I have read a number of reviews of this album and none of them seem positive at all! But I say damn the critics. This album is awesome. It is not as good as the six preceding it (though they were not all perfect), but it has left a mark on me this month. Released in 1976, this followed the release of the unequalled Sabotage.
All good things come to an end. In Black Sabbath’s case it was the white-hot streak of six irrefutably brilliant albums they released between 1970’s bruising self-titled debut and 1975’s wide-eyed and spangled Sabotage, brought to a screeching halt by Technical Ecstasy. Louder
Standouts are clearly Rock & Rock Doctor, All Moving Parts, and Gypsy. Gypsy is the masterwork of the album really. This was the first track I heard on the album. It has great lyrics. Ozzy is in fine voice and howling guitar is very well placed and hints at Sabbath at their best. The guitar and piano in the second half is superb. To follow this with All Moving Parts was a great idea. The riff is off the chart. Then the funky beat comes in. The reverb on Ozzy’s voice is very exciting indeed. The track really gets into its groove after the 3 minute mark, with wonderful funk guitar.
With its blindingly bright, futuristic artwork, created by top ’70s album cover design shop, Hipgnosis (but famously dismissed by Ozzy Osbourne as “two robots screwing” in author Mick Wall’s Sabbath biography Symptom of the Universe), Technical Ecstasy emerged out of a particularly convoluted period in the band’s history – one mired in serious business and personal issues, and affected by outside forces beyond their control.
Rock N Roll Doctor follows these two magnificent tracks. It is a bit juvenile by comparison. The piano is strained but the drumming sustains it through. It is said of this album that Tony Iommi was often the creative brain behind the operation but that he has become tired of being the de facto creative force. This was indeed the beginning of the end of the Sabbath we knew.
She’s Gone is a slower number. A lot of reviews I have read have bemoaned Ozzy’s voice as being disappointing and grating in this track. I do not think it is so awful. The sentimental violins and content from a singer known better for subject matter a little more hard core are reminiscent of The Walker Brothers’ 1966 opus ‘Portrait’.
The album closes on Dirty Women, a much criticised Sabbath track. This track is essentially about a man courting ladies of the night. The riff is repetitive and the subject matter is repulsive. I can see why it is maligned as much as it is. It is somehat salvaged by a hint of pure (ho ho) Sabbath with the final guitar flurry. The Rundgren-esque introduction to the bridge is not lost on me. The last part of the track closes the album in more Sabbath style. The end is sumptuous and allows one to dance about the room and shake one’ head back as well as forth.
Overall, a corker, with some real stinkers contained within. A worthy album of the month, however, as it means a lot to my father and I. This was the first Sabbath album which father had heard all the way through, if you can believe it.
I do not know much about this artist. I understand that he was born in Mora in Sweden, between two lakes (the Siljan and the Örasjön).. He studied at the Royal Swedish Academy of Arts from 1875-1880 then spent time travelling around Europe, painting. The lady in the painting is Emma Zorn, the artist’s wife. The painting, to my astonishment, is a watercolour, and was rendered in 1886.
I love water in art. In my early appreciation of art and exploration of art galleries I found myself drawn to paintings with water. The Van de Velde ship scenes spoke to me most. The above is a staggering rendition of a lovely episode on the water. Zorn has somehow managed, in watercolour, to evoke the fluid movement of the water on the lake. The reflections of the sun on the water and the perspective change of the water as it recedes into the distance and the movement around the boat are deeply impressive. But the mastery of the medium is not only in relation to depicting water and light, it also extends to persons. Mrs Zorn is being helped into her boat by Carl Gustav Dahlström, a family friend. Both of these are depicted accurately, I like in particular Mrs Zorn’s dress. The boat itself is painted exquisitely. The tones of the wood are shown expertly.
But the overall beauty of the painting is striking for another reason. When we were in France earlier this month, Charlotte and I went to town cleaning a pedalo so we could go for a ride (water-cycle?) on a lake near my grandfather’s house. This touching scene is reminiscent of one which we had after I was swatting out spiders and clearing leaves. The following few hours pedalling, swimming, reading and listening to Chopin were some of the most magical in our lives. She also read me some Keats which may feature in an upcoming blog…
Picture the scene, we have just visited the Château de Valençay and has a bellyful of Talleyrand (thought by some to have been the greatest foreign minister France has ever known). It is around 25 degrees and we are hankering for some food. In France, we discovered to our horror, one can only eat lunch at reputable restaurants between the hours of 12 and 2pm. Most kitchens seem to shut at 1.30pm so the dining time is even more limited. With this in mind, we arrived at Le Biniou at 12.30pm only to be told they were full. Charlotte and I began to sweat profusely at the prospect of repeating the ‘dinner dance’, where we would invariably end up eating at some inferior establishment. However, Lady Luck (who is not French) was on our side. Half an hour later we were seated, and short while after our first bowl of cider (it’s a thing), we were tucking into our galettes.
I’ll start where I must, with father’s bolognese galette. This contained, well, ragu as you can imagine but also an egg, cooked through on the white side and runny in the middle. This gave moisture to the galette itself and went very well with the very well done ragu in the middle.
