Technical Ecstasy [Import] [Original recording remastered]

Track Listings

1. Back Street Kids

2. You Won't Change Me

3. It's Alright

4. Gypsy

5. All Moving Parts (Stand Still)

6. Rock 'N' Roll Doctor

7. She's Gone

8. Dirty Women

Editorial Reviews
Album Description
1996 reissue on Castle of their 1976 album for Warner Brothers, remastered from the original master tapes and withfaithfully restored artwork. Eight tracks, including 'Back Street Kids', 'Gypsy' and 'Rock 'N' Roll Doctor' and 'Dirty Women'.

Tracks:

Back Street Kids
You Won't Change Me
It's Allright
Gypsy
All Moving Parts (Stand Still)
Rock'n'Roll Doctor
She's Gone
Dirty Women

Customer Reviews:

Sabbath's "Presence" Album . . ........2007-04-22

After Sabotage, Black Sabbath found themselves in the unenviable position of having to top that as well as previous efforts. With their status as doom metal kings (and who could compete?), they had also painted themselves into a corner. This may have suited Ozzy well enough, but Tony Iommi clearly felt the need to grow beyond such restrictions as evidenced by the increasing presence of keyboards and a general move away from their earlier sludge fests. Consequently the overall tone of the album is one of struggle and contradiction with the compromises between these two driving forces creating chaos rather than order. Butler and Ward sound like they're trying to do their best to keep things together, but inspiration is noticeably lacking throughout the album and one is left with little more than wonder that the band didn't fold at that point. All of that said, Technical Ecstasy isn't quite the disaster I may be implying, but like Led Zeppelin's Presence album (and you may feel differently about that album as well), it falls short of the greatness that led up to it and shows a band struggling with itself and the pressure of staying at the top of their game. Unlike Zeppelin, though, who bounced back with a tremendous follow up effort, Sabbath took the problems with Technical Ecstasy to their logical and painful end with Never Say Die, an ironic album on every level you can imagine.

Getting Technical!.......2007-04-15

The sheer success that was Sabotage was the final turning point for Black Sabbath. Technical Ecstasy was just that. Technical. Here we find the Sabs continuing to explore their sound and the new technology of the day with synthisizers. Not an entirely bad album, it's just that Technical Ecstasy tries too hard to be good. This is Sabbath trying not to be Sabbath. This is Sabbath trying to prove how good they really are. Also, we have a pair of bizare robots on the cover sexing each other up on a pair of escalators. Hipgnosis (Houses Of The Holy). Weird.

Back Street Kids - Nobody I know will ever take my rock'n'roll away from me. The chorus to this song speaks for itself. Ozzy's vocals are strained and muddled on this outing and the lyrics take step back from the grand-scale that was Sabotage. Cool Iommi riffs still abound, but these songs feel like all the parts were written seperately then fused together for good or bad. We know that the Sabs by his point were not getting along with each other very well and it shows. Not very memorable.

You Won't Change Me - The intro sonds like the soundtrack to a John Carpenter flick. Then we get the ultra-heavy riff followed by the fluffy synth montage. Ozzy's vocals are almost drowned out. Garbled. If you can't hear the lyics very well, how is a fan supposed to remember the song? That was Technical's biggest flaw.

It's Alright - Bill Ward's vocal debut. This sonds like latter Beatles or early Wings. What is this doing on a Black Sabbath album? Exactly. When the drummer starts to sing, there's a problem. Bottom line. Not a bad song, just not very Black Sabbath. Reminiscent of Peter Criss' solo album. Smooth. Cheerful. Very un-Sabbath.

Gypsy - One of the better tunes on Ecstasy. Still, the production value took such a dive from Sabotage. Ozzy has been put in the background for Iommi to take center stage, much like their live show. The lyrics sound forced and cheesy. Still a rocker.

All Moving Parts (Stand Still) - Probably the best songs on the album, this is simple and rocking. The lyrics are memorable for a change and so the song remains in your head. Got the signature Ozzy yeaaaah! going on. A personal favorite. The only one on this album.

Rock'N'Roll Doctor - Some people actually quote this as a Sabbath classic but it ain't. The production is horrible. Keyboards aplenty. Ozzy's vocals sound like they're coming from another planet. Is this Sabbath or The Who? I can't tell. Juvenile and bland.

She's Gone - The over-use of keboards on Technical Ecstasy does nothing to ensure it's success, in fact it does the opposite. You wanna hear Geezer and Tony ripping, not Gerald Woodruffe playing keyboards. This song is a dreary, dragging bummer. Oh, my baby!

Dirty Women - A good, rocking tune. Long. Could have been great, but the production kills it.

All in all, Technical Ecstasy finds Black Sabbath trying to reinvent themselves without the full co-operation of the band as a single entity. You can feel the tension. You can feel coke-head Tony Iommi in the driver's seat, cracking the whip and burying Ozzy's vocals. A very mixed, overblown album with horrible production.

