STEEL CITY BLUES
by BLACK SABBATH
Compact Disc
WKMCD035
Label: WICKER MAN
10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY CONCERT FROM THE KINGS OF HEAVY METAL
This Black Sabbath concert, recorded for live FM radio broadcast at Pittsburgh’s Civic Arena captures the heavy metal Brits at a pivotal period in their career. They had already released seven albums since their 1969 inception, and were in the studio recording their eighth, Never Say Die! , the same month as this performance. With Ozzy Osbourne, having re-joined the band in January ’78 after a several month hiatus, Sabbath sounds energetic and more than capable of delivering a noteworthy show full of their signature raw energy, screaming guitar and howling lyrics. • As a hard rock band with an album-oriented sound, they were in the shadow of internal conflict, as musical directions were shifting with Tommy Iommi and Ozzy at odds over the future sound of Sabbath - Ozzy sticking fast to bleak, piercing heavy rock and Iommi striving to implement new elements like horns and keyboard technique. Nine months after this show, Ozzy would leave the band to embark on a solo career and Black Sabbath would take on a new vocalist and a different approach to their albums. Here, however, the band presents their signature Ozzy-infiltrated, raw heavy metal sound - much to the delight of a full-house Pittsburgh crowd. • This recording really lends itself to a live Black Sabbath experience. They start things off with the ferocious slow tempo, ominous guitar and visceral vocals of ‘Snowblind.’ Next, the appreciative audience yells and whistles while Ozzy delivers a 10-year anniversary speech to the crowd. Other highlights include a 10-minute ‘Rock and Roll Doctor’ featuring an extended drum solo by Bill Ward. A shrieking rendition of ‘Iron Man’ and the set-closing ‘Paranoid’ showcase their bleak intensity within the framework of a hit composition. Here they are - Black Sabbath in all their savage glory, laying it all out for a raucous Pittsburgh crowd - captured for the terror and delight of all.
1. Snowblind 6:35
2. Black Sabbath 7:26
3. Dirty Women 6:59
4. Rock 'N' Roll Doctor 10:13
5. Wasp/Behind The Wall Of Sleep/Basically/N.I.B. 7:14
6. Electric Funeral 3:11
7. Iron Man 7:20
8. Fairies Wear Boots 6:16
9. Children Of The Grave 6:06
10. Paranoid 3:12
