Customer Reviews

Black Sabbath: Never Say Die - Live in 1978

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

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.

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.

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 ...

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!

Don't listen to these other people.This DVD kicks ass.The sound quality is excellent and there is no talking or interviews.Ozzy's singing is right on(and in tune)and Geezer Butler's bass is incredible.Even at $25.00, this is well worth it.Buy it and enjoy.

Black Sabbath is one of my favourite bands and Ozzy Osbourne is one of my favourite vocalists. This DVD gives the true Black Sabbath power from the last moments Ozzy was in the band. This concert was performed in 1978. Geezer, Ozzy, Tony, and Bill made a concert that is excellent even to show to your kids. The track list is quite alright, only "Rock And Roll Doctor" could have been left off. The picture and sound quality are quite alright but not the best ones.
1)Symptom of the Universe
2)War Pigs
3)Snow Blind
4)Never Say Die
5)Black Sabbath
6)Dirty Women
7)Rock And Roll Doctor
8)Electric Funeral
9)Children of the Grave
10)Paranoid

Recorded live in 1978, Never Say Die is a defining moment in BLACK SABBATH'S history. This unique concert is one of SABBATH'S final performances with the original classic line-up of OZZY OSBOURNE, TONY IOMMI, GEEZER BUTLER, and BILL WARD. After a breif break from the band in 1977 frontman OZZY returns here in triumphant form performing classic songs including: Never Say Die, Black Sabbath and Paranoid!

Tracklisting:
1.Symptom Of The Universe
2.War Pigs
3.Snow Blind
4.Never Say Die

5.Black Sabbath
6.Dirty Women
7.Rock And Roll Doctor
8.Elecrtic Funeral
9.Children Of The Grave
10.Paranoid

This DVD is not like the usual concert bands where you see lights all over the place,the camera running all around the stage & at the crowd. It was made in the 70's so the real focus was with the group,expecially on OZZY.I think they played only thirteen songs but it was worth it. ENJOY!!

First off, I am a Sabbath fanatic. Yes, I've seen the Paris 1970 footage which is better than this footage. I guess you could say this concert if for the completist who is willing TO LOOK PAST QUALITY TO SEE WHAT IS REALLY THERE. It annoys me when people expect that the video will be 21st century quality and look like it was recorded yesterday. Yes they managed to do that with the Zeppelin DVD but the remastering for this wasn't done by the band but rather by the fledgling sanctuary records. Not sure if I'm correct on that, maybe Tony was involved. Read on for the review.

First off, this concert is too short for a band that had been together for ten years. It barely clocks at over an hour with encores which is a disappointment. Tony's guitar tone is not loud at all in the mix which actually allows the viewer to see the intricate talent of Sabbath's superb rhythm section. You finally get to hear all of the bass fills done be Geezer which are a great treat for bass players such as myself. Bill seems to be the only person in the band not playing well. It just seems like he's too drugged up to do anything. His drum solo is only 1 minute long which can be attributed to his excessive drug use. My last comlaint is how Ozzy's mike is off to the left and Tony (a boring showman compared to Ozzy) dead center.

Here's a quick question. To anyone who owns the DVD. Watch the concert all the way through. Does anyone else notice that Dirty Women just sort of fades out with still frames of the band and then Bill's drum solo appears. The same sort of thing happens when Tony plays Orchid(intro to Lord Of This World) and then still frames transition it into a brief guitar solo. Does anyone find it weird that the two don't seem to match up? Perhaps this isn't a complete Sabbath concert. Trust me, I've done my research and nothing has come out yet to prove that this isn't a complete concert but those still frames keep bugging me as they show an inconsistency between two pieces of music that are said to be back to back. Anyway, now it's onto the positive comments.

The show starts with Ozzy flashing peace signs all throughout during Symtom Of The Universe. The song is well played and the band is tight. Next is the unbeatable War Pigs which Sabbath always seems to manage to perfectly play. This is followed by the epic cocaine influenced song that is Snowblind. It is far better then the truncated version that appears on The Last Supper. It's a treat that Tony does tons of improv on his solo and really extends it. Never Say Die follows which I find to be a treat because of it rarely being played live. They even have a bluesy 50's styled jam tacked onto the end of it. Great Song. Ozzy then gives his tenth anniversary speech and the band proceeds to play Sabbath's calling card, Black Sabbath. The video effects are just screwy during this track and could perhaps result in a seizure from any viewer intolerant of the incessant flashing lights. Then is one of the last classics Sabbath managed to make. That song is Dirty Women. Great job again from Iommi with his extension of the solos. Bill Ward's crappy drum solo follows which then proceeds into the useless Rock and Roll Doctor. Good song and all but I wish it was replaced with maybe another song off of Never Say Die like Johnny Blade or virtuall any Sabbath song such as maybe NIB. This song is followed by the yet again incomplete Electric Funeral. Would it kill sabbath to ever play all five minutes of the song. The only time you hear the full live version of the song is on Reunion. Then comes Children Of The Grave minus the Embryo intro. That killed the song for me. Without embryo the song seems incomplete. Credits then role and are interupted by the singular encore song that is Paranoid. Yet again this is a song that is impossible to do bad. Overall, great dvd for that point in time and a fun show to look at today. Go out and buy it. Sabbath forever!!! Can't wait till they make a new album. If they don't make a new record, hopefully they'll at least do a DVD set like what Zeppelin did. That would rock.

This is the "de facto" live performance recording of Black Sabbath on it's best. The original line up at the end of it's era, in a vibrating concert. You'll notice the higher tone from the instruments and Ozzy finding his way to cope with them. On the other side, I have never seen Ozzy so enthusiastic like this performance. Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne fans will definitely love this video.