PREAMBLE

Welcome to my series in which I explore the history of hard rock, heavy rock, and heavy metal—including metal’s many subgenres. In it, you will find, and hopefully discover, key artists and records that will allow you to better understand and appreciate this fascinating facet of potent and often rebellious rock. The selections will be presented in chronological order based on their original release date. I will not go into great detail about the recordings’ sound quality; suffice to say that these types of rock releases are at times edgy and aggressive, which is apropos considering the nature of the beast. So don’t expect perfectly polished Steely Dan, Supertramp or Eagles demo-worthy sonics. Sound quality did not factor into my choices for inclusion in this series, which means it will run the gamut from very bad (often due to over-compression or bad EQ choices) to quite impressive, exciting, and engaging.

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As “the sixties” drew to a close, the dream died along with it, culminating in the violence seen at the Altamont Free Concert. All the while the Vietnam war raged on, with nuclear annihilation between the superpowers becoming a cold hard possibility. By the turn of the decade, heavy-based music provided an outlet and conduit for teenage angst and adult anger juxtaposed against a backdrop of country-folk and soft rock dominating the FM dial.

Satan’s sittin’ there, he’s smilin’

Once demonized and ridiculed by Rolling Stone magazine and the main press, the band is now rightfully recognized as the most influential metal act of all time, paving the way for iron Maiden, Metallica, and the myriad metalheads marching forward.

10- Black Sabbath – Black Sabbath. Vertigo – VO6 – 847 903 VTY (UK), Warner Bros. Records – WS 1871 (CAN.), (1970, Feb.), 33 1/3 rpm. Genre: heavy metal, doom metal, heavy blues rock.

What is this that stands before me?

Born in Birmingham, England, Black Sabbath seized on the despair, doom, and gloom of that post-Woodstock working class industrial base. Initially and shortly going by the band name Earth, guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler, drummer Bill Ward, and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne took a page or two from San Francisco’s Blue Cheer, and gave the music their own British steel twist. And while Led Zeppelin certainly weighed down the scales on their first two LPs, it’s Sabbath that embraced the pentagram, swinging the pendulum downwards. This was never more tangible than on the title track from their eponymous debut album released in February, 1970. The ominous storm and pulsating bell that opens the album introduces that legendary eerie riff. Based on the dark and dissonant diabolus in musica tritone interval—aka the “Devil’s chord”—just like in The Exorcist, it immediately sends shivers down one’s spine. We can hear Butler borrowing the main motif from “Mars”, the first movement of Holst’s The Planets, as strong musical inspiration for the track. With such songs as “The Wizard,” “Wasp / N.I.B.,” and “Wicked World,” there are no weak tracks on this monumental metal album. While side 1 definitely descends into doom and heavy metal territory, side 2 leans more towards heavy distorted blues rock with even some swinging jazzy rhythmic influences underneath. Recorded in October, 1969, at Regent Sound in London by engineers Barry Sheffield and Tom Allom, this is the first of three LP’s produced by Roger Bain. The lacquer was cut by Phonodisc Ltd. in Greater London for the original UK pressing, and by Artisan Sound Recorders in Southern California for the US and Canadian pressings. Note the track listing differs slightly between British and North American editions with “Evil Woman” replaced by “Wicked World”. I never heard the original UK pressing on Vertigo but the first Canadian Warner Brothers pressing is quite good and exciting in its drive and bite, while somewhat on the bright side of the sound spectrum. The 2024 ‘Rhino High Fidelity’ reissue by Kevin Gray is also good, though I prefer the first pressing mentioned above, finding the Rhino one a tad tame and too civilized.

Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner

In the history of Canadian music, The Guess Who were certainly the first major rock band to top the charts internationally. Hailing from Winnipeg, Manitoba, the band originally featured Chad Allan on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, Randy Bachman on lead guitar, Jim Kale on bass, Gary Peterson on drums, and Bob Ashley on keyboards, most of whom also contributed backing vocals. Beginning their career as Chad Allan & The Expressions, the band released their debut album Shakin’ All Over in April 1965, with a sound that leaned towards a garage rock. The band broke through with their fourth album——their first with RCA Records and third as The Guess Who—Wheatfield Soul, released in March 1969, on the strength of their first hit single, the soulful, baroque pop ballad “These Eyes.” At this point, Allan and Ashley had been replaced by Burton Cummings. This was followed by Canned Wheat in September, which included the original longer version of “No Time,” the ballad “Laughing,” and the jazzy pop single “Undun.”

Listen what I say

11- The Guess Who – American Woman. RCA VICTOR –  LSP-4266 (CAN.), (1970, Feb.), Cisco Music – LSP-4266 (2006), 33 1/3 rpm. Genre: heavy rock, psychedelic rock, country blues, baroque pop, country rock, blues rock, folk, jazz.

