-- Black Sabbath - Reunion [2-CD SET] | (Audio CD) MSRP $ 24.98 Amazon Price $ 24.98 Savings $ 0.00 | |  Release Date: 20 October, 1998, Sony
TRACK LISTING - War Pigs
- Behind The Wall Of Sleep
- N.I.B.
- Fairies Wear Boots
- Electric Funeral
- Sweet Leaf
- Spiral Architect
- Into The Void
- Snowblind
- Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
- Orchid/Lord Of This World
- Dirty Women
- Black Sabbath
- Iron Man
- Children Of The Grave
- Paranoid
- Psycho Man
- Selling My Soul
Usually ships in 24 hours | | | The overdue reunion album, still waiting for more. | | This was a great disc I picked up on the day of release, new black sabbath with the original line up, unthought of for so long. All the classics with Ozzy. Now I keep waiting and hoping someday they will get together and do a new full album, but hope is shrinking. The two new songs are OK, Pscyhoman sounding more like recent Ozzy songs, but Selling my Soul sounds more like the Iommi riffs of past. Must have CD for the sabbath fan, the first official live release endorsed by the group with Ozzy on vocals...20 years after his leaving. Live at Last has been around for years, but was never endorsed by the band, and Live Evil, although good in its own right for DIO fans, just is not Ozzy. So Get this, its Sabbath at its best. | | | | It`s SABBATH! | This is one of those releases with some serious disappointments and some serious pluses, that make it confusing to judge as a whole.
First of all, just the thought of these four guys being together again, and playing the songs they wrote before Tony dragged Sabbath out over decades of bad power metal---some of the greatest songs ever made, and no less---is incredible. Can they live up to that hype, though? Sometimes yes, sometimes no.
Ozzy usually sounds great, although sadly he can no longer hit the high notes on "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath." Bill Ward is solid, but he`s stripped a lot of the jazziness and busy-work out of his drumming, and sounds a little too streamlined for me at times. Tony and Geezer, however, are consistently jaw-dropping: Iommi`s guitar carries all the bulldozer power of the original records, Butler pounds his bass with all the fury he`s known for, and both of them play with all the fire and inspiration one could hope for. (And, in fact, more than I hoped for or expected!)
I embarrassed myself by going to Ozzfest in 2005 just to catch these guys before they hung it up again. The real satisfaction was just knowing I`d seen the almighty SABBATH. The performance was exactly like this record: Occassionally breathtaking, and at other times, slightly disappointing. For example, Ozzy and Bill`s inability to keep time with each other during the vocal breaks in "War Pigs."
There are, however, some very strong points to this album that make it, in my opinion, essential for any fan of the original Sabbath. "Electric Funeral" is one. I always thought that was the weakest track on "Paranoid," but when I saw them, and on this disc, the song sounds positively apocalyptic, at least twice as ominous and heavy as it was originally. "Dirty Women" is the same deal---the "Technical Ecstasy" version is so-so, but live, it becomes one of my favorite Sabbath songs, a juggernaut of a song that plows through with massive force before giving way to one of the most gorgeous and emotional guitar passages ever performed.
Another quick highlight is the braekdown after the solo in "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" - Ozzy doesn`t even ATTEMPT to sing it, but the band nails it with a force unapproached by the studio original.
I do recommend buying this, just for its historical importance, and for those highlights. Just don`t expect perfection throughout. | | | | Just awsome! | This is a great reunion!You need to know what the original`s sound like first though:
1. War Pigs:The live version of this is awsome!It starts with Tony performing the traditional riffs and he is doing them way better then normal.Geezer is flipping his bass while he plays and Bill performs his drumming at top notch.Ozzy taunts the crowd to clap their hands while the music is going on so for the first 1:05 when that awsome dun-dun and the drum tapping then another dun dun and finally the first verse.Ozzy can still sing awsome!He has the great vocals going fine the whole verse is done great and then he screams just as good as before "OH LORD YEAH!" and then incomes that powerful guitar and fast drumming and then the picking guitar and Geezer`s bass shredding into the mess when Ozzy then sings the next part just like it was suppose to sound like and after that we go back to the fast guitar and bass with the drums moving into Ozzy`s next vocal performance when he shouts "Yeah!" and then the drumming pounds in with the guitar and we get the long instrumental part and then Ozzy gets the crowd to sing the next verse!That is what lower`s this live version because Ozzy can sing fine so why didn`t he?Well too bad but then comes in the guitar and finishes this song at 8:28.Good live version considering how old they are.8/10
2. Behind The Wall Of Sleep:This is done alot better then the last one.No crowd singing.Starts with wasp and then the leaping guitar sound and then Ozzy starts to sing just the same he originally did in 1970.In between Ozzy`s singing their are Tony`s riffs which are done very well and then the solo.This 5:39 live version is great.9/10
3. N.I.B.:Now this is where things get good.Starts with Geezer`s bass solo and then him doing that traditional pluck when Tony`s guitar comes in and Ozzy shouts with great power "OH YEAH!" and then the verse begins and it is done very well and then that 5 second long moving high bass and guitar with drums is extended to 20 seconds before moving to the next verse and after that the chorus which is quiet comes in moving slowly and the vocals doing a fine job and then back to the verse!And the song repeats itself untill 7:50 when Tony,Bill and Geezer start to play very fast together while Ozzy taunts the crowd.This song as well as the ones before it has a extra solo thrown in which lasts 5 minutes(War Pig`s lasts 2 minutes and Behind the Wall Of Sleep lasts 6)making this song 13:01.Osbourne/Iommi/Butler/Ward all do a traditional and classic job here.10/10
