Black Sabbath had the best rhythm section ever, in my opinion. Geezer Butler and Bill Ward were made to play together.

I love how Geezer’s lines an riffs draw me in. They sound so simple then I started learning them and realized how crazy they are.

You should definitely check out thier war pigs live in paris 1970!! Its a legendary performance

Never paid attention to the bass in this song. After hearing it, it’s all I can think about. It’s very impressive!

Geezer never gets enough credit for what he does everyone alway talks about the drums and the lead but never Geezer

A deep dive into Geezer Butler playing would be a great thing to do. Lots of other Black Sabbath songs where Geezer really shows his chops

Geezer inspired me to pick up the bass. Very happy to see you dive into this song.

I got to see Black Sabbath on their last tour run, it was fuccing awesome.

There is a great live video of this song, I think done in France somewhere. The lyrics are different as it was a new song for them, but Geezer and Bill are KILLING it live. Worth a look.

Hands down the pioneer of metal bass 🔥🔥🔥🔥

You should do faries wear boots next that bass is so good

There is something about early 70’s rock bass guitar which is timeless. Whether that is Gary Thain from Uriah Heep, or Geezer from Sabbath or John Paul Jones, not to mention many great American bands. A fat old fender bass sound with the influences of blues, jazz, early rock and roll, Motown and heaven knows what else. Poetry in motion.

War pigs is so amazing!! Especially the melodic breakdown, his bassline over that is so beautiful and emotional! It’s always sounded to me like he’s playing with a wah pedal open slightly to get that almost muah sound, and playing right on the neck. Bass sounds to cool with a wah pedal open slightly and it cuts through the mix so well doing so

War Pigs is on the short list of songs I would want to do live. Everybody in the band gets cool stuff to do, it's iconic, there's room for the crowd to get involved. Close to a perfect live song imo.

Any Sabbath concert live was a feast for the ears . Geezer has to be right up at the top of bass players , a pure genius .

Man I was fortunate to see these guys come back together in 04 and 05. When they started, all the lights went off, and then the red lights came on with the siren blaring. One of my favorite concert memories to this day.

Geezer Butler - greatest hard rock/metal bassist . He also used to bend notes on strings . Proper Geezer ! 🇬🇧💯🎸🔥🎶

Geezer, I could never take my eyes off of him and Bill Ward. So epic.

So, couple things. Firstly, thank you for making me smile by letting me know 33 year olds aren't "old." We're the same age, and I'm getting to the point where I'm feeling old! Haha. Made me smile. Secondly, I know you mentioned that "swing" feel they have in the beginning of the song. For me, you can really feel that the rhythm section has such a pronounced jazz influence. I think that's initially what attracted me to Black Sabbath. As someone who had grown up on Metallica, Guns N Roses, Slayer, Pantera, etc., the first time I heard Black Sabbath, there was a GROOVE to it that I instantly fell in love with. Geezer is one of the guys that made me feel confident in going to the music store and buying a BASS over a guitar, unlike what all of my high school friends were doing at the time. Please keep doing these videos! I love your wealth of knowledge, your skill, your down to earth approach, and, now that I know we're the exact same age, you've given me something to continue to aspire to, even as I'm getting older and don't get the opportunity to play as much. I love your work in Scale the Summit! I actually stumbled across your channel without even realizing you were their bassist. The second I heard you play, I put 2 and 2 together. You're awesome man. Thank you for your contributions to the bass world! P.S.- I'd love to see you do a video on Knower, if you haven't. "Overdrive" is a fantastic song, with some sick bass licks, and Louis Cole is a legend. "Hanging On" also features the badass Tim Lefebvre.

Geezer is more than the bass player. His sound is vital to their sound. He originally played rhythm guitar, but the new band needed a bass player so he converted. He often says that he still plays a lot of rhythm with his bass. and yes...he plays up on the neck to get that woody sound.

