Vol 4 by Black Sabbath turned 45 this month. What are your thoughts on this album?

It's a good album, but not their best. There are some solid riffs here, but it does sound like the band was unsure of where to go next, torn between continuing on the "Master of Reality" path or instead branching out in a more progressive direction, as would be realized on "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" and "Sabotage". The experiments mostly work, except for "F/X" (nonetheless a fitting example of why the ideas you come up with while high as a motherfvcker might not be as cool as you think they are), but aren't as inspired as what would come. "Changes" is a song that I should despise, a ballad that has neither melodic complexity nor a vocalist particularly suited for the tone; and yet, the combination of the mellotron swirls and Ozzy's vocals on the chorus hits me in the right spot. On the traditional end, there's a noticeable drop in inspiration -- "Cornucopia" tries to make its riff a bit more twisty, but it lumbers like a lame elephant rather than Cthulhu. "Under the Sun" is a good end to the album, with a main riff that actually is scary and effective, but they also manage to rip off both Deep Purple (the "Every Day Comes and Goes" boogie is right out of "Flight of the Rat") and their previous work (the final progression is a rehash of the close of "War Pigs") -- all very well done in spite of this, yet showing that they needed time to revitalize their creativity.

BA1: "Supernaut", "Wheels of Confusion/The Straightener", "Under the Sun/Every Day Comes and Goes"

BA2: Tony has always been the focal point of Sabbath -- by the band-members' own statements, virtually nothing could be done until Iommi cranked out one of his masterful riffs. Tony felt the pressure by this point, and you can see that he too is not in top form. Still, being short of top form can still be far better than the best many other bands can offer. Interestingly enough, he seems to have picked up some folk influences in his playing -- both "Supernaut" and "St. Vitus' Dance" have bouncy riffs that, with a bit of modification, could feel right at home on a Fairport Convention record. -- and particularly on "Supernaut" they work to his advantage. His soloing on "Wheels of Confusion" is one of his high points as well, showing some advancement where in other places he had stepped back.

BQ3: They popularized a sludgy, down-tuned sound and tritone riffs, and just about every subsequent hard rock, heavy metal or punk rock band has been inspired by that. Up-tempo was never Sabbath's preferred mode, so that's where they differ significantly from your average punk/noise band.

BQ4: Not really.

Classic, but overall not consistent enough to match Black Sabbath, Paranoid, Master of Reality, Sabbath Bloody Sabbath and Sabotage. Better than Technical Ecstasy and Never Say Die.

BA1. "Wheels of Confusion/The Straightener". I had the 8-track and have a W.B. second pressing and a Nems import, of which the Nems sounds much better and has a bit of acoustic "The Straightener" noodling by Iommi after the fade out.

BA2. Iommi's work on Vol. 4 is outstanding, as is most. He's one of the best guitarists out there.

BA3. Not much at all. Musicianship mainly.

BA4. None.