Deal with it!

you won't change me or my opinion.......2007-04-15

Oh my God! Black Sabbath sold out! AHHHH!!!

Just kidding. Even though "Sabbath went soft" is the majority opinion of Technical Ecstasy, I can't agree entirely with it. It's true that the music here is a bit weaker overall compared to the other Sabbath albums, but what they lack in major guitar riffs, they make up for in really good guitar soloing.

I once read that the entire band really enjoyed themselves while making this album. I believe that to be true. How can you not enjoy yourself while playing "rock and roll doctor"? Even though it's a lot like a Kiss song, you can tell the band liked this creation, and though a weakpoint, not the worst thing Sabbath could have done. It's catchy, and the intro is wonderful.

"back street kids" has a fuzzy fast-paced guitar riff that makes me shiver it's so good! The chorus is good, too. The entire album has a robotic futuristic feel to it, just like the album cover indicates. "you won't change me" is a great example why we should love Ozzy's lyrics. Okay, that's not true, but we should respect Ozzy for not being afraid to speak his mind. Just listen to the line "still I wonder what it's liked to be loved, instead of hiding in myself". How many grown men would be able to just blurt out such a personal feeling? Not many. Ozzy shares his emotions because he wants you to be able to relate to him.

"it's alright" doesn't sound like the Beatles to me (I don't know HOW that comparison came up) but it does sound like a perfectly harmless acoustic ballad, that's really pretty with Bill Ward on vocals. If you've never heard Bill Ward's voice before, trust me when I say it's pretty good. Some people might even wish HE was the lead singer for the band instead of Ozzy. The only problem there is that there's only one Ozzy, and no one else has that kind of voice. No one.

"gypsy" is an interesting piece with tempo changes and musical directions dominating the thing. I love all the parts. Another example of Sabbath telling a story with their musical ideas, and having it work just fine.

"all moving parts (stand still)" is a nice groove-type rocker. The lyrics are a mystery to me because I have NO idea what they're about. "she's gone" is the worst on the album, and reminds me of Paul McCartney's "carrying". Listen to the two songs. Do they sound the same to you? Say yes! Same tempo anyway.

"dirty women" is the brightest spot on the entire album. It's main vocal melody is kind of stolen from "a national acrobat", and the soloing at the end was supposedly ripped from Chicago's "25 or 6 to 4" but, come on, do you really think Black Sabbath was listening to Chicago at the time? Both bands were WAY too busy being famous back in the 70's to ever consider steeling musical ideas from each other.

Anyway, Technical Ecstasy is a pretty good album with commercial production and a much lighter sound, but if you like Sabbath because of their songwriting, or the guitar soloing, I have a feeling this is the album for you.

not as bad as most people think.......2007-02-15

this album is pretty good when you approach it from the standpoint of a solid 70s hard rock album, versus a typical 70s black sabbath album. i have a feeling that, as years passed, iommi wanted to concentrate more on his overall songwriting ability rather than stringing together riffs. this was somewhat the case in the extended compositions of "sabotage", for example. the major difference is that on "sabotage", the songs still used plenty of sabbath "patented" riffs as the backbones of the compositions, rather than the songs existing first and iommi filling in the "riff gap" afterwards, if that makes any sense.

that said, to me "you won't change me", "all moving parts", and "dirty women" are STRONG songs, if you try not to think about the sabbath riff factor. "you won't change me", in particular, is passionate and the soloing is unbelievable. it's a well rounded album musically, with "its all right" and "she's gone" (too melodramatic for me though) being the ballad material and "rock&roll doctor" existing as your generic rock&roll number.

Only my opinion; put it in the pot and stir it around..........2007-02-03

I think of myself as a pretty big Sabbath fan, but not HUGE. I dig this album and although it may not be as "classic" as the other albums, it's a good departure. I'm the Sabbath fan that loves the songs Changes and Laguna Sunrise. So if you're an open minded Sabbath fan, I think this is a good album to add to the collection. Then again, it's 2007 and I am writing a review on an album that is probably 20 years old, so you may already own it!!

Average customer rating:

Technical Ecstasy
Black Sabbath
Manufacturer: Warner Bros.
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Never Say Die!
Sabotage
Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
The Mob Rules
Black Sabbath

ASIN: B00022TPUC
Release Date: 2004-05-31

Tracks:

Back Street Kids
You Won't Change Me
It's Alright
Gypsy
All Moving Parts (Stand Still)
Rock 'N' Roll Doctor
She's Gone
Dirty Women

Album Description

1996 reissue on Castle of their 1976 album for WarnerBrothers, remastered from the original master tapes and withfaithfully restored artwork. Eight tracks, including 'BackStreet Kids', 'Gypsy' and 'Rock 'N' Roll Doctor' and 'DirtyWomen'.

