Master of Reality: Difference between revisions
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{{Short description|1971 studio album by Black Sabbath}} | {{Short description|1971 studio album by Black Sabbath}} | ||
{{ | {{About|the Black Sabbath album|the American rock band|Masters of Reality|their debut album|Masters of Reality (album){{!}}''Masters of Reality'' (album)}} | ||
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{{EngvarB|date=September 2013}} | {{EngvarB|date=September 2013}} | ||
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2019}} | {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2019}} | ||
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| artist = [[Black Sabbath]] | | artist = [[Black Sabbath]] | ||
| cover = Bsmor.jpg | | cover = Bsmor.jpg | ||
| released = 6 August 1971<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.45worlds.com/vinyl/album/6360050#google_vignette|title=NME | | released = 6 August 1971<ref name="NME_1971">{{cite web|url=https://www.45worlds.com/vinyl/album/6360050#google_vignette|title=Sabbath's new LP (advert)|publisher=[[NME|New Musical Express]]|quote=Albums issued by the Philips group of companies on August 6 include the new Black Sabbath LP titled "Masters of Reality" (Vertigo)...|date=July 1971}}</ref> | ||
| recorded = 7–15 February 1971 <br/>6–13 April 1971<ref>{{cite book | last1 = Popoff | first1 = Martin | author-link1 = Martin Popoff | title = Sabotage | edition = 2nd | publisher = Wymer Publishing | year = 2020 | pages = 123 | isbn = 978-1-912782-31-4}}</ref> | | recorded = 7–15 February 1971 <br/>6–13 April 1971<ref>{{cite book | last1 = Popoff | first1 = Martin | author-link1 = Martin Popoff | title = Sabotage | edition = 2nd | publisher = Wymer Publishing | year = 2020 | pages = 123 | isbn = 978-1-912782-31-4}}</ref> | ||
| studio = [[Basing Street Studios|Island]] (London) | | studio = [[Basing Street Studios|Island]] (London) | ||
| genre = [[Heavy metal music|Heavy metal]] | | genre = [[Heavy metal music|Heavy metal]] | ||
| length = 34:29 | | length = 34:29 | ||
| label = [[Vertigo Records|Vertigo]] | | label = * [[Vertigo Records|Vertigo]] (Europe) | ||
* [[Warner Records|Warner Bros.]] (US) | |||
| producer = [[Rodger Bain]] | | producer = [[Rodger Bain]] | ||
| prev_title = [[Paranoid (album)|Paranoid]] | | prev_title = [[Paranoid (album)|Paranoid]] | ||
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}} | }} | ||
'''''Master of Reality''''' is the third studio album by English [[Heavy metal music|heavy metal]] band [[Black Sabbath]], released | '''''Master of Reality''''' is the third studio album by the English [[Heavy metal music|heavy metal]] band [[Black Sabbath]], released on 6 August 1971 by [[Vertigo Records]].<ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/greatrockdiscogr00stro/page/68/mode/2up|page=68|title=Great Rock discography|date=18 January 1995 |isbn=978-0-86241-541-9 |last1=Strong |first1=Martin Charles |publisher=Canongate Press }}</ref> It is regarded by some critics as the foundation of [[stoner rock]] and [[sludge metal]].<ref name=Taylor>[[#CITEREFTaylor2006|Taylor 2006]], pg. 199, "Some say that ''Master of Reality'' was the first stoner metal album. The album as a whole is more late 1960s Heavy Psych in the vain of [[May Blitz]], [[Grand Funk Railroad]], and [[Leaf Hound]]."</ref> Produced by [[Rodger Bain]], who also produced the band's prior two albums, ''Master of Reality'' was recorded at [[Basing Street Studios|Island Studios]] in London from February to April 1971. Guitarist [[Tony Iommi]] and bassist [[Geezer Butler]] [[Guitar tunings|downtuned]] their instruments during the production, achieving what Iommi called a "bigger, heavier sound".<ref name="VH1" /> | ||
''Master of Reality'' peaked at number five on the [[UK Albums Chart]] and number eight on the US [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.rarerecords.net/store/black-sabbath-master-of-reality-us-lp-a/#:~:text=Background%3A%20Master%20of%20Reality%20was,the%20U.S.%20by%20the%20RIAA | title=Black Sabbath – Master of Reality U.S. LP with poster }}</ref> Though negatively received by critics on release, the album is now considered one of the greatest heavy metal albums of all time. It was certified double platinum by the [[Recording Industry Association of America]] (RIAA) after having sold over two million copies in the US.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Schaffner|first=Lauryn|title=Black Sabbath's 'Master of Reality': 8 Facts Only Superfans Would Know|url=https://loudwire.com/black-sabbath-master-of-reality-facts/|access-date=2022-02-14|website=Loudwire|language=en|archive-date=14 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220214172700/https://loudwire.com/black-sabbath-master-of-reality-facts/|url-status=live}}</ref> | ''Master of Reality'' peaked at number five on the [[UK Albums Chart]] and number eight on the US [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.rarerecords.net/store/black-sabbath-master-of-reality-us-lp-a/#:~:text=Background%3A%20Master%20of%20Reality%20was,the%20U.S.%20by%20the%20RIAA | title=Black Sabbath – Master of Reality U.S. LP with poster }}</ref> Though negatively received by critics on release, the album is now considered one of the greatest heavy metal albums of all time. It was certified double platinum by the [[Recording Industry Association of America]] (RIAA) after having sold over two million copies in the US.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Schaffner|first=Lauryn|title=Black Sabbath's 'Master of Reality': 8 Facts Only Superfans Would Know|url=https://loudwire.com/black-sabbath-master-of-reality-facts/|access-date=2022-02-14|website=Loudwire|language=en|archive-date=14 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220214172700/https://loudwire.com/black-sabbath-master-of-reality-facts/|url-status=live}}</ref> | ||
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On the tracks "[[Children of the Grave]]", "Lord of This World", and "[[Into the Void (Black Sabbath song)|Into the Void]]", Iommi [[Guitar tunings|downtuned]] his guitar 1{{frac|1|2}} steps in an effort to reduce string tension, thus making the guitar less painful for him to play. This pain was the result of a factory accident years earlier in which he had the tips of two of his fingers severed.<ref name="iommiautobiography">{{cite book |last=Iommi |first=Tony |title=Iron Man: My Journey Through Heaven and Hell with Black Sabbath |url=https://archive.org/details/ironmanmyjourney00iomm_0 |url-access=registration |year=2011 |publisher=Da Capo Press |isbn=978-0-30681-9551}}</ref> The downtuning also helped the guitarist produce what he called a "bigger, heavier sound".<ref name="VH1">VH1: Heavy the Story of Metal, Part One.</ref> [[Geezer Butler]] also downtuned his bass guitar to match Iommi. "It helped with the sound, too", Butler explained to ''Guitar for the Practicing Musician'' in 1994. "Then it got to the point where we tuned even lower to make it easier vocal-wise. But [[Ozzy Osbourne|Ozzy (Osbourne)]] would then sing higher so it sort of defeated the object." | On the tracks "[[Children of the Grave]]", "Lord of This World", and "[[Into the Void (Black Sabbath song)|Into the Void]]", Iommi [[Guitar tunings|downtuned]] his guitar 1{{frac|1|2}} steps in an effort to reduce string tension, thus making the guitar less painful for him to play. This pain was the result of a factory accident years earlier in which he had the tips of two of his fingers severed.<ref name="iommiautobiography">{{cite book |last=Iommi |first=Tony |title=Iron Man: My Journey Through Heaven and Hell with Black Sabbath |url=https://archive.org/details/ironmanmyjourney00iomm_0 |url-access=registration |year=2011 |publisher=Da Capo Press |isbn=978-0-30681-9551}}</ref> The downtuning also helped the guitarist produce what he called a "bigger, heavier sound".<ref name="VH1">VH1: Heavy the Story of Metal, Part One.</ref> [[Geezer Butler]] also downtuned his bass guitar to match Iommi. "It helped with the sound, too", Butler explained to ''Guitar for the Practicing Musician'' in 1994. "Then it got to the point where we tuned even lower to make it easier vocal-wise. But [[Ozzy Osbourne|Ozzy (Osbourne)]] would then sing higher so it sort of defeated the object." | ||
