Sunday Sabbath: "Evil Woman," from Black Sabbath (1970)

After our detour to North America, we come back to Europe to pick up “Evil Woman,” the first of two covers that show up on that version of the album. This one was originally recorded by the Minneapolis based blues rock band Crow, but doesn’t appear on the American version.


Of the exclusive tracks, Europe definitely got the winner. “Evil Woman” is a dark, bluesy tune with a thumping bass line from Geezer Butler and a slightly psychedelic twist on the chorus. It’s certainly a little lighter fare than some of the songs that came earlier on the album, but still right in the Sabbath wheelhouse. It shows a slightly different version of the band, a little less dark and almost joyful in places. Iommi’s sweeping blues soloing on the song is also some of the most soulful work on the record.

Comparing it to the original, the Sabbath version is mostly faithful, but certainly a little more gritty. The horns are much more prominent in the original and a bit distracting. I also prefer Ozzy’s mocking vocals to David Wagner’s deeper, more standard 1960s psychedelia delivery.

Again, not the best song on the album, but a solid cover.