Geezer Butler Opens up About the Profound Influence The Beatles Had on Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath was very democratic about their songwriting credits, with all members of the band generally sharing them for the majority of their output. Yet it’s fair to argue that Tony Iommi’s writing was the chief driver for the band’s sound over the years. After all, it was Iommi, the band’s lead guitarist, who often developed the riffs and other guitar parts that served as the main foundational aspect of their music—and of heavy metal music itself.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, Iommi explained how he went about writing so many Sabbath classics: “I’d sit in a room and start imagining what sort of thing I wanted to play, like an actor putting himself into a part. But in the early days, it was probably hash or something that brought out our vibe. I never used to smoke it at all, but when we did start smoking, bloody hell, all sorts of things would pop out, good and bad. But even then, I would have probably still put myself in a mindset, imagining something that’s big and demonic or whatever, and try and put it into music.”
The process worked, again and again, over Black Sabbath’s career. Here are five of the most memorable Tony Iommi creations:
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