Black Sabbath
Reunion
[Epic]
It would be so easy to be cynical about this album - four 50-year-old guys
re-hashing stuff that's been done over 20 years ago (most of it closer to
30). It would also be easy to gush about this album (c'mon, it's THE Black
Sabbath - the only one that really mattered, anyway...). Of course, the
truth is somewhere in the middle, and depending on what you value most
about Sabbath this album could really go either way, so I'll try to be as
fair as I can be.
The good view: A great two-disc set featuring the bulk of Sabbath's more popular tunes (i.e. most of Paranoid and the more name-worthy ones off of the first and third ones, and a smattering of the later ones that have been endlessly covered by other bands). The sound quality is excellent - nice and clean, but still quite obviously live, and the renditions are almost completely faithful to the originals. There are only minor variations in solos, song arrangements, and only once does Ozzy change a vocal melody to accommodate his vintage voice. What's more, there are two bonus NEW STUDIO tracks of the classic lineup. The booklet is also FULL of old pictures and one of the most complete histories of the band I've ever read. (I also managed to get one of the rare digipak versions, which has a very nice layout throughout).
The cynical view: This could've been a lot better. Sure, you've got to expect the band to play Paranoid, Iron Man, etc., but they really didn't go deep often enough. The only really unexpected tracks are Spiral Architect, the full arrangement of WASP/Behind the Wall of Sleep/Bassically/NIB, and Lord of this World (nicely led into by Orchid) - other than those songs, it's ALL their 'hits' (well, yeah, except for "Dirty Women" from Technical Ecstasy, but that's another down point...). And faithful though these may be, missing is the earlier wildness, out-of-control distortion, and spontaneous jam-session flights they used to take off into (for comparison, check out the "Live at Last" live album, recorded in 74, released in 79, and for the most part still available...). And speaking of sounds, this could've used a lot more dirt - the guitar is a bit too washed-out in reverb (the 'live feel', you know?), and the bass is far too clean and modern-sounding (Bassically is almost an embarrassment, sound wise - the coolest part was the fuzz-wah on it). And finally there are those studio tracks - one of the most obvious moves, and as expected they only serve to show that whatever collective chemistry they had back then seems to have spoiled after far too many years apart (and I probably shouldn't even mention that Bill's timing was so off in one song that they replaced him with a drum machine, but this is the cynical half of the review...). I can't fault the layout/packing though, even being cynical...
So, considering all of the above, CAN I boil it down to a bottom line? Only that it really depends on your attitude towards Sabbath. It should definitely be given a chance, that's for sure, and if you're in the mood for what basically amounts to a 'live-best-of', then this is right up your alley. However, if you miss what TRULY made Sabbath such a great band, I'd recommend checking out the "Live at Last" album instead. For what it is, it's great, but it could've been quite a bit better.
© 1999 lord vic
The good view: A great two-disc set featuring the bulk of Sabbath's more popular tunes (i.e. most of Paranoid and the more name-worthy ones off of the first and third ones, and a smattering of the later ones that have been endlessly covered by other bands). The sound quality is excellent - nice and clean, but still quite obviously live, and the renditions are almost completely faithful to the originals. There are only minor variations in solos, song arrangements, and only once does Ozzy change a vocal melody to accommodate his vintage voice. What's more, there are two bonus NEW STUDIO tracks of the classic lineup. The booklet is also FULL of old pictures and one of the most complete histories of the band I've ever read. (I also managed to get one of the rare digipak versions, which has a very nice layout throughout).
The cynical view: This could've been a lot better. Sure, you've got to expect the band to play Paranoid, Iron Man, etc., but they really didn't go deep often enough. The only really unexpected tracks are Spiral Architect, the full arrangement of WASP/Behind the Wall of Sleep/Bassically/NIB, and Lord of this World (nicely led into by Orchid) - other than those songs, it's ALL their 'hits' (well, yeah, except for "Dirty Women" from Technical Ecstasy, but that's another down point...). And faithful though these may be, missing is the earlier wildness, out-of-control distortion, and spontaneous jam-session flights they used to take off into (for comparison, check out the "Live at Last" live album, recorded in 74, released in 79, and for the most part still available...). And speaking of sounds, this could've used a lot more dirt - the guitar is a bit too washed-out in reverb (the 'live feel', you know?), and the bass is far too clean and modern-sounding (Bassically is almost an embarrassment, sound wise - the coolest part was the fuzz-wah on it). And finally there are those studio tracks - one of the most obvious moves, and as expected they only serve to show that whatever collective chemistry they had back then seems to have spoiled after far too many years apart (and I probably shouldn't even mention that Bill's timing was so off in one song that they replaced him with a drum machine, but this is the cynical half of the review...). I can't fault the layout/packing though, even being cynical...
So, considering all of the above, CAN I boil it down to a bottom line? Only that it really depends on your attitude towards Sabbath. It should definitely be given a chance, that's for sure, and if you're in the mood for what basically amounts to a 'live-best-of', then this is right up your alley. However, if you miss what TRULY made Sabbath such a great band, I'd recommend checking out the "Live at Last" album instead. For what it is, it's great, but it could've been quite a bit better.
© 1999 lord vic