Master of Reality

Like most Sabbath fans, I bought this for the second disc containing rarities and outtakes, but since my only copies of Master of Reality were an old cassette and a burned CD, it worked out all the way around. The album itself sounds fine; it's not noticeably different from past releases I've heard, so don't expect any major improvements or changes there. That second disc, though, like most other reviewers have noted, is incredible! All of the Deluxe Editions have cool extras, but I like this mix the best. It starts with Weevil Woman '71, a great song not quite finished for Master of Reality's original release. Nothing is cooler than getting an old Sabbath song from their best era that's been unheard until now, and this song rocks. Great riffs from Tony that would fit right in on Master of Reality. I'd say the next best possibilities for bonuses, after rare, unreleased songs, are alternate versions and instrumentals, and this edition has both. First, Sweet Leaf, Children of the Grave, and Into the Void/Spanish Sid all have different lyrics and variations in instrumentation from their originals. Also, Lord of This World sounds incredibly cool with piano and slide guitar mixed in, as does Solitude with no effects on Ozzy's vocals or flute in the background. As for instrumentals, you get After Forever and Children of the Grave, plus Orchid, which was already an instrumental, but features a brief lead-in by Tony. Nothing against Ozzy, but I love hearing just the band playing those songs. You can really hear them jam more without the vocals, and I usually hear a guitar lick or drum fill here and there that I never noticed before. In addition to the great CD's, this edition has an extensive 20-page booklet with a long article about the band's early 70's era, tons of vintage pics, and song lyrics. I've been wearing this CD out since I got it, so if you're a hardcore Sabbath fan like I am, I'd highly recommend getting this. I agree with everyone else who says it's a must-have.

Great album even better now that he’s passed saying this in a empathy way I ordered it the night before he died among other Black Sabbath theme stuff tshirt cd ect I got it for my ex who loves them His mom passed this year so I put a lot of thought into what he would actually love not pretend too so he was pretty upset when ozzy died But I scored major birthday points when he saw what i got him he almost Cried but i stopped him plus The album and tshirt is going up in price price every hour he will be missed by all music lovers

Classic Sabbath! My wife and I really enjoy it! Excellent Album!

I am of course talking of the 2009 Deluxe Edition with Bonus Cd. I love this album (it's my favorite) for a lot of reasons, Sweet Leaf is amazing. The riffs on Sweet Leaf are just awesome. After Forever is a mystery for me, I like everything about it but what makes it go in my top 5 favorite Sabbath songs, I don't know. Children of the Grave is awesome because of the heavy and deep riffs, it kinda reminds me of Paranoid. Lord of this world is another one of those great 70's metal songs. The name might make you have doubt but it is truly a great song. Solitude, every metal album needs a ballad in order to be complete! Into the Void, another true 70's metal masterpiece with the deep riffs and the vocals from Ozzy. DISC 2. Weevil Women 71' is great. Ozzy kinda sounded like he was just thinking of lyrics while he was singing. Sweet Leaf Demo, absolutely amazing. I love demos and all but this is not a demo, this could have been an actual song but just like Weevil Women, Ozzy is just coming up the lyrics as he goes. After Forever is a great song, but having an instrumental version is even better! I do like Ozzy's vocals but the most amazing part of the song is Tony Iommi grinding the guitar. Amazing. Children of the Grave with alternate lyrics, it's cool. Children (Instrumental), same with After Forever, the riffs are amazing. Lord of this world with Piano with Slide Guitar, even cooler! It's awesome. Solitude with no flute sounds the same, to me at least. Last one, Spanish Sid (Early version of Into of the Void), kinda the same as of Into the Void. But with little bit of different lyrics.