Geezer, along with Cliff Burton, were so crucial in my beginning stages of playing bass. I modeled everything I did after those guys.

Geezer Butler is an underrated lyricist. And he was largely responsible for the "doom" aesthetic of the band

AWRIGHT!!! :D One thing I believe should be mentioned about Geezer. He's perfect for beginner bass players to learn from. Yeah, he's all over the place & playing a lotta notes... but he's totally easy to figure out w/o sheet music or tab or technology. All you need to know is that 90% of his style is beatin' the crap outtta octaves & pentatonic scales. What makes him unique is his phrasing w/in those "simple" boundaries... knowing when to hold back or cut loose. And being so simple his lines are just plain ol' fun to play.

THE Godfather of heavy metal bass! My favorite bass player, band and album of all time! This is a very jazzy and improvisational bass line! Geezer takes a tuned-down jazz bass line and puts it under Iommi's ten-ton hammer of a riff and it works! Bill Ward is great at adapting, too! I was watching a Rick Beato interview with John Petrucci, Tosin Abasi and Devin Townsend the other day, granted all monster guitar players, and Petrucci was talking about being plugged in to a "REAL" amp versus digital technology, which is great for individual instruments, but Black Sabbath is resonating off of tube amplifiers, which is why it's impossible to duplicate the tone and sound in this day and age unless you have vintage equipment. Not to bore you with my life story, but I was born in 1968 and I'm 55 years old. When I was in about the 3rd grade, age 8 or 9, I had a friend named Miguel and we were in the cub scouts together. One day he invited me to his house. When I arrived, he took me into his 17-year-old brother's room, which was in the basement, and his brother had a huge stack of records (yes, actual VINYL LPs). Two of those records were "Paranoid" and "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath." We "rocked out" all afternoon, and it was a colossal departure from the "A.M. Gold" with which I was raised. I was out shopping with my mom the following week and I bought a copy of "Paranoid." It was the first album I bought with my own money! Over the years, I've worn out several vinyl albums, a couple of cassettes, maybe a CD or two and probably even an 8-track (ha ha ha!) of this record!!!!! History: For those of you who don't know, Black Sabbath released their eponymous debut, very intentionally, on Feb 13, 1970 (Aside: if you own the original version, you probably don't know that the songs that lead up to and basically comprise "Warning" - maybe I should call it "The 'Warning' Suite" - are actually a cover song of the (drummer) Aynsley Dunbar Retaliation song of the same name, albeit the original song is only about 3 and a half minutes long; Sabbath's version is practically the B-side of the album! If you own an old Dutch NEMS version (I own BOTH!), the song "Evil Woman," which replaces "Wicked World" from the original, is a cover of one-hit wonder Minneapolis-based band Crow, not to be confused with a Spooky Tooth song of the same name on the album "Spooky Two.") "Paranoid" was released, also intentionally, on Sep 13, 1970, so Sabbath released two albums in one year and also released both records on the 13th of the month (Oooh...evil!) I've read multiple comments to check out the "Live in Paris" video(s). I've seen "Live in Paris," just not recently, but I will point out something not everyone notices. Watch Ozzy. He's THE original headbanger! There were a lot of great bands in that era, but no one was banging their heads. Oz looks like Cliff Burton, only a good 12 or 13 years earlier! The original song was titled "Walpurgis" (check out "The Peel Sessions - 1970" on YT, it's been out for years now, originally a hard-to-find bootleg, and you can hear the original song, which doesn't have the "brightness" or swagger of its successor, but it's the same song musically. "War Pigs" is definitely a greatly polished version!) Certain countries in Europe celebrate "Walpurgis Night," so-called because of St Walpurga (the "W" is pronounced like a "V"), and it's supposed to welcome spring as much as Octoberfest welcomes fall. Unlike the Christian themed holiday, the song was basically a tribute to the band's namesake in that it depicts an occult-themed "Witch's Sabbath" with dark and, especially for the time (1970), grotesque and shocking lyrics (one line: "People eating dead rats' innards...."). I don't know if Sabbath was signed to Warner Bros. at the time, but the record label insisted that the band change the lyrics. Geezer, also being the primary lyricist for Sabbath, took pen to paper, quite literally in those days, and wrote "War Pigs." Despite being a British band, the song is a Vietnam War protest song. This song, and album, is 53+ years old and it stands the test of time. Given what has happened since the Vietnam War (i.e., Serbo-Croatian conflict, African civil/tribal wars, the U.S. in the Middle east for 20 years and now Russia invading Ukraine, etc.) I think the song is as relevant today as it was when it first came out. Mark, I've intentionally stayed off of on the internet, at least in terms of commenting, for years and have been a passive participant. I joined YT specifically for your channel and this is my second post ever, so please pardon me for writing a book, although I thought you might find the information useful. I stumbled upon your channel by accident earlier in the week and now I can't stop watching! You're an extremely talented bass player, especially being able to pick up lines by ear. Your reactions are very informative and interesting and you're turning me onto players I've either never heard of or just thought, "meh" (e.g., Jared Smith, Alex Webster side projects, b/c I hate CC vocals, etc.). Great stuff, young man! Keep it up! - Dan (P.S. I subscribed!)

