I love this this album so objectivity is out the window but this is awesome. Amazing how there are so many little moments that differ from the OSM (original stereo mix).
I had to go directly to "Fairies Wear Boots" to start, followed up by "Hand Of Doom" (my two favorites from the album). In the latter I loved how each line of Ozzy's vocals come out a different speaker as he preaches;
You're having a good time baby
But that won't last
Your mind's all full of things
You're living too fast
Go out enjoy yourself
Don't bottle it in
You need someone to help you
To stick the needle in, yeah
Let's just say, if you were in need of that sermon, you would have really enjoyed that effect and it probably would have induced you to do more (so that you could enjoy it even more). LOL
Love the drum workout around the room on Rat Salad. Ozzy vocals are fine on my system but seem a bit more "reverby" in some songs than the OSM. Little flourishes from Iommi guitar rise in the mix in unexpected ways to give them emphasis that they didn't have in the OSM.
I also found this very crankable, as in you can really turn up the volume without any unpleasantness.
I have said this before about 70's Quad mixes vs. current surround mixes, I liked that the former didn't hold back. They weren't worried about being tasteful, or maintaining the spirit of the original recording, they just wanted to "wow" you and make your head spin. Since I have never owned any original Quad recordings from that time period, nothing makes me happier then when one of them gets released on an optical disc.
As for my rating, you already knew it was a 10 when you read the first sentence.
Really looking forward to future Rhino releases. I hope this is a win-win for everyone.