-
Sale!Audience 7.5 - Technology has done wonders for the collecting world, this tape is a classic example of going from unlistenable muck to actually hearing what the band was doing. You will still place this one in the “fair to average” category but in the pantheon of Sabbath shows this is one hell of a barnburner. I wish we had something a little better, but this tape is MUCH better sounding now than it was 10 years ago.
-
Sale!Soundboard 9.7 - Perfection in every way, and let me tell you, you will be completely engrossed in this concert and in the songs themselves. RIP Eddie Money.
-
Sale!Audience 9.1 - Truly an immersive listening experience, literally you are in the crowd close to the stage but the sound is probably better than what your ears were hearing at the show simply because massive volume tends to ruin your ability to decipher anything remotely close to “music”. This tape allows you to hear the actual music, and mayhem too! Sounds like it was a real blast to have been there.
-
Sale!Audience 8.8 - This recording was made with obviously good gear, the sound on occasion will lead you to believe it is a pro-job but it really isn’t. What may give it away is the slightly buried guitars, and I mean slightly. The vocals are soaring and direct at the same time – just lovely. Good band, good recording, the magical 1970’s.
-
Sale!Soundboard 9.1 - Technically super clean and tidy recording but it lacks that electric atmosphere you get when you allow some “room” and crowd noise in the mix. That is my personal preference, the actual recording quality is excellent with maybe a bit of FM radio compression that takes the edge off a little.
-
Sale!Soundboard 9.8 - Hard to find any fault in this recording, and the mix is a matter of preference so I leave .02 open to interpretation on the rating. It actually may be a 10 it is that friggin’ amazing.
-
Sale!Audience 7.8 - I love these little time capsules, maybe it’s not the best fidelity, but I can hear pretty much everything here and the bass is fat without distorting so it’s got some balls to it. You know, listening to things like this makes one really wish they had an actual time machine.
-
Sale!Soundboard 9.7 - I love the way they recorded the vocals, it has a very cool quality to it, such that it lends that sort of electric spark to the proceedings. This is very energetic set by the band.
-
Sale!Soundboard 9.7 - A pre FM master was used and it clearly magnitudes better than what you’d get recording off the radio!
-
Sale!Soundboard 8.7 - The interesting thing about this particular board tape is that the bass is the “lead” instrument in the mix and thus allows you to hear the sometimes overlooked intricacies and interplay in that regard. I would say that even though I enjoy and appreciate this aspect of the recording, the average fan may lament the somewhat overshadowed guitar and vocals, but these are not issues that nullify a superb performance and decent recording.
-
Sale!Audience 8.4 - Let’s face it, ever since the movie came out, recordings like these take on new significance. I just find it fascinating to hear, knowing the back story a little more. This is a very decent recording with primary focus on vocals and drums, with guitar and bass a little behind them but present enough to be able to enjoy this. You can turn the volume up, levels are good - the taper was careful!
-
Sale!
Audience 8.6 - Very close to the mains, and it’s incredibly loud to the point that Robin can barely control his feedback. But the tape holds together, even if there’s some loss of vocal clarity, none of that even matters because after a couple of songs you are so bludgeoned by this devastating guitar/bass onslaught that vocals would be barely noticed anyway.
-
Sale!FM Broadcast 9.4 - Excellent atmosphere (better than a pure, dry soundboard) and the band, what can I say, just great as always.
-
Sale!Soundboard 8.8 - This recording, while being very clear and obviously recorded for a broadcast, is somewhat dated sounding…in a really good way. It sounds like a relic lost in time, but the band is good and tight. It’s the beginning of the 80’s, and their sound would soon get more FM friendly, here it’s still got that “proto metal” edge to it.
-
Sale!Soundboard 9.3 - Takes a minute to get a mix, but then it’s off to the races. Interesting to hear this very early period of the band. Very much a good o’l fashioned American hard rock band.