Their lines weave together during the solos and it really compliments each other. I've always thought during the solos they both kind of took solos but Geezer never forgets to hold the bottom down. If you watch him live you can see he does use his picking hand up closer to the neck and he's going off the whole time.

i missed this one , what a song man .....god i love the tempo of this song, Geezer and Bill , what a combo

Cranking these out! I’m loving all the content

Thanks for all the great content, Mark! Love all of your work and your channel as well. Would love to see a reaction video of Dan Briggs of Between the Buried and Me!

Geezer...The reason I picked up the bass. Check out his solo work GZR💯🔥

Geezer was actually a guitar player but they needed a bass player so he switched to bass and stayed there. Tony didn't want a second guitar player and they certainly didn't need one so it ended up perfectly Y.

I believe the reason for the way Bill Ward and Geezer dynamics is so amazing is because I believe that most rock musicians of that time studied jazz a lot and I believe Tony, Bill, and Geezer were no different in that they were also students of jazz and especially jazz improvisation like John Entwistle and Keith Moon (" The Real Me" by the Who) or Greg lake and Michael Giles in King Crimson ("21st Century Schizoid Man" by King Crimson). Just my opinion.

Geezer is the epitome of a "feel" bassist, he won't play the exact same fill twice but he'll capture the feel every time. He knows what key he's in and will aggressively play in the pentatonic blues box to propel the song forward when he needs to, but he's also the one who really sets the dynamics and energy of each movement, more than anyone else in the band. Honestly, he's why I think most stoner bands fail in their quest to capture that classic Black Sabbath feel: the bass may nail the tone but they don't really channel that push and pull you described earlier to its greatest effect

This song is an all around fun to play for everyone. 🎸

If you listen closely you can hear that a lot of the song is double tracked on the bass. Some parts are identical in each track and at other times it differs. I think that helps with the 'clank' in his tone - where the attack on each note is subtly different in each track. Similarly to Toni Iomi, in the solo sections, you can hear that Geezer has 2 bass parts that 'solo' and play different things, which makes up some of the 'all over the place' bass fills (because it's two separate fills at the same time!).

Well done. Great analysis on Geezer. There is so much groove between Geezer and Bill.

Been working on getting this song perfect on bass and every time I think I'm there I listen to it again and I'm like @#&$ it's not right.

Geezer had to improvise because Bill does. That and the fact that Sabbath don't play in time, they play to Tony. Great review.

i completely agree with and enjoy the way you analyze music, i relate to the way you think about it. really good stuff!

I'm so close to learning it I'm stuck on his helping solo and the other part that is close to it as well I love this song

I love it! Nobody ever mentions Geezer. Thank you. It's Rock and Roll!

