Black Sabbath/Tokyo,Japan 11.18.1980

The latest work that will astonish all hard rock/heavy metal enthusiasts is here! The fourth installment, following Gary Moore, ALCATRAZZ, and Ozzy Osbourne, is BLACK SABBATH’s first visit to Japan with Ronnie James Dio to release “HEAVEN AND HELL”! The first appearance of the original master recorded by “Miracle Man” was recorded at Nakano Sun Plaza on November 18, 1980, the last day of Tokyo. The appearance of the strongest audience recording of “SABBATH in JAPAN” is sure to create a sensation among fans again. BLACK SABBATH’s visit to Japan was planned several times in the early ’70s when Ozzy Osbourne was a member, but due to various circumstances it did not come to fruition, and it was on the 1980 “HEAVEN AND HELL” tour when Ronnie James Dio joined that they appeared in front of Japanese fans. With the participation of Ronnie, who had built a huge fan base during the RAINBOW era, SABBATH’s popularity in Japan suddenly heated up, and despite it being their first visit to Japan, they suddenly reached their peak and were held in an enthusiastic mood. This first tour of Japan, which had a total of six performances from November 16th to 21st, has been known for various sound sources from before, and in recent years, excellent audience recordings have also been unearthed. In particular, the performance at Nakano Sun Plaza on November 18th, which was the final day in Tokyo, has multiple audience recordings, as well as FM sources broadcast on the radio and stereo soundboard sources leaked by related parties, and now “DEMONIZATION”, a compilation of these three types of sound sources, is recognized as a major classic among fans. It was thought that “high sound quality” was no longer enough to talk about it, but a super recording that turns even that situation upside down has come out! It is because they leave such recordings that “Miracle Man” is a miracle. Speaking of the Nakano Sun Plaza concert recordings produced by “Miracle Man”, they have an excellent compatibility, as proven by the recently released ALCATRAZZ’s “SUPER JET” and OZZY OSBOURNE’s “BLOODY DIARY”, and in this recording, as soon as the opening intro “Supertzar” starts, the listener is treated to an extraordinary sound that takes them back in time to the venue 32 years ago. The brightness and excellent clarity are the same as always, but this time it was recorded in the front row! With a genuine and close sound, the musical tones resonate from the left and right of the channel with a realistic sound image, the fresh atmosphere with a sense of realism, everything is overwhelming. Not only can you hear Ronnie’s vocals and Iommi’s guitar with a vivid presence, but the ultra-realistic sound of each member’s play, such as Vinnie Appice’s drums that pierce the audience, and Geezer’s bass that roars with a full tone throughout the live performance, is unparalleled from “War Pigs”! It’s not an exaggeration to say that it sounds like “a mix of cheers collected at the venue and a soundboard sound source.” What’s most amazing is that even though it’s such a realistic recording, there is almost no distortion or cracking, and everything is easy to listen to with a natural sound image without any breakdown. “Neon Knights” flows in immediately after the heavy “War Pigs”, “N.I.B.” reconstructed by Ronnie in a magical world different from Ozzy, and “Children Of The Sea” reproduces Iommi’s delicate playing to the fullest, all of which are heavy yet elegant. I never thought that a “front row recording” would be so amazing… “Sweet Leaf” and “Black Sabbath”, where SABBATH’s heaviness has gained a new color with Ronnie’s superhuman vocals, are the main listening points of the live show. Vinnie’s linear and complex drums also give the song a different dynamism from original member Bill Ward. “Lady Evil” is catchy yet has a wonderful heavy performance, and here too, the new charm of SABBATH, which Ronnie opened up, explodes. The live finally climaxes with the grandiose and majestic “Heaven And Hell”. As fans already know, Iommi was down due to poor health during the song, and from the middle of the song onwards, Geezer skillfully cleared the “emergency” with a (stunning) bass solo of about 5 minutes with Vinnie’s drums in the background. Normally, it would not be surprising if the show was cut off here, but SABBATH’s musicianship is amazing as they continued the live as if nothing had happened until Iommi returned with “Iron Man”. In the end, the live ended without “Die Young” or “Paranoid” being played on this day. Most of the previous recordings of the same day were finished with the end of “Iron Man”, but in this recording, amid the cheers for an encore that never stopped, an announcement by a related person to the effect that “Iommi could not continue the live due to illness” was firmly recorded. Not only can you hear the state of the noisy venue, but you can also feel the realism of an accident happening and being announced right in front of you! No matter how good the soundboard source or FM source of the day is, no matter how many kinds of audience recordings are available, this ultimate on-site feeling can only be achieved with this front row recording! Even among the many sound sources released so far, this work is undoubtedly the top of the top as an audience recording. This is an exquisite piece that allows all listeners to relive the final day in Tokyo, which was hit by an incident, with a documentary touch. Live at Nakano Sunplaza, Tokyo, Japan 18th November 1980 TRULY AMAZING/PERFECT SOUND(from Original Masters) 1. Supertzar 2. War Pigs 3. Neon Knights 4. N.I.B.5. Children Of The Sea 6. Sweet Leaf incl. Drum Solo 7. Lady Evil 8. Black Sabbath 9. Heaven And Hell 10. Iron Man Tony Iommi – Guitars Ronnie James – Vocals Geezer Butler – Bass Vinny Appice – Drums Geoff Nicholls – Keyboards