On April 6, 1974, an eclectic lineup of bands descended upon the Ontario Motor Speedway in Ontario, California for California Jam. Co-headlined by Deep Purple and Emerson, Lake & Palmer, the lineup featured the Eagles, Black Oak Arkansas, Seals and Crofts, Black Sabbath, and more.
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Just four years removed from the release of their self-titled debut album and their first North American concert, Black Sabbath took the stage ahead of Deep Purple. At the time, they had just released their fifth studio album, Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, and had already become one of the biggest names in rock and roll. Watch them open their set with “War Pigs” below.
In the clip above, Black Sabbath delivers the kind of hard-hitting performance that fans have come to expect over the years. However, their stage attire is shockingly different than what many expect from modern metal bands. Even those who don’t don the classic leather and spikes usually dress in black. However, Ozzy Osbourne, Geezer Butler, and Tony Iommi are all wearing outfits that would be right at home with the flower power crowd. Bill Ward even has flowers on his drum kit. Sabbath didn’t need to try to look a certain way. Their music spoke for itself.
Black Sabbath Protested the Vietnam War with “War Pigs”
“War Pigs” is one of several protest songs Black Sabbath has released over the years. According to Songfacts, the Vietnam War was in full swing when bassist/lyricist Geezer Butler wrote this song. “Britain was on the verge of being brought into it, there was protests in the street, all kinds of anti-Vietnam things going on,” he explained. “War is the real Satanism. Politicians are the real Satanists. That’s what I was trying to say,” he added.
The song’s opening lines– Generals gathered in their masses / Just like witches at black masses–have been the subject of many jokes over the years. “I just couldn’t think of anything else to rhyme with [masses]. And a lot of old Victorian poets used to do stuff like that, rhyming the same word together,” Butler said of the lines. “It didn’t really bother me. It wasn’t a lesson in poetry or anything,” he added.