I hate to sound like a get off my lawn old dude too but jeez, I just don't get that same feeling hearing a lot of rock today that I do when I put on Van Halen, for example. It feels like they laid the track down all in the same room together over the weekend. Just has a rawness that is hard to capture today.

Mark love all the videos bro! You should do NIB the beginning bass solo on that ugh 🤤

I always wondered why not only did the bass stand out, but was my favorite parts on Ozzy's album Ozmosis from 95 until i looked at the liner notes and saw it was none other than Geezer Butler himself.

Can’t wait!!

I remember when i was 33 and thought i wasnt anold guy..... im 36 now, and im old, your days are numbered buddy, may as well embrace it now hahaha

Great video thought I’d never see anything like this. The best version of this song is 1974 California Jam. The guitars are tuned down to C#. Which gives it a real dark and heavy sound.

More Sabbath please 🥺

Someone should've gotten a Grammy for fitting that air raid siren so perfectly after the guitar feedback. 1:30 The idea of the siren was a genius idea, alone.

Yes Geezer played high up on the neck. Also for the first two records he had very old flat wounds. In an interview he said it wasn’t for musical or tonal choice, it was simply they were too broke to afford new strings!

Geezer is all over the places in the fret board !!! 😊😊😊 Black Sabbath is the most “honest” rock band ever !!! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

8:40 *This* Right-on! Excellent review Geezer's playing! Edit: Subbed

4:28 this is one of those songs that has a lot of improv while also having parts that have to be there as they were on the album. Tony's second solo immediately comes to mind in terms of matching the album, that solo has to be there. Geezer can get away with more improv but he always lands right where he needs to and that's what makes him so damn good.

Great tune. I’ve played this song so many times I’ve lost count. I think a lot of the swing came from Bill Wards drumming. I usually go off on this song especially toward the end. I always tried to keep the main bass riffs same as album but by the end me & the guitarist usually are trying to out solo each other lol. This is the last album Sabbath used fairly standard tuning before going to c# tuning from Masters on til Dio joined. Great video my friend.

Definitely find a live footage: Geezer, as well as the others, is brilliant to watch!

intersting bassplayer... Rinus Gerritsen. One of the main influece on Steve Harris, was asked by Jimi Hendrix personally if he would bass for him. After opening for Led Zeppelin's first USA tour, he sneaked back on stage.. took Led Zeppelin's speakers and amps open, made notes of all the wiring relays and such, had amps and speakers made accordingly so in homeland The Netherlands, and they blew everyone out of the water.... Golden Earring, and he plays a very unique bass....these days a Danectro longhorn, but very early and in studio ; his own made bass, like The Red Special of Brain May

If I had a band gezzer would be on bass ❤️

And also considering the time length geezer had been playing bass, as he was a rhythm guitarist and even was playing a Tele down an octave before he had a bass. But very good stuff as behind iommis solo is geezers playing one too which sure helps push the boundaries abit , and a nice warm neck sound too. Pretty good for a rhythm guitarist lol

You should check out their live performance of War Pigs from their TV broadcast in 1975 on "Don Kirschner's Rock Concert".

When Tony Iommi starts that Riff....I’m sent SOMEWHERE ELSE!...Aargh!!

I'd recommend checking out the bass playthrough for Ruins by Unprocessed or just any David's done. His playing is what got me back into bass after playing guitar for years

4:33 Gezzer does some cool slides and his fills vary on live versions of this song. It seems he added more variations later in his career on live versions of this song.

One of my favorite tracks. Absolutely love this track. For something a bit different, you should check out either Diablo Swing Orchestra or Thank You Scientist. Both bands have amazing bassists

Geezer used a stripped '69 P bass with some SUPER old strings on it, because in his words he was "too broke" to afford them on the first records. One the first records, he used a Laney 70-watt tube amp and a Park 4x12" Cab with only 3 working speakers. he than upgraded this into 2 Laney 4x12" cabs, along with 2 100-watt Laney heads.