In the 2013 biography of the band ''Black Sabbath: Symptom of the Universe'', Mick Wall writes that "the Sabbath sound took a plunge into even greater darkness. Bereft even of reverb, leaving their sound as dry as old bones dug up from some desert burial plot, the finished music's brutish force would so alarm the critics they would punish Sabbath in print for being blatantly thuggish, purposefully mindless, creepy, and obnoxious. Twenty years later groups like [[Smashing Pumpkins]], [[Soundgarden]], and, particularly, [[Nirvana (band)|Nirvana]], would excavate the same heaving lung sound ... And be rewarded with critical garlands." In his autobiography ''I Am Ozzy,'' vocalist Osbourne states that he cannot remember much about recording ''Master of Reality'' "apart from the fact that Tony detuned his guitar to make it easier to play, Geezer wrote 'Sweet Leaf' about all the [[Cannabis (drug)|dope]] we'd been smoking, and 'Children of the Grave' was the most kick-ass song we'd ever recorded." | In the 2013 biography of the band ''Black Sabbath: Symptom of the Universe'', Mick Wall writes that "the Sabbath sound took a plunge into even greater darkness. Bereft even of reverb, leaving their sound as dry as old bones dug up from some desert burial plot, the finished music's brutish force would so alarm the critics they would punish Sabbath in print for being blatantly thuggish, purposefully mindless, creepy, and obnoxious. Twenty years later groups like [[The Smashing Pumpkins|Smashing Pumpkins]], [[Soundgarden]], and, particularly, [[Nirvana (band)|Nirvana]], would excavate the same heaving lung sound ... And be rewarded with critical garlands." In his autobiography ''I Am Ozzy,'' vocalist Osbourne states that he cannot remember much about recording ''Master of Reality'' "apart from the fact that Tony detuned his guitar to make it easier to play, Geezer wrote 'Sweet Leaf' about all the [[Cannabis (drug)|dope]] we'd been smoking, and 'Children of the Grave' was the most kick-ass song we'd ever recorded." | ||
In the liner notes to the 1998 live album ''Reunion,'' drummer Ward commented that ''Master of Reality'' was "an exploratory album". Ward elaborated in a 2016 interview with ''[[Metal Hammer]]'' magazine: "On the [[Black Sabbath (album)|first album]], we had two days to do everything, and not much more time for ''[[Paranoid (album)|Paranoid]]''. But now we could take our time, and try out different things. We all embraced the opportunity: Tony threw in classical guitar parts, Geezer's bass was virtually doubled in power, I went for bigger bass drums, also experimenting with overdubs. And Ozzy was so much better. But this was the first time when we didn't have gigs booked in, and could just focus on making the album a landmark."<ref name="Dome" /> In 2013, ''Mojo'' magazine called ''Master of Reality'' "The sound of a band becoming increasingly comfortable in their studio surroundings." | In the liner notes to the 1998 live album ''Reunion,'' drummer Ward commented that ''Master of Reality'' was "an exploratory album". Ward elaborated in a 2016 interview with ''[[Metal Hammer]]'' magazine: "On the [[Black Sabbath (album)|first album]], we had two days to do everything, and not much more time for ''[[Paranoid (album)|Paranoid]]''. But now we could take our time, and try out different things. We all embraced the opportunity: Tony threw in classical guitar parts, Geezer's bass was virtually doubled in power, I went for bigger bass drums, also experimenting with overdubs. And Ozzy was so much better. But this was the first time when we didn't have gigs booked in, and could just focus on making the album a landmark."<ref name="Dome" /> In 2013, ''Mojo'' magazine called ''Master of Reality'' "The sound of a band becoming increasingly comfortable in their studio surroundings." | ||
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==Composition== | ==Composition== | ||
During the album's recording sessions, Osbourne brought Iommi a large [[Joint (cannabis)|joint]] which caused the guitarist to cough uncontrollably.<ref name="iommiautobiography" /> Iommi was recording acoustic guitar parts at the time, and his coughing fit was captured on tape. A fragment of Iommi's coughing was later added by producer Bain as the intro to "[[Sweet Leaf]]," a song which was admittedly an ode to [[Cannabis (drug)|marijuana]] use.<ref name="iommiautobiography" /> Iommi recalls "We all played 'Sweet Leaf' while stoned."<ref name="iommiautobiography" /> In an interview with ''Guitar World'' in 2001 Butler recalled: "I do remember writing "Sweet Leaf" in the studio. I'd just come back from [[Dublin]], and they'd had these cigarettes called Sweet Afton, which you could only get in Ireland. We were going: "What could we write about?" I took out this cigarette packet, and as you opened it, it's got on the lid: "it's the sweetest leaf that gives you the taste" I was like: "Ah, Sweet Leaf!" Writing in ''Mojo'' in 2013, Phil Alexander observed: "To most it is the quintessential stoner anthem, a point borne out by Sabbath's own Olympian consumption of hashish during their early days." In the Black Sabbath concert film ''The Last Supper,'' Ward ruminates: "Did it enhance the music? Well, you know, we wrote 'Sweet Leaf': 'When I first met you / didn't realize', that's about meeting marijuana, having a relationship with marijuana ... That was part of our lifestyle at that time."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/articles/features/is_it_still_the_heaviest_album_of_all_time_impact_and_legacy_of_black_sabbaths_master_of_reality-121550| | During the album's recording sessions, Osbourne brought Iommi a large [[Joint (cannabis)|joint]] which caused the guitarist to cough uncontrollably.<ref name="iommiautobiography" /> Iommi was recording acoustic guitar parts at the time, and his coughing fit was captured on tape. A fragment of Iommi's coughing was later added by producer Bain as the intro to "[[Sweet Leaf]]," a song which was admittedly an ode to [[Cannabis (drug)|marijuana]] use.<ref name="iommiautobiography" /> Iommi recalls "We all played 'Sweet Leaf' while stoned."<ref name="iommiautobiography" /> In an interview with ''Guitar World'' in 2001 Butler recalled: "I do remember writing "Sweet Leaf" in the studio. I'd just come back from [[Dublin]], and they'd had these cigarettes called Sweet Afton, which you could only get in Ireland. We were going: "What could we write about?" I took out this cigarette packet, and as you opened it, it's got on the lid: "it's the sweetest leaf that gives you the taste" I was like: "Ah, Sweet Leaf!" Writing in ''Mojo'' in 2013, Phil Alexander observed: "To most it is the quintessential stoner anthem, a point borne out by Sabbath's own Olympian consumption of hashish during their early days." In the Black Sabbath concert film ''The Last Supper,'' Ward ruminates: "Did it enhance the music? Well, you know, we wrote 'Sweet Leaf': 'When I first met you / didn't realize', that's about meeting marijuana, having a relationship with marijuana ... That was part of our lifestyle at that time."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/articles/features/is_it_still_the_heaviest_album_of_all_time_impact_and_legacy_of_black_sabbaths_master_of_reality-121550|website=Ultimate-guitar.com|title=Is It (Still) the Heaviest Album of All Time? Impact and Legacy of Black Sabbath's 'Master of Reality'|author=The Phoenician|date=July 21, 2021}}</ref> | ||
