Black Sabbath "Sabotage"...

[BMF Effects]

...bad recording/engineering? CD's not taken from master tapes? Recording style for the period?

The whole album sounds like it was mastered through a cocked wah pedal.

[s5c6ihLW50]

Have you bought the 2001 remastered CD? I replaced all of my Sabbath with Castle Remasters. The DIO ones sound especially butt kicking. For Born Again, you have to get the DEMO bootleg. The Ozzy ones prolly will never sound better than these remasters.

[BMF Effects]

I'll have to look into the remasters, thanks. :AOK

[mikem]

Originally Posted by BMF Effects

...bad recording/engineering? CD's not taken from master tapes? Recording style for the period?

The whole album sounds like it was mastered through a cocked wah pedal.

Yep- Tony's tone is pretty rough on that one. I like it in a way. The drums (cymbals, anyone) are kinda rough as well. Ozzy's vocals are raging, though. He sounds like he's in serious trouble. I have to say that I usually play Sabotage and Never Say Die more than any of my other Sabbath CDs. I have no idea why this is so. The music on these two discs seems to epitomize a band getting on with business despite dire circumstances, I think. Sabotage was delayed due to legal wrangling with their record company, I believe, and Never Say Die was made just before Ozzy left the band. Some of this desperation seems to filter through the music. Neither album is what anyone would qualify as brilliantly produced.

Mike

[Rotten]

se-ob-se-ob-se-ob-se-obsessed with fantasy ...

I love that album.

[MuseCafeChris]

Originally Posted by s5c6ihLW50

Have you bought the 2001 remastered CD? I replaced all of my Sabbath with Castle Remasters. The DIO ones sound especially butt kicking. For Born Again, you have to get the DEMO bootleg. The Ozzy ones prolly will never sound better than these remasters.

Does the Black Box contain remastered versions of the Ozzy-era stuff?

[BMF Effects]

"Hole In the Sky" is just a killer riff. I'm going to look into the Castle remasters.

[Pally]

I think Sabatage marks the beginning of the period where Black Sabbath lost thier way.

The first album was recorded in about 12 hours over 2 days. Sabbatage took nearly 6 months.

IMO, at that point they had too much money, success, drugs, and too little perspective about where they came from.

[Randy]

I still remember the first time I heard "Symptom of the universe" - blew my mind. I was probably 11 or 12 and it was the heaviest thing I had ever heard.

Discovering "Blow on the jug" on the original vinyl version was a fun treat as well...

[mikem]

Originally Posted by Pally

I think Sabatage marks the beginning of the period where Black Sabbath lost thier way.

The first album was recorded in about 12 hours over 2 days. Sabbatage took nearly 6 months.

IMO, at that point they had too much money, success, drugs, and too little perspective about where they came from.

It's funny that you say that- Ozzy said something similar, stating that the amount of overdubs increased with every album they put out. he wasn't happy about it.

Mike

[mikem]

Originally Posted by Randy

I still remember the first time I heard "Symptom of the universe" - blew my mind. I was probably 11 or 12 and it was the heaviest thing I had ever heard.

Discovering "Blow on the jug" on the original vinyl version was a fun treat as well...

I was about fifteen and that, along with the rest of their catalogue, ruined me for life.

Mike

[mikem]

Originally Posted by Rotten

se-ob-se-ob-se-ob-se-obsessed with fantasy ...

I love that album.

I still play the damned thing, thirty years after I first heard it- talk about arrested development!

Mike

[JamminJeff]

Originally Posted by BMF Effects

"Hole In the Sky" is just a killer riff. I'm going to look into the Castle remasters.

+ 9....my fav in your face BS tune. Brialliant sound too !

[Xabiche]

Originally Posted by mikem

It's funny that you say that- Ozzy said something similar, stating that the amount of overdubs increased with every album they put out. he wasn't happy about it.

Mike

Screw all that.

Sabotage thru Never Say Die! had some amazingly tasty layered and thick-assed tunes. I don't give a flyin' **** if it wuz all drawn out, drug induced studio wankage. I love that shit.

It rocks... crank "Shock Wave" in the phones and tell me it doesn't bring it.

Yeah, it is different than the earlier stuff but isn't that really the point?

[amigo30]

It's all good. Every album is so different...there's something to like in every one of them.