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Black Sabbath: Tony Martin Era Box Set ''Anno Domini 1989-1995"


tboneman

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On 4/12/2024 at 3:55 AM, ZoSoRose said:

They should tour! Call the band Headless Cross and tour theaters. I’d go

That would be pretty cool. Not a HUGE Tony Martin Sabbath fan, but I'd go for sure.

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On 4/1/2024 at 6:42 PM, tboneman said:

https://blabbermouth.net/news/tony-iommi-says-original-tapes-for-black-sabbaths-born-again-album-have-been-found-im-thinking-of-remixing-it/

Well good news is that Born Again remix is on its way too. It's just a matter of when. Hopefully after this set. 

Been waiting for Born Again remix for a long time. Definitely my fav BS period. 

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Before the teaser of these two songs coming out, my #1 Black Sabbath song was Anno Mundi. I liked Headless Cross, but it was nowhere near Anno Mundi for me. The wild thing is, I've now listed to Headless Cross way more than Anno Mundi and am digging that one way more right now. Wasn't expecting that.

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Anyone care to share their thoughts on the Forbidden Remix? I've always been one of the albums biggest defenders as it was, but I think they've done a grand job. Some of the changes are subtle but really make a huge difference. Love the little vocal effects on Can't Get Close Enough for example, it's only on a few words, but it's brilliantly done.

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2 hours ago, Cosmo said:

Does anyone know why The Eternal Idol isn't on the boxset? I hadn't noticed...

 

 

Different label. The Eternal Idol was a Warner Bros. release and these are I.R.S releases. 

Cross Purposes Live and other stuff release may get released later on a companion box set. 

Martin also said unreleased songs may never come out since Sabbath can only release "new" stuff if it involves original band. Or maybe Ozzy really since they did release that 13 album without Bill. 

5 hours ago, Towelie said:

Anyone care to share their thoughts on the Forbidden Remix? I've always been one of the albums biggest defenders as it was, but I think they've done a grand job. Some of the changes are subtle but really make a huge difference. Love the little vocal effects on Can't Get Close Enough for example, it's only on a few words, but it's brilliantly done.

I think it sounds great! Finally it sounds like a Sabbath album. 

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I gave Forbidden a full listen today - I actually can't believe the difference. I know this is a cliche for remixes, but it's literally like hearing the album for the first time. The guitar tones are so full and cutting, the drums are crisp, the low end is well rounded. It does not sound like an album recorded 30 years ago. I'm really looking forward to getting to know this album again/better. 

Only listened to a couple tracks off of the others so far. It sounds like Headless Cross has benefitted the least from the remaster, but I've always been a fan of the sound despite the fact that it sounds relatively dated. Try is sounding a lot better - always found the sound a bit thin on that one. As for Cross Purposes...I've never especially been a fan of this one, I haven't really had a chance to compare it to the original yet. 

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14 hours ago, Powerage5 said:

I gave Forbidden a full listen today - I actually can't believe the difference. I know this is a cliche for remixes, but it's literally like hearing the album for the first time. The guitar tones are so full and cutting, the drums are crisp, the low end is well rounded. It does not sound like an album recorded 30 years ago. I'm really looking forward to getting to know this album again/better. 

Only listened to a couple tracks off of the others so far. It sounds like Headless Cross has benefitted the least from the remaster, but I've always been a fan of the sound despite the fact that it sounds relatively dated. Try is sounding a lot better - always found the sound a bit thin on that one. As for Cross Purposes...I've never especially been a fan of this one, I haven't really had a chance to compare it to the original yet. 

Yeah, Cross Purposes has about 4 good songs. Evil Eye, The Hand That Rocked The Cradle, Virtual Death and Cross of Thorns. Song for song, Forbidden is a much stronger album and I never understood why it always got seen as the black sheep of Sabbath albums.

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As much as the mix improved the listening experience, this record just doesn't really appeal to me. The songs just aren't there, IMO.  The mix was bad, yes, but IMO, the songwriting was far worse. It's like they were scraping the bottom of the barrel and releasing whatever they had. Don't wanna sound too harsh but I feel it's like polishing a turd. Not a big fan of the Tony Martin era, but there are some really good highlights from that era. None are from this album, IMO. 

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16 hours ago, Cosmo said:

As much as the mix improved the listening experience, this record just doesn't really appeal to me. The songs just aren't there, IMO.  The mix was bad, yes, but IMO, the songwriting was far worse. It's like they were scraping the bottom of the barrel and releasing whatever they had. Don't wanna sound too harsh but I feel it's like polishing a turd. Not a big fan of the Tony Martin era, but there are some really good highlights from that era. None are from this album, IMO. 

Forbidden is my favourite Tony Martin era album. Shaking Off The Chains, Kiss of Death, Can't Get Close Enough, I Won't Die For You and Illusion of Power are some of my fave Sabbath tracks.

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Forbidden certainly isn’t my least favorite, that would be Cross Purposes. Headless Cross is my favorite. Eternal Idol is tough to rank against the rest - it really doesn’t sound or feel like a Tony Martin album, since he came into the picture so late. But I would take Tyr and probably Eternal Idol ahead of Forbidden. 

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  • 2 months later...

I picked this up on Amazon this weekend for $70. There is a scratch on the box so I am exchanging it, but wow, what a great box set! I love this stuff. Rare, under- the- radar albums that are either difficult to find or previously unpressed? That makes for great box set content!

I have loved Black Sabbath since I started getting into music in 2005 or so but have not given the Tony Martin era a chance until this past year. It is all very new music to my ears. I started digging Headless Cross immensely, and am now diving into Tyr and Cross Purposes. So far, I enjoy those a lot too. Tony's Marshall tones rock! Deliciously 80s and early 90s, and a killer snapshot of that era. This is just awesome, classic heavy metal!

Box is great, and I appreciate the extras. I don't need metal coins and rings, but a tour book replica, poster, and nice booklet are quite excellent. That is what I like to see in a nice box set. The records sound excellent, and although Forbidden is my least favorite of the bunch, I cannot deny the mix sounds great. It is a bootleg of a 1989 show, and they sound amazing. I wish this came with Cross Purposes Live or some other live content, but that is okay considering this set is designed to re- showcase these studio albums that have been lost to time. I do have a Tony Martin era live Sabbath record set in my collection. It is also kind of weak they did not include the bonus tracks in the vinyl set. It is more expensive than the CD set, so why not toss in a 7 or 10- inch record with the other songs? I don't know if they are even good or not, but it would have been nice for completion's sake. 

All that aside, this is a cool, unique set. Crazy they were able to get this out in 2024 considering Ozzy and his camp are back to being involved with the business side of Sabbath. 

Edited by ZoSoRose
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Already got the replacement copy. Damn Amazon. No scratch!

Been listening to these records and I am even digging Forbidden. Awesome albums. 

This box makes me wish for a Chinese Democracy super deluxe. I know it won’t happen because Slash and Duff are now back, but if there is a market for this Sabbath box, there would certainly be a market for a CD box. 

Good on Iommi for putting this together for fans and at a very reasonable price point

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