Black Sabbath/Germany 1989

From the “HEADLESS CROSS” tour, in which BLACK SABBATH welcomed the rhythm section of Cozy Powell and Neil Murray and heard the most melodious sound of all time, the Germany Nieuwmarkt performance on September 23, 1989 was a super high performance. Introducing a sound that uses the high quality audience master directly! Tony Martin, who joined as a replacement for Ray Gillan who left during the production of “THE ETERNAL IDOL”, has a free and fresh vocal that was said to be similar to Ronnie at the time, and he was a member of Tony Martin as early as the 1987 tour. I heard a perfect combination with Iommi. Iommi acquired a wonderful singer and began rebuilding the band, and also succeeded in acquiring Cozy Powell as a key person to support the band. The new work “HEADLESS CROSS” combines the traditional SABBATH-like heaviness with the majesty that only Cozy’s drums can produce and Martin’s supple singing.It is a work worthy of celebrating the band’s new life, with a mysterious and sublime elegance. It was finished. From the tour that started at the end of May 1989, Neil Murray participated as a bassist. Although the American tour was canceled midway through, the melodious and majestic sound of the new SABBATH was highly praised in the UK and Europe, and succeeded in promoting that “BLACK SABABTH is alive and well.” The Germany Nieuwmarkt performance recorded in this sound source is the 8th performance of the European tour that started on September 14, 1989. Several recordings of this day’s recording have been found on the Internet for some time now, but they are incomplete versions in which some songs were (randomly) cut out in order to fit the sound onto one disc. was. On the other hand, this work is based on a copy of the real top-quality master tape obtained from an overseas taper through a special route, and the show has no deterioration at all and has the highest sound quality as an audience recording at the time. (It is also said that this sound source is the former master of the overseas press CD sound source “PREPARE FOR THE END”). Everyone will be surprised from the beginning of “Headless Cross” by the clear and clear sound with excellent S/N ratio. It is actually very rare for a new song to decorate the opening of a SABBATH live immediately after its release (with the exception of the opening S.E.), and the previous example must go back to the Ozzy era of the ’70s. You can also see the “response” that Iommi felt at the time. The band’s richness is reflected in their performance, and Martin’s singing and Iommi’s guitar solos on songs such as “Neon Knights” and “Children Of The Sea” are amazing, making you want to hear them perform officially live! . The wide dynamic range provides clarity and excellent separation, allowing you to enjoy the tones of guitars and drums with a realism that belies audience recording. The opening of “Die Young”, which begins explosively with Iommi’s lyrical solo, is a scene that shows the quality of the original sound source. This scene, with its vivid contrast between stillness and movement, will leave all SABBATH fans… no, hard rock fans numb! Even in “When Death Calls,” where Neil’s bass plays a fantastic tune with Jeff’s keyboard in the intro, Cozy’s drums knock out the listener with an incredible force. Another advantage of this recording is that you won’t have to worry about distortion or cracking even when you go from a delicate tone to a loud part all at once. The intro to “War Pigs” was filled with applause that filled the venue, and you couldn’t help but feel immersive! The highlight of this sound source is “The Shining,” which marks the beginning of Disc 2. Although the guitar and rhythm are a little out of sync in the opening, there aren’t many “The Shining” performances in 1989 that had such clarity and power. If it’s just the sound, it’s an excellent take that even surpasses that sound board sound source “HEADLESS IN VIENNA”. The following “Black Sabbath” also has an excellent sound that gives a sense of depth. The guitar and drums seem to break the silence and attack unexpectedly, further amplifying the eeriness of the song. The medley of “Iron Man” and “Children Of The Grave” also has a big and magnificent scale feeling, with the atmosphere and echo of the venue working well. The encore suites of “Heaven And Hell” and “Paranoid” are also reproduced with an outstanding sense of realism, and the sound of the main sound source is beautifully decorated with the grand finale of the show (the guitar tone that can be heard here is really wonderful). This sound source, along with “HEADLESS EUROPEANS” which includes the Copenhagen performance on September 15th, is sure to become one of the representative songs of the ’89 European tour! The best audience source that can be compared to the sound board sound source “HEADLESS IN VIENNA” that recorded the Vienna performance on the 24th the next day, is definitely a must-listen for all hard rock fans! Live at Jurahalle, Neumarkt, Germany 23rd September 1989 TRULY AMAZING SOUND Disc 1 1. Ave Satani 2. The Gates Of Hell 3. Headless Cross 4. Neon Knights 5. Children Of The Sea 6. Guitar Solo 7. Die Young 8. When Death Calls 9. War Pigs Disc 2 1. The Shining 2. The Mob Rules 3. Black Sabbath 4. Iron Man 5. Children Of The Grave 6. Heaven And Hell 7. Paranoid/Heaven And Hell (Reprise) Tony Iommi – Guitar Tony Martin – Vocal Cozy Powell – Drums Neil Murray – Bass Geoff Nicholls – Keyboards