Butler, the band's primary lyricist, had a Catholic upbringing,<ref name="iommiautobiography" /> and the song "After Forever" focuses entirely on Christian themes. At the time, Black Sabbath were suspected by some observers of being [[Satanism|Satanists]] due to their dark sound, image, and lyrics.<ref name="iommiautobiography" /> "After Forever" was released as a single along with "[[Fairies Wear Boots]]" in 1971.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.black-sabbath.de/sabdisco.gr2|title= | Butler, the band's primary lyricist, had a Catholic upbringing,<ref name="iommiautobiography" /> and the song "After Forever" focuses entirely on Christian themes. At the time, Black Sabbath were suspected by some observers of being [[Satanism|Satanists]] due to their dark sound, image, and lyrics.<ref name="iommiautobiography" /> "After Forever" was released as a single along with "[[Fairies Wear Boots]]" in 1971.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.black-sabbath.de/sabdisco.gr2|title=Black Sabbath Discography v.5.0|access-date=14 March 2009|archive-date=17 January 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090117004153/http://black-sabbath.de/sabdisco.gr2|url-status=live}}</ref> | ||
==Artwork== | ==Artwork== | ||
[[File: | [[File:Blacksabbath master reality cover.jpg|thumb|200px|Re-released non-embossed cover]] | ||
The first editions of ''Master of Reality'' came in an 'envelope sleeve' containing a poster of the band, and with the album's title embossed in black lettering, visible in relief. Later editions lacking the embossed printing would render the album title in grey. This was the first Black Sabbath sleeve on which the lyrics were reproduced on the back of the sleeve. In his autobiography Iommi describes the cover as "Slightly [[Spinal Tap (band)|Spinal Tap]]-ish, only well before Spinal Tap". The labels of the album were different too, as Side A featured the infamous{{cn|date=July 2025}} swirl label, although the black circles were white and the white circles black. Side B, which was the information label, was black with white writing instead of white with black writing. That variant of the Vertigo label was never to be used again thereafter. | |||
The first editions of ''Master of Reality'' came in an 'envelope sleeve' containing a poster of the band, and with the album's title embossed in black lettering, visible in relief. Later editions lacking the embossed printing would render the album title in grey. This was the first Black Sabbath sleeve on which the lyrics were reproduced on the back of the sleeve. In his autobiography Iommi describes the cover as "Slightly [[Spinal Tap (band)|Spinal Tap]]-ish, only well before Spinal Tap". The labels of the album were different too, as Side A featured the infamous swirl label, although the black circles were white and the white circles black. Side B, which was the information label, was black with white writing instead of white with black writing. That variant of the Vertigo label was never to be used again thereafter. | |||
On the first North American editions of the album, several songs had subtitles given to segments, making it appear that there were more songs than there actually were. The [[Introduction (music)|intro]] of "After Forever" was given the title "The Elegy", the [[Conclusion (music)|coda]] of "Children of the Grave" was called "The Haunting", the intro of "Lord of This World" was titled "Step Up", and the intro of "Into the Void" called "Deathmask". This treatment had also been used on the North American editions of Black Sabbath's previous two albums. These pressings also incorrectly listed the album title as ''Master'''<U>s</U>''' of Reality''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Side 2, original North American pressing |publisher=Warner Bros. Records |year=1971 |access-date=17 June 2017 |url=http://9nN/4cf695485804bda63b22a71a583e3d0c85fd3af7.gif |archive-url=https://archive.today/0Z9nN/4cf695485804bda63b22a71a583e3d0c85fd3af7.gif |url-status=dead |archive-date=30 June 2017}}</ref> Subsequent editions corrected the album's title and removed three of the four subtitles (all but "The Elegy"). | On the first North American editions of the album, several songs had subtitles given to segments, making it appear that there were more songs than there actually were. The [[Introduction (music)|intro]] of "After Forever" was given the title "The Elegy", the [[Conclusion (music)|coda]] of "Children of the Grave" was called "The Haunting", the intro of "Lord of This World" was titled "Step Up", and the intro of "Into the Void" called "Deathmask". This treatment had also been used on the North American editions of Black Sabbath's previous two albums. These pressings also incorrectly listed the album title as ''Master'''<U>s</U>''' of Reality''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Side 2, original North American pressing |publisher=Warner Bros. Records |year=1971 |access-date=17 June 2017 |url=http://9nN/4cf695485804bda63b22a71a583e3d0c85fd3af7.gif |archive-url=https://archive.today/0Z9nN/4cf695485804bda63b22a71a583e3d0c85fd3af7.gif |url-status=dead |archive-date=30 June 2017}}</ref> Subsequent editions corrected the album's title and removed three of the four subtitles (all but "The Elegy"). | ||
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| rev6 = ''[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide]]'' (2004) | | rev6 = ''[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide]]'' (2004) | ||
| rev6score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref name="Cross">{{cite book|last=Cross|first=Charles R.|author-link=Charles R. Cross|editor1-last=Brackett|editor1-first=Nathan|editor2-last=Hoard|editor2-first=Christian|title=[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide|The New Rolling Stone Album Guide]]|publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]]|edition=4th|year=2004|isbn=0-7432-0169-8|chapter=Black Sabbath|pages=[https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/78 78]}}</ref> | | rev6score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref name="Cross">{{cite book|last=Cross|first=Charles R.|author-link=Charles R. Cross|editor1-last=Brackett|editor1-first=Nathan|editor2-last=Hoard|editor2-first=Christian|title=[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide|The New Rolling Stone Album Guide]]|publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]]|edition=4th|year=2004|isbn=0-7432-0169-8|chapter=Black Sabbath|pages=[https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/78 78]}}</ref> | ||
| rev7 = Sputnikmusic | | rev7 = [[Sputnikmusic]] | ||
| rev7Score = 4/5<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/9937/Black-Sabbath-Master-of-Reality/| title = Black Sabbath Master of Reality| access-date = 2019-10-11 | author = Mikesn | date = 13 November 2006 | publisher = Sputnikmusic}}</ref> | | rev7Score = 4/5<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/9937/Black-Sabbath-Master-of-Reality/| title = Black Sabbath Master of Reality| access-date = 2019-10-11 | author = Mikesn | date = 13 November 2006 | publisher = Sputnikmusic}}</ref> | ||
| rev8 = ''[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]]'' | | rev8 = ''[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]]'' | ||
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''Master of Reality'' peaked at number five on the [[UK Albums Chart]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/search/albums/Master%20Of%20Reality|title=UK chart history – Black Sabbath ''Master of Reality''|publisher=[[Official Charts Company]]|access-date=11 October 2011|archive-date=4 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150404210030/http://www.officialcharts.com/search/albums/MASTER%20OF%20REALITY/|url-status=live}}</ref> and number eight in the United States.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/r2000|title=Allmusic Billboard albums|website=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=28 January 2009|archive-date=18 May 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110518192410/http://www.allmusic.com/album/r2000|url-status=live}}</ref> It eventually sold two million copies in the US.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Pesselnick|first=Jill|title=J Amasses Certifications|date=18 August 2001|magazine=Billboard|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7RMEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA47|access-date=25 June 2014|page=47|archive-date=16 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211016021820/https://books.google.com/books?id=7RMEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA47|url-status=live}}</ref> Despite the album's commercial success, it was viewed with disdain by contemporary music critics. In ''[[The Village Voice]],'' [[Robert Christgau]] called it "a dim-witted, amoral exploitation."