Recorded between August and November 1969, and released within the early months of 1970, The Guess Who’s sixth album, American Woman, along with its title track, propelled the Canadian band to the top of the music charts. The minute-long country blues acoustic intro, which is a bit misleading for what’s to follow, features fuzzy electric guitar, typical of heavy and psychedelic rock. Bachman’s catchy riff and Cummings’s vocals capture the vibe of the track perfectly. Next up is the newer, shorter, better known version of “No Time”, while “Talisman” is a lovely, almost angelic folk composition. “No Sugar Tonight/New Mother Nature” is a standout with a country rock spirit. “969 (The Oldest Man)” is a blues rock and jazz instrumental featuring flute. The remaining four tracks are unremarkable, and fall below the level of the previous material. Produced by Jack Richardson, engineered by Brian Christian, and mastered by Randy Kling at RCA’s Mid-America Recording Center in Chicago, Illinois, the album’s original Canadian pressing, cut at RCA Studios, Toronto, Ontario, is very good but the best-sounding version is the Cisco Music reissue, mastered by Kevin Gray and Robert Pincus at AcousTech Mastering in Camarillo, California, in 2006.

Roses are red

Violets are blue

Deep Purple had their first hit in June, 1968, with “Hush”, a peppy, groovy rock single. It was a cover song composed by Joe South and sung by Billy Joe Royal, released nearly a year earlier. Though three out of the five members would become very well known, it wasn’t until the “Mark 2” version of the band that they blossomed with the release of their fourth album in June, 1970, and became famous.

12- Deep Purple – Deep Purple in Rock. Harvest – SHVL 777, 1E 062 91442 (UK), Warner Bros. Records – WS 1877 (US or CAN.), (1970, June), 33 1/3 rpm. Genre: proto speed metal, heavy metal, heavy rock, proto punk, mild jazz inflections.

Through its memorable album cover depicting the group carved into Mount Rushmore’s iconic granite sculpture, Deep Purple in Rock rose to prominence and laid the foundation, built firmly on solid rock, for heavy metal. With guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, organist John Lord, and drummer Ian Pace holding the fort, the subsequent addition of bassist Roger Glover and vocalist extraordinaire Ian Gillan took the band to a whole other level. Side 1 kicks offs with what surely must have been at the time the fastest rock song ever. Inspired by Jimi Hendrix’s “Fire” and Little Richard’s rock and roll hit lyrics, “Speed King” sets the stage for speed metal nearly a full decade earlier than the subgenre emerged from the underground. Note that the original UK pressing has a one and a half minute intro featuring a distorted guitar solo followed by calm churchy organ while the US and Canadian pressings had edited this portion out, leading right into the main riff. Out of the gates, the band is tight, nimble, fast, with Gillan giving us a good preview of his vocal prowess. Soon comes a jazzy ‘call and response’ exchange between organ and guitar—not unlike what we find on The Doors’ “Light My Fire”—that gradually increases into complete chaos. “Bloodsucker” has that great heavy rock riff. Of course, the side closer, “Child in Time”, is the pièce de résistance that has stood the test of time. Lasting just over ten minutes, its intro faintly greeted by Glover’s bass flirting with Lord’s organ and Pace’s drum cymbals, followed by Gillan’s soft voice, the song slowly builds up energy, becoming more and more intense to the point of screaming before a bolero rhythm intercedes, leading to Blackmore’s incredible guitar interplay with Lord coming to a crescendo-like cliffhanger. The coda reprises the intro pattern, before quickly morphing into an accelerando crash! Side 2’s “Flight of the Rat” could almost pass for proto-punk. “Into the Fire” appears heavily inspired by King Crimson’s “21st Century Schizoid Man”‘s main riff and abrasive vocals. Last, but not least, “Hard Lovin’ Man” must have stunned its fair share of listeners given the fast tempo, twisted and distorted organ guitar combo, screaming vocals, heavy metal-like dual lead guitar solos, sounding years in advance, where it would not sound out of place in the 1980s! Self-produced, the album was recorded by engineers Philip McDonald, Martin Birch, and Andy Knight at Abbey Road, De Lane Lea, and I.B.C. Studios, respectively. I neither have the original UK pressing, nor the first US one mastered by Artisan Sound Recorders in California, so I can’t comment on their sound, but my first Canadian pressing cut by RCA Studios, in Toronto, is good but not great, with a bit of a prominent midrange and obvious compression.

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Reference List (Singles, albums, and labels):

10- Black Sabbath – Black Sabbath.                                                        
Vertigo – VO6 – 847 903 VTY (UK), Warner Bros. Records – WS 1871 (CAN.), (1970, Feb.), 33 1/3 rpm. Genre: heavy metal, doom metal, heavy blues rock.

11- The Guess Who – American Woman.                                                       
RCA VICTOR –  LSP-4266 (CAN.), (1970, Feb.), Cisco Music – LSP-4266 (2006), 33 1/3 rpm. Genre: heavy rock, psychedelic rock, country blues, baroque pop, country rock, blues rock, folk, jazz.

12- Deep Purple – Deep Purple in Rock.                                                       
Harvest – SHVL 777, 1E 062 91442 (UK), Warner Bros. Records – WS 1877 (US or CAN.), (1970, June), 33 1/3 rpm. Genre: proto speed metal, heavy metal, heavy rock, proto punk, mild jazz inflections.