HiRez Poll Black Sabbath - PARANOID [Blu-Ray Audio]

[GOS]

i'm scratching my head over all the 10 votes. i get the excitement over this release. it's an awesome album for sure. but Ozzy's low level in War Pigs are a pretty big negative and that's pretty much recognized by almost everyone. i find the sonics to be pretty good, certainly not a 10. the surround mix is well...kinda sporadic. and i'm one that enjoys an aggressive surround mix. i do think Electric Funeral and Hand of Doom sound pretty good. but i'm wondering....if you give this a 10, what do you give titles like the quad of Dark Side of the Moon and the dvd-audio of Gaucho? a 13?

At least for me, comparing Gaucho to Paranoid isn't even reasonable. Different genre, different times. If somehow, they polished Paranoid to sound like Gaucho, I'd be horrified. When you consider the genre, and the year of release, giving a 10 isn't so hard to understand, at least for me.

Anyway, point taken.

 

[stoopid]

I was shocked when I heard it, sounded like Ozzy was 20 metres behind the band, under a blanket. It was so bad, I thought it was a fault with my setup, so I'm glad it's not just me who notices it. But it really ruins the track for me (as someone who bought the album when it first came out, and for 50 years "knows" how prominent he "should" sound).

One of the things I recognized immediately though, is the music "kicks" harder at those alternating music/vocal points and maybe there was some intent when doing the quad to have the music punch in louder. Not making excuses for anyone, and it's certainly not the level anyone participating in this thread would prefer his vocals be. But there is an actual technical explanation as to why this quad might be mixed this way, and was evident to me when hearing it the first time. It still a nit for me, regardless of possible intent. It's really the only one I have with the entire mix.

 

[stoopid]

At least for me, comparing Gaucho to Paranoid isn't even reasonable. Different genre, different times. If somehow, they polished Paranoid to sound like Gaucho, I'd be horrified. When you consider the genre, and the year of release, giving a 10 isn't so hard to understand, at least for me.

Anyway, point taken.

Considering how all the mixes prior to this one sound murkier than any studio album, especially one this classic, ever should... I think this quad is a serious victory for all of us.

 

[Clint Eastwood]

i'm scratching my head over all the 10 votes. i get the excitement over this release. it's an awesome album for sure. but Ozzy's low level in War Pigs are a pretty big negative and that's pretty much recognized by almost everyone. i find the sonics to be pretty good, certainly not a 10. the surround mix is well...kinda sporadic. and i'm one that enjoys an aggressive surround mix. i do think Electric Funeral and Hand of Doom sound pretty good. but i'm wondering....if you give this a 10, what do you give titles like the quad of Dark Side of the Moon and the dvd-audio of Gaucho? a 13?

You have to consider the difference in listening areas...acoustics mean a lot....plus the equipment we all have aren't the same...but I'm sure you aren't the only person scratching their head over the poll numbers...there are 56 members who rated it at 9 or 10...and then there is you...all by your lonesome at 7

Not that there is anything wrong with a 7

 

[jimfisheye]

This is super welcome! The mastering sounds on point to me. No matter what else it's a huge upgrade over the copy of the Q4 I had! I don't hear any obvious artifacts of lossy anything or common poor mastering work. If I'm easy to please just because of the troubled copy I was used to, then there it is. And I'll say it again. With so many hatchet jobs nowadays with mixes absolutely destroyed by hack destructive mastering, this is really welcome!

I agree that this is one of those quad mixes that sounds like it didn't have a lot of time spent on it. Like many of the '70s quad mixes. I can just hear some producer saying "Times up! No one's going to hear this version anyway." with some of these. There are certainly moments of playing with the quad system vs serving the mix. Some moments shine though and - like even some of the most troubled or experimental quads - some more buried elements can be heard simply because they could mix to 4 channels with less overall compression. The right person could remix this today and better this. The wrong person could butcher it beyond recognition and make this quad sound like a masterpiece next to it.

But hey, it's Black Sabbath! It's a bit of a novelty remix but at least we can hear it free of a ton of generation loss now. I'll take it!

