Black Sabbath/VA, USA 1989

In “HEADLESS CROSS”, which welcomed Cozy Powell and ushered in a new era for Sabbath, the band was also aiming to make a comeback in America. The North American tour, which began with the New York/Poughkeepsie performance on May 31st, was originally booked for nearly 40 performances until mid-July, and was originally supposed to be the largest since the “BORN AGAIN” tour. However, in reality, the support from the record company and management was insufficient, and it seems that even the album and tour announcements were not done satisfactorily (Cozy was also dissatisfied with this). As a result, the crowd at the live venue was one more thing, and the American tour itself was canceled after the June 14th performance in Cleveland, Ohio (recorded in “HEADLESS IN AGORA”). However, if you were wondering if the live performance was bad, that was not the case at all.In fact, the band’s performance, which had turned a new leaf, was wonderful. You can get a glimpse of that in this work, “CALL OF THE WILD IN NORFOLK.” The June 6th Norfolk performance recorded in this work is the fifth performance since the start of the tour. In the live just before, the Columbia performance recorded on Power Gate label’s “CALL OF THE WILD” is known for its excellent audience recording. This work captures the live performance with high-quality sound that is as good as its predecessors. The freshness of the material is high, and the good point is that you can clearly grasp the contours and details of the performance. Depending on the situation, the area around the taper may be a little noisy, but the balance and direct feel are excellent. You can enjoy the live performance with easy-to-listen sound (the pitch is also adjusted correctly). From “Headless Cross”, which opens the live performance, Iommi and Cozy’s playing approaches with a thick and realistic tone (Martin’s vocals also pierce through with a clear sense of reality)! On “Neon Knights” and “Children Of The Sea” from the Ronnie era, Cozy’s presence made the songs even bigger. Martin’s singing is fresh, free, and powerful in all songs. The performances at this time, when Sabbath were at their most melodious, are full of dignity backed by taste and intelligence. This personality, which is different from the Ozzy era as well as the Ronnie era, is probably the characteristic of the Martin era. The big listening point of this work is “Call Of The Wild”. The song has only been confirmed to have been performed up to the Philadelphia performance on June 9th, and there are only sound sources for a total of 5 performances. Among them, this sound source is definitely a take that can be said to be at the top in terms of ease of listening and power. Furthermore, the set list unique to the early tour, such as “The Mob Rules” continuing from the same song, and “Die Young” placed in the middle of the live show (in this work, at the beginning of Disc 2), also tickles the mania. The second half of the show was an exquisite blend of Ozzy era classics such as “Black Sabbath,” “Iron Man,” and “Children Of The Grave,” along with the new song “Devil & Daughter” and the Martin Sabbath-style “Heaven And Hell.” Expand. The composition, which exquisitely interweaves new songs from “HEADLESS CROSS” to the “absolute song selection” from the Ozzy and Ronnie eras, will equally satisfy many Sabbath enthusiasts! In contrast to the masterpiece “Definitive Vienna 1989” from the latter half of the tour, where you can hear a mature performance, this work contains the powerful performances and rare set list from the early part of the tour with a high-quality audience master. By enjoying both together, fans should be able to gain a deeper understanding of Sabbath’s ’89 live show. Live at The Boathouse, Norfolk, VA. USA 6th June 1989 TRULY AMAZING SOUND Disc 1(44:17) 1. Ave Satani 2. The Gates Of Hell 3. Headless Cross 4. Neon Knights 5. Children Of The Sea 6. Call Of The Wild 7. The Mob Rules 8. When Death Calls 9. War Pigs Disc 2(43:37) 1. Die Young 2. Black Sabbath 3. Devil & Daughter 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