Bill Ward - Black Sabbath - #17 featured drummer from my 100 drummers seen and heard 1966 to present , this event was 7-3-1972.
1-12-23
#17 of 100 Drummer Feature / Bill Ward – Black Sabbath (7-3-1971) Eddie Graham Sports Stadium – Orlando, Florida
My second concert at The Eddie Graham Sports Stadium was July 3, 1971. This is the date the Black Sabbath tour itinerary confirms. I will go with that, from what I remember.
I again attended this with my Junior High School drummer friend, Louie Simmons.
The Orlando, Central Florida band Tin House is listed as the opening act. I vaguely remember them. Guitarist Floyd Radford was a local icon and went on to play with Johnny Winter. He followed the (Johnny Winter And) membership with Bobby Caldwell, Rick Derringer and Randy Joe Hobbs. Floyd also had a stint with Edgar Winter’s White Trash. I’ll write about that in a future featured drummer episode.
For this 1971 concert I sat in the bleachers. I was on the Tommy Iommi side. I think it may have been to crowded down in the pit, on the concrete floor, in front of the stage.
My first impression of Black Sabbath was their fat, dark sound.
I was also confused but intrigued by the dirge like tempos of the material, including Iron Man. Watching Youtube videos, I don’t really see and hear what I remember. There’s more energy to the live performance videos captured and posted on Youtube.
The guitar playing of Tommy Iommi was the standout that captured my attention. My memory of Bill Ward was his fat sound and how hard and loud he played.
This style of music, these type of musicians were very foreign to me. I didn’t know any musicians---or played with any musicians that were into this style of music.
I had played Hendrix, Cream, Zeppelin and Deep Purple but nothing like Sabbath. I’ve enjoyed visiting the Sabbath videos to see what I missed in this band and the drumming of Bill Ward.
The Youtube live in Paris (1970) video is what I remember from that 7-3-1971 concert. That 1970 performance is very impressive. Bill Ward plays great. He plays more in this video than I remember. His sound on those Slingerland drums is similar to John Bonham.
Bill Ward pulls out similar triplet fills and his sound is as big. He also sparingly demonstrates tasteful, explosive chops.
Ozzie is the Ozzie I remember from the Orlando gig.
(It’s quite funny watching the audience dance to “Paranoid” on a (1970) Top of the Pops” video)
I think if I had been exposed to musicians that played that style, I could have migrated towards it. I like the arranged simplicity of it. I wasn’t very knowledgeable about the Post-British Invasion Rock bands on the 70s in the Sabbath arena.
Hearing Sabbath in a (new found) way, I’m able to comprehend their musical concept. My music theory in 1971 was very limited to hearing and interpreting tunes from records.
Hearing Sabbath in 2023, I’m able to appreciate how their tunes are well rehearsed with compositional form. There is a balanced sharing of instrumental and vocal parts and transitions. This was a similar style of Zeppelin.
I’ll step out and give (my opinion0 that the social and cultural broadcast of music began to change in the early 70s. The creation of College and Independent FM radio opened up the airwaves for progressive music. The dominant (British Invasion) Beatles period---music on AM radio was coming to an end.
“Oversold” Large Rock Concert Music Arenas became “the thing” for “Super Groups” to perform to large audiences.
For many years, Bill Ward was an unknown to me. Writing this feature on Bill Ward has been very educational for my revisit to the music of Black Sabbath.
That’s the joy of music and discovering something new from the past.
My present enlightened music moments are not from new groups---but old bands or artist that fell through my listening cracks in the 60s and 70s.
Looking back 50 years, there was so much good music.
Watching Youtube concerts from that period is really entertaining. Everything has changed towards the highly overproduced visual experience.
In the 60s and early 70s bands set up in a small area, as close as possible to each musician. Drummers were on the floor with the rhythm section. Guitarist and bassist had one instrument. They didn’t have a roadie running onto stage with a different “axe” for each song.
“The show was the music performance” Musicians controlled their sound and appearance. Producers, promoters, sound engineers, labels and other entities slowly stole the soul and spontaneity from music and performance.
On that note I’ll close. My next feature drummer is #18 of 100. John Bonham – Led Zeppelin (8/31/1971) Eddie Graham Sports Stadium / Orlando, Florida