Black Sabbath

Black Sabbath in 1970. Left to right: Geezer Butler, Tony Iommi, Bill Ward, Ozzy Osbourne
Photo: Warner Bros. Records -  Public Domain, Link

Black Sabbath was an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler, and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy metal music. Their albums, Black Sabbath (1970), Paranoid (1970), and Master of Reality (1971) helped define the genre. The band had multiple line-up changes following Osbourne's departure in 1979, with Iommi being the only constant member throughout its history.

Previous names for the band had been the dreadful Polka Tulk Blues Band (either from a brand of talcum powder or an Indian/Pakistani clothing shop) Mythology and Earth. They changed to Black Sabbath in 1969. 

The traditional meaning of "sabbath" is of a day of religious observance and abstinence from work, kept by Jews from Friday evening to Saturday evening, and by most Christians on Sunday.

The band clearly was embracing the supposed annual midnight meeting of witches with the Devil and so a "black sabbath" suggests a "holy" day of witchcraft. 

They distinguished themselves through occult themes with horror-inspired lyrics and tuned-down guitars. 

 

The band discovered that there was another English group named Earth, so they made another name change. They saw the 1963 horror film Black Sabbath starring Boris Karloff on the marquee across from their rehearsal space. Osbourne and Butler wrote the lyrics for a song called "Black Sabbath", which they say was inspired not so much by the film but by the work of horror and adventure-story writer Dennis Wheatley. Butler also claimed that he had a vision of a black silhouetted figure standing at the foot of his bed. To further add to the occult of the song, it uses the musical tritone known as "the Devil's Interval."

The band's music, appearance, and lyrics were atypical of 1969, when music was more reflective of the 60s flower power, folk/rock, and peace & love hippie culture. 

Black Sabbath has sold over 70 million records worldwide, and are one of the most influential heavy metal bands of all time. 

 

Of Paranoid, Rolling Stone magazine said it "changed music forever," calling the band "the Beatles of heavy metal," and Time magazine called Paranoid "the birthplace of heavy metal," placing it in their Top 100 Albums of All Time. 

MTV placed Black Sabbath at number one on their Top Ten Heavy Metal Bands. VH1 ranked Black Sabbath's "Iron Man" the number one song on their 40 Greatest Metal Songs countdown.

 

Ozzy  -  2010 

John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (3 December 1948 – 22 July 2025) adopted the nickname "Prince of Darkness." In 2005 Osbourne was inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame both as a solo artist and as a member of Black Sabbath.In 2006, he was inducted into the US Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with Black Sabbath bandmates Tony Iommi, Bill Ward, and Geezer Butler, and then in 2024, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for his solo career.

 

By 2025, he had lost his ability to walk due to Parkinson's disease. Osbourne died unexpectedly at his home in Buckinghamshire on 22 July 2025, aged 76, surrounded by his family. His death occurred 17 days after his final live performance at the Back to the Beginning farewell concert.

Sports Idioms

Sports provide us with lots of idioms that are used in sports and sometimes in non-sporting situations.

To "call an audible" in American football means to improvise, often in the spur of the moment. The term is based on the practice of changing a play right before the play is run by the quarterback yelling some coded message to the team.

To "hit below the belt" comes to us from boxing. It means to act unfairly or unscrupulously, in disregard of the rules. To hit an opponent below their belt is an illegal move in boxing. Outside the ring, people use it to mean anything said or done that is a "low blow" and unfair.

If someone says that "the gloves are off," they could be borrowing from boxing or hockey. In boxing, fighting without gloves and bare fists is dangerous. Similarly, in ice hockey, when the gloves are off or player "drop the gloves," it means they have engaged in a fight, throwing off their gloves to punch with bare knuckles. This term is used both figuratively and literally. If two businessmen negotiating say "the gloves are off," it means that anything goes and they expect tough negotiations.

Faster Pussycat

Faster Pussycat 2008 CC BY 2.0 by Ted Van Pelt

Faster Pussycat is an American rock band from Los Angeles, formed in 1985 by vocalist Taime Downe, who remains the only original member.

The original lineup with guitarists Greg Steele and Brent Muscat and bassist Kelly Nickels broke up in 1993. They released four studio albums to date: Faster Pussycat (1987), Wake Me When It's Over (1989), Whipped! (1992) and with a reformed version, The Power and the Glory Hole (2006). In the late 1980s and early 1990s, they sold over two million records worldwide.

Formed during the glam metal and glam punk boom of the 1980s, they took their name from the film Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!. The film is a 1965 American exploitation film directed by Russ Meyer. It follows three go-go dancers who embark on a spree of kidnapping and murder in the California desert. It is known for (as are most Meyers' films) its violence, provocative gender roles, and what one critic called "dialogue to shame Raymond Chandler".It was a commercial and critical failure upon its initial release, but it has since become regarded as an influential "cult" film.