Huge, dark, and heavy – an album of mythical proportions, and that's a lot to say for a mainstream album – especially one that crossed over as big as this one! It would be hard to imagine the modern rock landscape without this album or group, who provided the template for so much music to follow – and the soundtrack to many bong-fueled excursions to the dark side – a huge legacy in sound, but one that may well still be best begun on this landmark self-titled album! Titles include "Black Sabbath", "The Wizard", "Behind The Wall Of Sleep", "NIB", "Wicked World", and "Warning". LP, Vinyl record album

Quite possibly the greatest moment of genius ever from Black Sabbath – and a genre-changing record that influenced generations! The group are at their lean, raw best here – free from any cliches at all, and working in an incredibly heady brew of fuzzy guitar, romping bass, and dark drums – all topped by the instantly recognizable screech of the young Ozzy Osborne! Guitarist Tony Iommi virtually redefines rock use of the guitar with this record alone – and the Oz follows suit with some of the creepiest vocals set to record ever. Titles include the classics "Paranoid" and "Iron Man", plus "War Pigs", "Planet Caravan", "Electric Funeral", "Hand Of Doom", and "Rat Salad". LP, Vinyl record album

Quite possibly the greatest moment of genius ever from Black Sabbath – and a genre-changing record that influenced generations! The group are at their lean, raw best here – free from any cliches at all, and working in an incredibly heady brew of fuzzy guitar, romping bass, and dark drums – all topped by the instantly recognizable screech of the young Ozzy Osborne! Guitarist Tony Iommi virtually redefines rock use of the guitar with this record alone – and the Oz follows suit with some of the creepiest vocals set to record ever. Titles include the classics "Paranoid" and "Iron Man", plus "War Pigs", "Planet Caravan", "Electric Funeral", "Hand Of Doom", and "Rat Salad". Features a full album of bonus tracks too – including instrumentals of "War Pigs", "Iron Man", "Electric Funeral", "Hand Of Doom", and "Fairies Wear Boots" – and alternate lyrics versions of "Paranoid" and "Planet Caravan". LP, Vinyl record album

The grandest scale and most elaborately furnished Black Sabbath album to this point – but they still bring the heavy! The title track is one of the most influential metal songs ever, with the foreboding lyrics, trudging stomp of a rhythmic pace and those bridges that are almost pretty – and the most of the rest of the album is great, too – more carefully produced than the previous few without compromising the menace. Titles include "A National Acrobat", "Fluff", "Sabbra Cadabra", "Spiral Architect", "Looking For Today", and "Who Are You". LP, Vinyl record album

A killer collection of the early greatness of prime era Sabbath – great tracks from the first handful of albums of the Ozzy years! If there's a problem with We Sold Our Souls For Rock & Roll, it's that there was too much greatness on the early albums for them to put compilation out that could make everyone happy – but you get "Paranoid", "War Pigs", "Iron Man", "Fairies Wear Boots", "Sweet Leaf", "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath", "Snow Blind", "NIB". 17 tracks in all. CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Timeless metal from Black Sabbath and their first album with Ronnie James Dio out front – and we'd honestly put it up there with the best work of all their careers! No disrespect to Ozzy or the early, definitive era of Black Sabbath – those first few album are among the most influential rock & roll albums of all time and Heaven & Hell doesn't reinvent the wheel – but this new phase with another veteran front man is a masterclass heavy riffs, soaring vocals and hasn't aged a day. Includes the classic title track and "Neon Knights", "Children Of The Sea", "Wishing Well", "Die Young", "Walk Away" and "Lonely Is The Word". CD

Quite possibly the greatest moment of genius ever from Black Sabbath – and a genre-changing record that influenced generations! The group are at their lean, raw best here – free from any cliches at all, and working in an incredibly heady brew of fuzzy guitar, romping bass, and dark drums – all topped by the instantly recognizable screech of the young Ozzy Osborne! Guitarist Tony Iommi virtually redefines rock use of the guitar with this record alone – and the Oz follows suit with some of the creepiest vocals set to record ever. Titles include the classics "Paranoid" and "Iron Man", plus "War Pigs", "Planet Caravan", "Electric Funeral", "Hand Of Doom", and "Rat Salad". LP, Vinyl record album