 

[The56Kid]

Been a Sabbath fan since I heard their eponymous album as a 13 year old in 1970. Love that debut and Paranoid the most from their generally superb catalog, especially since Sabbath (along with Blue Cheer) created that fantastic and frequently maligned new music genre - Heavy Metal.

All that said, this freakin’ disc is fucking AMAZING! The clarity, separation and punch are almost startling. I think the mix is excellent and feel it affords a formerly dense recording massive breathing room that is most welcome. The Butler/Ward rhythm section has never sounded better and their incredible affinity for the groove - something most bands of that era and many since have lacked - is beautifully highlighted by the 192/24 sonics on display. Don’t agree with the Ozzy vocal level complaints whatsoever.

Dayuuum. This kicks major ass! 10 all day and all night!

 

[par4ken]

What can I say, a definite 10! Performance sound quality and surround all kick ass. While this was the obvious choice for Black Sabbath's quad release I wish the entire first four albums would have all gotten the same treatment!

It got me thinking that audio recording had reached near perfection by the early seventies, these tracks don't offend my ears like many latter recordings often do.

My other copies and conversions from reel Q8 and CD-4 are now obsolete!

 

[Petr Kropotkin]

...While this was the obvious choice for Black Sabbath's quad release I wish the entire first four albums would have all gotten the same treatment!

Hmm, why only the first four? I'd've thought Sabbath Bloody Sabbath offered the richest source material for a discrete surround mix: more layering and multi-tracking of their usual instruments, classical music touches (string orchestra, french horn), and they throw in Rick Wakeman for good measure.

 

[Bill B]

Hmm, why only the first four? I'd've thought Sabbath Bloody Sabbath offered the richest source material for a discrete surround mix: more layering and multi-tracking of their usual instruments, classical music touches (string orchestra, french horn), and they throw in Rick Wakeman for good measure.

Agree 100%. "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" and "Sabotage" were both albums where the band tried to stretch their sound in the studio beyond the 3 piece band. I think "Spiral Architect" might be my favorite BS song ever.

 

[jimfisheye]

Agree 100%. "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" and "Sabotage" were both albums where the band tried to stretch their sound in the studio beyond the 3 piece band. I think "Spiral Architect" might be my favorite BS song ever.

Love that track, whole album, and Wakeman sounds absolutely great playing with them! Yeah, I'd love to hear the 1st 6 albums mixed correctly to surround! These are all albums I grew up with and know every note.

Instead we recently got those novelty CD releases called "deluxe" with the shrill compressed lo-fi mastering. In that light, this well mastered quad Paranoid release is very welcome!

 

[hafquark]

I bought Black Sabbath's first album on release; liked it, but did not follow them much after that. A friend back then had a copy of Paranoid on Q8 that we used to listen to while cruising around town so all of the songs on this album are familiar to me, but that's about the extent of my familiarity with the band.

Gotta say I like the songs and overall clarity of this Rhino issue. The old-style Quad mix fits this music to a T, really accentuates Tony Iommi's remarkable guitar pyrotechnics, and mostly clarifies Ozzy Osbourne's vocals. I gave it a 9.

 

[weekendtoy]

Despite the fact that any Sabbath released with great fidelity is going to get an 11 out of 10 on content, the surround mix just isn't good enough to give it a 10 overall.

9

 

[anibal]

I just finished listening to this for the second time, with "adjusted settings".
I do not know how to rate this!

Pros:
- The music still kicks some serious ass, I can not believe it has been 50 years already. Every track is a single.
- I love the overall sound, I think I never heard this album sounding that slick. Much better than the stereo version in this same release, which sounds a bit thin and "trebbly" to me.
- Excitement level goes to 11.
- The quad mix fits the music and may be gimmicky at times ("period appropriate") but not too much

Cons:
- The vocal level of War Pigs, of course
- I am surprised that no one mentioned this, but I had to lower the levels of the surround speakers by 4 dbs! I am not the one used to make ad-hoc adjustments for different albums, but If I do not do that, I feel that the surrounds (mostly guitars) overpower the fronts and that completely ruins it for me. For War Pigs, lowering the surrounds to -6db helps a lot with the vocals.

