Black Sabbath -the name itself should be more than enough to send a delightful shiver down the spine of any metal fan. The name is steeped in musical legend - Black Sabbath were the first, and the greatest, heavy metal band. Everything which came after them is just pale imitation in comparison. ... Read review
Reunion - CD
War Pigs Behind The Wall Of Sleep N.I.B. Fairies Wear Boots Electric Funeral Sweet Leaf ... more
Spiral Architect Into The Void Snowblind Sabbath Bloody Sabbath Orchid/Lord Of This World Dirty Women Black Sabbath Iron Man Children Of The Grave Paranoid Psycho M...
A review by Spongly on Reunion (Limited Edition) - Black Sabbath January 17th, 2001
Author's product rating:
Originality
Average
Lyrics
Not applicable
Quality and consistency of tracks
Flawless
How does it compare to the artist's other releases
Not applicable
Value for Money
Advantages:
The noble exit of the original headbangers .
Disadvantages:
New material mediocre at best .
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
Black Sabbath -the name itself should be more than enough to send a delightful shiver down the spine of any metal fan. The name is steeped in musical legend - Black Sabbath were the first, and the greatest, heavy metal band. Everything which came after them is just pale imitation in comparison.
But even so, this album, while it should send me into paroxysms of delight, actually awakened a faint unease in me when I first heard that it was the original line up reformed. There was a faint niggling doubt at the back of my mind. What if they weren’t very good any more?
To start with let me say that this album crackles with live energy. If anything that has improved with time, and Ozzy has an almost electric ability to communicate with the crowd. It is an impressive feat that the producers manage to bring across that kind of charisma in the recording.
As for the songs, the quality of the songs helps to carry them through, but that’s not to say that anyone has forgotten their part. Geezer still hammers out the bass lines, and Tombstone Tony is note perfect on guitar, with the good old hefty guitar tone from the days of yore. Black Sabbath play through all of the classics - War Pigs, Children of the Grave, Iron Man, Black Sabbath, Into the Void, Lord of this World, and they close with the eponymous Paranoid. Ozzy’s voice has deteriorated with age, but he can still manage the songs perfectly well, and the drumming too is adequate if not astounding.
But I do have a couple of complaints. Firstly, the set list. All of the material is Ozzy era Sabbath, and while this is largely the best of their material, it would have been nice to see that Sabbath could accept that they released records without Ozzy, instead of pretending that it was still ’79. The fact is that I suspect that Ozzy refused to play later material, in which case I fail to see the point of calling it a Black Sabbath reunion - Sabbath are a band, and Ozzy is only one part of that band. It would have been nice to hear him belt out Neon Knights or Heaven and Hell.
Secondly, the new studio tracks. This proves my doubts and fears, and I’m glad that the band have called it a day now. The tracks are mediocre bordering on poor, uninspired in every way, especially lyrically. They should have been left off in order to keep the legend alive.
Overall, a noble exit for the greatest band of all time. They have been through rough patches, they have been mocked for the directions that they have taken in their music, but they end it all as they started - as a band who work brilliantly together hammering out some of the most powerful, heavy music ever created. Well done Sabbath, and good luck in whatever you decide to do. We’ll remember you!
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The 2nd coming!! Review ofReunion (Limited Edition) - Black Sabbathby
Steviee
Advantages: A great album by the original line up Disadvantages: expensive
The most important event of century as far as heavy rock is concerned was when in 1999, the original and best Black Sabbath line up got back together to perform a final Last Supper Re-union tour. To Sabbath fans it was a second coming, and this amazing event had to be recorded and here it is, the original Black Sabbath's first ever live album.
