"I pull my wire to the 20-Minute Workout. If only the guys in the band looked like that."
I'm gonna take a bit of a break from "Rock 'n' Roll Damnation," starting this month and debut a new feature called, "Live Fast/Die Fast Comes Alive!"
I love live albums. I realize not everyone shares the same appreciation, but for me it's the chance to experience the raw sound of a band in the live setting and the closest listening experience to being at a real concert. I also find the set lists endlessly interesting.
At their worst, live records can be fakes or cheap cash-grabs. I'll be reviewing at least one live album in depth, monthly, ranging from platinum major-label releases to bootlegs with photocopied covers from countries, whose names I can't pronounce.
Is it an official release?
I love live albums. I realize not everyone shares the same appreciation, but for me it's the chance to experience the raw sound of a band in the live setting and the closest listening experience to being at a real concert. I also find the set lists endlessly interesting.
At their worst, live records can be fakes or cheap cash-grabs. I'll be reviewing at least one live album in depth, monthly, ranging from platinum major-label releases to bootlegs with photocopied covers from countries, whose names I can't pronounce.
Is it an official release?
Sort of. The band's manager okayed it for release only after they canned him. Is it really live? Yup. Where was it recorded? Manchester Free Trade Hall, March 11, 1973 and the Rainbow Theatre in London, March 16, 1973 although there is no corroborating "bootleg," evidence to say for sure. What are the details? So Black Sabbath recorded some shows from the end of their 1972-73 "Vol. 4," tour with the intention of releasing a live album. They didn't like the final product and shelved it indefinitely. Then, in 1980 after Ozzy had left, the band's former manager decided to release the album without their permission, thus making it "official," but "not official." I have a bootleg of Sabbath show from 1975 that is vastly superior to this in almost every way. First off, the sound here is muddy. Geezer's bass sounds especially like dog shit and Ozzy's voice is clearly blown out on some tracks. Now, I'm all in favor of hearing the band as they are, without overdubs but if you can't get a recording that sounds at least as good as a fair quality bootleg, why bother? I have never heard a singer's voice crack repeatedly, like Ozzy's does here, on an official live recording. That doesn't mean it never happened to any other singer, I've just never heard it an album because record companies generally realize that the point of any live record (or studio record for that matter) is to make the band sound good. If you're making a live record and the singer's voice goes wonked, you either overdub it, find a completely different performance of that song or you just edit it the fuck out. The cracks are all during stage banter too, not even during the song. Ozzy was plagued by voice problems as a result of constant touring and wasn't able to sing certain songs anymore. It was a sore spot between Ozzy and the band, hastening their break-up. Anyway, the point is, nobody likes a fake live album, but you tweak here or there when you have to. There seems to have been almost no consideration given to the sound of the record, they just slapped a cheap looking cover on a shabby recording and released it. Voila. It actually lead to the new "Dio-Sabbath," recording their own live record, which lead to an Ozzy live record and the shit hitting the fan but that's a story for another time. The Set:
"Tomorrow's Dream," and "Cornucopia," are cool to hear live. "Sweet Leaf," is a bit sluggish here "Killing Yourself To Live," was an early version with different lyrics. "Wicked World" becomes a medley incorporating "Into The Void," "Supernaut," and Bill and Tony's drum and guitar solos, respectively. It would have been nice to hear the full versions of those two in the place of "War Pigs," and "Paranoid," but I realize, as a resident of the planet earth, that it's impossible go to a Black Sabbath show and not hear them play "War Pigs," and "Paranoid," even if those who have heard them a million times have to keep hearing them. | ||||||||||
