Rat Salad: Black Sabbath, the Classic Years, 1969-1975 - Hardcover

A vivid chronicle of the early history of Black Sabbath offers an in-depth analysis of the band's first six albums from the perspective of their musical artistry, composition, and creativity and their influential place in the evolution of rock music, as well as profiles of the individual members of the band and their careers. 25,000 first printing.

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