Product Description

John Darnielle describes Master of Reality through a fictional character, a fifteen-year-old boy being held in an adolescent psychiatric centre in southern California in 1985.John Darnielle describes "Master of Reality" in the voice of a fifteen-year-old boy being held in an adolescent psychiatric centre in southern California in 1985. Adolescents in treatment are often required to keep a journal, and they write letters by the dozens: to their parents, to their friends on the outside, to the nurses who confiscate their belongings, to the teachers back at school who've offered them an outlet for their creativity. Our narrator has arrived in treatment with a Walkman and some tapes that are precious to him, only to have them taken away on the ground that their content is part of his greater problem.His various writings, aimed mainly at getting his tapes and Walkman back, will explain how Black Sabbath differs from their Satan-worshipping popular image, and how Master of Reality is an overtly Christian album, which it is. Our narrator will try to explain Black Sabbath like an emissary from an alien race describing his culture to his captors: passionately, patiently, and lovingly. This album has a genuinely remarkable historical status: as a touchstone for the directionless, and as a common coin for young men and women who felt shut out of the broader cultural economy.It'd be hard to overstate Ozzy Osbourne's totemic status among adolescents in the early eighties. His public image, cobbled together by his audience from occasional mainstream press mentions and niche magazine coverage, made him a nearly perfect sponge for the aggressive feelings of frustrated young men around the world. To this audience, who continue to occupy a an enormous if ghostly position on the margins, the early Black Sabbath albums were accepted classics in a genre whose lack of real status only served to indicate its true value.This, for me, is one of the places where the music does its most interesting work: when it becomes a tool in the hands of its listeners, and when the process of explaining it becomes part of its essence. This was never truer than in the mainstream metal subcultures of the eighties, where album titles served as passwords to a more accepting world. "Master of Reality", from its Christian heart right down to its ultimately incomprehensible title, is the perfect candidate for illuminating these undersung passageways."33 1/3" is a series of short books about a wide variety of albums, by artists ranging from James Brown to the Beastie Boys. Launched in September 2003, the series now contains over 50 titles and is acclaimed and loved by fans, musicians and scholars alike.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #226966 in Books
• Published on: 2008-06-05
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 101 pages

About the Author
John Darnielle is the singer and songwriter otherwise known as the Mountain Goats.

Customer Reviews

The Other View...
I just had to write a review of this book to outweigh the negative one below. Fair enough, if you are looking for a book that details the facts of how Master of Reality was recorded, then this isn't the book for you. For me, this book was about reading a book written by one of my favourite songwriters, John Darnielle from The Mountain Goats.
I've never even listened to Master of Reality. It's not my usual cup of tea. But now I am willing to sit down and give it a good listen, because this book is a beautiful rendition of how we connect to music, and how important it is in our lives. The central character of the story finds himself in a mental institution at the tender age of 17, but all he wants is his Black Sabbath tapes to make him feel better. Instead of overtly focusing on the boy's situation, Darnielle tells his story through his emotional connection to Master of Reality. If you've ever listened so much to an album that you know every note, and each song reminds you of a significant time when you listened to it, then you'll be able to relate to the central character, even if you don't like Black Sabbath. I think this book has captured what good music writing should be like; a tender reflection of how we each interpret music differently to have its own unique personal and emotional resonance, and a celebration of how important music can be for mental well-being.

The worst book in an otherwise excellent series. By Far!!!!
I suggest you click on the search inside option at the top of this page if you want to get a flavour of where this book is at. It's appalling. As lovers and collectors of music we have been spoilt with this series of books, but this is utter twaddle. Not a single recording fact, not a single piece of info about what the band were doing at the time of recording, no history, just a pointless fiction, with copious swearing. I don't know who passed this to get it printed but they should be sacked.
I don't mind things written from a singular viewpoint, that's what we all like about this series; something to wrestle with, agree, disagree etc. We all like facts about our favourite music, even if we've read them all before. But to give us NOTHING is too much. If you want to learn about this album or relive it's glories buy 'Rat Salad. Black Sabbath The Classic Years, 1969-1975' by Paul Wilkinson. A track by track blow by blow account of the band and their recordings. Stunning stuff. Run a mile from this; don't even accept a free copy. You'll tear yours up like I did mine.