<ref name="christgau">{{cite news|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|date=12 December 1971|url=http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/cg/cg21.php|title=Consumer Guide (21)|newspaper=[[The Village Voice]]|location=New York|access-date=22 October 2012|archive-date=4 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130504051557/http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/cg/cg21.php|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' magazine's [[Lester Bangs]] described it as "monotonous" and hardly an improvement over its predecessor, although he found the lyrics more revealing because they offer "some answers to the dark cul-de-sacs of ''Paranoid.''"<ref name="bangs">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/master-of-reality-19711125|title=Review ''Master of Reality''|last=Bangs|first=Lester|author-link=Lester Bangs|date=25 November 1971|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|publisher=[[Jann Wenner|Wenner Media]]|access-date=3 March 2011|archive-date=25 July 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120725072009/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/master-of-reality-19711125|url-status=live}}</ref> | ''Master of Reality'' peaked at number five on the [[UK Albums Chart]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/search/albums/Master%20Of%20Reality|title=UK chart history – Black Sabbath ''Master of Reality''|publisher=[[Official Charts Company]]|access-date=11 October 2011|archive-date=4 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150404210030/http://www.officialcharts.com/search/albums/MASTER%20OF%20REALITY/|url-status=live}}</ref> and number eight in the United States.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/r2000|title=Allmusic Billboard albums|website=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=28 January 2009|archive-date=18 May 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110518192410/http://www.allmusic.com/album/r2000|url-status=live}}</ref> It eventually sold two million copies in the US.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Pesselnick|first=Jill|title=J Amasses Certifications|date=18 August 2001|magazine=Billboard|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7RMEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA47|access-date=25 June 2014|page=47|archive-date=16 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211016021820/https://books.google.com/books?id=7RMEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA47|url-status=live}}</ref> Despite the album's commercial success, it was viewed with disdain by contemporary music critics. In ''[[The Village Voice]],'' [[Robert Christgau]] called it "a dim-witted, amoral exploitation."<ref name="christgau">{{cite news|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|date=12 December 1971|url=http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/cg/cg21.php|title=Consumer Guide (21)|newspaper=[[The Village Voice]]|location=New York|access-date=22 October 2012|archive-date=4 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130504051557/http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/cg/cg21.php|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' magazine's [[Lester Bangs]] described it as "monotonous" and hardly an improvement over its predecessor, although he found the lyrics more revealing because they offer "some answers to the dark cul-de-sacs of ''Paranoid.''"<ref name="bangs">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/master-of-reality-19711125|title=Review ''Master of Reality''|last=Bangs|first=Lester|author-link=Lester Bangs|date=25 November 1971|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|publisher=[[Jann Wenner|Wenner Media]]|access-date=3 March 2011|archive-date=25 July 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120725072009/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/master-of-reality-19711125|url-status=live}}</ref> | ||
In 1994, ''Master of Reality'' was ranked number 28 in [[Colin Larkin (writer)|Colin Larkin]]'s ''[[All Time Top 1000 Albums|Top 50 Heavy Metal Albums]].'' Larkin described it as Sabbath's "first real international breakthrough" and "a remarkable piece of work".<ref>{{cite book|last=Larkin|first=Colin|author-link=Colin Larkin (writer)|title= Guinness Book of Top 1000 Albums|publisher=Gullane Children's Books|year=1994|edition=1|isbn=978-0-85112-786-6|page=188}}</ref> In ''MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide'' (1999), authors [[Gary Graff]] and Daniel Durcholz described the album as a "brilliant skull crusher", singling out "Children of the Grave" and "Sweet Leaf" as "timeless".<ref name="MH" /> In 2001, ''[[Q (magazine)|Q]]'' included it in their list of the 50 Heaviest Albums of All Time, calling it "malevolent ... Casting Black Sabbath as a [[RMS Titanic|Titanic]]-style house band on the eve of [[Armageddon]], cranking it as the bomb drops."<ref>{{cite journal|title=50 Heaviest Albums of All Time|journal=[[Q (magazine)|Q]]|location=London|page=86|date=July 2001}}</ref> A critic for the magazine cited it as "the most cohesive record of [the band's] first three albums."<ref name="Qmag"/> In 2003, ''Rolling Stone'' ranked the album number 298 in their list of the [[Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time|500 greatest albums of all time]],<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5938174/the_rs_500_greatest_albums_of_all_time/3|title=The RS 500 Greatest Albums of All Time|date=18 November 2003|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|publisher=[[Jann Wenner|Wenner Media]]|access-date=1 September 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070106061909/http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5938174/the_rs_500_greatest_albums_of_all_time/3|archive-date=6 January 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref> 300 in a 2012 revised list,<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-156826/?list_page=5#list-item-300| year=2012| title=500 Greatest Albums of All Time Rolling Stone's definitive list of the 500 greatest albums of all time| publisher=[[Rolling Stone]]| access-date=September 9, 2019| archive-date=31 March 2019| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190331101857/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-156826/?list_page=5#list-item-300| url-status=live}}</ref> and 234 in a 2020 revised list.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-albums-of-all-time-1062063/black-sabbath-master-of-reality-2-1062999/| year=2020| title=The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time| publisher=[[Rolling Stone]]| access-date=6 February 2021| archive-date=13 February 2021| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210213171649/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-albums-of-all-time-1062063/black-sabbath-master-of-reality-2-1062999/| url-status=live}}</ref> They described the album as representing "the greatest sludge-metal band of them all in its prime."<ref>{{cite book|editor1-last=Levy|editor1-first=Joe|year=2005|edition=first|title=Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time|publisher=Wenner Books|isbn=978-1-932958-61-4|page=180}}</ref> The same magazine also ranked the album 34th on its "100 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time".<ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Grow|first1=Kory|title=100 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/the-100-greatest-metal-albums-of-all-time-w486923/pantera-far-beyond-driven-1994-w487081|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|publisher=Wenner Media LLC|access-date=21 June 2017|date=21 June 2017|archive-date=10 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170810090739/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/the-100-greatest-metal-albums-of-all-time-w486923/pantera-far-beyond-driven-1994-w487081|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Billy Corgan]], leader of [[the Smashing Pumpkins]], considered ''Master of Reality'' the album that "spawned [[grunge]]" | In 1994, ''Master of Reality'' was ranked number 28 in [[Colin Larkin (writer)|Colin Larkin]]'s ''[[All Time Top 1000 Albums|Top 50 Heavy Metal Albums]].'' Larkin described it as Sabbath's "first real international breakthrough" and "a remarkable piece of work".