Black Sabbath vs. Charles Bradley | Head 2 Head 🗣️

On the 15^th edition of Head 2 Head, Black Sabbath and Charles Bradley duke it over their respective takes on the Black Sabbath classic, “Changes.” 

Welcome to Head 2 Head! On Head 2 Head, we pit at least two musicians singing the same song together, comparing and contrasting their performances.  Then, after much deliberation, we deliver a verdict of which performance was the best, or at least, subjectively, which performance moved us more.  For our 15^th edition of head-to-head, the source material is the 🎙 Black Sabbath song, 🎵 “Changes”. The two artists going head-to-head are Black Sabbath (fronted by 🎙 Ozzy Osbourne at the time and late, great soul artist, 🎙 Charles Bradley. So, without further ado, let the Head 2 Head commence!

1. Black Sabbath, “Changes”

💿 Vol. 4 • 🏷 Warner • 📅 1972

“I’m going through changes / I’m going through changes.”  🏆 Grammy winning heavy metal band 🎙 Black Sabbath is known for being edgy, and of course, most famously fronted by 🎙 Ozzy Osbourne.  I mean, when Ozzy reunited with his former band in 2013, he courted controversy (as usual) with the song, 🎵“God Is Dead?”.  That said, there’s nothing controversial about the band’s gorgeous 1972 ballad, 🎵 “Changes”. “Changes” appears as the third track on the album, 💿 Vol. 4.

Honestly, “Changes” is one of those timeless, untouchable gems.  Ozzy Osbourne sings incredibly expressively (as only he can), setting up the heartbreak conveyed lyrically.  “I feel unhappy, I feel so sad,” he sings, continuing, “I’ve lost the best friend that I ever had.” Those lyrics are simple yet quite transcendent given everyone has experienced these changes, to some degree.  In this case, it’s a breakup in the form of the D-word: DIVORCE.  On the second verse, Osbourne goes on to sing:

“We shared the years, we shared each day
In love together, we found the way
But soon, the world had its evil way
My heart was blinded, love went astray.”

The lyrics speak for themselves and honestly require little interpretation.  Adding to the classicism beyond stellar vocals and simple, relatable, and memorable lyrics is the music itself.  You’ve got to love the piano and mellotron accompaniment – definitely a stark timbre contrast to what we typically associate and hear from the heavy metal collective.  “Changes” in the hands of Black Sabbath exemplifies a classic.

2. Charles Bradley, “Changes”

💿 Changes • 🏷 Daptone • 📅 2016

In the hands of the late, great “Screaming Eagle of Soul,” 🎙 Charles Bradley, 🎵 “Changes” sounds like an original.  Sometimes, covers sound merely interpretive, lacking a degree of distinctness relative to the more innovative original.  That’s not the case with this Bradley take, which graces his 2016 album, also titled 💿 Changes. Can you say TRANSFORMATION???

The fact that the gritty soul vocalist is able to make “Changes” sound like a classic soul cut, particularly in the 2010s, is a testament to his artistry.  The Black Sabbath original, a classic in its own right, didn’t sound like this… Anyways, focusing on Bradley, he got a late start pursuing his dream, but the fact that he was able to bless the world with his artistry, even for a short time, is awesome. If you’ve ever experienced a Bradley performance, you understand that it’s not subtle – it’s EPIC. Bradley always gave his all, which means a vocal performance characterized by expressive ad-libs, screams, and generally, colorful to the nth degree.  You definitely buy what he sells. As with everything on Changes, “Changes” finds Bradley ‘milking it for all its worth,’ particularly the beloved chorus.  His voice is tailor made for the heartbreak and pain of the lyrics.

Just to make it clear, it’s not just Charles Bradley that transforms “Changes.” As aforementioned, the sound of this record is a stark contrast to the original.  The background hearkens back to 60s/ arly 70s soul, characterized by biting horns. The instrumentation on Bradley’s “Changes,” backed by 🎙 The Budos Band, is fuller and richer.  “Changes” is truly an ear catching listening experience, sigh.

Also appears on 🔽:

🔗 🎧 13 Songs Chocked-Full of Changes

The Verdict 👨🏿‍⚖️ 

Black Sabbath or Charles Bradley?  Charles Bradley gets the edge by my estimations.  It’s incredibly tough to beat out an original, particularly one from a truly ‘golden era’ of music.  That said, Bradley truly transforms an already elite song and makes it even more elite.  The fuller instrumentation that matches the pain of Bradley’s vocals is just too good to deny.  I’d go so far as to call this a historically great cover.

Black Sabbath vs. Charles Bradley: Head 2 Head 🗣️ No. 15 [📷: Brent Faulkner, Daptone, The Musical Hype, Valentin Tikhonov from Pixabay, Warner]