Shittiest SabbathDome: Never Say Die vs. Technical Ecstasy

[Marsupialized]

This has been a point of contention for a long time. Which Ozzy Sabbath album is the worst one? Lot of people feel 'Technical Ecstasy' is the more pungent turd, while some claim it to be 'Never Say Die'

If you think you are going to walk in and claim one of the other albums to be their worst, instead of one of these two, save it for the keynote speech at the asshole convention this year.

Which one is the better record:

[TheManWhoFelltoEarth]

I traded both of these a long time ago. I'll probably go with Technical Ecstasy.

[Pure L]

Fuck it. I dig 'em both even though they both have their shittier moments.

If a band has all original members and makes a shitty record, they always get a pass in my book. Being in a band with the same dudes over the years can get weird so it's somewhat inevitable that a record might follow suit.

Switch up members (even one) and make a shitty record? Then we'll talk turkey.

[154]

I've never heard either, but my god.. Technical Ecstasy has a terrible cover. Ugh. Never Say Die looks fuckin' stupid too, but geez. I bet that genius went on to design some awesome Yes covers in the 80s..

[Ptommydski]

I like both of these albums but Never Say Die is marginally better. I never really understood why they were considered bad, they are just not as good as the first five or so records. After the first spell with Dio, that's when the sucking started. Compared to everything after Mob Rules these record are excellent.

[Marsupialized]

They are bad because they are bad, the songs are not good.





That is really bad rock music.

[Ernest]

Technical Ecstasy has better songs, but really, I don't want to hear them again to compare.

[Marsupialized]

Technical Ecstasy has better songs

Show me ONE good song on Technical Ecstasy.
Here's two from never Say Die:





Show me even one song off Technical Ecstasy anywhere near good as one of those, which are mid-level Sabbath at best, don't get me wrong, I am not saying they are AWESOME, but they are not atrocious.

[Arson Smith]

This has been a point of contention for a long time. Which Ozzy Sabbath album is the worst one?

What the fuck "point of contention" are you just now dreaming up?

This has been CLEARLY established: TECHNICAL ECSTASY = SHITTIEST

Never Say Die has one tolerable track - the title track.

Technical Ecstasy DOES NOT EVEN HAVE A SINGLE TOLERABLE TRACK. NOT ONE.

Fuck it. I dig 'em both even though they both have their shittier moments.

You "dig 'em"?! You need to go soak your fucking head. Grown-ups are talking here.

I've never heard either, but my god. Technical Ecstasy has a terrible cover.

Hell, the album cover is the best thing about that record! Consider yourself warned.

I like both of these albums

Wrong.

Never Say Die is marginally better.

Correct.

I never really understood why they were considered bad

DO YOU OWN, OR HAVE AVAILABLE TO BORROW, A SET OF FUCKING EARS?

After the first spell with Dio, that's when the sucking started. Compared to everything after Mob Rules these records are excellent.

Born Again is an OK record in my book (with weak moments), but it is like heavenly symphony when compared to Technical Ecstasy or Never Say Die. Jesus, dude.

Technical Ecstasy has better songs

Goddammit, no.

but really, I don't want to hear them again to compare.

Absolutely understandable. You can just trust that your memory was slightly off.

They are bad because they are bad, the songs are not good.

That is really bad rock music.

Truth, Ruth.

[Marsupialized]

The man knows what he's talking about

[El Protoolio]

Yeah, I have to agree that Never Say Die is the more polished of the two turds. But god damn what a waste of time, money, and resources.

NEVER SAY DIE

[Dovey]

I bet that genius went on to design some awesome Yes covers in the 80s..

Was this a joke because that statement is actually 100% factually accurate.

[Eugenius]

I've never heard either, but my god.. Technical Ecstasy has a terrible cover. Ugh. Never Say Die looks fuckin' stupid too, but geez. I bet that genius went on to design some awesome Yes covers in the 80s..

Yeah, this! I've never heard either of these records, but the covers are enough to tell me that they are awful. They might as well have stamped a "government health warning" across the front.

[Marsupialized]

This was the original cover for Never Say Die, rejected for the pilot one, then used by Rainbow later

At least 'Never Say Die' has hidden faces and words in the clouds, for stoners to discover, Technical Ecstasy is just stupid

[Ptommydski]

I like every song on Never Say Die and I like the cover too.

The only thing I don't particularly find awesome is the same as every other Sabbath record. I don't like Ozzy's vocals much and I find the lyrics to be stupid. However, the riffs are good and its the best hard rock rhythm section in the world doing their thing. I don't really know what's not to like, frankly.

Don't get me wrong, the first five records are miles ahead but neither of these records are bad. They are just not great Sabbath albums. By the standards of the dross which attempted to follow in their image later on, these are fine albums.

[dvockins]

Never Say Die is solid.

Swinging the Chain is sick.
Shock Wave is coke riffs par excellence.
Hard Road is sick.
Johnny Blade is sick.
Title track is great.

Fuck you.

Technical Ecstasy is 100% garbage.

[Ernest]

Show me even one song off Technical Ecstasy anywhere near good as one of those, which are mid-level Sabbath at best, don't get me wrong, I am not saying they are AWESOME, but they are not atrocious.

I like "Backstreet Kids" enough. I think it's one of the strongest songs off the album. It might've, maybe, good enough for Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, in some strange universe. But it sounds like a male version of Heart.

"Dirty Women" sounds like BOC.

"Rock & Roll Doctor" is like their attempt at cock rock.

I don't think any of these songs are particularly bad, but nothing stands up to their past, so they suffer by default.

[LBx]

They are bad because they are bad, the songs are not good.

The title track is great. But the rest of Never Say Die is horrible.

Not sure I've even heard the other?

[El Protoolio]

That riff in the middle of "Johnny Blade" gives the whole record a pass in my book.

[Sowley]

Never Say Die is a beast of an album... while it doesn't hold a candle to the first four or some shit like "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath," it does swing. Bill Ward's drumming is so close to a Jaki Liebezeit panache, and the inclusion of horns pre-dates late period "Earth" by decades.

Technical Ecstasy is a pile of garbage...straight up.