The third album by Black Sabbath – the album that put the heavy in metal – one of the most influential rock albums of all time and a record that finds Sabbath at absolute peak perfection! This is the one that set the Sabbath style in stone, honing in the the heavy riffs, thundering drums and eerie mood perfectly. Includes the ultra classics "Sweet Leaf" and "Children Of The Grave", plus "After Forever", "Lord Of This World", "Solitude", "Into The Void" and the instrumentals "Embryo" and "Orchid". LP, Vinyl record album

Quite possibly the greatest moment of genius ever from Black Sabbath – and a genre-changing record that influenced generations! The group are at their lean, raw best here – free from any cliches at all, and working in an incredibly heady brew of fuzzy guitar, romping bass, and dark drums – all topped by the instantly recognizable screech of the young Ozzy Osborne! Guitarist Tony Iommi virtually redefines rock use of the guitar with this record alone – and the Oz follows suit with some of the creepiest vocals set to record ever. Titles include the classics "Paranoid" and "Iron Man", plus "War Pigs", "Planet Caravan", "Electric Funeral", "Hand Of Doom", and "Rat Salad". CD

The grandest scale and most elaborately furnished Black Sabbath album to this point – but they still bring the heavy! The title track is one of the most influential metal songs ever, with the foreboding lyrics, trudging stomp of a rhythmic pace and those bridges that are almost pretty – and the most of the rest of the album is great, too – more carefully produced than the previous few without compromising the menace. Titles include "A National Acrobat", "Fluff", "Sabbra Cadabra", "Spiral Architect", "Looking For Today", and "Who Are You". LP, Vinyl record album

Black Sabbath going strong – very much in their own space by this point in their career, setting a sound that countless others would try to follow – but never match for fierceness like this! The fuzz is definitely turned up to 11, the rhythms move at a breakneck speed, and Ozzy's vocals have all the mean, sinister sounds that set a generation on fire – plenty of energy to fill up long tracks that include "Megalomania", "Hole In The Sky", "Symptom Of The Universe", "Supertzar", "Am I Going Insane", and "The Writ". LP, Vinyl record album

The third album by Black Sabbath – the album that put the heavy in metal – one of the most influential rock albums of all time and a record that finds Sabbath at absolute peak perfection! This is the one that set the Sabbath style in stone, honing in the the heavy riffs, thundering drums and eerie mood perfectly. Includes the ultra classics "Sweet Leaf" and "Children Of The Grave", plus "After Forever", "Lord Of This World", "Solitude", "Into The Void" and the instrumentals "Embryo" and "Orchid". CD

The cover here looks a bit slicker than some of the other Black Sabbath albums of the 70s – but the sound is anything but, and still flies the flag of all the greatness the group had to offer! The set was recorded at the famous Criteria Studios in Miami – home to some great soul sessions in the early part of the decade – and Tommy Iommi gives the band a sharp edge in the studio, bringing the guitars up and Ozzy's vocals into a nice sort of focus – reminding the world that Sabbath can still kick the ass of newcomers like AC/DC when needed. And like late 70s material by Led Zeppelin, which some purists of the time tend to dismiss – from the backward perspective of 40 years, the album sounds pretty darn great to our ears! Titles include "She's Gone", "Dirty Women", "It's Alright", "Gypsy", "Back Street Kids", "You Won't Change Me", and "All Moving Parts". LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful compilation of legendary African American singers and musicians covering Jewish songs – Billie Holiday, Marlena Shaw, Slim Galliard, Nina Simone, The Temptations, Aretha Frankin and more! The majority of the material is from the late 50s through the 60s, with a couple each from earlier and later decades – and it's all great stuff! From nightclub jazz, to soul and beyond, each track is performed with honesty and integrity, no gimmicky or novelty tunes here! 15 tracks in all – in a great oversized package that includes a beautiful 40 page booklet full of color and b&w photographs of the artists and others, and notes from the Idelsohn Society, Josh Kun and Hilton Als. It includes "My Yiddishe Momme" by Billie Holiday, "Utt Da Zay" by Cab Calloway, "That Old Black Magic" by Johnny Hartman, "Sholem" by Eartha Kitt, "Your Can I Go?" by Eartha Kitt, "Swanee" by Aretha Franklin, "Eretz Aavat Chalav" by Nina Simone, "Fiddler On The Roof Medley" by The Temptations and more. CD

