Black Sabbath Sabotage Original US LP Edition

The familiar BLACK SABBATH original LP reissue series. The sixth installment, “SABOTAGE”, has been decided to be released. “SABOTAGE”… It may be said that it is the last great album of the original SABBATH. Of course, “TECHNICAL ECSTASY” and “NEVER SAY DIE!” are masterpieces loved by fans, but it would be a lie to say that there was no “hesitation” there. Not only did Ozzy have personal problems, but Iommi, who was afraid of becoming outdated, incorporated the sounds of various junior bands, worked on collaborations with newcomer Jez Woodruff, and was at the mercy of “the image of Sabbath seen from the outside”. However, it was different until “SABOTAGE”. As a result, it was an album where sales began to decline, but there were no signs of it at the time of production, and the natural talent to transform troubles such as lawsuits into a source of intense aggression was clear. In the 70s, they were progressive, constantly expanding the possibilities of sound and experimenting, but it wasn’t until “SABOTAGE” that they were wholeheartedly “seeking” their own music. In other words, it was the end of the pure Sabbath road. This work depicts such an extreme “work” with the sound as it was born. Our shop has delivered original LP reissues from the debut to “Bloody Sabbath”, but this is the sixth installment and is a little different from the previous ones. What’s different is the country of pressing. Up until now, it was a first press in the UK, but this work is a first press LP of the West German version. The reason for this is the release situation at the time. The studio masterpieces of the 70s were basically “North America = WARNER / Europe = VERTIGO (WWA)”, but only “SABOTAGE” had business troubles and was “North America = WARNER / Europe = VERTIGO / UK = NEMS”. In other words, the West German version from which this work was based was “VERTIGO’s first press LP”. This work is a masterpiece that precisely digitized the mint quality master recording. And the sound is very real. LPs tend to be plain, but this work is by no means plain. Of course, it is not as rugged and three-dimensional as the current Rhino CD, and it is not as heavy and bass-heavy as the Sanctuary version. The texture unique to analog was felt in the North American Warner LP, but the West German version is even brighter. There is no piercing, sharp feeling because it is unprocessed, but the sharpness of the edge runs like a razor in the naturalness, and the sharpness of the heavy metallic riffs such as “Hole In The Sky” and “Symptom Of The Universe” is amazing. The synths make the brightness even more brilliant. “SABOTAGE” was characterized by a progressive sound that boldly used synths, but the sense of space is striking. The retro-future sound world is vivid in songs such as “Am I Going Insane (Radio),” which expresses madness with a spacey otherworldly feeling, and “The Writ,” which has a large amount of guitar and vocal overdubs. The 1970s was a time when there were no boundaries between HR/HM and progressive rock. Although BLACK SABBATH is certainly a band that should be talked about in the lineage of heavy metal and doom rock, their own consciousness was also progressive. From “VOL.4,” they began to introduce a wide variety of instruments, and “SABOTAGE” reached a sound that was so elaborate that it could not be reproduced live. Unlike after “TECHNICAL ECSTASY,” when they began to be conscious of trends, it was the end state of simply evolving “their own music.” The West German version does not have the secret track “Blow On A Jug,” and is often overlooked compared to the North American Warner and British NEMS versions, but this is the VERTIGO sound. This work is a meticulous reproduction of that unique sound world. The latest in the original LP reissue series, this is part of the VERTIGO collection. Taken from the original German LP (Vertigo 6366 115) (43:02) 1. Hole In The Sky 2. Don’t Start (Too Late) 3. Symptom Of The Universe 4. Megalomania 5. Thrill Of It All 6. Supertzar 7. Am I Going Insane (Radio) 8. The Writ