Ozzy era for me.

Shit was ground breaking when it came out.
Heavy, doomy, gloomy, boozy, bluesy, etc., etc.

I checked out a couple other of the Dio songs and although good I'm staying with Ozzy as my #1,Symptom Of The Universe is just one reason why,Ozzy's vocals and the music at about 4:25 of the video are classic Sabbath.

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It's the "bluesy" part that mostly kills it for me in the Ozzy era. Bluesy just doesn't work for me in metal.

Heavy metal (often referred to simply as metal) is a genre of rock music[1] that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the United Kingdom and the United States.[2] With roots in blues-rock and psychedelic rock, the bands that created heavy metal developed a thick, massive sound, characterized by highly amplified distortion, extended guitar solos, and emphatic beats.



The rest is here.................................> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heavy_metal_music

There's a difference between being blues-based, and being bluesy. Most metal incorporates blues only in the most rudimentary manner, so that it doesn't really stand out in such a way that the average listener is going to say, "Hey, that sounds like blues!" The adjective "bluesy," however, generally indicates music that overly emphasizes the blues component. Whole both Testament and Great White play heavy metal that has a blues-based component, nobody is going to describe Testament as "bluesy," while that adjective is commonly used to describe the music of Great White.

Just... don't. Don't rely on Wikipedia info for metal.

Symptom of the Universe and Megalomaniac are probably my two favorite Sabbath songs, and the reason why the Ozzy era is my favorite.

+1.

Preferred sources??

I like everything Black Sabbath did with Geezer in the Band. Once he left, the quality of the music and lyrics nosedived. I think Black Sabbath sounded best during the Dio era. the overall sound of the band is more robust. Sabbath utilized Geoff Nichols' keyboarding more than previously.

Born Again is a very underrated album, it wasn't mixed right but Gillan sounded great. that was the second Sabbath album I bought (I bought it soon after release when I was 9) I hated back then but it grew on me. Seventh Star isn't too bad either, it's different.

I didn't like any of the Sabbath albums with Tony Martin.

Me. It's easier that way.

Gotcha!

Normally I would sneer at a poster who responded like that, but on this topic, I concur.

As era's go...i would have to say Ozzy..."The Wizard" and "Fairies Wear Boots" are two of my all time favorite tunes.

That being said.... "Heaven and Hell" is the Sabbath album i listen to most...

Even though I'm not sure how much weight my opinion counts on this issue, I concur.

I'm still in favor of the Ozzy years though, Dio wasn't bad but... it wasn't the same. If they had just renamed the band "Something Besides Black Sabbath" I'm sure I'd feel different.