Bonnie 'Prince' Billy

Next up on my quest to get through my ipod is Bonnie 'Prince' Billy. Although I am currently wrapping up the letter 'M' I have some catch up to do and am going back to some of the albums I made a mental note of to write about.

So, here I am. Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, a.k.a Will Oldham, a.k.a one of the most overrated indie singer songwriters I have come across. A jack of all trades of sorts. Music artist, Actor, and chronic band name changer.

There was a time that I couldn't look at an Exclaim! newspaper, the NOW, or issues of The Big Takeover or Magnet without Mr. Oldham gracing its covers. Music rag reviewers and bloggers alike sang their praises loud for the singer songwriter. It was as though he could shit on a piece of vinyl and still make that years list of top 10 releases. With all the buzz it was one of those artists that I held out on for quite some time. Which brings me to the 2008 album "Lie down in the light."

At first listen it was a run of the mill singer songwriter album with nothing worth worrying over or getting excited about. However, as the album progressed I realized that this in fact is the problem itself. For an artist so revered by his peers and critics, this album fell quite flat. There was simply nothing exciting or noteworthy about it.

During a discussion with Murphy over a pint one day, we discussed the album and BPB and we both seemed to be on the same page. I pointed out that while listening to the album I felt that his lyrics were almost trying to mock me. There was something about them that made me feel he was telling the listener that he was more intelligent or more culturally important then they were. In conclusion we came to agree that all the name dropping and humming and hawing over him was without merit.

I mean, what was all the buzz about?

I can think of several singer songwriters that deserve much higher accolades than Will Oldham. Was it his "You better take me seriously" hipster beard or his "I'm an extremely reclusive artist" demeanor that had everyone flocking to see him, cop his albums, or write extensively about him?

It is all kind of lost on me.

Then again, you wouldn't find me alone at the back table in a local Queen West or Ossington strip watering hole, balls deep into a Bukowski novel and sipping on a can of Pabst Blue Ribbon either. So I guess it makes sense that I don't get it.

Black Sabbath

So much for keeping the writing to regular intervals. From this day forth, anything I say on here about what I plan to write about or the frequency of my posts should just be taken as a flat out lie. If I were to live up to my exaggerated blog goals I would have to change my "unmade bed" moniker, and I am not up for another name change. So, for the sake of living up to my unmade bed status, I will continue to disappoint those that choose to read this. Ha.

On to the entry:

As you know I have vowed to listen to my ipod from front to back with no deviations from the alphabetical order it is in. As I make my way through each artist I will attempt to write random pieces covering stand out albums (both good and bad) as a public offering to share my personal tastes, likes, and dislikes when it comes to music. There are no guidelines to follow and no specific number of posts per letter. Sadly this will leave a plethora of notable artists and albums out of the mix. I simply just don't have the time nor the desire to write about each and every one.

So, where to now?
None other than the founding fathers of Heavy Metal - Black Sabbath.

The albums on my ipod and (in my opinion) the strongest in their lengthy and legendary catalog are the 1970 self titled debut: Black Sabbath, their 5th release: Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, and sorely underrated and often overlooked 6th album: Sabotage. Most Sabbath fans (and there are plenty of them the world over) would possibly disagree with the fact that I am leaving out "Masters of Reality" and arguably their most well known release "Paranoid." The truth is, those albums although excellent, have a certain place in my personal history as a teenager and have fallen victim to over exposure. In short - They are played out. So as it stands, although all three albums are worthy to write about, I will focus on the self titled debut.

There are few arguments left in rock history that stir the emotional pot more than the age old question, "Who started heavy metal." From Blue Cheer and Led Zeppelin to Deep Purple and Black Sabbath, they all have strong candidacy for ownership of that title. However, in my opinion the opening chords to track 1 "Black Sabbath" on the self titled album quashes all other front runners and arguments. You can look to most, if not all of your heavy metal favourites and most of these bands would agree that Sabbath are the godfathers of metal.

From beginning to end, the self titled album encompasses you in bass heavy bone crushing riffs and introduces you to a young wailing front man that will eventually change the sound of Rock and it's landscape from here on in. The lyrical content of the album is also unique for that time period. Throughout the album Ozzy laments about sources of evil and despair touching on wizards, demons, and even Lucifer himself. The title track is played entirely in the "Tritone" which is a chord made up of 3 separate tones and is referred to as "Diabolus in Musica" or "Devil in Music." Couple this with Ozzy's screams of torment "Oh, no, no, please god help me" and lyrics of a "figure in black" it is safe to say the music world had not been exposed to such dark and dense music as this.

The album has a total of 7 tracks which include 5 original songs and 2 covers and is claimed to be recorded in only one day in the studio. Although somewhat a commercial success, the album fell victim to unfavourable reviews. Well known critics Lester Bangs and Robert Christgau both had choice words about the release stating that it was "Just like Cream, but worse" and "the worst of the counterculture on a plastic platter." Although both very credible sources in their respective fields, I have to disagree with both of them. Not only do I feel the album is a very strong debut release, but it holds a special place in the development of my musical tastes throughout my teenage and early adult years.

Standout tracks:
Black Sabbath
The Wizzard
N.I.B