The second entry in this much-loved, much-lauded project – a set of jazz reworks of tunes made famous by Black Sabbath back in the day – transformed here to a completely different idiom by the work of the trio! The first time round, these guys tried to pass off their debut as a lost vintage record – here, they're playing things a bit more upfront – and as a result, the album's actually more interesting too – taking more chances with the arrangements, and going for a presentation that really brings all these interesting sounds and colors to the tunes – instead of just trying to sound like a Black Sabbath record without guitar or vocals. Tracks are a bit longer, with a nice sense of presence in the way they build things up – and titles include versions of "Paranoid", "Snowblind", "Black Sabbath", "NIB", "Sabbra Cadabra", "Behind The Wall Of Sleep", and "Symptom Of The Universe". CD

A wonderful session by Andrew Hill – recorded in 1968, but issued only briefly in 1981 – and out of print for years! The session is a key one in understanding Hill's work – as it's a bridge between the arch modernism of his early Blue Note sides, and the more soul-oriented playing of the Grass Roots album. The set features wonderful frontline work in the trumpet of Charles Tolliver, and tenor and soprano of Joe Farrell – both players who open up the sound at the same time they're giving it a nice bottom – egged on by the rest of the combo, which includes Victor Sproles on bass and Billy Higgins on drums. The album's an enchanting one – not as dark as early years, but still with a compelling vision that's all Hill's own. Titles include "Dance With Death", "Love Nocturne", "Black Sabbath", "Partitions", and "Fish N Rice". LP, Vinyl record album

With a name like Masters Of Reality – a clear reference to classic Black Sabbath – you definitely know where these guys are coming from – but there's also a quality to the record that's very much a statement of the times – that post-metal, post-grunge moment when the American scene was finding a surprisingly strong voice to cross over between the underground and mainstream! Rick Rubin produced, but the album's got a voice of its own – located somewhere in a space between LA and Texas, although with elements of both of those scenes. Titles include "The Candy Song", "The Eyes Of Texas", "Lookin To Get Rite", "Kill The King", "Sleep Walkin", "Theme For The Scientist Of The Invisible", and "Domino". LP, Vinyl record album

A heady set from the glory days of the Krautrock scene, and one that's recorded by Conny Plank – but a record that maybe has more of a hard rock vibe overall, one that's very much in keeping with the doom-styled look of the cover! These guys really jam their asses off – not in some sort of spacey experimental way, but instead really romping on the drums, riffing on the guitar, and bustling on basslines that really keep the whole record moving forward – all of which makes for a record that you could easily share with fans of Black Sabbath or Deep Purple – something that might not always be the case for other experimental German work of the time. Titles include "Trouble (parts 1 & 2)", "Delusion", "Dream Of A Drummer", "Time Is Flying", and "What Are You Doin". LP, Vinyl record album

Forget any sort of royalist idea you might have about the "sir" in these guys' name – as the group's from Brooklyn, and they're a searing hard rock group from the start of the 70s – one who did some heavy work touring with Black Sabbath at the start of the 70s, then cut this great second album for Mercury shortly after! The group is a quartet here, which makes for an even heavier sound than their trio album – and the whole thing is one of those lost gems from a group who got a great shot in the studio from a big label – who then let the record languish, as they never knew how to promote it! Titles include "Man From Manhattan" plus "Where Are We Going", "Chicago Lives", "Loe And Behold", "Woman Tamer" and "Caesar LXXI". LP, Vinyl record album

A definite heavy jammer from the Peruvian scene of the early 70s – proof that while some of the late 60s crowd was headed towards soft rock modes, the rest were coming up with an even sharper edge and heavier barrage of guitars! There's a real sense of darkness to the record that matches the group's name and cover – a sound that's nicely allied with Deep Purple or Black Sabbath at their early best, but which also has its own uniquely spooky overtones. Titles include "Tempestad", "Cambiemos Ya", "Martha Ya Esta", "Rio Tonto", "Tema Para Lilus", "Tranquila Reflexion", and "Teimpo En El Sol". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the coolest collections of underground Thai rock we've seen – and it certainly is The Heavier Sound Of the Luk Thung Underground – including a uniquely Thai vision flavored with a Black Sabbath riff, psych makeovers of Thai folklore, and a bunch great tunes that meld Bangkok life with western garage and psychedelia masterfully! All of the tunes are heavy in their own way, but it's by no means heavy in a simple hard rock way – loads of impassioned vocals, astounding percussion, tripped out guitar and other strings and woozy organ keep the arrangements exciting, and the otherworldly aspects play nice with accessible melodies. Titles include "Kuen Kuen Lueng Leung" (the aforementioned heady take on Sabbath's "Iron Man"), "Ruk Kun Samong" by Plearn Promdan, "Pai Joi" by Rung Petchburi, "Nam Mun Pang" by Sroeng Santi, "Dub Fai Kui Gun" by Sroeng Santi and more. 14 massive slabs of heavy Thai psych in all! LP, Vinyl record album