Album Details

Digitally Remastered Edition Black Sabbath's 1976 Album, featuring "Back Street Kids", "it's Alright" (With Drummer Bill Ward on Vocals), "Dirty Women" and Five More. Includes all the Original Artwork, Photos and Lyrics as Well as Liner Notes by Hugh Gilmour.

Average customer rating:

IT'S STILL SABBATH!
Technical Rememberance
Better than people say
Not Sabbath's Best
this is not sabbath's best,but it's still good

Technical Ecstasy
Black Sabbath
Manufacturer: Castle Music UK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Never Say Die!
Sabotage
Black Sabbath, Vol. 4
Heaven And Hell
Sabbath Bloody Sabbath

ASIN: B000006ZDT
Release Date: 1998-06-30

Tracks:

Back Street Kids
You Won't Change Me
It's Alright
Gypsy
All Moving Parts (Stand Still)
Rock 'N' Roll Doctor
She's Gone
Dirty Women

Album Description

1996 reissue on Castle of their 1976 album for Warner Brothers, remastered from the original master tapes and withfaithfully restored artwork. Eight tracks, including 'Back Street Kids', 'Gypsy' and 'Rock 'N' Roll Doctor' and 'Dirty Women'.

Album Details

Sabbath's 1976 Effort, this Piece, featuring "Back Street Kids", "It's Alright" (With Drummer Bill Ward on Vox), "Dirty Women" and Five More, Was Reissued Twenty Years Later in 1996. This Version of "Tech-Ec" Has Been Digitally Remastered; Item Includes all Original Photos, Art Work and Lyrics. A Crafty State-Of-Black-Sab Essay by Hugh Gilmour is also Included.

Customer Reviews:

IT'S STILL SABBATH!.......2006-07-09

I, like certain others, feel this album got some bum reviews. To me, this really reflects the time it was written in. Gone was the apocalyptic fear of "going to Nam" and some of the racial unrest that I'm sure influenced some of Sabbath's earlier writings. And I appreciate the more up- front sound of Iommi's guitar. Where it was sludgy and heavily distorted (Paranoid or Masters...)or heavily compressed (Sabotage,) on this release it is in- your- face and rump- kickin'! And the leads are some of the most blistering laid down by Big Tony! This album, I feel, speaks more of the decadent, self- indulgent atmosphere at the time (Rock-n-Roll Doctor and Dirty Women, Backstreet Kids.) The mood may be lighter, but the music is still heavy. "You Won't Change Me" is vintage Sabbath, with slow, heavy guitar riffs and great vocals by the Ozz. Sure it may not contain the most profound lyrics, but it still rocks hard. And "Gypsy" is another headbanger. "She's Gone" has some of the most passionate vocals ever recorded by Ozzy (except maybe Mama I'm Coming Home.) Sure It could be included in a sountrack for a chick- flick, but haven't we ALL been there? And that brings me to another point: Sabbath's lyrics have always enabled the listener to become a participant in the story by using great imagery, and that includes this album as well. I enjoy every track here, even Bill Ward's stab at being Ringo on "It's Alright." Hey, the guitar in the midsection is cool! This may not be as heavy as some of Sab's earlier efforts,but it was still one of the heaviest around at the time. I'd rather listen to this than "Stayin' Alive".....

Technical Rememberance.......2006-03-24

I'm so tired of listening to everyone diss this record....from the reviews to the liner in the cd....(...) okay? Sabb never made a bad record in the early days this record is great.

Better than people say.......2004-05-30

Technical Ecstasy (1977.) Black Sabbath's seventh album.

Following Black Sabbath's tour to promote their 1975 release, Sabotage, the band encountered a rather difficult time. It is in this era that Ozzy really began the drug and alcohol binge that would drastically alter his life for many years to come. Despite these hardships, however, Black Sabbath managed to hold together. And in 1977, the band released its seventh album, Technical Ecstacy. This album tends to get a severe bashing from Sabbath fans. Is this one of the weakest Ozzy-era efforts, or is it actually a good album? Read on for my review.

