When Black Sabbath started during the late '60s in Birmingham, England, the quartet (singer Ozzy Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler, and drummer Bill Ward) was a reaction against the thriving hippie movement. While the band was definitely 'pro-peace,' the sunny songs that the majority of rock bands were writing back then didn't really pertain to them -- they came from a bleak, industrial town, and they realized the hippies weren't preventing the senseless Vietnam War from raging elsewhere in the world -- hence, their gloomy lyrics and molten-heavy music reflected this. 'War Pigs' (the leadoff song from their classic 1970 release, Paranoid) has become one of the band's most popular songs, serving as one of the best heavy metal songs of all-time. The lyrics dealt with rich, power-mad, and heartless politicians who continued to spread war and hatred (aka 'War Pigs'), who finally get what they deserve, while several classic Iommi guitar riffs serve as the song's musical foundation. 'War Pigs' remains one of Sabbath's most venomous compositions.
Appears On
Year | Artist/Album | Label | Time | AllMusic Rating |
---|---|---|---|---|
1970 | Warner Bros. | 7:58 | ||
1976 | Warner Bros. | 7:57 | ||
1981 | BMG / Noise / Sanctuary | 0:00 | ||
1986 | Sanctuary | 7:52 | ||
1994 | Spectrum Music | |||
1994 | Import | |||
1994 | Various Artists | Castle Music Ltd. | 7:57 | |
1994 | 7:55 | |||
1995 | Sanctuary | |||
1996 | Castle / Essential | 7:56 | ||
2000 | Sanctuary | 7:56 | ||
2002 | Rhino / Warner Bros. | 7:56 | ||
2004 | Rhino | 7:57 | ||
2004 | Harmless | 7:55 | ||
2007 | Earmark | 7:36 | ||
2008 | Rhino / Warner Bros. | 9:19 | ||
2009 | Universal Music TV / Sanctuary / Universal Distribution | 7:56 | ||
Eagle Rock | 8:32 |
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War Pigs' is a song by English heavy metal band Black Sabbath from their 1970 album Paranoid. It is generally understood that the song is a protest against the Vietnam War; however, when the band played 'War Pigs' live in the mid-1970s, scenes from World War II were projected for audiences.
As explained in the liner notes of the band's live album Reunion, the original title of the song was 'Walpurgis', dealing with a witches' sabbath. The title, lyrics, and theme were subsequently changed during the recording of Paranoid. An early version, with the original theme, can be found on Ozzy Osbourne's compilation The Ozzman Cometh.
'War Pigs' is the opening track on Paranoid, Black Sabbath's best-selling album. It can also be found in every live and compilation album by the band except Cross Purposes Live, along with 'Paranoid' itself and 'Iron Man'. The outro to 'War Pigs' has its own name, 'Luke's Wall' (named in homage to the band's two-man road crew, Geoff 'Luke' Lucas and Spock Wall) and features a more melodic tone than the rest of the song. The last few seconds of the track feature the sound of the tape speeding up, changing tempo and pitch.
'War Pigs' is ranked number two on Digital Dream Door's '100 Greatest Metal Songs'. Readers of Guitar World ranked the song number 56 on their list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Solos.
Following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, the song was placed in the list of post-9/11 inappropriate titles distributed by Clear Channel.
Following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, the song was placed in the list of post-9/11 inappropriate titles distributed by Clear Channel.
The tape copy sent to Warner Bros. Records in America contained a tape drop-out (in the left stereo channel) about a minute into the song, which has been heard on every other U.S. compilation and reissue since 1971.
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