A History Of Heavy Metal In 100 Songs

After being thrown out of Black Sabbath, Ozzy Osbourne thought his music career was done and a life as an abattoir worker awaited him in Aston. The Blizzard of Ozz LP turned out to be his saving grace, not only giving his career the boost he needed, but saving his life at the same time. Discover how Ozzy became the most recognisable man in metal.

Motorhead is yet another band who needs no introduction. Their influence is felt far and wide and by uniting the punks and the metalheads they changed the paramters of what metal could be. The pinnacle of their sound, the Ace of Spades, tells their story; from Lemmy's beginnings as a roadie to topping the UK charts.

If Black Sabbath built the home of heavy metal, Judas Priest decorated it. After their first album flopped commercially, and their label holding their purse strings tight, Judas Priest needed something outstanding if they were to survive as a band. 1976's Sad Wings of Destiny not only gave the band the success they deserved, but developed the metal genre further. Title track Victim of Changes is still one the most important and enjoyed Judas Priest tracks.

Alice Cooper brought a third dimension to live shows, transforming the bare stages of the early 70s into works of art in their own rights, whilst at the same time kicking up controversy. School's Out became the anthem for school children across the Western world, and Alice Cooper left a lasting mark on heavy metal.

It's 1972, heavy metal is this awkward new genre the fans love but bands hate. Nonetheless, rock groups are pushing boundaries to make darker and heavier music, and Deep Purple too have stamped on their distortion pedals. Smoke on the water brought groove and power to heavy rock, and influenced a slew of hard rock and metal bands over the next 50 years.

Bonus Episode! At a time when the threat of nuclear war seemed excruciatingly real, Black Sabbath once again produced a seminal anti-war song to capture the feeling of a generation. Children of the Grave has proven to be a timeless song and one of the many reasons Black Sabbath are still an influential force in music.

I did say I'd do Children of the Grave but in my research I found I had a lot more to discuss about Sweet Leaf. Black Sabbath are going from strength to strength and their third album Master of Reality builds on the artistic and commercial success of Paranoid. Delving into more experimental territory, one song Sweet Leaf spawned a genre and its influence was felt for decades. Not just a stoner anthem, but an uplifting song showing how great cannabis is, and why it should be legalised.

Hailed as one of the biggest bands in rock and pop, Zeppelin's influence spread far and wide into the very fabric of metal itself. They proved to be highly controversial and not always for the right reasons.

The swinging sixties died taking the blues revival bands with it. The world needs something else to see it through this dark time. Black Sabbath's debut album introduced the world to heavy metal, a new dark, scary and heavy type of music. It would be too much for some to handle, leaving the room when it was played or protesting the band, but many enjoyed this new sound.

By taking influences from a wide range of genres, King Crimson invented their own kind of music which was so hard to place at the time. They weren't ordinary rockers, they were far from jazz, and by no means were they classical. Their dark and challenging outlook invented progressive rock. Protesting the Vietnam war, 21st Century Schizoid Man threw the music world a curveball it didn't know how to catch, but became an important element in heavy metal.

It's not possible to overstate the genius of Hendrix. In a career spanning a mere four years, he changed not only elitist musician culture, but the very way in which we play guitar. He embraced the hippy movement along with the Black Panthers, and brought love to the world at a time when the flower power movement was at its peak.

What does Charles Manson and Roland Barthes have in common? Helter Skelter was the first heavy metal song to be released. Whilst it may not have been the most popular Beatles song in its time, it did become a blueprint for the bands that followed showing them how to dig the sonic depths of distortion and noise. It's also been used as a blueprint for creating an apocalyptic race war and justifying murder by a white supremacist.

The Doors get a lot of love, but I still feel they're underrated. They smashed open topics other bands skirted around which would be vital in the creation of heavy metal. A study in hedonism and existentialism, the Doors are metal without the distortion. This episode contains themes about sex and death.

The '60s is a time full of change both culturally and musically, and one song represents this change to both worlds more than any other of this time. Satisfaction not only highlights the difference between the conservative ruling classes and the emerging free younger generation, but the evolution of rock music.

The swinging 60s are kicking off and blues is popular again thanks to some pioneering English musicians. Rock music is born and feeds into a rapidly shifting society embracing free love and change. Meanwhile, the Kinks are cranking up their amps to destructive levels.

Elvis, perhaps the most famous musician ever. He not only changed the face of music forever but our very society too. Blue Suede Shoes came out at a time where he went from local hero to international superstar.

Transistors, films, & rock n roll. Rock Around the Clock is a seemingly innocuous, yet perhaps one of the most consequential tracks in history and almost spent its life as a forgotten B side.

This episode looks into the life of Robert Johnson, the King of the Blues. Learn about why this song is so important, the harsh life he lived and the legacy he left.

An introduction to the series explaining what it's about, how I'm making it and what to expect.