Considering the 14 Black Sabbath albums he has helped to create, Geezer Butler recently shared which of those records he considers to be the “worst album” Black Sabbath has ever made. That said, when it comes to the band’s earlier releases from the ’70s, he also shares what his favorite Black Sabbath album is.
At one point during an interview with Metal Edge, Butler is asked about creative difficulties that took place within the band back in the ’70s, specifically involving Ozzy Osbourne. Butler shares that while he and Tony Iommi “wanted to expand musically,” Osbourne “wanted to still sound like the old version of Sabbath.”
The interviewer then follows this up by asking Butler what he thinks of the band’s late ’70s albums. It is here where the bassist speaks to what he believes is the “worst album” Black Sabbath has ever made:
“Definitely not in the same way I view the earlier records. And I will say that Never Say Die! is easily the worst album we did. The reason for that is we tried to manage ourselves and produce the record ourselves. We wanted to do it on our own, but in truth, not one of us had a single clue about what to do. By that point, we were spending more time with lawyers and in court rather than being in the studio writing. It was just too much pressure on us, and the writing suffered.”
Funny enough, Osbourne has also shared that he is not a fan of Never Say Die! as well. But what is Butler’s favorite Black Sabbath album?
When it comes to the band’s earlier releases, Butler says:
“Probably Paranoid. It was a totally complete album. It wasn’t forced, and the chemistry between the four of us was so fluid. I remember getting together to do that record, and we wrote literally everything immediately. Each song came together so easily and had such fire. And each time we would go into rehearsal, we’d come out with a completed song. I think that’s why that album is special, because of how naturally things came together. It was the most organic record that Sabbath – in any era – ever made. It was completely natural, as it should have been.”
What do you think of Butler’s picks? What is your favorite Black Sabbath album?
Recently, we highlighted Black Sabbath’s self-titled record as one of the greatest debut metal albums of all time. To find out what we had to say about the record, follow the link below.
The 10 Greatest Heavy Metal Debut Albums of All Time
The 10 Greatest Final Heavy Metal Albums of All Time
