It’s difficult for a child of the digital era to truly appreciate the depth of originality and mindblowing heaviness that Black Sabbath embodied in their prime. Our modern day rock heroes constantly pledge allegiance to the forefathers of heavy metal, the pioneers of doom rock, but a disconnect takes place among new Sabbath listeners in the 21st century, four decades removed from the band’s prime vitality. It’s like listening to Lenny Bruce’s comedy albums; his jokes were cutting edge and groundbreaking at the time, but presently there’s a very dated, toothless feel to his humor when placed in the context of today’s evolved comedic climate.
That’s been the case for Black Sabbath in the age of hypersaturated stimuli, but the following video via Dangerous Minds may steer the digi-kid ship to more empathetic waters. Filmed live in Paris in December of 1970, the following performance captures Ozzy Osbourne hamming it up with a broom before leading his band through several songs from both their first album and Paranoid. If better footage of the band exists, it seems to be under very tight wraps. Watch as the quartet of possessed metal maniacs break new musical ground, giving birth to legions following in their footsteps today:
Setlist:
Paranoid
Hand Of Doom
Rat Salad
Iron Man
Black Sabbath
N.I.B.
Wasp
Behind The Wall Of Sleep
War Pigs
Fairies Wear Boots
