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Technical Ecstasy

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Work

After the protracted legal battles surrounding Sabotage in 1975, Black Sabbath chose Criteria Studios in Miami. The band wanted to distance themselves from the darkness of the earlier records. Nobody wanted to take on the production, so it was left to guitarist Tony Iommi. Singer Ozzy Osbourne was already thinking of leaving, and in the age of rising punk the group felt unsure about its direction. Technical Ecstasy, released in October 1976, sounds more varied and complex than its predecessors, with plenty of keyboards and studio effects. The funky All Moving Parts (Stand Still) and the pop ballad It's Alright show this well. On the latter, drummer Bill Ward sings: for the first time it was not Osbourne singing a song by the band.

The reception was mixed. Many critics found it a confused album, and band members too later saw it as the beginning of the end. Even so, some praise the opener Back Street Kids and Dirty Women.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to It's Alright and notice the singer: this is drummer Bill Ward, not Ozzy Osbourne, and the song sounds like a melodic pop ballad.

Track list

  1. 1Back Street Kids (2009 Remaster)3:47Apple Music ↗
  2. 2You Won't Change Me (2009 Remaster)6:38Apple Music ↗
  3. 3It's Alright (2009 Remaster)3:59Apple Music ↗
  4. 4Gypsy (2009 Remaster)5:08Apple Music ↗
  5. 5All Moving Parts (Stand Still) [2009 Remaster]4:58Apple Music ↗
  6. 6Rock 'n' Roll Doctor (2009 Remaster)3:27Apple Music ↗
  7. 7She's Gone (2009 Remaster)4:52Apple Music ↗
  8. 8Dirty Women (2009 Remaster)7:07Apple Music ↗

30-second previews via Apple Music. Listen to the whole album on Apple Music ↗

Categories: Albums and songs