I went for one with Emmental and lardons which was very welcome indeed. The ladies both went for la fumé, a special which contained smoked sausages and a combination of cheeses. Both were sublimely rich and somehow left room for the desert crepe.
For the desert crepe, we all went for Le Duo, which is a combined crepe, half of which is chocolate and half caramel, with lovely piped cream on the top. You will see we decided to point them all in the same direction ‘for the gram’ (though neither Charlotte or me have instagram, Deo gratias). The eagle eyed among you will also spot your humble suggester in the mirror.
Overall, I understood why this place is ranked so highly on Trip Advisor. This was an excellent eatery, really quite economical with delicious food which did not leave us feeling overburdened by lunch. Highly recommended!
Fra Angelico (‘angelic brother, a posthumous title) was born Guido di Pietro in Tuscany around 1395. He trained in Florence as a manuscript painter in his earlier life. Later, he entered a Dominican priory in San Marco in Florence. He was described by Vasari in his Lives of the Artists as having “a rare and perfect talent”. As this Sunday is the Feast of the Dormition and Assumption of the Virgin Mary, I have dedicated this post to Fra Angelico’s breathtaking rendition of mystery.
The Assumption of the Virgin Mary is one of the glorious mysteries of the Holy Rosary. It is not in the gospels but there is a part of it in Revelation and another in church dogma. The belief is that when Mary came to the end of her earthly life, she did not die. After her dormition (falling asleep) she was assumed into heaven, where she was crowned with twelve stars. The below was Fra Angelico’s interpretation of the mystery, which was an altarpiece at the Basilica of San Marco in Florence.
The Death and the Assumption of the Virgin – about 1432, Fra Angelico
When I first saw this in the week I was completely dazzled and taken aback by it. The resplendent jubilant colouring and breathtaking detail struck me. Let’s take it from the bottom up. The dormition itself is painted with great reverence. This is a most solemn event. Those gathered are suitably mournful. A host of angels surrounds her. She is vested in brilliant blue.
In the lower one, the deceased Virgin lies in deathlike sleep amid a gathering of apostles. Four are about to lift her bier — you can sense from their postures that they are anticipating its weight — while others whisper among themselves or stare in numbed sorrow. Jesus presides over all, carrying Mary’s soul, in the form of a bright-eyed child tucked in his arm. New York Times
The top panel is the most striking. Four angels is in different shades of blue and white hail the arrival of Mary with trumpets. Their wings and the fabric of their robes is so very beautiful. Beneath Mary’s feet there are clouds and fronds of gold which remind me of a fine monstrance. The light goes from her feet and around Mary herself. This makes her look even more glorious than the bright blue and gold vestment she is wearing. The vestment itself is extraordinary. Several shades of blue, white and gold combine to give her an aura which is suitable for her new place of residence. The veneration with which Fra Angelico has rendered her is apparent, and renders the viewer numb in amazement.
The second scene, above, is about release. The Virgin soars upward, groups of angels execute a vigorous circling dance. If you look carefully you’ll see that their movements raise a breeze that lifts the hems of their gowns.
Close looking is precisely what this exquisite show encourages. It’s details that keep you looking: faces of saints as particular as high school yearbook portraits; Christ’s Passion as a stop-motion video scoured by grief and rich with Tuscan color; guiding stars that beam in the sky but also on Mary’s robe. Brother Angel was more a man of the earth than some of us knew. Ibidem.
Mary is surrounded by a host of angels in splendid vestments. There are so many beautiful colours in this painting, along with the gold gilding, the shading and movements of the garments, we are treated to a heavenly visual feast. The movement, incidentally, is caused by Mary’s assumption itself. Such a momentous event causes heavenly wind to blow their gowns away from them. God seems to be above all of this, himself encircled by a host of angels with halos, pulling Mary towards him. The scene is made even more magnificent for the bright gold foil backing it.
In the end, is this not what all Christians pine for? An opportunity to have lived a good life, run the race to the finish, and be brought to God after our passing. Christ died for us and for our salvation. Fra Angelico, in this overwhelming painting, has given us a glimpse of heaven. I trust that you, like me, will not forget it.
Hello and welcome to this month’s edition of Three Favourites. See below the selections which have made it this month.
Elvis Presley – Blue Hawaii 1961
Charlotte and I were having dinner the other night, and listening to Elvis. The cover on his 1961 offering is quite delightful to this reviewer. Elvis is posed, next to a reel which proclaims, twice, that there are 14 great songs on the album. Elvis himself is in a bright Hawaiian shirt, with a black ukulele and a string of flowers around his neck. This is a splendid and balanced cover which has sufficient whimsey to be entertaining and memorable.
The Zombies – Odessey and Oracle – 1968
This cover is psychedelic and captures something of the end of the 1960s. The album itself is light and beautiful with the track Time of the Season being a real highlight. The colours and shapes intermingling and completing a full picture are impressive. OVerall this is an exciting cover which is very much of its time.
Mike Oldfield – Tubular Bells – 1973
I am surprised I have not included Mike Oldfield’s exquisite Tubular Bells before. This cover is very simple: A tubular bell, set against a natural background of sky and a wave. I suppose the understated nature of this cover in light of the brilliance of the album is what sets it out as one of the iconic covers of all time. I love this, it is effective and striking.
Tune in next month for the three favourites of September.
