Synopses & Reviews
A brand-new look at Black Sabbath, one of the most outrageous bands in the history of rock music
This information-rich, idiosyncratic, and beguiling book paints a vivid picture of Black Sabbath at its beginning, from 1967 to 1975---the time in which the band made its greatest albums: Black Sabbath, Paranoid, Master of Reality, Vol. 4, Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, and Sabotage.
But Rat Salad diverges from routes taken by most rock biographies---its detailed, song-by-song analysis of the band’s masterworks is interwoven with a personal account of the news stories and culture of the time, from Vietnam to Bloody Sunday to the space program. These narrative chapters---think Ian MacDonald’s Revolution in the Head meets Spinal Tap meets Nick Hornby---persuasively explain the appeal of the music, its compositional artistry, and its frequently audacious inventiveness.
Original and passionate, Rat Salad embraces a remarkably diverse cast of characters---from Ozzy Osbourne himself and the other members of the band through to Edith Sitwell, Breugel the Elder, John Milton, and Doris Day. The author’s hand looms large in the piece, as he grows from schoolboy ingenue to inveterate devotee and looks back at a life populated with love, sex, drugs, and death and played out against a rich sonic backdrop of crucifixes and power chords. "Engaging…a loving look at the group's first six albums. A convincing case that these are indeed classics with in-depth, often hilarious dissection of the records."--Kirkus Reviews UK Praise for Rat Salad
“You won’t find a more intimate guide to Sabbath.”---Guitar & Bass
“No ordinary rock biography.”---Sunday Mercury
“Makes you want to crank out those records and remember just why everyone loves these four blokes.”---Rock Sound
“An affectionate and enteratining account of Sabbath’s glory years.”---Classic Rock
“An in-depth look at everyone’s favourite Sabbath era.”---Metal Hammer
“Wilkinson should be applauded.”---Q magazine
Review
"Engaging...a loving look at the group's first six albums. A convincing case that these are indeed classics with in-depth, often hilarious dissection of the records."--
Kirkus Reviews UK Praise for
Rat Salad
"You won't find a more intimate guide to Sabbath."---Guitar & Bass
"No ordinary rock biography."---Sunday Mercury
"Makes you want to crank out those records and remember just why everyone loves these four blokes."---Rock Sound
"An affectionate and enteratining account of Sabbath's glory years."---Classic Rock
"An in-depth look at everyone's favourite Sabbath era."---Metal Hammer
"Wilkinson should be applauded."---Q magazine
Synopsis
A brand-new look at Black Sabbath, one of the most outrageous bands in the history of rock music
This information-rich, idiosyncratic, and beguiling book paints a vivid picture of Black Sabbath at its beginning, from 1967 to 1975---the time in which the band made its greatest albums: Black Sabbath, Paranoid, Master of Reality, Vol. 4, Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, and Sabotage.
But Rat Salad diverges from routes taken by most rock biographies---its detailed, song-by-song analysis of the band's masterworks is interwoven with a personal account of the news stories and culture of the time, from Vietnam to Bloody Sunday to the space program. These narrative chapters---think Ian MacDonald's Revolution in the Head meets Spinal Tap meets Nick Hornby---persuasively explain the appeal of the music, its compositional artistry, and its frequently audacious inventiveness.
Original and passionate, Rat Salad embraces a remarkably diverse cast of characters---from Ozzy Osbourne himself and the other members of the band through to Edith Sitwell, Breugel the Elder, John Milton, and Doris Day. The author's hand looms large in the piece, as he grows from schoolboy ingenue to inveterate devotee and looks back at a life populated with love, sex, drugs, and death and played out against a rich sonic backdrop of crucifixes and power chords.
Synopsis
A brand-new look at Black Sabbath, one of the most outrageous bands in the history of rock music
This information-rich, idiosyncratic, and beguiling book paints a vivid picture of Black Sabbath at its beginning, from 1967 to 1975---the time in which the band made its greatest albums: Black Sabbath, Paranoid, Master of Reality, Vol. 4, Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, and Sabotage.
But Rat Salad diverges from routes taken by most rock biographies---its detailed, song-by-song analysis of the band’s masterworks is interwoven with a personal account of the news stories and culture of the time, from Vietnam to Bloody Sunday to the space program. These narrative chapters---think Ian MacDonald’s Revolution in the Head meets Spinal Tap meets Nick Hornby---persuasively explain the appeal of the music, its compositional artistry, and its frequently audacious inventiveness.
Original and passionate, Rat Salad embraces a remarkably diverse cast of characters---from Ozzy Osbourne himself and the other members of the band through to Edith Sitwell, Breugel the Elder, John Milton, and Doris Day. The author’s hand looms large in the piece, as he grows from schoolboy ingenue to inveterate devotee and looks back at a life populated with love, sex, drugs, and death and played out against a rich sonic backdrop of crucifixes and power chords.
About the Author
Paul Wilkinson was raised in England's Peak District and graduated with a degree in psychology in 1983. Since then, he has worked extensively in the arts and entertainment industry and currently manages an arts center in east London, close to where he lives. He has played guitar and sung in a number of failed pop outfits: most notably, inept Beatles-copyists The Originals, and close-harmony, cabaret joke-band The Stallions of Love. He has been a fan of Black Sabbath for over thirty years. Rat Salad is his first book.