Fairies Wear Boots – BSCBR

In a year when nothing happened, the justifications and the stories about it therein can get a bit repetitive. Yada the cover versions, yada yada, the girl on vocals, yada, the classic tune given a new… Twist? Hang on. This isn’t quite fitting the same narrative.

In a year where almost everything happened Black Sabbath tolled the bell on the end of the 60’s hippy dream and put out their second album Paranoid. The genre defining milestone. Still the greatest stoner metal record of all time. Released to the public on the day Hendrix died, Paranoid is a set text for rock and rollers.

A number 1 single from the sixties as it’s title track, War Pigs, Planet Caravan, Iron Man, Hand Of Doom and… Widididididle Fairies Wear Boots. All on one album.

50 Years since Paranoid. That’s a milestone that wasn’t going to go unrecognized. Of course the band put out a teeth enamel stripping level of expensive deluxe edition of the album. It comes in a thick box with several versions of the same thing and lots or cardboard. That’s not all that happened though. There were 50 years of Heavy Metal books, boots, T-Shirts. Aaaaannnndddd

Cover versions. Zakk Wylde has found himself without his main gig since the Double O made his last album with some new dude on the sly. I think he’d still be in the touring band… If it ever toured but, he has a side gig to his side gig (I guess Black Label Society is the main draw these days) in Zakk Sabbath. Straight up live in the studio covers of the vintage Sabbath stuff. This year they did a one night recording of the debut album called it Vertigo and released it only on analog formats to keep it old school.

‘Tis a thing of rare beauty.

Bandcamp Linky

BSCBR are a bit of a different proposition. A jam band from NYC essentially. They’re of considerable pedigree. Nick Zinner and Gregg Fox of Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Brad Truax from Interpol, Angel Deradoorian from Dirty Projectors. That’s not your usual gang of fat metallers from down the pub. I only haven’t mentioned second guitar Mick Barr because I am not NYC cool enough to have heard of his band. Ocrilim. They’re called Ocrilim.

What is so damned slack jawed impressive about their whole endeavour is how accurate their sound is. Listen to Fairies Wear Boots from their double A side seven inch tribute to the Godfathers Of heavy, titled Master Of Rehearsal.

Yes, that’s a real live actual girl on vocal. Doing a very tuneful rendition of a post Earth Ozzy. But Goddamn if that ain’t some straight up homage. The time changes, the grooves and breakdowns. This is straight down the line serious take on one of the bands deepest cuts. Fairies Wear Boots is the flip to Sweet Leaf in case anyone was wondering about the origins of this whole project.

Like going to the Globe to see Shakespeare after years of loving Romeo + Juliet and 10 Things I Hate About You, This new take on a very old song is so close to the original it is an eye widening, pupil dilating revelation.

I bought a splattered seven inch when I saw all proceeds went to BLM. Maybe you’d like to too.

BandCamp Linky

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