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| Black Sabbath - Past Lives |
 Released: 2002 Label: Sanctuary Records Group Cat. No.: Total Time: 55:01 / 58:01 | |
Reviewed by: Keith "Muzikman" Hannaleck, December 2002 After driving all the websites with which I am affiliated nuts with change after change on my recent DVD review of Black Sabbath's The Story Of Black Sabbath, I feel that I need to redeem myself with this write up. Past Lives, touted as the definitive live Sabbath recording, sure lives up to its billing. After listening to both CDs thoroughly, I completely agree. This package covers the 1970-1975 time period with excellent liner notes that put the group into a class all by themselves, where they rightly belong in my opinion. I made mention of the fact the Tony Iommi had said nothing about booting Ozzy out of the band for substance abuse and thought that it was a rumor at the time; as it turns out, according to the liner notes, they were all addicts and Ozzy was the fall guy. Well, everyone has a different story. The other fact I wanted to clear up, too, was my reference to the jazz and blues influence on their first album. I had said the title track illustrated how Tony went off on a jazz like run; well, it was more of a hard blues riff than anything actually, and "Wicked World" had the neat jazz runs in it. There, now I feel better. I cannot remember any other album where I heard that sound. If there is, I am sure someone will e-mail me or argue my point of reference. Okay then, let us move on. CD 1 has some great instrumentation on it, but Ozzy is out of tune on several of the songs, unfortunately, so that puts a damper on the experience. There are some great moments regardless and the performances are more than enough proof that they were the ones that gave berth to Metal. CD2 is awesome, every song. Personally, I feel Sabbath Bloody Sabbath and Sabotage defined the Sabs sound and they reached their peak while perfecting their doom and gloom drone that captured everyone's imagination. They sound very much in accord and Ozzy is in fine voice, pulling in the audience to create a prevailing energy that would be hard to duplicate on any given night. Playing live is the key to any recording artist's success and turning back the clock to listen to one of the best rock groups to ever walk on a stage certainly gives credence to that notion. Here is my ode to the Master's of Reality: Behind the wall of sleep is a hand of doom that would make anyone paranoid of the wicked world we live in, so if you check out these CDs made by iron men of days long past and live the cornucopia of tomorrow's dreams you will soon realize that it is all merely a symptom of the universe. Rating: 5/5 More about Past Lives: Track Listing: Disc One: Tomorrow's Dream (3:04) / Sweet Leaf (5:26) / Killing Yourself To Live (5:29) / Cornucopia (3:57) / Snowblind (4:47) / Children Of The Grave (4:33) / War Pigs (7:36) / Wicked World (18:55) / Paranoid (3:14) Musicians: Contact: Website: www.blacksabbath.com Discography
Videography
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