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THE BIRTH OF HEAVY METAL AND BLACK SABBATH BIRMINGHAM 3

The Dark World Reflected in Music
Let us now listen to the story of the birth of heavy metal music through the memories of Geezer Butler:
“In 1969, we wrote our first song, Wicked World, at The Railway Pub in Birmingham. We only had one chance, and the pub owner was not very fond of our loud music. Our song, which spoke of the dark and grim aspects of life, had absolutely nothing to do with the trendy ‘Flower Children’ and their music of the time:

The world today is such a wicked place
Fighting going on between the human race
People go to work just to earn their bread
While people just across the sea are counting their dead.

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HEAVY METAL AND BIRMINGHAM 2: ASTON, BLACK SABBATH, THE CROWN

“Understanding the music Black Sabbath makes, begins with understanding Aston.” Güzin Paksoylu

Aston: The Neighborhood Where Black Sabbath Is Born
All the members of the Black Sabbath band are from the low-income blue-collar factory workers neighborhood of Aston in Birmingham. The texture of the neighborhood where Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Bill Ward and Geezer Butler would invent heavy metal music, permeates the sound of Black Sabbath, their album covers and their lyrics. Understanding the music Black Sabbath makes, begins with understanding Aston.

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IN THE PURSUIT OF HEAVY METAL THE BIRMINGHAM CHRONICLES PART 1

Decoding Birmingham

Birmingham. The industrial and musical city of the United Kingdom, where the first fire of the Industrial Revolution burned, where the Watt Steam Engine was invented, where many fields of science such as physics, chemistry and biology flourished and where many genres of music emerged including heavy metal. It is a city to which I feel an unusual feeling of belonging, where I followed the footsteps of John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, the greatest storyteller of all time, linguist and literary figure, creator of the legendary Lord of the Rings myth, who grew up in Birmingham and created an entire mythology.
In October, I have met with Birmingham Music Archive Founder and Director Jez Collins in Birmingham. We have spoken about music which characterizes the city, another important factor that defines Birmingham, apart from industry,

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THE IAMX EXPERIENCE

On the evening of September 12, 2024, a name that evoked a whirlwind of indescribable emotions passed through Istanbul: IAMX. This solo music project, founded in London in 2002 by Chris Corner—formerly of the British trip-hop band Sneaker Pimps—draws on the experimentalism of visual arts while encompassing various musical genres such as electronic rock, dance, burlesque, and ballads.

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IAN ANDERSON: “JETHRO TULL’S MUSIC IS TIMELESS, JUST LIKE ISTANBUL”

** METAL ODA EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW **

Progressive rock monsters Jethro Tull are meeeting their Turkish fans two years later with The Seven Decades Istanbul concert. Combining hard rock, jazz fusion, classical music and folk influences, the Grammy winners Jethro Tull, are pioneers of progressive rock music, with more than 60 million albums sold worldwide. The legendary the leader and mastermind of Jethro Tull, Ian Anderson identifies İstanbul with the band’s music: “I think Jethro Tull’s music is somewhat timeless, not bound to any specific musical fashion. Isn’t your city like that too? A timeless city.”

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AN INTERVIEW WITH SEPTICFLESH

Sotiris Anunnaki V. from the symphonic death metal band SEPTICFLESH spoke to Metal Oda on the verge of their İstanbul concert to be held on February 16, 2024. The concert venue is IF Beşiktaş and the concert is organized by Vera Müzik and Black Label Events.

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AN INTERVIEW WITH JONAS RENKSE OF KATATONIA

Jonas Renkse, founder and lead vocalist of Swedish metal band KATATONIA spoke to Metal Oda on the verge of their SKY VOID OF STARS TOUR İstanbul concert to be held on January 20th, 2024.

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Heavy Metal, Birmingham, Tolkien (English)

Birmingham: the birthplace of heavy metal music, where the legendary bands Black Sabbath, Judas Priest and Duran Duran were formed and where the greatest story teller and philologist J.R.R Tolkien was raised.. The second major UK city where the industrial revolution started and which has seen the birth of Watt Steam Engine. Some members of the famous rock band Led Zeppelin and metal bands Napalm Death and Godflesh all originate from Birmingham, not forgetting UB40 and Steve Winwood.

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İstanbul Street Art / İstanbul Sokaklarından

Interesting Street Art from İstanbul. More to follow.

İstanbul sokaklarından ilginç duvar resimleri. Devamı gelecek.

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Deep Purple The Conqueror of İstanbul

English rock legends, pioneers of hard rock and heavy metal Deep Purple were in İstanbul Life Park last night on their “The Long Goodbye Tour”. Deep Purple members with their age average of 75, except their lead guitarist Simon McBride replacing Steve Morse who couldn’t join the show because of his wife’s illness, truly rocked İstanbul, made the audience sing along “Smoke on the Water” and showed us what pure rock is about and how it must be performed. I was equally amazed by the elderly crowd in the seated VIP section of the concert area, vibing with Deep Purple songs.

Their dynamic and satisfactory setlist, included their new song “7 and 7 Is” from the 2021 album “Turning to Crime”, their wonderful “Throw My Bones” from the 2020 “Whoosh!”, and unforgettable hits like Highway Star, Strange Kind of Woman, When a Blind Man Cries, Perfect Strangers, Smoke on The Water – saved best for last-. The concert was a relatively short one, but it left us with an amazing feeling of true rock with Ian Gillan’s amazing vocals, virtuoso shows by Ian Paice (drums), Roger Glover (electric bass),  Don Airey (keyboards) and Simon McBride (electric guitar). Don Airey conquered the hearts of the Turkish audience with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Rondo Alla Turca (Turkish March) from Piano Sonata No.11 and the famous İstanbul folk song “Katibim”i (Üsküdar’a Gider İken).

İstanbul Life Park was an impressive venue with its big stage, large stage screens and its top quality sound system. The only disadvantage of the venue was its location: deep in the woodland of Sarıyer, located very far away from the city center, with its tight path and its horrible traffic jam, I wondered whether İstanbul Life Park was a good choice for the concert; but the golden memories of this amazing show erased the difficulty of the journey to the venue.

Nice to know that the legendary rock band ordered “İmambayıldı” (a traditional Turkish delicacy cooked with aubergines and olive oil) to backstage and will be enjoying İstanbul’s historical sites today. Thank you Deep Purple, for conquering the hearts of İstanbul audience with your wonderful music and your most symphatetic band members. Long live Rock’n’Roll!

 

 

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