Black Sabbath Remasters

[Bill S]

After hearing the song "Black Sabbath" on Halloween, I've been bitten by the Black Sabbath bat - uh, I mean bug. I'm looking for the best sounding versions of their Ozzy era CDs. Apparently there are some UK remasters from 1996 - are these a significant improvement over the 1980's Warner versions? http://www.btinternet.com/~a.nonymous/JoeNet/asthanos.gif

[Unknown]

The Castle remasters sound much better than the Warner pressings... incl. liner notes and the original cover artwork. Castle (now Sanctuary) have reissued the complete backktalog as mini-LP versions.

[John Buchanan]

Very briefly, of the ones I have:
Black Sabbath - Castle remaster
Paranoid - " "
Master of Reality " "
Volume 4 " "
Live at Last " "
Live Evil Warners double CD
Generally, these relate to better tapes being used for the Castle remasters, as well as vastly improved packaging. Warners really needs to get their act together regarding remastering. Live Evil on Castle - the single CD - is to be avoided like the plague. Half of the disc has the high frequencies absent on one channel, no deep bass - not good. The Warners is FAR superior

[John Buchanan]

There was a very good site called Sleeping Village that ran detailed comparisons of Warners vs Castle vs Vertigo, but I can't find the current URL :confused:

[GregM]

Yes, the Castle Remasters are generally a step up from the Warner Bros ones. Anyone heard the Japanese imports in those LP facsimiles?

[ November 11, 2001: Message edited by: GregM ]

[Sckott]

Yep. The Castle remasters out as UK exports are the same in the Japanese sleeves, and UK versions of the sleeved wonders are also out, same thing.

FWIW, the liner notes on the regular Castles are worth getting for, from the regular jewel box copies.

Paranoid, IMO, sounded very good on WB, only slightly up on the Castle. The rest of the catalogue though, especially like Sabbath Bloody Sabbath and Heaven and Hell - BIG improvements, generally.

[Dave]

Guys,
The Castle/ Warner comparison is at www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Backstage/1303/sv06.htm (http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Backstage/1303/sv06.htm)

[Dan]

I have the "Under The Wheels Of Confusion 1970-1987" box set which uses the Castle masters. This 4 Cd box rules! I picked it up for $30.

My only problem with it are the post-Ozzy tracks. There are a couple of changes I would have made there.

[Bill S]

Thanks to everyone for all the info (especially Dave for the website address) - looks like the Castle remasters should be worth the extra couple of bucks. :)

[Unknown]

Originally posted by Dan:
I have the "Under The Wheels Of Confusion 1970-1987" box set which uses the Castle masters. This 4 Cd box rules! I picked it up for $30.

New or used? If new, WHERE? :D

[Sckott]

Originally posted by Dave:
Guys,
The Castle/ Warner comparison is at www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Backstage/1303/sv06.htm (http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Backstage/1303/sv06.htm)

The person sighted the Dorchester Holding Cds to be merely copies of the WB cds. Sorry to be a picky-***, but this is totally not true. Both the WB and the DH Cds have different EQ and the DH CD has lots of blatent dropouts, worst of all.

What's also interesting is if this reviewer's coice of sound is indictive to a lot of other people, you'll notice how he sights the "better remastered sound" as a generic term of the Castles. True again, it's another product with boosted higher and low end. Gentle "u" Eqing with boost. Not fun for everything. :(

Sorry. /rant.

[GregM]

Know what really bugs me about these Castle productions? There are some blatant lyric errors in the booklets. I'll whip out my copy of Sabotage to give an example:

In the tune Symptom of the Universe:
"Mother Goose is calling me back to her silver womb."

umm. . .I think that's "Mother Moon is calling. . ." Who edits these things? :rolleyes:

[Ian]

The one thing I caught in his "Reviews" was how the Vertigo and Castle issues of "Iron Man" have a "tremelo effect" while the warners does not which would tell me that Virtigo used a defective safety or multigeneration tape and the Castle did not use THE master tape (what else is new with them). I have a hard time believing that the left channel droppout is on the master tape.

[John Buchanan]

Paranoid is improved with the deletion of the odd level changes in War Pigs - also heard on WB vinyl

[Dan]

Patrick,

I picked it up new for $30. CD Universe has it for $29.99 and CD Now has it for $32. Not a bad package!

--Dan

[Guest 2]

Hello,

I picked up all the Castle remasters through "Sabatage", and I have "Seventh Star" and "Born Again".

I enjoy all of them greatly. The packaging and liner notes are consistent and really quite good.

I also like the Uriah Heep remasters on castle. TONS of bonus tracks and good booklets. I picked up everything from their first album until "Fallen Angel". That Castle box set of Uriah Heep is fantastic too. A friend of mine has it, and it is first class. I just don't care for the more recent material.

Tony