Black Sabbath's Master of Reality
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Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 st1\: *{behavior: url(#ieooui) } /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name: "Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow: yes; mso-style-parent: ""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom: .0001pt; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language: #0400; mso-fareast-language: #0400; mso-bidi-language: #0400;} "I'd like to give a special shout-out to John Darnielle's book about Black Sabbath's Master of Reality, published as part of Continuum's 33 1/3 series of album-themed books...If you like the band, you'll like this book. If you like intense young-adult takes like The Perks of Being a Wallflower, you'll like this book. No matter what, by the end, you'll be racing to purchase Master of Reality, which is a beautiful thing." -USA Today, PopCandy
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John Darnielle describes Master of Reality through a fictional character, a fifteen-year-old boy being held in an adolescent psychiatric centre in southern California in 1985.John Darnielle describes "Master of Reality" in the voice of a fifteen-year-old boy being held in an adolescent psychiatric centre in southern California in 1985. Adolescents in treatment are often required to keep a journal, and they write letters by the dozens: to their parents, to their friends on the outside, to the nurses who confiscate their belongings, to the teachers back at school who've offered them an outlet for their creativity. Our narrator has arrived in treatment with a Walkman and some tapes that are precious to him, only to have them taken away on the ground that their content is part of his greater problem.His various writings, aimed mainly at getting his tapes and Walkman back, will explain how Black Sabbath differs from their Satan-worshipping popular image, and how Master of Reality is an overtly Christian album, which it is. Our narrator will try to explain Black Sabbath like an emissary from an alien race describing his culture to his captors: passionately, patiently, and lovingly. This album has a genuinely remarkable historical status: as a touchstone for the directionless, and as a common coin for young men and women who felt shut out of the broader cultural economy.It'd be hard to overstate Ozzy Osbourne's totemic status among adolescents in the early eighties. His public image, cobbled together by his audience from occasional mainstream press mentions and niche magazine coverage, made him a nearly perfect sponge for the aggressive feelings of frustrated young men around the world. To this audience, who continue to occupy a an enormous if ghostly position on the margins, the early Black Sabbath albums were accepted classics in a genre whose lack of real status only served to indicate its true value.This, for me, is one of the places where the music does its most interesting work: when it becomes a tool in the hands of its listeners, and when the process of explaining it becomes part of its essence. This was never truer than in the mainstream metal subcultures of the eighties, where album titles served as passwords to a more accepting world. "Master of Reality", from its Christian heart right down to its ultimately incomprehensible title, is the perfect candidate for illuminating these undersung passageways."33 1/3" is a series of short books about a wide variety of albums, by artists ranging from James Brown to the Beastie Boys. Launched in September 2003, the series now contains over 50 titles and is acclaimed and loved by fans, musicians and scholars alike.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I just had to write a review of this book to outweigh the negative one below. Fair enough, if you are looking for a book that details the facts of how Master of Reality was recorded, then this isn't the book for you. For me, this book was about reading a book written by one of my favourite songwriters, John Darnielle from The Mountain Goats.
I've never even listened to Master of Reality. It's not my usual cup of tea. But now I am willing to sit down and give it a good listen, because this book is a beautiful rendition of how we connect to music, and how important it is in our lives. The central character of the story finds himself in a mental institution at the tender age of 17, but all he wants is his Black Sabbath tapes to make him feel better. Instead of overtly focusing on the boy's situation, Darnielle tells his story through his emotional connection to Master of Reality. If you've ever listened so much to an album that you know every note, and each song reminds you of a significant time when you listened to it, then you'll be able to relate to the central character, even if you don't like Black Sabbath. I think this book has captured what good music writing should be like; a tender reflection of how we each interpret music differently to have its own unique personal and emotional resonance, and a celebration of how important music can be for mental well-being.
I've never even listened to Master of Reality. It's not my usual cup of tea. But now I am willing to sit down and give it a good listen, because this book is a beautiful rendition of how we connect to music, and how important it is in our lives. The central character of the story finds himself in a mental institution at the tender age of 17, but all he wants is his Black Sabbath tapes to make him feel better. Instead of overtly focusing on the boy's situation, Darnielle tells his story through his emotional connection to Master of Reality. If you've ever listened so much to an album that you know every note, and each song reminds you of a significant time when you listened to it, then you'll be able to relate to the central character, even if you don't like Black Sabbath. I think this book has captured what good music writing should be like; a tender reflection of how we each interpret music differently to have its own unique personal and emotional resonance, and a celebration of how important music can be for mental well-being.
5 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I suggest you click on the search inside option at the top of this page if you want to get a flavour of where this book is at. It's appalling. As lovers and collectors of music we have been spoilt with this series of books, but this is utter twaddle. Not a single recording fact, not a single piece of info about what the band were doing at the time of recording, no history, just a pointless fiction, with copious swearing. I don't know who passed this to get it printed but they should be sacked.
I don't mind things written from a singular viewpoint, that's what we all like about this series; something to wrestle with, agree, disagree etc. We all like facts about our favourite music, even if we've read them all before. But to give us NOTHING is too much. If you want to learn about this album or relive it's glories buy 'Rat Salad. Black Sabbath The Classic Years, 1969-1975' by Paul Wilkinson. A track by track blow by blow account of the band and their recordings. Stunning stuff. Run a mile from this; don't even accept a free copy. You'll tear yours up like I did mine.
