OZZY OSBOURNE – SPEAK OF THE DEVIL: COMPLETE RITZ 1982 (2 CD)

Description

The Ritz, New York City, New York, USA 26th & 27th September 1982

★The original source material for the official ‘SPEAK OF THE DEVIL’: stereo soundboard recordings of two nights of special New York performances in September 1982. This is the ultimate reissue of “Brad Gillis’s version of SABBATH,” featuring the first night’s recording (which was not officially included) and the second night’s recording before any changes were made!

　Two major soundboard recordings symbolizing the fleeting Brad Gillis era are being reissued. Two titles will be released simultaneously on pressed CDs, preserving the highest quality sound by “GRAF ZEPPELIN”!

　This album is the second in a two-part series. It’s a stereo soundboard recording of the “New York City concert on September 26th/27th, 1982.” While Brad Pitt didn’t produce any studio albums during his time with the band, he left behind a wealth of live recordings. Including both official and unofficial releases, three of his live albums are considered his “peak works.” This album is one of them. Let’s take a look back at those three masterpieces.

　■ A full live album recording the regular performance of the “DIARY OF A MADMAN Tour” at the Memphis concert on April 28th . Of the three major works, this is the only soundboard recording that is not officially affiliated.
■ The official video version of the Irvine concert on June 25th,
　”SPEAK OF THE DEVIL”. A multi-camera pro-shot of the “DIARY OF A MADMAN Tour”. There are various theories about the date of the Irvine concert, and the official credit is “June 12th”.
● New York concerts on September 26th/27th [This work]

　There are three works in total: the official live album version of “SPEAK OF THE DEVIL,” and the leaked soundboard recording “COMPLETE RITZ 1982,” which is the source of the album. There is also a soundboard recording of a special performance consisting entirely of Black Sabbath numbers.

　This release is a two-disc set with the soundboard recordings of the two New York performances listed at the bottom, one disc each. This live performance was a special performance held for the production of the official live album “SPEAK OF THE DEVIL,” and it was a live performance consisting entirely of Black Sabbath numbers. This release is the leaked soundboard recording that served as the source for the official live album. Now, let’s take a look at the overview of their activities at the time and confirm the show’s position within that context.

・January 1st – March 18th: North America #1 (44 shows)
《Randy dies March 19th → Bernie Tormé joins》
・April 1st – 10th: North America #2a (7 shows)
《Tormé leaves → Brad Gillis joins》
・April 13th – June 28th: ​​North America #2b (51 shows) ← *MEMPHIS 1982 and others
・July 9th – 15th: Japan (5 shows)
・August 1st – 8th: North America #3 (3 shows)
《Don Airey leaves》
・September 26th + 27th: New York (2 shows) ← ★This work★
《Pete Way/Lindsey Bridgewater joins》
・December 10th – 20th: UK (7 shows)
《Brad & Pete leave → Jake & Don Costa join》

[SPEAK OF THE DEVIL was actually planned since the Randy era]
　This is Ozzy Osbourne in 1982, working with Brad. Around this time, Black Sabbath’s contract with their former manager, Patrick Meehan, expired, allowing them to re-record their old songs (i.e., live recordings) and still earn money. Therefore, Black Sabbath planned “Live Evil,” while Ozzy planned “Speak of the Devil.” Randy Rhoads was still alive at the time, but he strongly opposed the idea of ​​a “live album entirely of Sabbath songs.” He and Ozzy had a heated argument, and Ozzy fired the entire band (though Ozzy, who was drunk, apparently didn’t remember it the next day).

　Fed up with the situation, Randy declared that he would quit after the tour, after making one more album. As you know, this declaration was never fulfilled, and Randy died in a tragic accident. The “DIARY OF A MADMAN Tour” continued with Brad Gillis joining the band.

[The ultimate edition, polished by GRAF ZEPPELIN from the original soundboard]
　Six months after Randy’s death, the production of “SPEAK OF THE DEVIL” finally came to fruition after the “DIARY OF A MADMAN Tour” ended. There were only two special performances featuring all Black Sabbath songs. This release is the complete soundboard recording of those two days. The full shows from each of the two nights are preserved exactly as they were, unprocessed and unedited.

　The sound is strikingly vivid, befitting the “official source material.” While the official release features a production-polished mix, this release captures the raw sound as it came straight from the PA console. Combined with the intimate atmosphere of the club setting, the separation of each instrument and the rawness of the vocals are laid bare and directly impact the listener. “GRAF ZEPPELIN” then meticulously mastered it, from pitch and phase correction to noise reduction. This reveals the true essence of this historic session from a different perspective than the official release.