About this album - BOTH viewpoints are correct for it. The album IS, indeed, one of the weakest releases of Black Sabbath's Ozzy Osbourne era. However, despite being such, it is STILL a good album! People seem to have a hard time with their favorite bands trying new things, but that's the only way a band can get any better! Obviously, it didn't work out all that well for Sabbath (in the "getting better" terms), but it did result in a solid album for them. The opener, Back Street Kids, is a solid rocker that sounds a bit like the material Ozzy would be recording in his eighties solo career. You Won't Change Me, the second song, is a little bit long, but still a solid hard rocker. It's Alright, the next song, is the most unusual one of all. First of all, it's a softer tune than what you're used to Sabbath delivering. And secondly, drummer Bill Ward sings! This song sounds NOTHING like Black Sabbath, but it's still a very good song. Another good rocker is Gypsy, but tracks like Rock 'N' Roll Doctor and All Moving Parts (Stand Still) come off seeming like fillers in comparison to some of the other tracks present. The depressing ballad entitled She's Gone is one of the album's stronger tracks. Yes, this is a Black Sabbath album, and one of the ballads is one of the best tracks! It's slower and softer than Sabbath's other stuff, and certainly gloomy. The sound here is strikingly similar to that of Revelation (Mother Earth), a song from Ozzy's first solo album, Blizzard Of Ozz. Closing out the album is Dirty Women, one of Sabbath's finest rockers, even if it came from an album of tracks that tend to fall below the usual Sabbath standard. In the end, this is a good album, but it IS one of the Ozzy era's low points.

THE TEXT IN THIS PARAGRAPH REFERS EXCLUSIVELY TO THE WARNER BROS. AMERICAN REISSUE OF THE ALBUM. Warner Bros. did a fine job remastering and rereleasing the Black Sabbath catalogue, as did they several other artists. Unfortunately, they didn't really do anything outside of improving the sound quality. You don't get expanded liner notes, interviews, bonus tracks, or anything. This means you might as well buy the bargain version of the album. The bargain versions of Black Sabbath's albums tend to usually pop up in gas stations, drug stores, or any other place that has a small CD selection, consisting of mostly budget-priced compilations. I'm not sure if a budget version of this album was released or not, though, so you may end up having to get Warner's reissue.

It's a shame this album tends to get a bad rap, because it's actually very good. NO, it's not a good starting place if you're new to Black Sabbath (that's what the Paranoid album is for.) But if you're a fan, give this album a chance. It may end up surprising you.

Not Sabbath's Best.......2004-05-05

This is not the best album from Sabbath. It is their next-to lat album with Ozzy Osbourne as the singer, and it really isn't that good. They went a little light on this. It sounds more like Queen or Aerosmith then the evil, haunting sound of yore. All Moving Parts Stand Still is a cool song about a politician gone insane. Gypsy and Back Street Kids are good songs, too. There is a lot of filler, which makes it a 3-star album. Rock N Roll Doctor and She's Gone are some of these filler tracks. I'd reccomend it to Sabbath fans, but to new fans, get Black Sabbath or Sabotage instead.

this is not sabbath's best,but it's still good.......2003-07-29

technical ecstasy is not even close to being one of sabbath's best cd's but there's still some tracks here worth a listen to.back street kids is a great heavy rocker{just as heavy anything sabbath ever did with ozzy,it remains one of my favorite tracks}it's alright is a very good track{this is worth a listen just for the fact that drummer bill ward sings lead vocals on this song,what a job he does,this guy can really sing,for proof also check out swinging the chain on never say die which is even better than it's alright}besides the two previous tracks just mention the other good tracks on this cd are you won't change me,all moving parts stand still and dirty women.the other three tracks on this cd are rock and roll doctor which is o.k. but i find it gets boring after a couple of listens,gypsy is a hard rocker but for some reason just does'nt do it for me and the other track is the soft ballad she's gone which unlike other great ballats of sabbath like changes and solitude,she's gone is just a plainly bad song.all in all technical ecstasy isn't bad but it isn't all great either.i would only recommend this cd for really die hard sabbath or ozzy osbourne fans.

Average customer rating:

Technical Ecstasy
Black Sabbath
Manufacturer: Castle
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00004YU4E
Release Date: 2000-10-23

Tracks:

Back Street Kids
You Won't Change Me
It's Alright
Gypsy
All Moving Parts (Stand Still)
Rock 'N' Roll Doctor
She's Gone
Dirty Women

Album Description

Special collector's edition reissue of the British heavy metal act's 1976 album release packaged in a miniature LP-style cardboard sleeve with the original artwork. 2000 release.

Album Details

Limited Edition Reissue, Replicating the Original Album Packaging in a Cardboard Digipak.

Average customer rating:

Technical Ecstasy
Black Sabbath
Manufacturer: Sanctuary UK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Rock | Styles | Music

British Metal | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

Album-Oriented Rock (AOR) | Classic Rock | Styles | Music
ASIN: B0007789WW
Release Date: 2007-01-22

Tracks:

Back Street Kids
You Won't Change Me
It's Alright
Gypsy
All Moving Parts (Stand Still)
Rock 'N' Roll Doctor
She's Gone
Dirty Women

Average customer rating:

Technical Ecstasy

Manufacturer: Msi Music Corp
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B0000DESBG
Release Date: 2002-07-16

Music Review:

Music Review

Music Review

1. Back Street Kids
2. You Won't Change Me
3. It's Alright
4. Gypsy
5. All Moving Parts (Stand Still)
6. Rock 'N' Roll Doctor
7. She's Gone
8. Dirty Women