I spend most of my time on this blog "turning and burning" my collection of boots. Occasionally I get the chance to add some of my own contributions. This find, Sabbath in Sheffield 71, came with a lost and/or incomplete oddity. The rare sample version of a lost demo from 1969, When I Came Down. As it happened, being a big Sabbath fan, I happened to have the FULL version of this seemingly enigmatic track. A track that would not be out of place on the debut album. So, simply enough, I removed the "sample" and added the original. No great feat, but hardcore fans should be happy. I've also modified some of the original art to reflect the update. Hope this doesn't offend.
For those interested in the complete set of "samples" check out my post
Black Sabbath Early Demos and Outtakes
Sadly, my talents fall short of repair. This is a great and rare performance, and sounds very good. However the last tracks suffer from the original recorders tape machine running out of batteries, spoiling an otherwise classic Sabbath show (see original notes below). It's not unlistenable, but not wonderful. I'm positive in today's digital world, this problem can be an "easy" fix. :)
So onward and upward. I've fixed the mystery track, now to the audio...any takers?
Enjoy!
OneBrownMouse
*Original Notes*
Black Sabbath
1971-01-14
Oval Hall, City Hall*
Sheffield, UK
VG+ audience recording
"Sheffield '71" version
FLAC
*OneBrownMouse Edition*
A SABBATH DIMERS PROJECT (SDP) UPLOAD
* The Oval Hall is the largest concert hall inside Sheffield City Hall.
Running time:
59:26 min
Artwork:
Included
Line-Up:
Ozzy Osbourne – Vocals
Tony Iommi – Guitar
Geezer Butler – Bass
Bill Ward – Drums
Tracklist:
(01) War Pigs (07:18)
(02) Into The Void (alt. lyrics) (07:14)
(03) Iron Man (07:10)
(04) Guitar Intro (01:49)
(05) Black Sabbath (07:37)
(06) After Forever (alt. lyrics) (05:43)
(07) Wicked World (12:59)
(08) Fairies Wear Boots (06:50)
(09) Paranoid (02:45)
Bonus Track (full version)
(10) When I Came Down (2:00)
This recording is famous, especially for including great early live renditions
of the rarely recorded tracks "Into The Void" and "After Forever".
Thanks to the original uploader! Since some people said that this show was
lossy-sourced, I checked and compared aboout 8 versions of it regarding their
sound, running times, spectral and frequency images. Thanks to all those who
sent me their versions for testing, and of course to those who advised me in
lossiness testing! Most of those versions were completely identical. This is
one of them. They all originate from the famous "Sheffield '71" bootleg which
was sourced directly from the master tape, see quoted info below. Regrettably,
I removed the 54 sec. snipped of the 1969 demo song "When I Came Down" that
was originally included here as bonus track. Sorry for that, I have no idea
why I did it. Maybe somebody else can upload it?
Regarding the often discussed lossiness issue: As I mentioned above, I tested a
lot of versions of this show. While there exists a version that is clear
lossy-sourced without ambiguity (probably sourced from 128K MP3), this
(much wider circulated) version is a more complicate case. To make a long
story short: After all the tests I am now sure that this is lossless. Though
it was said that it is directly from the master and definitely lossless when
it started to circulate, it shows a frequency cut-off that might indicate
lossy lineage; however, the cut-off might also just indicate that the source
tape didn't include much sound above 15 kHz (due to the specific charecteristics
if the tape or the recording device that was used). Since the spectral image
(as shown by the software Cool Edit Pro, which does this job much better than
Exact Audio Copy) zoomed to 2 seconds shows NONE of the "lego blocks" that are
typical for lossy-sourced recordings, and no straight, clear-cut boarder between
the black and the blue areas either, some people who are much more experts in
these issues than I am concluded that this is lossless.
FURTHER INFO QUOTED FROM FORMER INFO WEBSITE <SABBATHLIVE.COM>:
'The tape speed begins shifting when the recorders batteries starting waning
during “Wicked World”. The problem grows a bit worse during the last two tracks
– “Paranoid” and “Fairies Wear Boots”. These defects are disappointing, but not
enough to ruin an otherwise wonderful early audience tape.
It is also important to note that this does NOT appear to be the complete show. During this
era, Sabbath almost always began the show with “N.I.B.”, which is missing here. Instead, the
tape begins with the 2nd song, “War Pigs”. This is a guess on my part, but none of the
other shows from this era start with “War Pigs”.
SHEFFIELD ’71 (2004 SL / Rock Steady Records): The definitive version! Sourced
directly from the original master cassette and nicely re-mastered and equalized
for optimum sound by RF. This CD-R was mysteriously seeded on STG in June 2004
without any mention of the mystery bonus track – a 54 second sample of the
unreleased 1969 demo “When I Came Down”!"'
Additional Notes (OneBrownMouse)
Since I had available to me the original full version of "When I Came Down" I thought I'd add
it and finish off this historic recording.
Enjoy!
OneBrownMouse
