[Redcarmoose]

The only Sabotage remasters I own are the Black Box cd and some recent Lp, not a UK Castle. I do feel that of all the many Sabbath Bloody Sabbath copies that I own, the UK Castle Lp is a sonic revelation.

 

[paulb09]

If I don't want to sit around waiting for the oldest CD versions to come up, are there any current versions that are even worth having? Or older remasters that are easy to find? There's so much on Amazon from so many different dates my head is going to explode.

What I have currently (or rather my dad has) is the dual CD 2000 Sanctuary release of "The Best Of Black Sabbath". Some of it isn't too bad, but some of it is just horrendous. Cymbals especially can be so weak and flat sounding, and some songs just seem to lack bass punch. If I can't do any better though, I probably won't bother. Oh, and I'm looking for Ozzy era material specifically.

 

[roadtonowhere08]

Quote:

Originally Posted by paulb09 /img/forum/go_quote.gif If I don't want to sit around waiting for the oldest CD versions to come up, are there any current versions that are even worth having? Or older remasters that are easy to find? There's so much on Amazon from so many different dates my head is going to explode. What I have currently (or rather my dad has) is the dual CD 2000 Sanctuary release of "The Best Of Black Sabbath". Some of it isn't too bad, but some of it is just horrendous. Cymbals especially can be so weak and flat sounding, and some songs just seem to lack bass punch. If I can't do any better though, I probably won't bother. Oh, and I'm looking for Ozzy era material specifically.

Well, the new 2009 Sanctuary Records releases that have Andy Pearce at the controls are very nice for newer releases. The first six are great, but I hear the last two are not as great. Stick with the easy to find WB release of Sabotage, as it is still the best release of that album.

Having said that, the 1986 Castles are worth every penny, so still keep an eye out.

 

[paulb09]

Thanks for the info. What I think I'm going to do is try and track down one of the originals you listed in your first post, buy one of the new Sanctuary releases, and then compare with The Best Of. Guess that's the best way for me to find out which I like best, and whether the new releases are good enough for me to go ahead and buy more of them or just wait for the older releases.

The main problem is that on eBay so far I've found a few of the original Castle ones where you've recommended the Japanese versions, and of course I'm trying to be careful on price here too. What I know for sure though is that some of the tracks on The Best Of really don't sound that good, and I look forward to hearing better

 

[roadtonowhere08]

Quote:

Originally Posted by paulb09 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks for the info. What I think I'm going to do is try and track down one of the originals you listed in your first post, buy one of the new Sanctuary releases, and then compare with The Best Of. Guess that's the best way for me to find out which I like best, and whether the new releases are good enough for me to go ahead and buy more of them or just wait for the older releases. The main problem is that on eBay so far I've found a few of the original Castle ones where you've recommended the Japanese versions, and of course I'm trying to be careful on price here too. What I know for sure though is that some of the tracks on The Best Of really don't sound that good, and I look forward to hearing better

If you have any questions or concerns regarding any of the auctions, PM and I will help out. In general, almost all of the Japanese releases are overpriced and not worth it. I got really lucky on a good price for a MINT twofer of the S/T and Paranoid, but that is the only Japanese release I care enough to get.

 

[pbthal]

Not to toot my own horn but I think my Sabbath rips top anything out there...check my site

 

[roadtonowhere08]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pbthal /img/forum/go_quote.gif Not to toot my own horn but I think my Sabbath rips top anything out there...check my site

I have all of your rips; they are beyond phenomenal. Your new setup is outstanding. I have not formally communicated with you on the "other" sites, but I want to thank you for your time, effort, and result. Yes, they are definitely tops in sound quality.

I am not familiar with your site, so any directions would be definitely appreciated.

By the way, if you ever get the chance, I would kill for a great rip of Diary of a Madman from Ozzy.

 

[pbthal]

Quote:

Originally Posted by roadtonowhere08 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have all of your rips; they are beyond phenomenal. Your new setup is outstanding. I have not formally communicated with you on the "other" sites, but I want to thank you for your time, effort, and result. Yes, they are definitely tops in sound quality. I am not familiar with your site, so any directions would be definitely appreciated. By the way, if you ever get the chance, I would kill for a great rip of Diary of a Madman from Ozzy.