<ref>{{cite book|last=Larkin|first=Colin|author-link=Colin Larkin (writer)|title= Guinness Book of Top 1000 Albums|publisher=Gullane Children's Books|year=1994|edition=1|isbn=978-0-85112-786-6|page=188}}</ref> In ''MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide'' (1999), authors [[Gary Graff]] and Daniel Durcholz described the album as a "brilliant skull crusher", singling out "Children of the Grave" and "Sweet Leaf" as "timeless".<ref name="MH" /> In 2001, ''[[Q (magazine)|Q]]'' included it in their list of the 50 Heaviest Albums of All Time, calling it "malevolent ... Casting Black Sabbath as a [[RMS Titanic|Titanic]]-style house band on the eve of [[Armageddon]], cranking it as the bomb drops."<ref>{{cite journal|title=50 Heaviest Albums of All Time|journal=[[Q (magazine)|Q]]|location=London|page=86|date=July 2001}}</ref> A critic for the magazine cited it as "the most cohesive record of [the band's] first three albums."<ref name="Qmag"/> In 2003, ''Rolling Stone'' ranked the album number 298 in their list of the [[Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time|500 greatest albums of all time]],<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5938174/the_rs_500_greatest_albums_of_all_time/3|title=The RS 500 Greatest Albums of All Time|date=18 November 2003|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|publisher=[[Jann Wenner|Wenner Media]]|access-date=1 September 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070106061909/http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5938174/the_rs_500_greatest_albums_of_all_time/3|archive-date=6 January 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref> 300 in a 2012 revised list,<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-156826/?list_page=5#list-item-300| year=2012| title=500 Greatest Albums of All Time Rolling Stone's definitive list of the 500 greatest albums of all time| publisher=[[Rolling Stone]]| access-date=September 9, 2019| archive-date=31 March 2019| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190331101857/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-156826/?list_page=5#list-item-300| url-status=live}}</ref> and 234 in a 2020 revised list.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-albums-of-all-time-1062063/black-sabbath-master-of-reality-2-1062999/| year=2020| title=The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time| publisher=[[Rolling Stone]]| access-date=6 February 2021| archive-date=13 February 2021| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210213171649/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-albums-of-all-time-1062063/black-sabbath-master-of-reality-2-1062999/| url-status=live}}</ref> They described the album as representing "the greatest sludge-metal band of them all in its prime."<ref>{{cite book|editor1-last=Levy|editor1-first=Joe|year=2005|edition=first|title=Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time|publisher=Wenner Books|isbn=978-1-932958-61-4|page=180}}</ref> The same magazine also ranked the album 34th on its "100 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time".<ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Grow|first1=Kory|title=100 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/the-100-greatest-metal-albums-of-all-time-w486923/pantera-far-beyond-driven-1994-w487081|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|publisher=Wenner Media LLC|access-date=21 June 2017|date=21 June 2017|archive-date=10 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170810090739/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/the-100-greatest-metal-albums-of-all-time-w486923/pantera-far-beyond-driven-1994-w487081|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Billy Corgan]], leader of [[the Smashing Pumpkins]], considered ''Master of Reality'' the album that "spawned [[grunge]]".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.starla.org/articles/maker.htm|title=Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins talks about the records that changed his life|publisher=starla.org|access-date=20 January 2014|archive-date=8 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150708152710/http://www.starla.org/articles/maker.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> [[John Stanier (drummer)|John Stanier]], drummer for [[Helmet (band)|Helmet]] and [[Tomahawk (band)|Tomahawk]], cited the record as the one that inspired him to become a musician.<ref>''Billboard'', Vol. 105, Num. 21, 22 May 1993, p. 80</ref> In 2013, Sabbath biographer Mick Wall praised Iommi's "ability to incorporate more neat riffs and sudden unexpected time changes in one song than most bands would contemplate on an entire album." | ||
In 2017, Ward ranked ''Master of Reality'' as his favorite Black Sabbath album that he has ever worked on.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Shteamer |first1=Hank |title=Black Sabbath's Bill Ward: My 10 Favorite Metal Albums |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/black-sabbaths-bill-ward-my-10-favorite-metal-albums-196238/black-sabbath-master-of-reality-1971-2-196332/ |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=23 June 2023}}</ref> | In 2017, Ward ranked ''Master of Reality'' as his favorite Black Sabbath album that he has ever worked on.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Shteamer |first1=Hank |title=Black Sabbath's Bill Ward: My 10 Favorite Metal Albums |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/black-sabbaths-bill-ward-my-10-favorite-metal-albums-196238/black-sabbath-master-of-reality-1971-2-196332/ |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=23 June 2023}}</ref> | ||
==Track listing== | ==Track listing== | ||
===Original UK LP | ===Original UK LP pressing=== | ||
All songs written by Black Sabbath ([[Tony Iommi]], [[Geezer Butler]], [[Ozzy Osbourne]], [[Bill Ward (musician)|Bill Ward]]), except "After Forever", "Embryo" and "Orchid" by Iommi. | All songs written by Black Sabbath ([[Tony Iommi]], [[Geezer Butler]], [[Ozzy Osbourne]], [[Bill Ward (musician)|Bill Ward]]), except "After Forever", "Embryo" and "Orchid" by Iommi. | ||
{{Track listing | {{Track listing | ||
| headline | | headline = Side A, standard edition | ||
| title1 | | title1 = [[Sweet Leaf]] | ||
| length1 | | length1 = 5:05 | ||
| title2 | | title2 = After Forever | ||
| length2 | | length2 = 5:27 | ||
| title3 | | title3 = Embryo | ||
| note3 | | note3 = [[instrumental]] | ||
| length3 | | length3 = 0:28 | ||
| title4 | | title4 = [[Children of the Grave]] | ||
| length4 | | length4 = 5:18 | ||
| total_length = 16:18 | | total_length = 16:18 | ||
}} | }} | ||
{{Track listing | {{Track listing | ||
| headline | | headline = Side B | ||
| title5 | | title5 = Orchid | ||
| note5 | | note5 = instrumental | ||
| length5 | | length5 = 1:31 | ||
| title6 | | title6 = Lord of This World | ||
| length6 | | length6 = 5:27 | ||
| title7 | | title7 = [[Solitude (Black Sabbath song)|Solitude]] | ||
| length7 | | length7 = 5:02 | ||
| title8 | | title8 = [[Into the Void (Black Sabbath song)|Into the Void]] | ||
| length8 | | length8 = 6:13 | ||
| total_length = 18:13 34:29 | | total_length = 18:13<br />34:29 | ||
}} | }} | ||
===Original US LP | ===Original US LP pressing=== | ||
{{Track listing | {{Track listing | ||
| headline = Side A | | headline = Side A | ||
| title1 = Sweet Leaf | | title1 = Sweet Leaf | ||
| length1 = 5:02 | | length1 = 5:02 | ||
| title2 = After Forever ( | | title2 = After Forever (including The Elegy) | ||
| length2 = 5:25 | | length2 = 5:25 | ||
| title3 = Embryo | | title3 = Embryo | ||
| Line 144: | Line 144: | ||
| title11 = Into the Void | | title11 = Into the Void | ||
| length11 = 3:08 | | length11 = 3:08 | ||
