Black Sabbath/Tokyo,Japan 1995

Black Sabbath put an end to their live tour with a performance at Hyde Park in London. It is still fresh in our memory that last year they performed in Japan for the first time with Ozzy Osbourne and greatly impressed their old fans. Prior to this visit, Tony Iommi had also come to Japan with Ronnie James Dio in 2007, but strictly speaking, this was a tour as “HEAVEN & HELL” rather than Sabbath. The last time Iommi came to Japan as Sabbath was in 1995. That was 18 years ago. This was the era when Tony Martin, a great contributor in the ’90s, was at the front. It was the promotion of the last album, “FORBIDDEN”. This work, “FORBIDDEN RULES”, is a recording of the performance at Shibuya Public Hall in Tokyo on November 19, which was the premiere performance from that 1995 visit to Japan, from an excellent digital audience master. In addition to Ozzy and Ronnie’s standard songs, you can enjoy a set list that is only available at this time, including famous songs from the Martin era and special surprises. The “FORBIDDEN” tour, which started in earnest with a tour of the United States in late June, initially featured Cozy Powell, but Cozy left the band at the end of the US tour in August. Bobby Rondinelli, who also played on “CROSS PURPOSES” in 1994, returned to the band and survived the subsequent European tour. The band continued with this lineup and toured Asia from November to December. The center of the tour was their second consecutive visit to Japan. There are few recordings from this Japan and Asian tour, and this work is definitely a top-level recording in terms of sound. I can say with confidence that it is a must-listen record for Sabbath fans. The original release was in June 2008. However, this masterpiece “FORBIDDEN RULES” had two flaws. One is the undelivered “Can’t Get Close Enough” played in the middle of the show, and the other is the problem of digital noise from “Iron Man” to “Paranoid”. This work has almost completely cleared those two problems. When creating this bonus title release, the original master of “FORBIDDEN RULES” was obtained. “Can’t Get Close Enough” was recorded there without any problems! Unfortunately, the problem of digital noise remained, but this was carefully removed as much as possible with the current technology in 2014. It was reduced to a level that was surprising for fans who know the original sound, and was exactly “unnoticed unless you were told”. This means that the 1995 Tokyo performance definitive version “FORBIDDEN RULES” will be revived in the best form ever! Now let’s play the CD. The recording starts with the BGM “Ave Satani” before the show. From this point on, the clarity and directness of the sound are wonderful, and you can enjoy the ideal audience sound with the heat of the venue and the ease of listening to the musical sounds. The moment the band appeared and the intro to “Children Of The Grave” was played, the venue exploded with excitement. Iommi’s rock-solid guitar is as satisfying to listen to as ever. Martin’s voice quality has changed since this period, and instead of suppressing the unreasonable high tones, he has exquisite control over the mid-low range, adding a unique interpretation to Sabbath classics. His signature song “The Shining” is a highlight of the first half. Bobby Rondinelli, who took over from Cozy Powell, plays a better fit for Sabbath than expected. The rhythm section with Neil Murray is very tight and powerful. It’s a pity that this combination only lasted for this period. “Kiss Of Death”, which was set in from “FORBIDDEN”, ​​has a magnificent and melodic melody. It doesn’t feel out of place when mixed with Martin’s signature songs such as “Headless Cross” and “When Death Calls”. The catchy “Rusty Angels” also gives a good hook to the flow of the live show in the middle of the show. In the second half of the show, dramatic songs engraved in Sabbath history are played one after another! “Can’t Get Close Enough” gets the crowd excited, and “War Pigs” and “Black Sabbath” allow the listeners to fully enjoy Sabbath’s heaviness. And “Heaven And Hell”, which includes Iommi’s solo, overwhelms the listeners for nearly 20 minutes! After “Heaven And Hell”, the biggest highlight of the day appears! The famous ballad “Changes” from “VOL.4” is played! Martin sings a melody with Tony Iommi’s keyboard in the background. Both plays are wonderful, making you think “I wish they had set it up earlier”. The last song is “Paranoid”, which flows from “Iron Man”, and closes the venue with the excitement at its peak! The recording quality of this sound source itself is the highest grade. Only this work can enjoy Martin’s singing “Changes” with the realism of a line sound source and outstanding clarity! This is a special record of the Japan tour that all Sabbath fans cannot miss. If you have not yet experienced this recording, please take this opportunity to enjoy it together with the masterpiece “FORBIDDEN IN NAGOYA”! Live at Shibuya Kokaido, Tokyo, Japan 19th November 1995 TRULY AMAZING/PERFECT SOUND Disc 1(56:37) 1. Intro: Ave Satani 2. Children Of The Grave 3. Neon Knights 4. The Shining 5. The Wizard 6. Kiss Of Death 7. Headless Cross 8. Guitar Solo 9. Rusty Angels 10. When Death Calls Sabbath 11. th Bloody Sabbath Disc 2(64:42) 1. Can’t Get Close Enough 2. War Pigs 3. Drum Solo 4. Mob Rules 5. Black Sabbath 6. Heaven And Hell 7. Changes 8. Iron Man 9. Paranoid Tony Iommi – Lead Guitar Tony Martin – Lead Vocals Neil Murray – Bass Bobby Rondinelli – Drums Geoff Nicholls – Keyboards