It's either that, or another "cd single". At least with two different mixes there's more of a chance that one of them will be good.
This is the first set Im compelled by and that pisses me off because I wanted them all. We all know what a proper box looks and sounds like from other bands we likes product. The Sabs can suck on it.
Maybe the Wilson mix will be cool. Wish they would have given Sabatoge and Vol 4 quality audiophile mixes. They deserve it. Extras seem like part of a formula. Ok.
I haven't touched these super deluxes for a variety of reasons. Never liked Technical Ecstasy but maybe a modern remix will change my tune.
I'm getting both LP and CD, though I only see the 4 CD one advertised I'll check with one of my record stores to see if the LP one be available.
With expectations duly dampened, and prices somewhat lowered, I pulled the trigger on this collection and just had my first listen. For me it was worth the $40 for the pleasure the live set gives me (I don't own the bootleg), although I can totally see why fans were underwhelmed overall by this set. With Sabbath, it's frequently the case you have to accept what you get rather than what you wish for. I was always Team Sabbath back in the day, and duly disappointed when Live at Last came out--what a paltry testament to their live prowess. If the Ashbury concert would have come out back then, it would have exceeded all expectations. Ironically though, yesterday I gave a listen online to the remixed Live at Last from the Volume 4 project and really enjoyed it. It doesn't sound like "typical" Sabbath to my ears, but, alongside staples such as Ashbury and Syracuse (?) '76, it makes for a really interesting alternative--to my ears, looser and jazzier than the later versions of Sabs, with some very interesting setlist variations. Anyway, looking forward to giving Ashbury future listens. I am sure it could have been better, but to these relative virginal ears, it still sounds pretty immense. Wouldn't mind getting Volume 4 box set but it seems to be priced astronomically expensive, so no deal.
Quick question for the initiated. Volume 4 box is prohibitively expensive for my needs, and apparently not available on Import CDs. I just wondered: is the remastered (?) Live at Last worth getting giving how much I enjoyed listening to the Live CD from Volume 4 box on Youtube? Is there much difference? Oh, and is Past Lives better than Live at Last in terms of the same concert material? (Just picked up Paranoid box for the live stuff for $35 on Import CDs which seems like a right old bargain!).
I don't see this available for pre order in the US yet, but Amazon UK has it, but only the LP Super Deluxe Box Set, I'll be giving my new record shop a call today being Vintage Vinyl in New Jersey is now officially closed since yesterday.
I used to have the 90s Castle remaster of Live At Last, but it's been so long since I've heard it I can't tell you the difference between that and Past Lives.
I contacted my new record shop and and the owner told me to come in a couple of weeks before its release and put down a deposit.
Is there a thread started about Technical Ecstasy Super Deluxe Edition Box Set, if so may I have the link please? I searched but so much Sabbath threads popped up and I couldn't find any.
I can sort of understand why this set would be a disappointed to those who have followed Sabbath's bootleg history, but, given that I've not really listened to anything beyond their official stuff and what's on Youtube since . . . I dunno, the 1980's I guess, listening to this box brings me unalloyed joy. It's given me a chance to relisten to the album, an album I've always loved but not played a lot over recent years. Side 2 sounds much more engaging to my ears, and the first side is as glorious as ever. Yeah, I'm not an audiofile really. I'm partially deaf, but playing the live set on my modest system--just WOW. This is the live album I imagined back in the day--nay, this exceeds any expectations I had. It's not just classic Sabbath--it's a classic live experience, up there with the very best official live albums of any group--Made in Japan included. I'm just ecstatic listening to this stuff. For pure primal force, it's hard to beat classic Sabbath. I also got Heaven and Hell and Mob Rules deluxe. While I like both albums, the live material . . . well, let's just say RJD is not in the same ballpark (great on the albums, but live, very hit and miss and way too much over-egging). Still fun to listen to though. Ashbury '75. Immense. Love it!!!
I think you'll find you're largely in agreement with the majority here. Just about everyone loves the Sabotage album, and the live gig is indeed a corker. The complaints hasn't been so much about the music (although some have criticized the remaster, I actually think it's okay) but about the way the set was put together. The great live show is burned from a lossy MP3 when lossless was available. That's disgraceful. Then you have, on CD, a fourth disc that is literally 8 minutes long - padding to make a disc count. On top of that the book is clearly inferior to the previous two sets in content, and amounts to a cut and paste of previously published quotes. And to add further injury, the horrendous price many of us were asked to pay in the UK. So the complaints aren't so much about the music, but about the abject laziness and cynical marketing displayed. It really isn't good enough. The thing is, it's classic Sabbath, and we love the band and its music, so to be treated this way isn't really on. For me, a Super Deluxe of an album is a chance to celebrate some great music. Go all in. Take the time to do it right, be proud of the product. Not this. And yes, I say this having bought the set. I don't regret doing so, after all, let's face it, we're never going to get a better Deluxe package. I'm just niggled by the carelessness.
Like I said, I understand people's reactions. If I had followed Sabbath's bootleg history and if I had half decent hearing, I'm sure I would be miffed that the sound is not as great as it could be. We all want the best from the music we love. But, coming to the party late, with appropriately dampened expectations etc, I find the live set to be astonishingly good. It sounds beautiful to my (admittedly not perfect) set of ears. Absolutely stunning document of Sabbath at their best. Love it! (PS I remember the day that Live at Last came out, and how disappointed I was).
Totally true it "should've" been a better source for the Asbury vinyl, and it certainly deserves it. But, man... I am happy to have a great sounding pressing of this show, finally! I've bought a handful of vinyl bootlegs of it throughout the years and every single one of them were somewhere between very disappointing & just plain horrid. All for different reasons... One was even folded down to mono (but the discogs reviews were great! ) and was the absolute worst I've heard this broadcast sound, by far. So i'm happy to finally be able to spin some wax that does sound at least as good as the best version on youtube, FINALLY. This being the best version I've heard so far: I directly A/B'ed the wax vs this version and it definitely seems this was the same source. So at this point, with all my failed efforts/experience, I'm chalkin' it up to "beggars can't be choosers" at this point, and am happy to finally own a version of Asbury that does sound as kick@ss as I've ever heard it... Although again, everyone is right in saying it should have been more properly sourced. As far as the album remaster in the vinyl box goes I did do a quick A/B of Hole In The Sky versus my original UK lp, and the new master isn't bad at all! The original still sounds better in my book, it has more high-mids and top-end presence & air, but not to a fantastic degree at all. The newbie still sounds almost as good to me. Just a touch thicker (and not in a "bad" or muddled way at all.) Just not projecting those highs as much. I know, I know... HERESY. But I certainly wouldn't be disappointed had I not heard the original pressing directly compared. Still not so even after. If someone doesn't have the patience & cash to find a clean original, the new set is audibly an absolutely fantastic alternative, given you find a good deal on it. Anywho... My 2 cents... No one asked me But all things considered, still a very enjoyable set of an amazing album!
Given some of the vitriol poured on these sets, some of which is justified, I feel as though people are having to stick their necks out to say anything positive, which is a shame. The truth about these sets is somewhere between extremes, imo. Honestly, I don't think any of the remastered albums is bad. At the same time, they're also not perfect. But this isn't a binary world. Like you, I'd be happy with the remasters here. The only thing I can't quite shake off is the "why bother?" aspect. I'm just not sure what they were trying to achieve by having the same guy remaster them again all this time later. Is this a licensing issue of some kind?
I am sure it isn't. Andy Pearce is just an employee, he doesn't hold any rights for this material or anything like that.