4. Fairies Wear Boots:This song is somewhat different because of the speech for 2:34 before the actual song starts but when it does the riffs are doing pretty good like the original has the insane drumming and pounding of the drums with a blast of drumming when the whole song goes into full force with a solo that lasts 1:03 and then by 4:37 Ozzy sings in a low voice "Goin` Home" and then in the normal Ozzy voice "Late last night" the song then goes into him screaming(He can still scream!Even though he is old he still can let loose a powerful scream)"ALRIGHT NOW!" and then the song speeds up and power return`s while Ozzy sings just like the original except now his voice is cleaner somewhat.The song continues with a bass solo thrown in the middle and by 8:33 the song starts to get to the part when Ozzy get`s the singing going and finally 9:02 the song begin`s the great singing and the song ends by 9:56.This live version is much like the original but with a very long speech at the beginning.10/10
5. Electric Funeral:This song start`s just like the original but without the wah wah`s just the distorted sound.The vocals are not exactly like the original because of the lower sloppier souning voice but it get`s better when he razor edges his voice like the original when he goes "Minds DECAY!" by 3:34 in the song goes into a party type thing and Ozzy shouts "COME ON!" and then Ozzy begins to do the screaming(Must have been hard) and then power guitar is their and by 3:59 the song reenters the slowness and then after the final "Ever trapped in burning CELLs!" and then after the ending of the original song at 5:00 the song enter`s a solo of singing and guitar for the next 2 minutes and 10 seconds.7:10 is the ending of this live version.So far this is the best live song.11/10
6. Sweet Leaf:This song is performed the best!The song is just like the original in every way.The song which only lasts for 6:13 and that sweet riff come`s in and the vocal`s are identical with "Alright now!" the song for the first 4:50 is just like the original with Ozzy saying "Oh yeah,Alright now,Come on,lets do it ALRIGHT OH YEAH COME ON OH YEAH ALRIGHT NOW LETS DO IT NOW OH YEAH!!!" and by 5:00 their is insane fast drumming for 1:13 and then ends with "Oh yeah!" then screeches right into 25/10
7. Spiral Architect:This song has a more mystical beginning then the original beginning and then has a heavier distorted part and speeds to the vocals(Done greatly) and then after the vocals and heavy guitar in between by 7:33 the song speeds up to a 2 minute solo and bleeds into a insane rocking session of vocals,guitar,bass and drums for a minute and then ozzy shouts "THANK YOU WE LOVE YOU ALL!".This version is great and identical.11/10
8. Into The Void:Into the void is so heavy!Just blasts with heaviness all the time and rocking vocals and guitar with bass non stop shredding through the whole thing.25/10
9. Snowblind:The last song on disc 1 it is very good and what can I say?The song is identical to the original some talking by ozzy.10/10
10. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath:This is what I am really impressed with!Ozzy screams in agony like "You`ve seen right through distorted lies you know you HAVE TO FALL!!" and after the verse of screaming he doe`snt scream "The truth is out the lies are old but you dont want to know" and then by that sludged part Ozz7 does not scream he just lifts his voice and has a scream with "SABBATH BLOODY SABBATH!" just not as loud as the original and quickly moves to the end of 6:20.30/10
11. Orchid/Lord Of This World:Pretty heavy but the intro is nice and scary in the way it is and the Lord of this World is very scary and has 4:16 of the 2nd part and a minute and 16 seconds the whole thing is 5:32 with the original work but alot of talking.9/10
12. Dirty Women:Never liked this song and it does not get any better here.7/10
13. Black Sabbath:This song is brilliant!For 8:45 the song has an insane rocking session at the end.The whole song has no talking and sounds like a studio song it sounds exactly the same only extended.10/10
14. Iron Man:Too much talking for 5:23 and then this 7:21 12:44 of music and eventually has the great riffing and shredding end with top notch vocals.Awsome song and got them a grammy!23/10
15. Children Of The Grave:Thundering bass and hard and heavy vocals make this great.10/10 a 7:48 long song.
16. Paranoid:The closing part of the live album and has great performing and is extended by 4 minutes because of a 2 minute solo and more vocals that are fast 6:47 of Paranoid and the classic is performed better then the Randy Rhoads version!25/10
17. Psycho Man:This a new studio song that is 5:18 long with a heavy guitar beginning and gets quiet with low vocals when the heavy guitar comes in and Ozzy`s normal vocals for the chorus and by the 3rd chorus a 50 second solo comes in and then Ozzy begins to sing with picking going on in the backround and Bill`s drumming is top notch at the ends and then the song fades away by 5:05.10/10
18. Selling My Soul:I dont like the lyrics and the vocals are good but the guitar is fine and everything is good but I dont like it and Bill is not drumming!A drum machine is.3/10
The members:
Ozzy Osbourne:Vocals:Ozzy is doing is best performance with Black Sabbath since 1975 and as he belts and shouts out the lyrics his vocals are just like they were before and are all done greatly on each song he just does the vocals just as only Ozzy can but he cant really sing he has great vocal performances he just does great here.
Tony Iommi:Guitar:The heavy riffs he does are insane and rock out loud with him throwing in a solo every now and then and speeds up every song reach Ecstasy!Great member as always just like Ozzy.
Bill Ward:Drums:His fast drumming is used as much as Ozzy talks to the crowd and he reaches technical Ecstasy,
Geezer Butler:Bass:He flips his bass around and blows onto the stage and influences bassists greatly!This is a definitive live album that you have to get to believe.
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-- zzzz
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