I can accomodate you on both levels...if you check my profile..the link to the new blog site is there (dont want to break any rules and post it openly) and once there is a rip of Diary of a madman

...I should have a new paranoid up this week...someone is sending a NM UK Vertigo Swirl

 

[roadtonowhere08]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pbthal /img/forum/go_quote.gif I can accomodate you on both levels...if you check my profile..the link to the new blog site is there (dont want to break any rules and post it openly) and once there is a rip of Diary of a madman ...I should have a new paranoid up this week...someone is sending a NM UK Vertigo Swirl

You, sir, are beyond awesome. Thank you very much for the Ozzy needledrop. I have wanted that for ages. That site is SO bookmarked.

 

[vertical]

just the info I was looking for...
 
As a result, I got hold of Sanctuary remasters for Paranoid, Master of Reality, Sabotage, & Sabbath Bloody Sabbath; and am really happy with the sound.
 
Will prob keep an eye out for the debut and Vol.4 going fwd.

 

[blacknile]

Quote:

Neither. Get ready for this...

This is taken from a Steve Hoffman thread that I have been following for more than a year. The OP's username is rjstauber. I have bought/tracked down all versions talked about, and I agree with all points.


3. Master Of Reality
My favorite version is the 1986 Castle version (either CLACD or NELCD prefix). It’s a little on the dark side, and some people might consider it muddy, but it sounds great and very natural to me, and you can really crank it. I like it better than the 1st Japanese pressing (another 33PD twofer, together with Vol. 4).

 
Hi, does anybody else have other recommendations for a good CD mastering of this record? I found a copy of the NELCD indicated above however I find it horrible - a muddy mess. Surely there must be a decent sounding digital version of this?

 

[vertical]

Quote:

 
Hi, does anybody else have other recommendations for a good CD mastering of this record? I found a copy of the NELCD indicated above however I find it horrible - a muddy mess. Surely there must be a decent sounding digital version of this?

 
I picked up the 2009 Sanctuary CD remaster of MoR last month and it sounds excellent.
 
I'm looking at it now and the number on the binder edge is 2701106. The CD package includes an excellent booklet and a 2nd CD of studio out-takes.
 
hope this helps...

 

[blacknile]

Thanks a lot, I'll definitely check it out..

 

[vold911]

1. Black Sabbath
This is probably the most complex album on CD. We have two different track listings, the original UK vinyl with Evil Woman and the US vinyl with Wicked World. Well, I like both these songs and want to have both of them in the best possible format. In order to compile my favorite version for all tracks, I need two or three different CD versions:
For the best sounding side 1 of the original album and for the best sounding version of the song Evil Woman, I recommend the first Japanese pressing (33PD twofer which doesn’t have the long song Sleeping Village/Warning and which also features the album Paranoid) or the 1986 Castleversion (CLACD or NELCD prefix). These two sound quite similar, and I haven’t finally made up my mind which version I like better (right now I slightly prefer the 1st Japanese pressing, which is a tad brighter but a little more defined).
For the best sounding side 2 of the original album and for the best sounding version of the songWicked World, I recommend the Creative Sounds CD, but: You must make a CD-R copy of this CD and manually set the PE flag in EAC, since the PE flag is missing on the original CD. The resulting CD-R sounds awesome in my opinion.
Now you are probably wondering, why the Creative Sounds CD doesn’t also make the perfect side1 of the original vinyl? Well, there seems to be some kind of tape alignment problem from approx. halfway through the first song to somewhere in N.I.B. Sounds like an azimuth error or something. Otherwise, side one would sound awesome as well. Just compare the first half of the title track, it is mind-boggling.
If you don’t want to mess around with all of this, the early Castle version is a good choice, but it doesn’t have Wicked World.
 
 
i thought pre emphasis was a bad thing? you say to use the cd with pre emphasis for the first part and then rip the second part from the creative sounds which doesent have pre emphasis but to then burn it and apply pre emphasis on the creative sounds part`?

 

[vertical]

OK, Any initial impressions from this group of Sabbath's 13?