Black Widow – Return To The Sabbat (1969/1998)

May 9, 2024

I’m not an expert on early British psych / rock music, but Return To The Sabbat is the supposed original version of the Black Widow debut. I am incredibly glad that it saw the light of day however because this archival recording from the dying embers of the 60s is head and shoulders above anything else that I have heard under the Black Widow name. Granted, I have not heard it all at this point but the difference is night and day. The analogue warmth of the tape recording is to die for, and the general vibe of the session is as smooth as butter, with Zoot Taylor’s organ being a particular highlight. Honestly, every second of this thing is just an absolute pleasure to listen to. I’ve had it on repeat for a few days now, which says a lot. Fantastic stuff.