BLACK SABBATH – DEFINITIVE CALIFORNIA JAM 1974: REEL TO REEL SOUNDBOARD (1CD)

“California Jam I”, Ontario Motor Speedway, CA, USA 6th April 1974 STEREO SBD

[Legendary Soundboard Upgrade History]
　This work is engraved with the “April 6, 1974 California Jam Performance.” It is a stereo soundboard recording of the festival’s performance at the legendary festival, which is said to have attracted 250,000 people. It is an extremely famous festival, and its broadcast sound source has long been a staple as the only soundboard in the “Bloody Sabbath” era…no, it was the most staple that produced so many previously released groups. However, in terms of quality, it is by no means praiseworthy, and is not even official grade, but rather audience recording level. Still, as a unique and historic stage, subtle upgrades have been made repeatedly due to different generations and different routes.

　However, last year (2022) brought a final blow to this frustrating history. A fundamentally different soundboard reel master appeared. The simultaneously discovered DEEP PURPLE album, “CALIFORNIA JAM 1974: REEL TO REEL SOUNDBOARD (Darker Than Blue 297/298),” was also a huge hit, but the impact of the upgrade was nothing compared to the BLACK SABBATH album. Collectors worldwide were astounded by the sound quality, incomparable to conventional FM and TV broadcasts. It has evolved into one of the leading soundboard albums of the 1970s.

　You may be thinking, “Doesn’t being one of the best mean it’s at the very top?”, but if you take a look at the other masterpieces that are lined up alongside it, you’ll understand just how incredible this is.

・1st era『DEFINITIVE MONTREUX 1970』
・2nd era『BRUSSELS 1970: THE ORIGINAL “POP SHOP” MASTER』
・4th era『LIVE AT LAST』
・5th era: ★This work★
・6th era『LIVE LONGEST… DIE AT LAST』

[An updated version that further refines the ultimate master]
　This work is a pinnacle update of this transcendent soundboard, refining it with GRAF ZEPPELIN mastering. As anyone who has read this article knows, GRAF ZEPPELIN’s methods are often likened to “restoring a painting.” While it’s easy to over-inflate the sound or add extravagant, ostentatious embellishments, they don’t. Instead, they maximize the precision of digitalization and meticulously correct any deterioration in the master. Stereo and range balance adjustments are made using frequency analysis to reproduce the output characteristics of each instrument, and pitch and phase corrections are performed without overlooking even 1/1000th of a second of discrepancy. Various noise processing techniques are not simply meticulous; they thoroughly investigate the type and cause of the noise and use the best techniques to correct it.

　However, because of this technique, a terrible master can sometimes be reborn as something completely different, or it can be shiny to begin with and not improve much. This work is closer to the latter, but there’s no doubt that it’s the best ever. Perhaps the biggest point this time is phase correction. The excavated master was slightly biased toward the right channel, but this work accurately corrects the phase shift that occurred from the tape master. Strictly speaking, however, it’s still slightly biased to the right, but this is not due to phase shift, but rather to the truth of the sound output on site (if this were to be forcibly altered, the left and right would become jagged and unnatural). In this way, the cause is pursued, and if it’s a master disorder, it’s corrected, and if it’s the truth of the scene, it’s accurately preserved. This work is the ultimate form of that pursuit.

[74 minutes of the ultimate Sabbath show]
　This ultimate quality is depicted in a full show that reached the peak of the heavyweight BLACK SABBATH’s history. In fact, the “SABBATH BLOODY SABBATH Tour” was not blessed with the highest level of audience recording, and the set list itself was also a captain. Let’s organize it here by comparing it with “LIVE AT LAST,” the symbol of the previous “VOL.4 Tour.”

●First half
– VOL 4: Tomorrow’s Dream/Snowblind
; Others: War Pigs/Sweet Leaf/Killing Yourself To Live
●Second half
– Jam medley: Sabbra Cadabra (★)/Sometimes I’m Happy/Supernaut/Iron Man (★)
; Others: Paranoid/Embryo/Children Of The Grave
*Note: Songs marked with “★” are songs that could not be heard on the traditional album “LIVE AT LAST.”

　The “Sabbra Cadabra” medley itself was also carried over to the next “SABOTAGE Tour,” but the only arrangement in which “Sabbra Cadabra” reprises at the end of the medley is the “SABBATH BLOODY SABBATH Tour.” In other words, this work is the one and only soundboard take.

　Although we analyzed the set during the extremely precious “Bloody Sabbath” era, what’s even more important is that the stage is the historic “California Jam.” The four members unanimously stated, “The 5th was the peak. We started rolling downhill from the 6th.” This stage was the biggest stage of the “SABBATH BLOODY SABBATH Tour.” This work is nothing less than “74 minutes of Sabbath at its peak.” This press CD permanently preserves this ultimate stage with the highest quality update. This is truly a cultural heritage piece, so please take your time to experience it.

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(74:18)
1. Tomorrow’s Dream
2. Sweet Leaf
3. Killing Yourself To Live
4. War Pigs
5. Snowblind
6. Sabbra Cadabra
7. Jam/Guitar Solo #1
8. Sometimes I’m Happy
9. Drum Solo
10. Supernaut
11. Iron Man
12. Guitar Solo/Jam #2
13. Sabbra Cadabra (reprise)
14. Paranoid
15. Embryo/Children Of The Grave