I don't mind things written from a singular viewpoint, that's what we all like about this series; something to wrestle with, agree, disagree etc. We all like facts about our favourite music, even if we've read them all before. But to give us NOTHING is too much. If you want to learn about this album or relive it's glories buy 'Rat Salad. Black Sabbath The Classic Years, 1969-1975' by Paul Wilkinson. A track by track blow by blow account of the band and their recordings. Stunning stuff. Run a mile from this; don't even accept a free copy. You'll tear yours up like I did mine.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
19 reviews
15 of 17 people found the following review helpful
A++ would read again
22 April 2008
Format:Paperback
this sweet, sad little riff of a book succeeds--like the best of the 33 1/3 series--on so many levels at once I'm itching to pick it up and read it through again. whether you are a fan of Black Sabbath (I haven't listened in years), interested in unexpected forms music criticism (the fictional narrator here makes no appologies for being a superfan), or just looking for a compelling story (a proverbial page-turner from the heartbreaking dedication to the last page), this book will not dissapoint. if you've heard Darnielle's music (like, um, Best Ever Death Metal Band in Denton) you know the man can tell a story, and Roger's story--too real to be non-fiction and too passionate to be grouped with standard criticism--resonates through all the frustrations and humiliations I've ever experienced. if only I'd had Ozzy to guide me through it... I think I'll pick up Master of Realitiy and give it a listen while I re-read this.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
An Amazing Emotional, Intuitive Exploration of Master of Reality
10 May 2009
Format:Paperback
Thanks to my brother Kevin for enlightening me regarding the existence of this book.
This is a unique addition to the 33 1/3 series. Instead of an in depth history and analysis of the the album here we have an epistolary novel written by John Darnielle (of The Mountain Goats). The narrator is a disaffected, institutionalized teenager, and later, the same narrator ten years later; and the format is prescribed journal entries and subsequent (unsent? unread?) letters to his counselor.
This little book holds up well on its own as a novel- I think it is brilliantly conceived and tremendously affecting. There is a lot to be read between the lines. If you want more facts about the album then read the Wikipedia entry for Master of Reality. The narrator of this book only guesses at the facts behind the making of the album - for example it is never even mentioned that the guitar and bass were de-tuned to C# creating the heavy, sludgy (groundbreaking?) sound. But the intuitive approach and emotional response to the album portrayed in this book is amazing.
Personally - bought the album when I was twelve and it was, along with Alice Cooper, one of my first journeys into non-mainstream music - and I have never looked back. I don't think I had ever, well, thought about this particular album as deeply as our narrator; however I think I might be able to write the little book about other specific albums.
If you are a fan of the album, or if you have never even heard the album, or if you have ever been a teenager, I recommend this short novel (read in one sitting).
Fun fact - before college John Darnielle used to work at the Metropolitan State Hospital in Norwalk, California.
This is a unique addition to the 33 1/3 series. Instead of an in depth history and analysis of the the album here we have an epistolary novel written by John Darnielle (of The Mountain Goats). The narrator is a disaffected, institutionalized teenager, and later, the same narrator ten years later; and the format is prescribed journal entries and subsequent (unsent? unread?) letters to his counselor.
This little book holds up well on its own as a novel- I think it is brilliantly conceived and tremendously affecting. There is a lot to be read between the lines. If you want more facts about the album then read the Wikipedia entry for Master of Reality. The narrator of this book only guesses at the facts behind the making of the album - for example it is never even mentioned that the guitar and bass were de-tuned to C# creating the heavy, sludgy (groundbreaking?) sound. But the intuitive approach and emotional response to the album portrayed in this book is amazing.
Personally - bought the album when I was twelve and it was, along with Alice Cooper, one of my first journeys into non-mainstream music - and I have never looked back. I don't think I had ever, well, thought about this particular album as deeply as our narrator; however I think I might be able to write the little book about other specific albums.
If you are a fan of the album, or if you have never even heard the album, or if you have ever been a teenager, I recommend this short novel (read in one sitting).
Fun fact - before college John Darnielle used to work at the Metropolitan State Hospital in Norwalk, California.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Short and sweet.
29 July 2008
Format:Paperback
I feel like I should start out by saying that I am an intensely dedicated fan of Darnielle's many outlets, whether it be his LPTJ blog, The Mountain Goats, The Extra Glenns, his contributions to Decibel, etc. etc. Let me say also that I am pretty sure most of the reviewers (though I haven't read them all) giving this a five star rating are similar in their positions.
I cannot blindly give this book a five, as much as I adore Mr. Darnielle. It was not perfect, as much as a enjoyed it. There were stumbles, in my opinion, where Roger became a little too repetitive, or where some things just seemed oversimplified. But as a whole, especially as his first book, I really enjoyed the book, and it was a quick read. I appreciated it even though I am not a well-versed fan of metal or anything. The character of Roger seemed to cover his bases enough that I could still understand what he was saying about the music--I think this is mostly in part not to his descriptions of the music itself, but to his feelings about it. Darnielle successfully creates emotional attachments which allowed me, as a reader, to sympathize, despite never having been locked up in a mental institution.
I think anyone who had even a remotely rough time in their adolescence and who turned to music to make their way through their troubles will thoroughly enjoy this book and be able to, in some extent, relate to Roger's troubles.
I cannot blindly give this book a five, as much as I adore Mr. Darnielle. It was not perfect, as much as a enjoyed it. There were stumbles, in my opinion, where Roger became a little too repetitive, or where some things just seemed oversimplified. But as a whole, especially as his first book, I really enjoyed the book, and it was a quick read. I appreciated it even though I am not a well-versed fan of metal or anything. The character of Roger seemed to cover his bases enough that I could still understand what he was saying about the music--I think this is mostly in part not to his descriptions of the music itself, but to his feelings about it. Darnielle successfully creates emotional attachments which allowed me, as a reader, to sympathize, despite never having been locked up in a mental institution.
I think anyone who had even a remotely rough time in their adolescence and who turned to music to make their way through their troubles will thoroughly enjoy this book and be able to, in some extent, relate to Roger's troubles.
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