Technical Ecstasy
| Technical Ecstasy | ||||
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| Studio album by Black Sabbath | ||||
| Released | 25 September 1976 | |||
| Recorded | June 1976, Criteria Studios, Miami, Florida | |||
| Genre | Heavy metal, hard rock[1] | |||
| Length | 40:35 | |||
| Label | Vertigo Warner Bros. (US/Canada) |
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| Producer | Black Sabbath | |||
| Black Sabbath chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [2] |
Technical Ecstasy is the seventh studio album by the British heavy metal band Black Sabbath, released in September 1976.
Contents |
[edit] Album information
Technical Ecstasy continued the band's separation from its signature doom and darkness that had been such a trademark of the band's early career. While the album's lyrics dealt with topics such as drug dealers, prostitution, and transvestites, the music itself was seldom dark, and tracks like "Rock 'n' Roll Doctor" and "It's Alright" (the latter sung by drummer Bill Ward—a decision supported by Ozzy Osbourne), were very different from Black Sabbath's earlier recordings. Also, the band continued experimenting with keyboards and synthesizers more so than previous albums. The track "She's Gone" features orchestrations.
Osbourne left the band briefly following the release of the album. He would eventually rejoin for the follow-up album, Never Say Die!.
The cover art is designed by Hipgnosis and is meant to represent two robots having sex. Osbourne once described it as "two robots screwing on an escalator."[3]
The UK release had a two-sided lyric/credit-insert.
"Gypsy", "Dirty Women", "Rock 'n' Roll Doctor" and (briefly) "All Moving Parts (Stand Still)" were played live on the supporting tour.
"It's Alright" was often covered live by Guns N' Roses, and included in their Live Era: '87–'93 album. The song was also featured in the 2010 film It's Kind of a Funny Story.
It was certified Gold on 19 June 1997[4] and peaked at number 51 on the Billboard Pop Album chart.[5]
[edit] Track listing
All songs written and composed by Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, Bill Ward and Ozzy Osbourne.
| Side one | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length | |||||||
| 1. | "Back Street Kids" | 3:47 | |||||||
| 2. | "You Won't Change Me" | 6:42 | |||||||
| 3. | "It's Alright" | 4:04 | |||||||
| 4. | "Gypsy" | 5:14 | |||||||
| Side two | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length | |||||||
| 1. | "All Moving Parts (Stand Still)" | 5:07 | |||||||
| 2. | "Rock 'n' Roll Doctor" | 3:30 | |||||||
| 3. | "She's Gone" | 4:58 | |||||||
| 4. | "Dirty Women" | 7:13 | |||||||
- The cassette version reverses the two sides
[edit] Personnel
- Ozzy Osbourne – vocals
- Tony Iommi – guitar
- Geezer Butler – bass guitar
- Bill Ward – drums, lead vocals on "It's Alright"
- Gerald Woodruffe – keyboards
[edit] Release history
| Region | Date | Label |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 25 September 1976 | Warner Bros. Records |
| United Kingdom | 8 October 1976 | Vertigo Records |
| Canada | 25 September 1976 | Warner Bros. Records |
| United Kingdom | 1996 | Castle Communications |
| United Kingdom | 2004 | Sanctuary Records |
[edit] See also
 |
Book: Black Sabbath |
| Wikipedia books are collections of articles that can be downloaded or ordered in print. | |
[edit] References
- ^ Floman, Scott. "Technical Ecstasy". Black Sabbath. sfloman.com. http://sfloman.com/blacksabbath.html#7. Retrieved 13 September 2011.
- ^ Prato, Greg. "Black Sabbath: Technical Ecstasy" at Allmusic. Retrieved 13 September 2011.
- ^ "The Artwork". Black Sabbath FAQ. black-sabbath.com. http://www.black-sabbath.com/faq/faq.html#faq44. Retrieved 2 April 2007.
- ^ "American album certifications – Black Sabbath – Technical Ecstasy". Recording Industry Association of America. http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?artist=%22Technical+Ecstasy%22. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH
- ^ "Technical Ecstasy: Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums" at Allmusic. Retrieved 30 January 2009.
[edit] Other resources
- What the hell happened to Technical Ecstasy?, an article about the album by music journalist Dan Marsicano
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