So it is not a 10 for me, but also not that bad...

 

[shokhead]

I just finished listening to this for the second time, with "adjusted settings".
I do not know how to rate this!

Pros:
- The music still kicks some serious ass, I can not believe it has been 50 years already. Every track is a single.
- I love the overall sound, I think I never heard this album sounding that slick. Much better than the stereo version in this same release, which sounds a bit thin and "trebbly" to me.
- Excitement level goes to 11.
- The quad mix fits the music and may be gimmicky at times ("period appropriate") but not too much

Cons:
- The vocal level of War Pigs, of course
- I am surprised that no one mentioned this, but I had to lower the levels of the surround speakers by 4 dbs! I am not the one used to make ad-hoc adjustments for different albums, but If I do not do that, I feel that the surrounds (mostly guitars) overpower the fronts and that completely ruins it for me. For War Pigs, lowering the surrounds to -6db helps a lot with the vocals.

So it is not a 10 for me, but also not that bad...

Play War Pigs in stereo, 360 different vocals. I figured it's just the way BS recorded in Quad, playing around and experiment.

 

[Todd 987]

Here’s one I just noticed. The number of bass drum beats at the start of Iron Man before the guitar drone is burned into my brain as 8. Listened to quad and something was off. Went back and sure enough, only 7! Messes with my head.

You just ruined the tune for me forever. Thanks

 

[Todd 987]

Really enjoyed this quad mix. Yes it is crankable! And I really enjoy these quad releases. The back speakers get a workout, drums drive it, outstanding, and the guitars come from all over. As for gimmicks! Kinda what I want from my quad. 9 for me. Am I crazy or do I hear jazzy stuff in there and some real swing by Ward.

 

[mrcond]

Really enjoyed this quad mix. Yes it is crankable! And I really enjoy these quad releases. The back speakers get a workout, drums drive it, outstanding, and the guitars come from all over. As for gimmicks! Kinda what I want from my quad. 9 for me. Am I crazy or do I hear jazzy stuff in there and some real swing by Ward.

You aren't crazy. Bill Ward's jazz influences are apparent in many Sabbath songs. A metal drummer who swings!

 

[Titch]

After a completely painless and stress-free purchase from Amazon three days ago (no Rhino Store nervous breakdowns here):

Of COURSE this a 10! What is all the whinging about "Where's the Atmos"? The sound quality on this is enormously better than any version I've heard before. Classic album, classic mix, superb audio - probably way better than anyone with a quad set-up would have heard back in the dinosaur years of 1970. And the person who voted 6? Well, who let him out of the funny farm again? He's on every Hi-Rez poll!

 

[Jim.olga]

I was never a big Sabbath fan, but I always like the tunes from this album. Given this quad mix is from the early 70s, I was out-right impressed! The mix is great and I cranked this to 80db. There is very little noise on this recording. On a side note, I had a surprise visit from the local law enforcement as seen through my front door camera during this listen. Luckily, not related to a noise disturbance but I thought it was funny when the officer saw I was somewhat his senior blasting Iron Man! The only thing that kept this from being a perfect 10 for me was I felt that Ozzie's vocal on Paranoid was to far back in the mix. The thing is, I really enjoyed this quadio and was very much surprised!

 

[par4ken]

Love that track, whole album, and Wakeman sounds absolutely great playing with them! Yeah, I'd love to hear the 1st 6 albums mixed correctly to surround! These are all albums I grew up with and know every note.

Instead we recently got those novelty CD releases called "deluxe" with the shrill compressed lo-fi mastering. In that light, this well mastered quad Paranoid release is very welcome!

Why only the first six? I never really cared much for

"Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" and "Sabotage"

but did like "Technical Ecstasy" even though it has a shrill harsh sound quality. A remix with the right equalisation would be welcome.

I have a bootleg "Test Mix Quadraphonic" featuring "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" and "Sabotage", a very odd disc indeed it has no vocals sounds like a Left-Right Dyna mix.

Real Sabbath fans would want the Dio albums as well!

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