[Two SPEAK OF THE DEVIL with Different Meanings]
●DISC 1 (First Night): Another SPEAK OF THE DEVIL
　The two performances, depicted with this ultimate sound, have the same setlist but different meanings. Simply put, they are “another SPEAK OF THE DEVIL” and “the true SPEAK OF THE DEVIL.” As mentioned above, this release contains both performances in their entirety, but “First Night (DISC 1)” is a live performance that was not included in the official release. This is “another SPEAK OF THE DEVIL” that you can’t hear officially, both in terms of the performance and vocals.

　The reason it wasn’t included was probably due to performance errors. As expected of a group of masters, the ensemble doesn’t fall apart, but the first night, full of unfamiliar songs, is a bit hesitant, and mistakes occur frequently in the details. Rather, it’s a live performance that makes you wonder, “How did they improve so much the next day!” That being said, it’s not a completely bad stage. In fact, Ozzy’s vocals are better on the first night. Of course, it’s not as polished as the official version which was replaced, but that’s precisely what makes it so great—the live feel is superb, and there’s none of the unnaturalness of his voice constantly changing like on the official version. You can enjoy “The Wizard,” which wasn’t played in the ’70s, “Never Say Die,” which wasn’t played in the reformed Sabbath, and “Symptom of the Universe” with vocals, all in a 100% authentic live performance.

●DISC 2 (Day 2):
　”Day 2 (DISC 2),” which replaces the true SPEAK OF THE DEVIL, is the full soundboard recording that became the basis for the official release. Sharon Osbourne reportedly pressured the band members by saying, “Even if you mess up, you can’t synthesize it,” and the highly polished take came on the second day. However, the vocals are completely different. Even on the official release, the husky MCs and shouts are so different from the smooth main vocals that it has been said for years that “they must have replaced them,” and sure enough, that was the case. However, the harshness of the original vocals was unexpected. When the leaked master tape surfaced, people were speechless, saying, “I didn’t expect it to be this bad…”, but you can enjoy the original voice, which is boldly rough, in top quality.

　Another point is that the performance is partially different from the official release. Rather than instrumental substitutions, some songs have been swapped. According to producer Max Norman, “three songs use takes from the soundcheck (which took place during the day on the 26th and the audio hasn’t been released yet),” but it seems that songs with major performance errors, such as “Iron Man,” have been replaced. An even bigger difference is “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath.” This release contains a complete recording of both days, but this iconic song is not performed at either show. The rehearsal take that Norman mentioned was used for the official release.

　If the simultaneously released “MEMPHIS 1982 SOUNDBOARD” is a “Brad version of Tribute” that dyes Randy’s legacy in Brad’s colors, then this is a “Brad version of Sabbath.” The leaked soundboard that was the source of the official live album has been meticulously mastered by “GRAF ZEPPELIN,” resulting in a pinnacle two-disc set that permanently preserves the two nights’ full show in its complete form. This album, along with “MEMPHIS 1982 SOUNDBOARD,” is the most important and highest-quality release in the Brad Pitt era collection. It is truly the definitive live album that serves as an official substitute. Please enjoy it anytime, forever with this pressed 2CD set that will never lose its brilliance.

★This is a stereo soundboard recording of the “New York performance on September 26th/27th, 1982,” which was the basis for the official live album “SPEAK OF THE DEVIL.” Two nights of special performances featuring all BLACK SABBATH numbers are permanently preserved with GRAF ZEPPELIN mastering. The first night features “another SPEAK OF THE DEVIL” that was not officially included, and the second night features “the true SPEAK OF THE DEVIL” with the original live vocals before they were replaced. This is the pinnacle 2-disc set, a reproduction of the most important work in the Brad Pitt era collection in the highest quality.

Disc 1(63:53)
Live at The Ritz, New York City, New York, USA 26th September 1982

1. Intro
2. Symptom Of The Universe
3. Snowblind
4. Black Sabbath
5. Fairies Wear Boots
6. War Pigs
7. The Wizard
8. NIB
9. Sweet Leaf
10. Never Say Die
11. Iron Man
12. Children Of The Grave
13. Paranoid

Disc 2(67:33)
Live at the Ritz, New York City, New York, USA 27th September 1982

1. Intro
2. Symptom Of The Universe
3. Snowblind
4. Black Sabbath
5. Fairies Wear Boots
6. War Pigs
7. The Wizard
8. NIB
9. Sweet Leaf
10. Never Say Die
11. Iron Man
12. Children Of The Grave
13. Paranoid

STEREO SOUNDBOARD RECORDING

Ozzy Osbourne – Vocals
Brad Gillis – Guitar
Rudy Sarzo – Bass
Tommy Aldridge – Drums