Live Evil (40th Anniversary)

Product Information

The US cassette release has, as its first side, sides 1 and almost all of 2 except for "Iron Man" which fades out at end of Side 1. Then the second side began with "Iron Man" (via fade in) and sides 3 and 4 were intact. This was done to make the sides of the cassette of nearly equal length. The story continued over a decade later when Dio and Appice rejoined Iommi and Butler to record 1992’s Dehumanizer. They went their separate ways yet again, only to reconvene in 2006 – under the moniker Heaven and Hell – to record three new songs. After a hugely successful world tour, the quartet released what would be its final studio album, 2009’s The Devil You Know, which entered Billboard’s Top 200 chart at #8. Shortly after the album’s debut, Dio was diagnosed with cancer, a disease that led to his passing in 2010.

The Sign of the Southern Cross/Heaven and Hell (Continued)" (Dio, Butler, Iommi/Dio, Iommi, Butler, Ward)Welte, Jim (22 April 2008). "Legends align for Metal Masters Tour". MP3.com. Archived from the original on 24 April 2008 . Retrieved 23 April 2008.

Mitchell, Ben. "Review Live Evil". Blender. Alpha Media Group. Archived from the original on 7 October 2009 . Retrieved 8 August 2009. Voodoo features some additional lyrics added by Dio, not previously heard on the Mob Rules studio recording. During the mixing of Live Evil, Dio and drummer Vinny Appice abruptly left the group, leaving original members Iommi and Geezer Butler to carry on. The two factions would provide vastly different accounts of what transpired as things fell apart. The loss of the iconic voice might have signaled the end of the band. But, that wasn’t to be the case… War Pigs" contains a drum solo from Vinny Appice, and "Heaven and Hell" contains a guitar solo from Tony Iommi.Drummer Vinny Appice also gets to show his talents off with an amazing drum solo in the extended live version of Osbourne-era War Pigs. The first set, the remastered album, replicates the original sleeve, and compared to the last remaster, there is definitely an improvement. The music, it sounds excellent. But if that’s all you want, I’m not sure the difference warrants the price point. Yes, it’s expensive, and for some reason the European release is 30% more expensive than the US edition on Rhino. Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1sted.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5. The new line-up of vocalist Dio and drummer Vinnie Appice with founder members guitarist Tony Iommi and bassist Geezer Butler (with guest pianist Geoff Nicholls) recorded this album over 3 nights on the Mob Rules tour, and a wonderful album too. With this stunning new 40 th anniversary release, the album we always knew was there comes to fire breathing life, capturing the legendary band in full flight.

The crowd noise is still frustratingly low in the mix but the playing is what draws you in, these new sonic polishes putting you right there in the action. Rory Gallagher’s Irish Tour 74, UFO’s Strangers In The Night, Deep Purple’s Made In Japan and most recently Thin Lizzy’s Live And Dangerous are just some of the live albums recorded over several nights that have since been reissued as multi disc sets featuring the entire individual shows.

Versions

The album has previously had single CD (edited), double CD and remastered reissues, and in line with the current ongoing BMG campaign, we get the Deluxe issue in a box with extras. But how deluxe is it?

A riposte to the unsanctioned ‘Live at Last’ album released three years previously and hot on the tails of Ozzy Osbourne’s double set ‘Speak of the Devil’ that consisted of twelve numbers from his former band, Sabbath wanted to bring out their own record of their onstage power. Throughout, Iommi, Butler and Appice shine, their performances passionate and these new mixes help you appreciate just what a tight unit they’d become by then. The guitarist was always one of the leading inventors of the huge riffs but here you can really hear him play with a touch that few, if any, could match. Butler and Appice make an unstoppable rhythm section too, balancing killer punch with nuance. Nicholls too is an unsung hero, his playing adding real colour to the sound here that’s never intrusive but always welcome. And in the LP edition, the book and tour programme are 12” size, something meaty to get your hands on. And what’s lovely about this book is a substantial essay, you know, proper sleevenotes, with a few pictures. It’s clearly much less press cuttings and rare overseas vinyl based. So read it as you listen and enjoy.Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005 (in Japanese). Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9. Since early 2020 Josh has been entertaining us with exclusive monthly live sessions, streamed via Facebook. From 2 January we’ll be featuring significant albums reviewed 2003-2023 in our featured album sequences as part of GRTR!@20