| total_length = 18:13 34:30 | | total_length = 18:13<br />34:30 | ||
}} | }} | ||
Note that, while the overall timing of "Deathmask/Into the Void" is approximately correct, the apportioning of time between the two parts of the song may be arbitrary, as the 3:08 mark occurs during "Into the Void"'s middle-8 vocal section ("Freedom fighters sent off to the sun ..."). The revised US pressing timings, shown below, compound this likely error. | Note that, while the overall timing of "Deathmask/Into the Void" is approximately correct, the apportioning of time between the two parts of the song may be arbitrary, as the 3:08 mark occurs during "Into the Void"'s middle-8 vocal section ("Freedom fighters sent off to the sun ..."). The revised US pressing timings, shown below, compound this likely error. | ||
===Revised US LP | ===Revised US LP pressing, with subtitles removed=== | ||
{{Track listing | {{Track listing | ||
| title1 = Sweet Leaf | | title1 = Sweet Leaf | ||
| length1 = 5:02 | | length1 = 5:02 | ||
| title2 = After Forever ( | | title2 = After Forever (including The Elegy) | ||
| length2 = 5:25 | | length2 = 5:25 | ||
| title3 = Embryo | | title3 = Embryo | ||
| Line 171: | Line 171: | ||
| title8 = Into the Void | | title8 = Into the Void | ||
| length8 = 3:08 | | length8 = 3:08 | ||
| total_length = 18:11 34:29 | | total_length = 18:11<br />34:29 | ||
}} | }} | ||
Note that the timing of "Orchid" on revised US pressings is incorrect: it includes the "Step Up" introductory section of "Lord of This World. | Note that the timing of "Orchid" on revised US pressings is incorrect: it includes the "Step Up" introductory section of "Lord of This World". The timing of "Solitude" on these pressings is also incorrect, as it includes the first half of "Into the Void", whereas the timings of "Deathmask" and "Into the Void" from the original US pressing should have been grouped instead. | ||
US-made compact disc pressings of ''Master of Reality'' continue to list the incorrect timings of the | US-made compact disc pressings of ''Master of Reality'' continue to list the incorrect timings of the revised US LP pressing on the CD booklet.<ref name="album">''Master of Reality'' album booklet</ref> However, the songs are not indexed on the CD using those timings – the breaks between songs are correctly placed. | ||
===2009 | ===2009 deluxe edition=== | ||
A two-disc deluxe edition was released in the UK on 29 June 2009 and in the US on 14 July 2009 as an import. This deluxe edition was remastered by Andy Pearce who also did the deluxe editions of ''[[Black Sabbath (album)|Black Sabbath]]'' and ''[[Paranoid (album)|Paranoid]]''. | A two-disc deluxe edition was released in the UK on 29 June 2009 and in the US on 14 July 2009 as an import. This deluxe edition was remastered by Andy Pearce who also did the deluxe editions of ''[[Black Sabbath (album)|Black Sabbath]]'' and ''[[Paranoid (album)|Paranoid]]''. | ||
{{Track listing | {{Track listing | ||
| headline = Disc | | headline = Disc one | ||
| title1 = Sweet Leaf | | title1 = Sweet Leaf | ||
| length1 = 5:05 | | length1 = 5:05 | ||
| Line 202: | Line 202: | ||
}} | }} | ||
{{Track listing | {{Track listing | ||
| headline = Disc | | headline = Disc two (bonus tracks) | ||
| title1 = Weevil Woman '71 | | title1 = Weevil Woman '71 | ||
| length1 = 3:00 | | length1 = 3:00 | ||
| Line 226: | Line 226: | ||
| note8 = studio outtake – intro with alternative guitar tuning | | note8 = studio outtake – intro with alternative guitar tuning | ||
| length8 = 3:35 | | length8 = 3:35 | ||
| title9 = Spanish Sid (Early Version of 'Into | | title9 = Spanish Sid (Early Version of 'Into the Void') | ||
| note9 = studio outtake – alternative version | | note9 = studio outtake – alternative version | ||
| length9 = 6:24 | | length9 = 6:24 | ||
| Line 234: | Line 234: | ||
==Personnel== | ==Personnel== | ||
* [[Ozzy Osbourne]] – lead vocals | * [[Ozzy Osbourne]] – lead vocals | ||
* [[Tony Iommi]] – guitar, [[synthesiser]] on "After Forever" and "Children of the Grave", [[flute]] and piano on "Solitude", acoustic guitar on "Orchid", cough on "Sweet Leaf" | * [[Tony Iommi]] – guitar, [[Synthesizer|synthesiser]] on "After Forever" and "Children of the Grave", [[flute]] and piano on "Solitude", acoustic guitar on "Orchid", cough on "Sweet Leaf" | ||
* [[Geezer Butler]] – bass | * [[Geezer Butler]] – bass | ||
* [[Bill Ward (musician)|Bill Ward]] – drums, [[ | * [[Bill Ward (musician)|Bill Ward]] – drums, [[Percussion instrument|percussion]] on "Children of the Grave", [[Jingle bell|sleigh bells]] on "Solitude" | ||
* Keef – photography, poster design | * Keef – photography, poster design | ||
* Mike Stanford – art direction | * Mike Stanford – art direction | ||
| Line 260: | Line 260: | ||
| align="center"| 3 | | align="center"| 3 | ||
|- | |- | ||
{{Album chart| | {{Album chart|Germany|5|id=10083|artist=Black Sabbath|album= Master of Reality|rowheader=true|access-date=October 30, 2023}} | ||
|- | |- | ||
!scope="row"|Italian Albums (''[[Musica e Dischi]]'')<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.musicaedischi.it/classifiche_archivio.php|title=Classifiche|work=[[Musica e Dischi]]|language=it|access-date=27 May 2022|archive-date=6 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230306073547/http://www.musicaedischi.it/classifiche_archivio.php|url-status=live}} Set "Tipo" on "Album". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Black Sabbath".</ref> | !scope="row"|Italian Albums (''[[Musica e Dischi]]'')<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.musicaedischi.it/classifiche_archivio.php|title=Classifiche|work=[[Musica e Dischi]]|language=it|access-date=27 May 2022|archive-date=6 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230306073547/http://www.musicaedischi.it/classifiche_archivio.php|url-status=live}} Set "Tipo" on "Album". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Black Sabbath".</ref> | ||
| Line 271: | Line 271: | ||
{{Album chart|Billboard200|8|artist=Black Sabbath|refname=Billboard 200|rowheader=true|access-date=October 30, 2023}} | {{Album chart|Billboard200|8|artist=Black Sabbath|refname=Billboard 200|rowheader=true|access-date=October 30, 2023}} | ||
|} | |} | ||
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" | {| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" | ||
|+ Later weekly chart performance for ''Master of Reality'' | |+ Later weekly chart performance for ''Master of Reality'' | ||
! Chart (2016–2025) | ! Chart (2016–2025) | ||
! Peak<br/>position | ! Peak<br/>position | ||
|- | |- | ||
! scope="row"| Greek Albums ([[IFPI Greece|IFPI]])<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ifpi.gr/charts_en.html|title=Official IFPI Charts Top-75 Albums Sales Chart (Combined) – Εβδομάδα: | ! scope="row"| Croatian International Albums ([[Top of the Shops|HDU]])<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.top-lista.hr/www/lista-prodaje-strano-30-tjedan-2025/ |title=Lista prodaje 30. tjedan 2025 |date=July 27, 2025|trans-title=Sales list Week 30 2025 |publisher=[[Top of the Shops|HDU]] |language=hr |access-date=August 12, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250812100945/https://www.top-lista.hr/www/lista-prodaje-strano-30-tjedan-2025/|archive-date=August 12, 2025}}</ref> | ||
| | | align="center" | 11 | ||
|- | |||
! scope="row"| Greek Albums ([[IFPI Greece|IFPI]])<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ifpi.gr/charts_en.html|title=Official IFPI Charts Top-75 Albums Sales Chart (Combined) – Εβδομάδα: 44/2025|publisher=[[IFPI Greece]]|access-date=5 November 2025|lang=el|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251105080720/https://www.ifpi.gr/charts_el.html|archive-date=5 November 2025|url-status=dead}}</ref> | |||
| 5 | |||
|- | |- | ||
{{album chart|Scotland|13|date=20210723|rowheader=true|access-date=October 30, 2023}} | {{album chart|Scotland|13|date=20210723|rowheader=true|access-date=October 30, 2023}} | ||
Latest revision as of 12:54, 10 November 2025
Template:Short description Script error: No such module "about". Template:Pp-protected Template:EngvarB Template:Use dmy dates Script error: No such module "Unsubst-infobox".