Features "Kick Out The Jams" by MC5, "Iron Man" by Black Sabbath, "I'm Eighteen" by Alice Cooper, "Bang A Gong (Get It On)" by T Rex, "Right Place, Wrong Time" by Dr John, "Radar Love" by Golden Earring and more. LP, Vinyl record album

A very heady second album from Blossom Toes – much darker than their debut a few years before, and done with a fuzzy-headed sound that almost echoes the generation of Black Sabbath and Deep Purple – but which still has some of their best psych elements in place too! It's clear that guitarist Brian Godding has upped his kills even more than before – and they were pretty darn fantastic on the first record too – as he trades lines with Jim Cregan, over all these fantastic heavy bass bits from Big Brian Belshaw and drums from Barry Reeves – a tight quartet using all familiar instrumentation, yet really making their own unique mark in music. The whole thing's a fantastic underground classic – and titles include "Love Bomb", "Kiss Of Confusion", "Peace Loving Man", "Listen To The Silence", "Wait A Minute", and "Indian Summer". CD features 7 more bonus tracks from singles and demos – including "Nobody But", "Everyone's Leaving Me Now", "Postcard", and "New Day". CD

A wonderful session by Andrew Hill – recorded in 1968, but issued only briefly in 1981 – and out of print for years! The session is a key one in understanding Hill's work – as it's a bridge between the arch modernism of his early Blue Note sides, and the more soul-oriented playing of the Grass Roots album. The set features wonderful frontline work in the trumpet of Charles Tolliver, and tenor and soprano of Joe Farrell – both players who open up the sound at the same time they're giving it a nice bottom – egged on by the rest of the combo, which includes Victor Sproles on bass and Billy Higgins on drums. The album's an enchanting one – not as dark as early years, but still with a compelling vision that's all Hill's own. Titles include "Dance With Death", "Love Nocturne", "Black Sabbath", "Partitions", and "Fish N Rice". CD features a bonus alternate take of the title cut. CD

An earnest, kinda lovable hard rock soundtrack to the modern classic movie version of the earnest, TOTALLY lovable SNL-sketch Wayne's World! Naturally opening with Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody", thanks the flick's most unforgettable scene, the soundtrack is a goofy, but fun mix of glammy and hard rock, classic 70s jams and early alt rock of the time, plus glam pop tunes by co-star Tia Carrarre and Mike Myers and Dana Carvey on the Wayne's World theme. Party on! Includes "Foxey Lady" by Jimi Hendrix, "Ballroom Blitz" by Tia Carrere, "Feed My Frankenstein" by Alice Cooper, "Dream Weaver" by Gary Wright, "Time Machine" by Black Sabbath, "Loving Your Lovin" by Eric Clapton and more. Cassette

Jaw-dropping work from Charles Bradley – a stunning album that's maybe his best so far – and that's saying a hell of a lot, given the quality of his previous work! There's a focus and power here that really puts Charles on top – from the bold statement at the start of the record, to the range of expressive, emotive lyrics all the way through – given superb support in a range of deep soul and funky currents from the likes of Budos Band, Menehan Street Band, Gospel Queens, Saun & Starr, and Sha La Das! Yet none of these guests ever feel like they're sharing the spotlight with Charles – because, like the James Brown Show of the late 60s, all these super-strong talents are working in constellation around Bradley's majesty – a bold soul vision that's never burned this brightly before. Titles include "Ain't It A Sin", "Nobody But You", "Good To Be Back Home", "Things We Do For Love", "Crazy Love", and "Slow Love" – plus a cover of Black Sabbath's "Changes". LP, Vinyl record album

