And 40 years ago this week (April 25, 1980), Heaven and Hell arrived worldwide via Warner Bros. While Ozzy was holed up somewhere in a Hollywood hotel, doing whatever it was Ozzy did in those days, his former bandmates were forging ahead in a Florida studio creating their ninth record - with famed producer, Martin Birch ( Deep Purple, Whitesnake, Blue Öyster Cult, Iron Maiden), and newly-acquired frontman, former Rainbow singer, Ronnie James Dio. Oh yeah, Black Sabbath also had just fired iconic frontman, Ozzy Osbourne. To add insult to injury, Black Sabbath’s ass had been kicked nightly by the opening act on its last tour - a brash new California-based collective called, Van Halen. But after a decade of solid success, even the band itself seemed to be exhausted by its droning riffs and dark lyrics - the random musical experimentation on recent releases left fans confused, even disappointed. Simply put, Black Sabbath was pretty darn cool. A prime example - the legendary British band, Black Sabbath. However, many leading metal acts of the era were upping the ante in order to withstand the mighty winds of change. While metal also would take the pop plunge a couple of years down the road, it remained reasonably authentic in 1980.
And from country to rock, from new wave to punk, from jazz to R&B, everything was going pop. What felt so fresh during the ‘70s suddenly sounded stale. As I picked these up a few years ago, I unloaded my old Castles (except for the 1st album) up to Born Again, Seventh Son and Eternal Idol which I still hold on to.It was the dawn of a new day, especially for the music world. I do not have the deluxe editions of Dehumanizer and Live Evil but I do have the others and Pearce is credited with all of them except MoR which Matt Wortham gets a co-mastering credit with Pearce. I believe all the multi-CD deluxe editions that came out in 2009-2011 which include Black Sabbath(1st album), Master Of Reality, Paranoid, Heaven And Hell, Mob Rules, Live Evil, Born Again, Seventh Son, Eternal Idol and Dehumanizer. I'm always chasing a better version of the 1st album but not quite ready to spring for a really good copy of a Vertigo 1st issue original LP. Now I'm questioning if I need to even bother paying the price for SACDs of the 1st album and MoR on SACD or if the Pearces are as good as or better. I have been on the fence looking for one at a decent price and based on what's being said here, it sounds like the Pearce Deluxe remaster is the final word. Interesting comments regarding the SACD for HaH. As I picked these up a few years ago, I unloaded my old Castles (except for the 1st album) up to Born Again, Seventh Son and Eternal Idol which I still hold on to. The best on CD and the only CD to really compare with the album on vinyl.Ĭlick to expand.I believe all the multi-CD deluxe editions that came out in 2009-2011 which include Black Sabbath(1st album), Master Of Reality, Paranoid, Heaven And Hell, Mob Rules, Live Evil, Born Again, Seventh Son, Eternal Idol and Dehumanizer. Rhino (2008): Good EQ from what I remember but way too much compression.ĭeluxe (2010): Fantastic. Teichiku Japan Mini LP CD (2000): Clone of 1996 Castle. Japan Vertigo PHCR-6072: Also same as US WB.Ĭastle (1996): The worst version of H&H on CD. Gert Van Hoeyen is certainly FAR better than Hans Brethouwer, but this one is only so-so. Japan Vertigo 32PD-129: Really good but mastered too hot. If I don't mention one I either haven't heard it or it matches a previous edition and I think that's obvious enough where I won't take time to list it.
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