Disco de Black Sabbath: “Past Lives”

First of all, mine didn't come with the guitar pick. I was robbed!!!!!!!!!!!

When I bought this, I was thinking that it may be a "lost" Black Sabbath show with the original lineup that had never been heard before.

When I put it in the player, I knew I was wrong!

Disc 1 is just "Live At Last", the el cheapo live album put out in 1980 by the band's former management, which I already had and which can be found in nearly any bargain bin you look. The band (and Ozzy) had, up until now, disassociated themselves with this. I guess that since there's money to be made, it's not so bad now, right, Sharon? Anyway, there's nothing new to be added to this except that the recording sounds a little bit cleaned-up and the intro "WILL YOU WELCOME BLACK SABBATH!" is gone.

Disc 2 is a bunch of collected mixing-desk (or worse) recordings. I would say that most are from the "Sabotage" tour. The sound quality varies from good to atrocious (Bill Ward's drum sound on most tracks adds new meaning to the term "splash cymbal"), but there's a certain honesty to them - this is how they sounded, no tricks added. Interesting mostly as an historical curiosity and for those who have to have everything Sabbath/Ozzy ever did.

The packaging is good, even if I didn't get my guitar pick! Some good early photos of the Sabs (Ozzy before all the tattoos), with emphasis on the legendary California Jam show. However, I don't think any of the tracks come from that gig. There's also a good essay on the history of the band.

Overall, this isn't bad, but it isn't really good, either. However, I prefer it over "Reunion" as Ozzy isn't screaming the "F" word every other breath. I still recommend "Live Evil" or "Cross Purposes Live" (if you can find it).

With this and all the box sets, I get a sense that Sharon Osbourne is milking the Sabbath legacy (the Ozzy years, anyway) for all it's worth. At the end of Disc 2, Ozzy says, "That's all from Black Sabbath." Let this BE the end before the band deteriorates further into a nostalgia act.

John Michael Osbourne - Your status as a frontman/showman/multimedia star is assured and you have probably the most loyal fan base in heavy metal. You've got a good bud and collaborator in Zakk Wylde. Continue on with that.

Frank Anthony Iommi - You are the inventor of heavy metal guitar as we know it and you still have plenty of music in you. Your recent release of 1996 recordings with Glenn Hughes is fantastic. It would be great if you two would form a permanent band. Your name is legend enough; you don't need "Black Sabbath" any more.

Terence Michael Butler - You set the standard for HM bassists and at this stage in your life you can do what you want. Do solo gigs, play in Ozzy's band now and then, or maybe even do a book of poetry.

William Thomas Ward - You've been through the meatgrinder and back, and I'm glad you're still alive. Enjoy your sobriety and semiretirement. I can think of any number of aspiring drummers who would love to take lessons from you.

Think about it. You're legends. Don't tarnish it any more.

I won't waste time talking about disc one. It's well understood that it's a rehash of "Live At Last". It's disc two that needs to be explained.

I would have been more excited about this release had I not known where the rest of the material came from and heard before. I hadn't heard the live versions of the "Sabotage" tracks, so those were really cool to hear. With that being said, I was disappointed with the rest of it. The tracks on disc two that concentrated on the first two albums are actually taken from a film that was shot for the BBC. It was recorded in Paris in 1970. If you go on YouTube and type in "Black Sabbath Paris 1970" you can watch the whole thing in one form or another. It sounds like garbage on the CD because it's the actual sound track extracted from the film.

I noticed that some of the reviewers are claiming that the Sabotage tracks are from the California Jam in 1974. This is incorrect. It actually comes from a show recorded in Asbury Park, NJ in 1975. Again, go on YouTube and find it. Someone actually has the whole show posted and I think I would have preferred to own that.

Cd1.For years I have painfully listened to "Live At Last",A great concert at the perfect time.The recording was terrible but the songs were priceless.What has been done to this recording is awesome!I would dare to compare it to such greats as Deep Purples "Made In Japan",Peter Framptons"Frampton Comes Alive",or REO Speedwagons"You get what you play for".Almost as good as being there.Cd2.There has never been available any decent live versions of Sabbaths later stuff with ozzy,especially from my favorite Sabbath album"Sabotage" I'll sum it up with one word "MEGALOMANIA"!I'm not into bootlegs,don't waste your money on some crappy CDr that sounds like it was recorded in the bathroom.This is the TRUE sound of Sabbath in rare form.The rest of CD2 varies in quality but is A must for any Ozzy/Sabbath fan ,new or old.

Along with AC/DC's "If you want blood you've got it" and Ozzy's "Randy Rhoads tribute", this is a very good live album. The sound quality is pretty good so you don't have to have all the albums to really get the feel of the song. The fans are always yelling/cheering throughout the song making it a little hard to hear but the song is still good. There aren't that many songs for a 2 disc album but it is enough to keep you from dying of boredom. I was a little dissapointed when i found that there was only one song from the "Sabbath bloody sabbath" album which is "Killing yourself to live". It basically has bout half of the songs from "Black sabbath". There are also some bits and pieces from the albums. Since there are only 18 songs on the album and only about 80 songs up to that point in Black sabbaths career, most people won't understand why this or that song wasn't in the concert. I don't have much complaints for this album except that Hand of doom, wicked world, behind the wall of sleep, and Faries wear boots shouldn't be here. It should actually have other songs. If I had this album my way i would have it like this

Disc 1

1) Black Sabbath

2)Paranoid

3)Iron man

4)Sweet leaf

5)Children of the grave

6)Changes

7)Cornucopia

8)Snowblind

9)Sabbath bloody sabbath

Disc 2

1)N.I.B.

2)War pigs

3)Lord of this world

4)Supernaut

5)Sabbra Cadabra

6)Killing yourself to live

7)Megalomania

8)Hole in the sky

9)Symptom of the universe

But then again thats only if things went my way. But still you must respect Black sabbath for playing and creating all these great songs. Overall this is a great album that you must get if you are a hardcore Black Sabbath fan. If you are just getting used to them and don't really know there music get the best of album and start from there.

As you probably know then entire semi-legit live at last is contained in this album plus a whole lot more of classic sabbath. The sound quality is much improved over the original release. This is a great era of sabbath, and is a fantastic collection of their live material. Plus you get a free guitar pick. If you are a fan of ozzy-sab, this is a must have.