An insane record – and one of the strangest moments in pop music during the early 70s! Coven are best known to most folks for cutting the message-oriented, sweet folk tune "One Tin Soldier" – but here, they change course completely – and offer up a whole album dedicated to the dark arts and satanic pursuits – with a sonic quality that actually beats just about anything ever recorded by Anton La Vey! The record is ostensibly an "anti-witchcraft" album – but it actually comes off as being totally sincere – in a really great way. Some tunes are song-based – like "Coven In Charing Cross", "Black Sabbath", and "Choke Thirst Die" – but the album also has this really long "Satanic Mass", which even features the Lord's Prayer spoken backwards – completely creepy, in a Kenneth Anger magick sort of way! LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful session by Andrew Hill – recorded in 1968, but issued only briefly in 1981 – and out of print for years! The session is a key one in understanding Hill's work – as it's a bridge between the arch modernism of his early Blue Note sides, and the more soul-oriented playing of the Grass Roots album. The set features wonderful frontline work in the trumpet of Charles Tolliver, and tenor and soprano of Joe Farrell – both players who open up the sound at the same time they're giving it a nice bottom – egged on by the rest of the combo, which includes Victor Sproles on bass and Billy Higgins on drums. The album's an enchanting one – not as dark as early years, but still with a compelling vision that's all Hill's own. Titles include "Dance With Death", "Love Nocturne", "Black Sabbath", "Partitions", and "Fish N Rice". CD features a bonus alternate take of the title cut. CD

A record with a much harder edge than you'd expect from the cover – not the ancient vibe of a medieval crusade, or the religiosity in the title – and instead this searing entry to the hard rock underground at the time! The group have a really heavy Black Sabbath sort of sound – with excellent lead guitars from Bob Cooke, and a sinister sound that has the grooves really dipping down into the depths, pushed even further by evil-edged vocals from singer Lynden Williams. The album's got the raw power of Sabbath's best work – and the whole thing's a killer record that should have been an instant classic. Titles include "Midnight Steamer", "Frustration", "Hooded Eagle", "Primitive Man", "She Came Like A Bat Out Of Hell", and "When The Wolf Sits". CD

A heady set from the glory days of the Krautrock scene, and one that's recorded by Conny Plank – but a record that maybe has more of a hard rock vibe overall, one that's very much in keeping with the doom-styled look of the cover! These guys really jam their asses off – not in some sort of spacey experimental way, but instead really romping on the drums, riffing on the guitar, and bustling on basslines that really keep the whole record moving forward – all of which makes for a record that you could easily share with fans of Black Sabbath or Deep Purple – something that might not always be the case for other experimental German work of the time. Titles include "Trouble (parts 1 & 2)", "Delusion", "Dream Of A Drummer", "Time Is Flying", and "What Are You Doin". CD

Bruce Springsteen is on the cover, and not for a mere feature profile or common look at his current work and legendary career – given the Mojo pedigree, that'd be good enough for sure, but no, this issue aims higher – it's actually an intimate conversation between Springsteen and Warren Zanes that runs quite deep! More Springsteen coverage includes profiles of live shows from 2023 and 1973 to show how far he and E Street have come – plus pieces on Black Sabbath, Tina Turner, Jeff Beck, Shirley Collins, Glastonbury Fest, PJ Harvey, Fontaines DC and usual huge number of reviews (166 this time!) Magazine

A very heady second album from Blossom Toes – much darker than their debut a few years before, and done with a fuzzy-headed sound that almost echoes the generation of Black Sabbath and Deep Purple – but which still has some of their best psych elements in place too! It's clear that guitarist Brian Godding has upped his kills even more than before – and they were pretty darn fantastic on the first record too – as he trades lines with Jim Cregan, over all these fantastic heavy bass bits from Big Brian Belshaw and drums from Barry Reeves – a tight quartet using all familiar instrumentation, yet really making their own unique mark in music. The whole thing's a fantastic underground classic – and titles include "Love Bomb", "Kiss Of Confusion", "Peace Loving Man", "Listen To The Silence", "Wait A Minute", and "Indian Summer". 3CD set is full of incredible bonus material – the cuts "Postcard", "Everyone Is Leaving Me Now", "Listen To The Silence (live)", and "New Day" – plus a full CD2 that features live material from 1969 – and CD3 which features rarities and demo tracks. CD