This epic album is a double CD, each one containing all the "Classics" and on the 2nd CD 2 new studion ... ...to be difficult for Black Sabbath was to somehow update the old tracks. At the time there was nothing like them and they were loud, bad and absolutely malevolent. Nowadays, with the likes of Metallica and Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath were going to have to find a way of somehow "amplifying" the old songs in order to capture a new audience as well as those who already love them. And they have managed it brilliantly. Every song sounds somehow louder, ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Brillant tracks Disadvantages: Cardboard case
Black Sabbath released the Reunion CD in 1998, shortly after the band reformed with the original line up of Ozzy Osbourne, Toni Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward.
Packaging.
The CD case is black (suprise suprise) with a pair of Gothic garloil children holding the bands name. sadly the case is cardboard and can easily be scratched and damaged. Full track listings complete with timings are included. The double CD's are backed by pictures of the ... ...rare pictures and a story of the band which covers from when the band started to when they recorded Reunion. There are no lyric listings, but if you are a true fan you'll know them!
Tracks Listing.
CD One
War pigs
Behind the wall of sleep
Fairies wear boots
Electric funeral
sweet Leaf
sprial architect
Into the void
snowblind
CD Two
sabbath bloody sabbath
orchid / Lord of this world
Dirty women
Black sabbath
Iron man
Paranoid
Psycho ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Label / Distributor: Epic / Sony Music/Arvato Services
Producer: Thom Panunzio; Bob Marlette
Pieces in Set: 2
Studio / Live: Mixed
Stereo: Stereo
Format: Performer
EAN: 5099749195493
Catalogue Number: 4919549
Additional notes
Album Notes: This is a limited-edition CD Digipak. Black Sabbath: Ozzy Osbourne (vocals); Tony Iommi (guitar); Geezer Butler (bass); Bill Ward (drums). Additional personnel: Geoff Nichols (keyboards). Engineers include: Thom Panunzio, Bob Marlette, Greg Hackett. Recorded live at The N.E.C., Birmingham, England on December 5, 1997; A&M Studios, Los Angeles, California in April-May 1998. Includes liner notes by Phil Alexander. "Iron Man" was nominated for the 2000 Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance. Rivaled only by Kiss' reunion of founding members, Black Sabbath's reformation was a long awaited and eagerly anticipated occurrence that had fans gnashing their teeth anytime rumors of reconciliation were proven false (such as the aftermath of the band's 1985 Live Aid appearance). The 2-CD REUNION puts all the hearsay to rest in the shape of a December 1997 show recorded in the band's hometown of Birmingham, England. Sabbath was the force that launched hundreds of hard-rock ships, and it's refreshing to hear the original quartet pound away on classics such as "Sweet Leaf" and "Fairies Wear Boots." Despite all the dark imagery Black Sabbath conjures up, Ozzy Osborne was quite the avuncular frontman, showering the crowd with "we love you all" declarations in between such ominous songs as "War Pigs" and "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath." Tony Iommi's guitar playing that night showed his range extending beyond the narrow confines of hard rock, as the acoustic beauty of "Orchid" was a dichotomous prelude to the crunch of "Lord Of This World." The mix of more obscure material ("Spiral Architect") with classic Sabbath songs ("Iron Man," "Paranoid") is complemented by a pair of promising new studio cuts, "Psycho Man" and "Selling My Soul."
Album Reviews: Entertainment Weekly (11/27/98, p.85) - "...There's more thrust and bottom [to Sabbath's groundbreaking first works], and more space for Tony Iommi's evil leads. Even when Ozzy screeches wildly off-key, the album still sounds bloody brilliant." - Rating: B+
Titles on disc 1
1.: War Pigs
2.: Beyond The Wall Of Sleep
3.: NIB
4.: Fairies Wear Boots
5.: Electric Funeral
6.: Sweet Leaf
7.: Spiral Architect
8.: Into The Void
9.: Snow Blind
10.: Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
11.: Orchids/Lord Of The World
12.: Dirty Women
13.: Black Sabbath
14.: Iron Man
15.: Children Of The Grave
16.: Paranoid
17.: Psycho Man
18.: Selling My Soul
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Listed on Ciao since : 16/07/2000
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