Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #27785 in Digital Music Album
• Published on: 2009-07-03
• Released on: 2009-06-29
• Running time: 5043 seconds

Customer Reviews

Not the same as the single cd...A nearly perfect new remaster!
Ok first off let's not confuse this release with the single cd available as this is a new remaster and what a remaster at that!
I was a tad skeptical about this release and one reason i didn't rush straight out and buy because i wasn't sure if it was just the same as the single cd,but after reading on the black sabbath forum about the unbelievable quality i had to get it asap.
Ok onto the review.
Well Many cds these days are so poorly re-mastered that great dynamic sounding music seems to be becoming a rarity these days with many artist's back catalogues and indeed new music being butchered and ruined so it fills me with enormous happiness to say this deluxe edition is really quite superb,in fact it's one of the best cds ive ever heard.
Everything about this cd is brilliant,one because it was the first and highly influential album from sabbath and two ive never heard it sound better.
From the opening of black sabbath to the final track of disc one warning i was amazed at how dynamic and powerful sounding this is.
The second cd has outtakes and instrumentals from the album which i found to be excellent especially the studio outtake of black sabbath,at the start you hear ozzy say (and i'll leave out certain words lol) "i dont understand it....i can't remember the words"....it really is priceless and in my opinion worthy of purchase on this reason alone.
Seriously though this is a masterclass in remastering and one that all engineers should take note and learn from.
So if you are a fan of heavy metal or sabbath and you are not quite sure whether to get it then don't wonder anymore just go for it.
Comparing this to the single cd version is like comparing gold to dirt,the single cd is louder,harsh sounding and brittle,this deluxe edirion is pure gold,not at all loud very smooth and rich.
Absolutely brilliant and a pleasure to award it 5 stars!

Only for absolute completists
This reissue of Black Sabbath's first album has the vanilla version of the album on the first CD and some outtakes and alternative versions as well as a single B-side on the second CD. None of the versions are markedly different from the album versions. The sound quality is excellent. However Black Sabbath is available for £3.98 with the B-side as an extra track, making this edition, with a skimpy playing time of 84:25, an option for completists only.

Good but could be better
Good reissue of classic album, not up to the standards of other deluxe reissues though, a lot of these sabbath versions just seem to drop out the vocal and give you an instrumental as a bonus track! Would have been good if Song for Jim or the Rebel saw the light of day.