Master of Reality is the third studio album by the English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, released on 6 August 1971 by Vertigo Records.[1] It is regarded by some critics as the foundation of stoner rock and sludge metal.[2] Produced by Rodger Bain, who also produced the band's prior two albums, Master of Reality was recorded at Island Studios in London from February to April 1971. Guitarist Tony Iommi and bassist Geezer Butler downtuned their instruments during the production, achieving what Iommi called a "bigger, heavier sound".[3]
Master of Reality peaked at number five on the UK Albums Chart and number eight on the US Billboard 200.[4] Though negatively received by critics on release, the album is now considered one of the greatest heavy metal albums of all time. It was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) after having sold over two million copies in the US.[5]
Recording
Master of Reality was recorded at Island Studios in London from February to April 1971. The album was produced by Rodger Bain, who had also produced Black Sabbath's previous two albums, with Tom Allom handling engineering.[6] This was to be Bain's final collaboration with Black Sabbath as guitarist Tony Iommi took over production for the band's next several albums. Drummer Bill Ward explained: "Previously, we didn't have a clue what to do in the studio, and relied heavily on Rodger. But this time we were a lot more together, understood what was involved and were more opinionated on how things should be done."[6]
On the tracks "Children of the Grave", "Lord of This World", and "Into the Void", Iommi downtuned his guitar 1<templatestyles src="Fraction/styles.css" />1⁄2 steps in an effort to reduce string tension, thus making the guitar less painful for him to play. This pain was the result of a factory accident years earlier in which he had the tips of two of his fingers severed.[7] The downtuning also helped the guitarist produce what he called a "bigger, heavier sound".[3] Geezer Butler also downtuned his bass guitar to match Iommi. "It helped with the sound, too", Butler explained to Guitar for the Practicing Musician in 1994. "Then it got to the point where we tuned even lower to make it easier vocal-wise. But Ozzy (Osbourne) would then sing higher so it sort of defeated the object."
In the 2013 biography of the band Black Sabbath: Symptom of the Universe, Mick Wall writes that "the Sabbath sound took a plunge into even greater darkness. Bereft even of reverb, leaving their sound as dry as old bones dug up from some desert burial plot, the finished music's brutish force would so alarm the critics they would punish Sabbath in print for being blatantly thuggish, purposefully mindless, creepy, and obnoxious. Twenty years later groups like Smashing Pumpkins, Soundgarden, and, particularly, Nirvana, would excavate the same heaving lung sound ... And be rewarded with critical garlands." In his autobiography I Am Ozzy, vocalist Osbourne states that he cannot remember much about recording Master of Reality "apart from the fact that Tony detuned his guitar to make it easier to play, Geezer wrote 'Sweet Leaf' about all the dope we'd been smoking, and 'Children of the Grave' was the most kick-ass song we'd ever recorded."
In the liner notes to the 1998 live album Reunion, drummer Ward commented that Master of Reality was "an exploratory album". Ward elaborated in a 2016 interview with Metal Hammer magazine: "On the first album, we had two days to do everything, and not much more time for Paranoid. But now we could take our time, and try out different things. We all embraced the opportunity: Tony threw in classical guitar parts, Geezer's bass was virtually doubled in power, I went for bigger bass drums, also experimenting with overdubs. And Ozzy was so much better. But this was the first time when we didn't have gigs booked in, and could just focus on making the album a landmark."[6] In 2013, Mojo magazine called Master of Reality "The sound of a band becoming increasingly comfortable in their studio surroundings."
Iommi believes the band might have become too comfortable, however, telling Guitar World in 1992, "During Master of Reality, we started getting more experimental and began taking too much time to record. Ultimately, I think it really confused us. Sometimes I think I'd really like to go back to the way we recorded the first two albums. I've always preferred just going into the studio and playing, without spending a lot of time rehearsing or getting sounds." The song "Into the Void" was especially problematic, with Iommi saying in the same interview: "We tried recording 'Into the Void' in a couple of different studios because Bill just couldn't get it right. Whenever that happened, he would start believing that he wasn't capable of playing the song. He'd say: 'To hell with it – I'm not doing this!' There was one track like that on every album, and 'Into the Void' was the most difficult one on Master of Reality."
In his autobiography Iron Man: My Journey Through Heaven and Hell with Black Sabbath, Iommi describes the difficulty Osbourne also experienced recording the vocal: "It has this slow bit, but then the riff where Osbourne comes in is very fast. Osbourne had to sing really rapidly: "Rocket engines burning fuel so fast, up into the night sky they blast," quick words like that. Geezer had written all the words out for him ... Seeing him try was hilarious." For "Solitude" Iommi played guitar, flute, and piano.[8] A delay effect was later added to Osbourne's vocals on the song as a means of doubling the vocal track.
