Search - Black Sabbath: Never Say Die - Live in 1978 on DVD

Excellent dvd but not perfect

Gary M. Rovner | 10/19/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"let me begin by saying that black sabbath is my favorite band ever. i bought the first black sabbath album 2 weeks after it was released and have seen the original line up in 1975 and 1999. i think the the sound on this dvd as well as the visual quality are excellent. i found the reproduction quality to be excellent also and this is one dvd where i felt that the person who shot the video knew something about the songs he was filming. when tony did a solo the camera was on him instead of some irate drugged out fan in the 25th row. this being said i must be honest and not let my love for the band color this review. ozzy is good but his inibility to hit high notes on songs such as symptom of the universe dosent ruin the songs but certainly does detract from the power his voice represents on the albums. this wasnt surprising to me because when i saw them in 1975 ozzy was absolutely terrible. you could tell he was drugged out and coundnt even remember the words to many of the songs. he was letter perfect in 1999 and anyone who has seen the last supper dvd can atest to this. to some this may be a minor point but to people like me who love the awesome power of this band, ozzys voice is the hook that draws you in. the other thing i took issue with, and this has really nothing to do with dvd quality but to sabbath fans it may be worth mentioning, is that having ozzy on the far right side of the stage with tony in the middle just looks weird to any experienced concert goer. ozzy should have been in the middle as he is on the last supper and the black sabbath story. that being said, i was elated at finding a live sabbath concert from 1978 and would recommend this dvd to any black sabbath fan. you will not be disappointed. thank you."

THIS IS HEAVY METAL

R. L Templeton | 03/30/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I recently bought this DVD not really expecting much. It obviously was put together cheaply and there are a few technical glitches that are mentioned in some of the other reviews here such as a couple of the songs fading to still shots of the band. I don't know what might have happened here, but I don't believe this is a complete concert for whatever reason. None of this matters however, because the band is on fire and totally going for it. I see so many bands today who are so disappointing live because they simply aren't good enough musicians to pull off their songs live in concert. These guys did not have that problem. The sound on this disc is rauchy as hell. People do not realize that most concert DVD's are cleaned up considerably with studio trickery you would not believe. Some of the "dirt" that is left in here is what makes this sound so tough and heavy. All that perfectly clean digital sound is fine if you like Celine Dion but this is BLACK SABBATH! I don't understand the reviews here about Bill Ward's playing or Ozzy's vocals. It all rocks! I saw Sabbath on this tour with Van Halen opening and it was an incredible show. Van Halen was great but NO ONE can blow Sabbath off the stage. It can't be done. If you are a fan of Black Sabbath do yourself a favor and go get this now and crank it up. If this doesn't rock your world I feel sorry for you."

Good but not great DVD of Sabbath's best lineup

R. L Templeton | 03/18/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"OK, it's not the granddaddy of all music DVDs, but one must remember that this was shot on videotape for television back in 1978, during the band's "Never Say Die" tour, the last full tour with Ozzy. There are some horizontal lines apparent on the video, kind of like the lines seen duirng Queen's set on 1979's "Rock/Concert for Kampachea" video. Not sure if it's the theater lights "flaring" the video cameras' lenses or the loud sound affecting the camera's picture. Anyway, there are moments on "Never Say Die" when the picture is crystal clear, the times when the horiznontal lines disappear. The color is better than videotape in most shots, although grain can be seen from some cameras. The sound quality, also, isn't the greatest, but, to purists' delight, the sound apparently hasn't been tampered with too much with post-gig studio overdubbing. The group's delivery is tight and well-rehearsed, with plenty of energy. The earlier comments of Bill's alleged below-par performance are baffling. He's great and miles above Vinnie Appice, Ward's eveuntual replacement, in originality and kick. I only wish the DVD's audio was a little louder with a bit more separation between instruments and a tad more bass guitar. The sound often is a bit on the muddy side. Like Bill, Geezer Butler and Tony Iommi both play well (I love Randy Rhoads, but give me Tony's memorable riffs on "War Pigs" anyday). Also, Ozzy isn't obsessed with four-letter words like he was on the 1999 "Reunion" CD, a plus for us musicians who want to concentrate on the music and performance instead of the "celebrity" aspect. A good, but still brief (60 minutes), video of the best heavy metal band of all time. And it's refreshing to see Ozzy when he still really was "one of the boys." Rock Hall of Famers they should be ..."

Wow. This show rocks.

R. L Templeton | 04/26/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is Black Sabbath from 1978, right before Ozzy was to leave for good. The video is superb quality for that year. I get pissed at people who compare this to something that was released a year ago. For cryin out loud, this thing is 25 years old! It's not gonna have widescreen! Anyway, the thing is recorded at a very low volume, so if you want to headbang you'll have to crank your amp.This DVD serves as a blueprint for how they should have done Last Supper. There are no interviews, no cutting away from the show. Just a straight up live concert with no commentary. Maybe they'll get it straight next time!"