You need to check out the live version in Paris from 70 or 71. Amazing. For me, it's rare I like a live version even more, but that is one. And no offense, but most of us (non-bass players) would say that Bill Ward steals the show. :) But Geezer's playing is fantastic. It's easy to not notice the fantastic bass playing, since it's more 'in the background' compared to the guitar amd drums (unless you're a bass player). I discovered this album when I was still 11, in the summer of 72. My sister bought it because of 'Iron Man' and it didn't take long for this to be my favorite song. Back then I'd always wanted to be a drummer and thought this was amazing drumming. I ended up starting on the guitar a couple of years later. Back then I had no idea how good Geezer was. I'm thinking he ad libs some when he plays live. Probably the old 'stay close to the original, but change it some to make it interesting'. These guys must have had a great time playing together live, they could all just go crazy on their individual instruments (and vocals), but were so tight.

Geezer is the hardest-working dude in that band. he's so good that you don't hear it until you start really listening, or when you try and learn a Sabbath song. it's crazy.

"Hand of Doom" is one of the nastiest, filthiest, bass songs Sabbath has done. There isn't a person who has listened to that song that either consciously or subconsciously hasn't made stankface while listening to it. Absolutely epic bass from Geezer and some amazing percussion from Bill that just makes for a greasy, biscuit soppin', plate of musical genius. You must have a listen, but bring a napkin... your mouth will be a waterin'.... 🤤🤤🤤

@8:29 I'm surprised the first word out of your mouth wasn't 'overdub'. I've grown up with all this stuff and can say this is a rare time where both the lead guitar and bass guitar both have overdub parts that are similar to each other. I try to 'feel' which part is dominant and then meld it together when playing live. Well, up to 20 years ago :P

I would love to see your reaction to Black Sabbaths In to The Void. You'll hear the bass actually plays along with the guitar.

Important to know that Geezer recorded two separate bass lines throughout this classic album. Many times that you hear a "flam" it's the two bass lines lining up. I've read that the two bass tracks are panned mostly left and right. Even that is a testament to his accurate playing. How often do you hear a bass line doubled these days? As far as "what did he play"? It was a late 60's P-Bass. And yes, he played over the neck to get that percussive sound that cuts through. See my video... kzfaq.info/get/bejne/isWGqdmn37CxpH0.htmlsi=QiLrjvRAK8MiltnE

Just come across your channel and have hit a few vids: really enjoying them. I don’t understand how people can’t give Geezer the probs he deserves: he is Black Sabbath to me. Well, they all are, and I love all the band’s line ups (justice for Tony Martin!) but Geezer is… well, he’s Geezer. But in talking about pioneering heavy metal bassists: if Gary Thain isn’t part of the conversation then it’s one that isn’t worth having! His work with Uriah Heep in their classic period from 72 to 74… how this isn’t a core part of rock bass 101 is absolutely baffling to me. I think he’s got a bit of reputation as a bit of a bass player’s bass player but the influence he’s obviously had, despite also somehow being dramatically underrated, is immense. I’d say check out “Circle of Hands” - a slightly deeper cut but a goodie.

53 years ago! Damn son, now tell me about any non mainstream nu metal band that people will listen to in 53 years and hit them like a ton of bricks

It's quite a transition Geezer made because he was originally a guitarist so if you listen you can see the influence on a 6-string guitarist leading to a 4-string bassist.

6:37 Geezer definitely plays high on the neck, and he strikes the strings pretty aggressively.

8:29 The bass guitar was doubled there, so you can actually hear two bass guitar tracks at the same time during that section. Stuff that nobody does these days.

Geezer is a beast

He used a Fender jazz bass. The positioning of his fingers. He moves in from front to back pick ups in lightning quick speed.

