For whatever reason I came back from New York City with a couple of unofficial Black Sabbath records. It’s not that I dislike Sabbath – in fact I like them very much. But I’m far from being a superfan, and most of my listening is confined to their first two albums. But that didn’t stop me from picking up a Russian compilation and this live record.
Their Satanic Majesties Return was recorded on August 12, 1980 at show in Providence, Rhode Island (“Rhode Island is neither a road nor is it an island. Discuss.”)1 during the Ronnie James Dio era, and that’s immediately obvious in the vocals – Ronnie’s voice soars and he adds in those vocal flourishes he’s so well known for. Half the tracks are from the Heaven and Hell album, the first to include Dio, while the others are from the first two records.
Side One
1. War Pigs
2. Neon Knights
3. Heaven & Hell
Side Two
1. N.I.B.
2. Iron Man / Die Young
3. Paranoid
The sound quality here is decent – definitely better than a lot of other unofficial live records I’ve heard. The drums sound stale, but Dio’s vocals are out there to be heard, especially on “Heaven & Hell”. “N.I.B.” is probably the high point – while the drums are still a bit flat, the bass has some depth, Dio is really feeling it, and the guitar solo shreds.
I’m generally hesitant to recommend unofficial live albums – they’re usually pricey and the sound quality seldom lives up to the cost. Their Satanic Majesties Return is pretty good though, and if you can get it at a reasonable price it’s a good pickup. If you’re a Sabbath fan, it feels like a must-have.
- IYKYK ↩︎