Black Sabbath Deluxe Editions January 22, 2016

I wondered that too, back when the DE's were released as CD's. It seems that those two tracks were much more relevant than backing tracks of album selections.

 

I got a 70's NEMS of the debut. It sounds fantastic, much much better than the Rhino reissue. It should be a lot cheaper than the Vertigo too.

 

They aren't demos. They are live from a John Peel session. Ozzy just must've had a recording of them from the radio is my guess, because a copy of the master would sound better. I wonder if the BBC still has the master or not?

 

Listening to the newly released Sabbath, Bloody Sabbath CD and it sounds good. Ozzy's vocals are a tad bright, and not as much over all weight I would've wanted, but it's a good listen and the fact the channels are proper puts it above the '09 release. Soon to be in Sabotage land...

 

Bought all of the new CDs excluding Sabotage (wasn't in the store) and the first three (own the deluxe editions). Haven't listened intensely yet but I will say that the vocals are a lot more present than on the WB CD, which I like personally. I get the feeling the bass has always sounded really wimpy on that album. On Volume 4, the guitar is buried in the mix, but the songs are listenable, which I cannot say about the WB CD. On the other hand, the guitar has a kickass tone on the WB CD... for about five seconds, before the excessive treble starts to hurt my ears. Personally I think the pros outweigh the cons here. Can't comment on the sound quality of Technical Ecstasy or Never Say Die, but I will say that I wish I knew "It's Alright" existed a long time ago. Would never have expected Black Sabbath to do a Badfinger song, but damn, I love it.

 

. . . or even a Bill Ward song?

 

When I think Black Sabbath, I don't think pop perfection, but... I ain't complainin'!

 

oh ok thank you. any known reason why a verse was added to "black Sabbath" if I assume this was AFTER the self titled album was released ?

 

No clue on why the added verse. This session was April 1970, so yes, after the first album.

 

thanks. cool verse.


more archive Sabbath stuff has to exist somewhere

 

Oops I'm dumb. My comments about present vocals and wimpy bass were meant to be about Sabbath Bloody Sabbath. I forgot to mention the album and it looks like I applied it to the series as a whole.

 

Just had a listen to Technical Ecstasy and NSD. Technical Ecstasy is a marked improvement over the original WB disc. The mastering is superb... a very warm, rich tonal quality and the bass and drums are a lot more pronounced. As for NSD, I can't notice much of a difference between the 2016 cd and the 96 Castle.

 

Of all the 2016 remasters, Sabotage is my lone hold out. I've read some reviews here where posters have said it's an improvement over the WB cd, which I have, while others have stated that the eq is too bright on the 2016. I've been burned once already with the horrible 96 Castle for Sabotage, so I'm on the fence about getting the new version. Does anyone have any further opinions / input on this?

 

I like it.

 

Better than the 2009?

 

The 2009 is good too. Probably a better presentation eq wise, but the 2016 has better dynamics, despite being a bit brighter. This is one of the titles that the original WB was actually pretty good.

 

Are these new remasters the definitive digital versions, or are we going to keep re-buying the same albums until the day we die?

 

One could probably assemble a great set using a mix of these and the 2009 EU releases.

 

That is Sauron's plan...so yes - rebuy til you die.

(WB could release this with MQA - another of Sauron's plans).

 

I haven't played my Creative Sounds for years. Some songs are not in the original order, the "Blow in a Jug" version is cut, and it includes "Cornucopia" from Live At Last as an (unlisted) bonus track? Is that the version we're talking about?

 

Does anyone know why Warner decided to use the UK cover art for NSD on their US 2016 release? I would have thought they'd stick with the original US / Canadian version.

 

What are your prefered versions of the first six albums? Or all if youd like. Sorry, I know this thread seems to repeat itself. My apologies if youve listed earlier.

 

For CD Only, I like the new 2016 releases for the first 3. The 2009 for Vol 4, and the 2016 for NSD. For Sabotage and TE, I am undecided still, because the original WBs are good, and the 2009 Sabotage is also good. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, I think I may still prefer the 2009 mastering but I have made my own disk correcting the channels. I feel like the previous versions of this album mastered Sabra Cadabra so that the first and second parts of the song were more consistent in volume. The SACD and 2016 seem to take an approach that probably matches the master tape, but is a less satisfying listen (to me), in that the first part of the song is noticeably lower in volume. If that does not bother you, the 2016 is probably better for you.

For Heaven and Hell and Mob Rules, the Andy Pearce remasters are excellent. I get off the bus after those two.

 

For NSD, would you say that the 2016 beats out the original WB cd?

 

For what it's worth, here are my favorites for these albums:

SBS - '86 Castle.
Sabotage - '86 Castle and the Creative Sounds CD for the three messed up tracks on the Castle, (Symptom of the Universe, Megalomania, and part of The Writ). These two combined give me the best sounding version.
TE - WB.
NSD - Spectrum. It could still use some less midrange, but the most balanced sounding CD I have found.
HH - Deluxe.
Mob Rules - WB.
Born Again - The first Japanese pressing, PHCR-2054.