Composition
During the album's recording sessions, Osbourne brought Iommi a large joint which caused the guitarist to cough uncontrollably.[7] Iommi was recording acoustic guitar parts at the time, and his coughing fit was captured on tape. A fragment of Iommi's coughing was later added by producer Bain as the intro to "Sweet Leaf," a song which was admittedly an ode to marijuana use.[7] Iommi recalls "We all played 'Sweet Leaf' while stoned."[7] In an interview with Guitar World in 2001 Butler recalled: "I do remember writing "Sweet Leaf" in the studio. I'd just come back from Dublin, and they'd had these cigarettes called Sweet Afton, which you could only get in Ireland. We were going: "What could we write about?" I took out this cigarette packet, and as you opened it, it's got on the lid: "it's the sweetest leaf that gives you the taste" I was like: "Ah, Sweet Leaf!" Writing in Mojo in 2013, Phil Alexander observed: "To most it is the quintessential stoner anthem, a point borne out by Sabbath's own Olympian consumption of hashish during their early days." In the Black Sabbath concert film The Last Supper, Ward ruminates: "Did it enhance the music? Well, you know, we wrote 'Sweet Leaf': 'When I first met you / didn't realize', that's about meeting marijuana, having a relationship with marijuana ... That was part of our lifestyle at that time."[9]
Butler, the band's primary lyricist, had a Catholic upbringing,[7] and the song "After Forever" focuses entirely on Christian themes. At the time, Black Sabbath were suspected by some observers of being Satanists due to their dark sound, image, and lyrics.[7] "After Forever" was released as a single along with "Fairies Wear Boots" in 1971.[10]
Artwork
The first editions of Master of Reality came in an 'envelope sleeve' containing a poster of the band, and with the album's title embossed in black lettering, visible in relief. Later editions lacking the embossed printing would render the album title in grey. This was the first Black Sabbath sleeve on which the lyrics were reproduced on the back of the sleeve. In his autobiography Iommi describes the cover as "Slightly Spinal Tap-ish, only well before Spinal Tap". The labels of the album were different too, as Side A featured the infamousScript error: No such module "Unsubst". swirl label, although the black circles were white and the white circles black. Side B, which was the information label, was black with white writing instead of white with black writing. That variant of the Vertigo label was never to be used again thereafter.
On the first North American editions of the album, several songs had subtitles given to segments, making it appear that there were more songs than there actually were. The intro of "After Forever" was given the title "The Elegy", the coda of "Children of the Grave" was called "The Haunting", the intro of "Lord of This World" was titled "Step Up", and the intro of "Into the Void" called "Deathmask". This treatment had also been used on the North American editions of Black Sabbath's previous two albums. These pressings also incorrectly listed the album title as Masters of Reality.[11] Subsequent editions corrected the album's title and removed three of the four subtitles (all but "The Elegy").
Reception and legacy
Master of Reality peaked at number five on the UK Albums Chart,[12] and number eight in the United States.[13] It eventually sold two million copies in the US.[14] Despite the album's commercial success, it was viewed with disdain by contemporary music critics. In The Village Voice, Robert Christgau called it "a dim-witted, amoral exploitation."[15] Rolling Stone magazine's Lester Bangs described it as "monotonous" and hardly an improvement over its predecessor, although he found the lyrics more revealing because they offer "some answers to the dark cul-de-sacs of Paranoid."[16]
In 1994, Master of Reality was ranked number 28 in Colin Larkin's Top 50 Heavy Metal Albums. Larkin described it as Sabbath's "first real international breakthrough" and "a remarkable piece of work".[17] In MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide (1999), authors Gary Graff and Daniel Durcholz described the album as a "brilliant skull crusher", singling out "Children of the Grave" and "Sweet Leaf" as "timeless".[18] In 2001, Q included it in their list of the 50 Heaviest Albums of All Time, calling it "malevolent ... Casting Black Sabbath as a Titanic-style house band on the eve of Armageddon, cranking it as the bomb drops."[19] A critic for the magazine cited it as "the most cohesive record of [the band's] first three albums."[20] In 2003, Rolling Stone ranked the album number 298 in their list of the 500 greatest albums of all time,[21] 300 in a 2012 revised list,[22] and 234 in a 2020 revised list.[23] They described the album as representing "the greatest sludge-metal band of them all in its prime."[24] The same magazine also ranked the album 34th on its "100 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time".[25] Billy Corgan, leader of the Smashing Pumpkins, considered Master of Reality the album that "spawned grunge".[26] John Stanier, drummer for Helmet and Tomahawk, cited the record as the one that inspired him to become a musician.[27] In 2013, Sabbath biographer Mick Wall praised Iommi's "ability to incorporate more neat riffs and sudden unexpected time changes in one song than most bands would contemplate on an entire album."
In 2017, Ward ranked Master of Reality as his favorite Black Sabbath album that he has ever worked on.[28]
Track listing
Original UK LP pressing
All songs written by Black Sabbath (Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, Ozzy Osbourne, Bill Ward), except "After Forever", "Embryo" and "Orchid" by Iommi. Template:Track listing Template:Track listing
Original US LP pressing
Template:Track listing Template:Track listing
Note that, while the overall timing of "Deathmask/Into the Void" is approximately correct, the apportioning of time between the two parts of the song may be arbitrary, as the 3:08 mark occurs during "Into the Void"'s middle-8 vocal section ("Freedom fighters sent off to the sun ..."). The revised US pressing timings, shown below, compound this likely error.
Revised US LP pressing, with subtitles removed
Template:Track listing Template:Track listing
Note that the timing of "Orchid" on revised US pressings is incorrect: it includes the "Step Up" introductory section of "Lord of This World". The timing of "Solitude" on these pressings is also incorrect, as it includes the first half of "Into the Void", whereas the timings of "Deathmask" and "Into the Void" from the original US pressing should have been grouped instead.
US-made compact disc pressings of Master of Reality continue to list the incorrect timings of the revised US LP pressing on the CD booklet.[29] However, the songs are not indexed on the CD using those timings – the breaks between songs are correctly placed.
2009 deluxe edition
A two-disc deluxe edition was released in the UK on 29 June 2009 and in the US on 14 July 2009 as an import. This deluxe edition was remastered by Andy Pearce who also did the deluxe editions of Black Sabbath and Paranoid.
Template:Track listing Template:Track listing
Personnel
- Ozzy Osbourne – lead vocals
- Tony Iommi – guitar, synthesiser on "After Forever" and "Children of the Grave", flute and piano on "Solitude", acoustic guitar on "Orchid", cough on "Sweet Leaf"
- Geezer Butler – bass
- Bill Ward – drums, percussion on "Children of the Grave", sleigh bells on "Solitude"
- Keef – photography, poster design
- Mike Stanford – art direction
Charts
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Weekly chartsTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chart
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Year-end charts
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Certifications
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Release history
| Region | Date | Label | Format | Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 6 August 1971 | Vertigo | LP | 6360 050 |
| 1992 | Castle | CD | CA198 | |
| United States | 16 August 1971 | Warner Bros. | LP | BS-2562 |
| 12 May 1987 | CD | 2562–2 | ||
| UK remastered | 29 March 2009 | Sanctuary | double CD | 2701108 |
References
Bibliography
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External links
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- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Taylor 2006, pg. 199, "Some say that Master of Reality was the first stoner metal album. The album as a whole is more late 1960s Heavy Psych in the vain of May Blitz, Grand Funk Railroad, and Leaf Hound."
- ↑ a b VH1: Heavy the Story of Metal, Part One.
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- ↑ Billboard, Vol. 105, Num. 21, 22 May 1993, p. 80
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