Finally, the Black Sabbath live album originally titled Live at Last has reared its gargantuan head, in the form of this 2CD set Past Lives. Most Sabbath followers agree that the early to mid-70's were the glory years of the band, yet for some reason no official live album was ever released to the public, save for the horribly recorded and packed Live at Last, which floated into the market in the early 80's. This set here includes that whole album, with superior sound and quality, a second CD full of various songs recorded throughout the 70's, plus fantastic live photos and liner notes.
Disc one contains the tracks previously available, recorded in 1973 at The Rainbow in London and in Manchester, and show Sabbath at their monstrous, plodding best. Tracks like "Sweet Leaf", "Snowblind", "Children of the Grave", and "War Pigs" are all doomy classics, performed here in raw, unadulterated heaviness. What's great is to hear tunes like "Killing Yourself to Live", "Wicked World" (complete with an extended Tony Iommi guitar solo), and the classic from Volume 4 "Tomorrow's Dream." The second CD is full of surprises, including "Hand of Doom", "Hole in the Sky", "Fairies Wear Boots", and the art-rock of "Megalomania." Ozzy and the band are in fine form, and while this original line-up may lack the finesse of later Sabbath incarnations, none had the raw power than these four lads created together.
This is an essential live document of perhaps the greatest heavy metal band of all-time, and a must have that comes highly recommended!
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