Of course it’s not exactly “Breaking News” that Black Sabbath have enjoyed a “Bump or Two” in their heyday; nor is it anything new that cocaine was expensive as shit back then. Still, the amount of money the members of Sabbath, as a collective, spent on cocaine in the early 1970’s is nothing short of fucking insane!
Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler noted the figure the band spent on cocaine while making their 1972 album, Vol. 4 was upwards of $75,000, which was fifteen thousand more than it cost to make the actual record. And if you think that sounds like a lot of money in 2018, get ready to have your mind blown: adjusted for inflation, that’s roughly $449,800.00 BIG ones!
Black Sabbath’s Vol. 4 was made over the course of about six months prior to its release in September of 1972.
So, that means that in six months, the band’s four members (presumably assisted by a few groupies) put nearly half-a-million 2018 dollars up their snoots!
How in the hell these guys are still alive and able to function and at such a high caliber for more than forty years is a mystery for the ages.
The four members of Black Sabbath wanted to make the song “Snowblind” the album’s title track, but their label nixed the idea, and the band didn’t fight them, presumably because they were too busy dealing with the constant flow of blood pouring out of their nostrils.
All the guys have been pretty open about their debauched past, but of all the stories concerning their experiences with illegal party favors, I think my favorite is Geezer Butler’s account of how the band used to have cocaine flown to them on private planes back in the early 70’s.
During those days, many of Sabbath’s drug-soaked escapades took place in the rented Bel Air, California mansion of John Du Pont – former heir to the Du Pont family fortune.
In addition to snorting what could easily equate to shit-piles of cocaine, Sabbath never really discriminated when it came to drugs or booze. On one particular occasion Geezer Butler nearly committed suicide while tripping on acid that someone had dropped into his drink. According to Butler, “It was that incident that helped me recognize that I needed to get sober.” Holy Shit!
Watch “Snowblind” Live
BLACK SABBATH – “Snowblind” (Live Video)
