded with lawyers present in the studio.

The tour for this album featured KISS as the opening act, though the tour was cut short by lead singer Ozzy Osbourne being injured in a motorcycle accident. This album is considered to be the last one of their classic period, although the original lineup would record two more albums before the firing of Osbourne in 1979.

Track list:

Side One

1. "Hole in the Sky" (3:59)
2. "Don't Start (Too Late)" (0:49)
3. "Symptom of the Universe" (6:29)
4. "Megalomania" (9:42)

Side Two

1. "Thrill of It All" (5:55)
2. "Supertzar" (3:44)
3. "Am I Going Insane (Radio)" (4:14)
4. "The Writ" (8:45)

Principal members:

• Ozzy Osborune - Lead vocals
• Tony Iommi - Guitar, keyboards
• Geezer Butler - Bass
• Bill Ward - Drums

Tell me, tropers. Am I going insane?:

• Anaphora: "Hole in the Sky"
  "I'm looking through a hole in the sky
  I'm seeing nowhere through the eyes of a lie
  I'm getting closer to the end of the line
  I'm living easy where the sun doesn't shine"
• Epic Rocking: "Symptom of the Universe" (6:29), "Megalomania" (9:42), and "The Writ" (8:45). "Thrill of It All" (5:55) falls only a few seconds short of this.
• Face on the Cover: The band members in front of an inverted mirror.
• Fading into the Next Song: "Am I Going Insane (Radio)" is linked to "The Writ" by the sound of maniacal laughter.
• Instrumentals:
  • "Don't Start (Too Late)" is a short acoustic interlude that links "Hole in the Sky" to "Symptom of the Universe"
  • "Supertzar" is a dramatic piece with wordless choir vocals.
• Laughing Mad: "Am I Going Insane (Radio)" ends with maniacal laughter.
• Miniscule Rocking: "Don't Start (Too Late)" (0:49)
• No Ending: "Hole in the Sky" abruptly cuts off and segues into "Don't Start (Too Late)"
• Sanity Slippage Song: "Am I Going Insane (Radio)"
  "So I'm telling all you people, listen while I sing again
  If I don't sound very cheerful, I think that I'm a schizo brain"
• Song Style Shift:
  • The last third of "Symptom of the Universe" changes from a heavy metal song to a jazzy acoustic outro.
  • "Megalomania" speeds up from a slow and ominous first half to a more straightforward Hard Rock/Heavy Metal second half.
• Stealth Pun: The "Radio" in "Am I Going Insane (Radio)" suggests that that the song is supposed to be a radio edit, but it's actually Cockney Rhyming Slang for "Mental", which rhymes with "Radio Rental".
• Take That!: "The Writ" is a scathing attack towards the band's former management who stole most of the band's money (especially Patrick Meehan.) This is also where the album title Sabotage comes from.
• Ur-Example: "Symptom of the Universe" is considered a proto-Thrash Metal song.

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