Black Sabbath and Pantera……..two of the greatest bands to ever exist. You could make the case that Black Sabbath walked so Pantera could run. So what better way than to celebrate both bands with a Head To Head: Cover of the song “Planet Caravan.” Let’s take a look…..
Up first is the original and as my tastes have changed, I’ve really come to appreciate it a lot more. It’s considered one of their classics for a reason. First things first and that is what does the song mean?? Well according to Geezer Butler who composed the lyrics, he said it’s about floating through the universe with one’s lover. The kind of weird vocal effects were done with a Leslie speaker by Ozzy to achieve that treble and vibration effect. Guitarist Tony Iommi overdubbed flute to the reversed multitrack master which was then re-forwarded and treated with stereo delay. Songs like this are a reason why albums like this are considered fan favorites. This song is very dreamy, psychedelic, and mellow listen.
Now we get to Pantera’s version. Much like the original, it’s very mellow and dreamy. This is actually the closing song on the Far Beyond Driven album and according to the liner notes, “This is a Black Sabbath song off of the Paranoid album. So don’t freak out on us. We did the song because we wanted to. It has nothing to do with the integrity of our direction. It’s a tripped out song. We think you’ll dig it. If you don’t, don’t fucking listen to it. Thanks. On behalf of the rest of Pantera, Phil Anselmo ’94.” Of course the fans including myself dug it. It’s a huge departure from the rest of the album but after getting your head kicked in from the rest of it, it’s kind of a nice sort of “let’s settle down” kind of song. More recently, this song was played at the 2022 Heaven And Hell Festival (footage of the Abbott brother was also played on screen) with Phil Anselm saying “this is for the brothers” and was also played at the Back To The Beginning show in Birmingham England.
Honestly, I can’t pick because they’re both so good. Two great versions and bands should take note because Pantera did it right!! They made it their own while paying respect to the original. I’d say listen to both because they’re both great!!
Winner: Tie