May I suggest bassist Billy Gould from Faith No More. He is an absolutely amazing bassist. They have so many amazing songs, but can I request the instrumental "Woodpecker from Mars". This is one of my favorite tracks from the album The Real Thing. This piece does not get the attention it should. Billy Gould kills it in this track. Can you please do a deep dive into this. Love your videos. ✌

Should've checked out the 1970 Live in Paris performance. Arguably the best performance footage of this classic. All members are on top form. Seriously though, his fingers would go off on one. Either there's more nuance to his playing than you hear, or he makes it look harder. All I know is he goes HARD on them strings. I believe he was also one of the first to bend the strings on a bass and such. It also can't be overlooked that throughout the 70s he was the primary lyricist for the band. When I discovered Sabbath, every member made me want to play that instrument. Bill Ward made me try to learn drums. I don't have the coordination. Geezer had me look at Bass. In the end, Tony's riffs had me settle on guitar.

Hey I'm not sure if it fits the style of music for the channel, but you have a lost brother in Brazil, lol. An excellent bass player who looks like you a bit. Check out Felipe Andreoli - Angra - The Temple Of Hate [Bass Playthrough]

Legend has it he was poor and couldn't afford new strings. He also played thru a guitar amp with only 3 speakers working

Check out the concert that follows the album BLACK SABBATH 13 to answer some of your questions about where he plays on the neck and if he improvises live.

I always wondered that too. Does he adlib these diff each time . I've come to realize, he already has these stop start. stretch at exact moments/ double up notes. pick from 1/8 note picking to 1/4 note picking and combinations of both/ hammer & pull offs strategically placed using them as repeated patterns, direction change mixed in at the best times and so forth. I would say Geezer is (used to throwing all this stuff in) the same as the rush lead player does, to fill out ( tread water) In key of E between the 5th & 7th & 7th & 9th. Like working man solo. So his bass patterns are just lead solo's on bass. But does he write these ahead of time or just used to playing lead with these lead bass fills. and this is just everyday bass lead playing add lib to him.

Geezer and John Entwistle were really the 2 major influences on every other rock bass guitarist since the 70s. John gets the credit he deserves but I simply don't see people mention Geezer as often as they should.

What he used: a p-bass, old flatwounds, and a broken amp

This is the album that taught me how to play bass

I'd love to hear you reaction to Black Breath - Razor to Oblivion. It's like Ace of Spades on steroids with a sprinkle of hardcore

Geezer is amazing and yes a god father of metal bass! And Steve Harris is the Metal God of the Gallop!

Geezer played a Fender p bass in the early days

The creators of Metal. 🤟🏻🤟🏻

Are you a mind reader? I was just thinking “I hope he does a video on Sabbath.” Lo and behold it’s my FAVORITE Sabbath song too!

Geezer and Bill ward were a amazing rhythm section you couldn't get this vibe these days too much computers involved, when this was recorded it was all analogue tape and from what I've read it was mostly recorded live

love this song and faith no more do a great version of it too! and if you don't know FNM and billy gould.. you damn well should!

I'm pretty sure Geezer was using a P-Bass at this time, but not sure which amps he had. 'Arry may be one of the greats of metal bass playing, but I think he got a LOT from Geezer--similar tone and approach, I think. Geezer has always been abundantly clear about the influence that Cream (and therefore Jack Bruce) had on his and Sabbath's sound, too.

Its worth noting that geezer butler wrote most of the lyrics for Sabbath.

A popular Black Sabbath song, covered by over 60 bands.

Love your analysis

Yeah, the tuning is less than 1/2 a step off if I remember correctly.

I’m pretty sure he used a fender p bass. I’ve seen him live 4 times over the years and he plays over the neck a lot

wasnt the whole album recorded on 'not so intact' bass amp, don't remember. Something wrong with one speaker edit. ah someone already mentioned this.

How bout reacting to some Al Cisneros, Om or Sleep are the bands he plays in