Very good

Great album

This review pertains to the 2009 Sanctuary release of this CD. 'Master of Reality' was Black Sabbath's most polished album at the time of it's release. From the residual cough that opens 'Sweet Leaf' (a tongue-in-cheek love song to a certain medicinal herb), to the last screaming echo of 'Into the Void'- 'Master of Reality' broke new ground for the band, while helping to further refine their unique sound. One interesting note here is the somewhat jarring introduction of Christian imagery into some of their lyrics, particularly on the songs, 'After Forever' and 'Lord of This World'. By this point it seems clear that Black Sabbath was tired of being defined by people who didn't really understand the music, or the band. Although they frequently explored more sinister themes throughout their catalog, Sabbath are never praising evil- but simply acknowledging that it exists. To them, life is about more than flowers and sunshine, and their lyrics reflect a kind of brutal honesty that music often lacked in the early 70's. Portrayed by the media at the time as a kind of satanic sideshow, their bad reputation did help to fill concert seats- but what started as a gimmick for the band began to stifle them, artistically. By the time 'Master of Reality' was being recorded, Black Sabbath seem to be trying to set the record straight that they are NOT satanists. The boldness of a band with Black Sabbath's reputation singing lyrics like, "They should realize before they criticize that God is the only way to love", suggests that they had outgrown the box they had put themselves in, even if this new lyrical shift sometimes comes across as a little defensive and preachy. Virtually every song here is essential listening. The only exception I would make is the very brief instrumental, Embryo. It's my least favorite track on the album, and sounds (to my ears) to be slightly out of tune- which is unusual for what is an otherwise beautifully polished set. But classic tracks like, 'Children of the Grave' and 'Into the Void' easily rank among their finest songs, and more than make up for a little untrimmed fat. The sludgy, down-tuned guitars add a layered sound to this album that would be emulated by future generations and incorporated into nearly every Heavy Metal album of the late 70's and early 80's- but as used here, it comes across as a new revelation. Also included in this volume is the haunting and very beautiful, 'Solitude', which features the most angelic vocals Ozzy has ever uttered to this day. (Actually, make that the ONLY angelic vocals Ozzy has ever uttered!) The double-disc format here is another positive. On the first three albums, 'Black Sabbath', 'Paranoid' and 'Master of Reality', Sanctuary includes a bonus disc of material that has a wealth of previously unreleased tracks. This companion disc offers insight into the creative process behind their music, and although not essential, it does make the songs sound fresh again and offer longtime fans some pleasant surprises. It's particularly interesting to discover some unused ideas on alternate mixes (such as slide guitar in 'Lord of this World') as well as discarded early lyrics. The second disc kicks off with a completely new unreleased track, 'Weevil Woman '71', a throwaway jam that nicely captures their energy from this period. Very cool to see all of this archived material finally see the light of day. The remastering on this disc is consistent with the quality of other early Black Sabbath releases from Sanctuary, which is to say that it sounds exactly the way it should. I do have one small caveat though, 'Children of the Grave' is relatively quiet compared to the other tracks (presumably to preserve the dynamics of the original recording). Although I respect the rationale behind it, I think the album sounds a little uneven because of it. The quality of the transfer is uniformly good throughout, though, and I'm sure it's probably my own fussiness about audio that's coming into play here. Others may not even notice. All told, I think this Sanctuary 2009 release of 'Master of Reality' is currently the best available version on CD. 'Master of Reality' is a truly classic album by a legendary band in their prime. Highly recommended! (Get it while it's still available in the double disc format.)

THE BAND: Ozzy Osbourne - Vocals Tony Iommi - Guitar Geezer Butler - Bass guitar Bill Ward - Drums THE SOUND: Good mixed.The down tuning of the guitars and bass brought about an even heavier sound than what was heard in earlier records. The heavy, down-tuned sound also helped take Sabbath's slow, sludgy sound a step further. Distorted riffs, tortured solos, crushing bass, wailing vocals,there is plenty of everything any fan of the early Sabbath might want. THE TRACKS: Sweet Leaf: Classic opener,song structure with their slow, crushing grooves and faster middle parts,certainly ranks as a defining stoner metal song, making its references to marijuana use.Iommi recalls "We all played Sweet Leaf while stoned" After Forever: This has a riff that likely launched many a NWOBHM band.The lyrics philosophizes about death and the afterlife in an openly religious fashion that offered a blueprint for the career of Christian doom band Trouble Embryo: Is a 25 second instrument solo, placed just to fill Children of the Grave: Is driven by a galloping rhythm that would later pop up on a slew of IRON MAIDEN tunes, among many others.This song posits a stark choice between love and nuclear annihilation.One of Sabbath's BEST SONGS. Orchid: is a more complete instrumental,whit which balances, but does seem a bit shallow. Lord of this World: Begins with a lurching, stop-start riff that you'll be dying to hum along to. The voice of Ozzy sound amazing and the guitars make your ribcage vibrate.This is the sound that has become all but Sabbath's TRADEMARK. Solitude: Written by Bill Ward,is musically like a Jethro Tull or Moody Blues song with flutes and bells, but the depressive lyrics help it fit in with the rest of the album. Into the Void: Which shortens the distances between the multiple sections of the band's previous epics.And there's the CORE of the album. Tony and Geezer play off of and against each other to perfection.You feel all the power of the band in this song.

Masterpeice

Vinyle qualité impeccable tout ok

Ce commentaire concerne uniquement la réédition vinyle de Sanctuary. J'avais lu tout et son contraire sur ce pénultième repressage des premiers Sabbaths concernant leur qualité. Je possède des pressages WWA utilisant les mêmes matrices que les Vertigo (mais un chouilla fatigués...) et j'avoue que ces nouvelles versions Sanctuary sonnent largement aussi bien. Pas de tonnes de basses rajoutées, une batterie bien claire et un équilibre général excellent. Bref, si comme moi vos vinyls de BS présentent quelques signes d'usure, je vous recommande chaudement l'achat de ces nouvelles versions Sanctuary. (et il y a aussi le CD gratuit avec, pratique pour la voiture..)

Excelente produto entregue antes do previsto recomendo

Tremendous value in this release. A whole extra vinyl full of unreleased versions of songs and both discs are clean and clear offering up great sound quality at the single disc price. Doesn't make sense to buy another version of this release.