Black Sabbath – Heaven And Hell

The remaster on the studio album sounds fine, although oddly a bit rolled off on the top end. Is it better than the other 72 remasters of this album that I have? I don't know. I love Black Sabbath, particularly Dio-era Sabbath, but let's face it - it ain't Steely Dan. How many times does this stuff need to be remastered?

I'm surprised nobody's really talking about the craptastic sound quality on the bonus disc. I can't figure out what's going on with this. The first side is all mono (even the studio B-side), and the live tracks sound like 3rd or 4th gen copies of cassettes; maybe soundboard, maybe made in the room. And did I mention they're in mono? WTF? And the version of "Heaven And Hell" is clumsily faded halfway through the guitar solo.

The sound quality of the second side of the bonus disc is only slightly better, and even that is marred by the off-center noisy pressing. It starts out with *another* version of "Children Of The Sea" that has a little bit of stereo reverb/room noise present, but again sounds like a crap cassette copy. The version of "Heaven and Hell" that follows - which is just the full, unedited version of the edited track on the first side - has a bit of stereo room echo, but everything else is straight in the center, and is effectively mono. "Die Young" has a nice extended keyboard and guitar intro that sounds like it *might* be kinda stereo, but as soon as the song kicks in everything runs back to the center. Ugh. Why? They really couldn't come up with any better source recordings than this?

The real tragedy is that the live performances are top-notch - RJD sounds fantastic, and the band is on fire. Too bad they're presented in such a shitty way.

Adding 3-db's to the top-end opened this pres like a blooming heavy-metal thunder-flower. This reveals a nice punchy & wide stereo-mix with beautifully layered guitars & other aural accoutrements, as well as the perfect echo used on Ronnie's vocals, wow. Quiet heavyweight vinyl can be cranked so loud it can rattle yer teeth. Dynamite album which belongs in every Sabbath fans collection...

Good pressing. Nice packaging and liner notes. The sound is good but not great in my opinion. I have a CD from the 80s that sounds better than this vinyl. The difference is quite noticeable. The CD has more clarity especially in the high end and punch in the low end. That being said this vinyl sounds good, no complaints here. The bonus material on the 2nd record makes this release well worth it if you can get it at a good price.

No complaints here… flat, totally quiet and well mixed. Sounds pretty fucking awesome to my 61 year old concert abused ears!

For whatever reason a 2022 (European?) counterpart to the 2021 US reissue was just released. I already have way too many versions and copies of this album but hopefully it will be a nice upgrade for any folks who were frustrated by the output from the pressing plant chosen for this release.

Still on amazon to the tune of $24.95 brand new, don't overpay like I did a few months ago when it just came back into print!

FTLOG : Before complaining or ranting that an LP is a crappy pressing. pops, noisy ect, and dissmiss the whole production line,,, CLEAN/Rinse YOUR LP's before slapping it on your TT, first before listening to it, a new LP doesnt mean its clean , even after quality checks, there can be dust, particles, snott, spit, new records do get statically charged. This build up of static electricity on the record doesn’t just affect how it sounds – it results in crackle and pop – but it also compounds the accumulation of dirt, dust and other muck on your records. + The fresh out of jacket LP grooves needs to be somewhat "broken in" before it sounds like it should, even after you cleaning/rinse it, typical spin cleaners/ rinsing techniques often don't get in deep enough... My 2021 first repress issued copy of this LP is 99.99% flawless and sound as good as a 1st gen press ! if the LP still sounds pops, crackles after this method then ya you either got a lemon , bad apple , or the actual pressing process is at fault ! and only way to know for certain is investigation/study on a series of consecutive pressings from the plant/plates !

I have no idea why the side C of mine has several spots on the surface which seem to be ripples and skips a lot. Very disappointing but other than that the other sides have no problem and sound great.

Great album, but sadly the pressing is not what I expected. A lot of crackles and pops throughout listening to it. A pity, I love this album and was expecting a perfect quiet pressing. On the other hand the mastering is really good and the band sounds great.

Absolutely ass-kickingly awesome record! Incredible clarity and punch throughout and the bonus LP is a fun addition, as there's always something special about live recordings. A must-have if you're a fan of RJD or metal from the period.