Customer Reviews

Heaven and Hell (Deluxe Edition)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

After listening to Heaven and Hell proper (disc 1), I can safely say that it is the most vinyl sounding cd version. When I purchased my Japanese SHM version, the description said that it was mastered from Direct Stream Digital which is used for SACD production. The sound is very warm and has tons of air. I also took the time to analyze the wave-forms in GoldWave and there is no clipping anywhere to be found. I ran EVERY single song, as well. Disc 2 (especially the 1st 2 live songs) obviously is not sourced from the highest quality tapes and there are sonic deficiencies, but certainly not do to with compression or mastering errors. It sounds more like a decent bootleg, but very entertaining as the performances seem to be sonically unmolested, for the most part. Very raw and real. The Lady Evil mono edit is a blast. More direct and in your face. It causes me to wonder why there is a mono version of that song? Maybe a demo of some kind recorded on equipment with only that capability, maybe? Still awesome. The remaining Hartford identified live cuts are sonically better than the 1st two and reveal a band that sound great without anything masking them. Strongly recommended!

Anyone who likes Black Sabbath with RJD(RIP)is gonna love this Deluxe Edition to the classic Heaven and Hell album.Not only do you get the 8 songs that originally appeared on the LP,remastered in its entirety,but 6 more live tracks from Hartford,CN and a mono edit version of Lady Evil!The live tracks are worth the price of admission.If you never got the chance to see these guys back in the day,these live versions of Children of the Sea,Die Young,Neon Knights,and of course Heaven And Hell are sure to set you right back to 1980 listening to Black Sabbath at their very best!The booklet that comes with it is also very cool!Some real nice interview excerpts with the guys and some cool pictures as well.All around great product for the serious Sabbath freak!

I have to say, I could not have been more shocked at the sudden and tragic death of Ronnie James Dio. I hadn't even heard that he'd been sick, and getting this surprising news when the equally unexpected death of Type O Negative frontman Peter Steele had still barely sunk in, it was overwhelming to say the least. We have truly lost a legendary artist, the void of which will certainly never be filled. I was lucky enough to see Dio live a few years ago (opening for Iron Maiden, no less), and he is still by far one of the best live singers I've ever seen. Even in his sixties, he hadn't lost an ounce of his tremendous vocal power, and for such a diminutive fellow, his stage presence was beyond huge. It greatly saddens me that no one will ever experience such a thing again.

So, that said, if you've never heard Dio's fantastic debut with Black Sabbath, "Heaven and Hell", buying this album is a great way to honor his memory. Coming along at a turbulent period for the band, Dio breathed new life into a band that was struggling hard to find life after the departure of Ozzy Osbourne. They definitely struck gold here.

For its short length, this is just a dynamo of an album. From blistering speed metal like "Die Young" and "Neon Knights", to the catchy rock of "Wishing Well" and "Walk Away", to the epic title track, it never misses a step. It reaches a perfect conclusion with what is one of my all-time favorite Sabbath songs of their entire career, "Lonely Is the Word". Tony Iommi shines with one of his most underrated performances, churning out huge riffs and spacious bluesy solos. And of course, Dio's vocal performance is beyond stunning. I listened to this today, the first time since hearing this news, and the emotional impact of this song had never hit me so hard. As those final notes faded out, I myself couldn't help but feel a bit lonelier knowing this amazing talent is no longer with us.

Thank you Dio, for all the great music and all the great times. You may be gone, but you will never be forgotten.

First - I am a devoted fan of the Dio-era Sabbath stuff. When I learned that the Heaven and Hell title was going to get the "Deluxe Edition" treatment I was overjoyed. The remaster job sounds great (not that it needed much improvement!) so, Here's my beef with the project: I was disappointed with the content of the bonus cd. Of the 7 tracks there are 2 "live" Heaven and Hell, and 2 "live" Children of the Sea, both sub-par recordings. When the "Deluxe Editions" started appearing a couple or three years ago, it was a ggreat idea - classic albums being given the special treatment, the remaster job, the bonus material - but somewhere along the way the labels started thinking "just grab a bunch of anything you can find and throw it on a second disc - they're buying these Deluxe Editions like crazy!" So what should be put on the bonus disc, you might ask? Songs that were recorded during the session and not used for the album, alternate versions with different arrangements or different lyrics or lead solos (The Alice Cooper box set offers a LOT of this, and so do the Roger Glover remixes of the Deep Purple Anniversary editions of Machine Head, Fireball, and In Rock - TOTALLY worth it). The bonus material for "Eternal Idol" was awesome: the original session with Ray Gillen singing before Tony Martin replaced him and re-recorded the vocals, as was "Seventh Star": bonus disc was a live show with Ray Gillen singing before abruptly leaving the band. THAT's good collectible stuff. The labels are getting lazy and just churning stuff out there to turn a quick buck because the earlier Deluxe endeavors went over so good. I'm afraid that is what happened here with one of the greatest albums of the genre. I have this Deluxe Edition and am glad i do, but only because it is the Dio-fronted Black Sabbath masterpiece known as Heaven and Hell. And it was a masterpiece BEFORE the Deluxe Edition. Get with the program record labels... we WON'T keep buying your expensive mediocrity. Wanna do something we can appreciate? Release the Hammersmith Odeon show in it's entirety....THAT would be impressive and worthy of RJD and his memory!

First off, R.I.P Ronnie James Dio & thank you for all your music & humility. This album is definitely a classic HR / Metal album. But this edition which I recently bought is not worth the money to anyone thinking about shelling out for it. The 2nd CD of 7 songs (why only 7 anyway) is a headscratcher. Did we really need 2 live versions each of "Children of the Sea" & "Heaven & Hell", why not add different songs. And the mono version of Lady Evil? Whoever made the decisions about this release could not have cared much for the actual fans who were gonna be buying it. And the actual album, sounds not much different than the original release with the volume actually being lower. Just throwing that info out there to anyone else considering this for a purchase. Take care people...

This is by far the best-sounding version of Heaven & Hell on CD. Andy Pearce did a great job remastering these (and most other Deluxe Editions), preserving the full dynamic range (resulting in a CD that is quieter by today's steroid-sound standards, so use your volume control if you want loud!!) and achieving nice, smooth sound. Excellent job!

Black Sabbath "Heaven And Hell" is a great cd. But this so called remastered version lacks volume. The cd does not play loud enough to be a great remastered cd. I have lots of remastered cds that play two or three times louder than this cd when played at the same volume when doing a comparison test.

In 1979,After Ozzy left Black Sabbath,Dio became the new singer of the band giving the band a new life and new energy.You can feel right from the opening song "Neon Knights",that something about them has changed.Some though,are quick to criticize Dio and of course those people just want Ozzy and nothing else,if you have an open mind then you will probably like Sabbath-Dio,if not then just don't like it that's all.Ronnie James Dio,has an amazing voice and in my opinion,he's a way better singer than Ozzy and can really bring a song to life.I can understand those people because I was once like them,believing that Ozzy was the only true singer of the band but once I heard them with Dio it all changed.I think that Sabbath was great with Dio,maybe not as much as they were with Ozzy,but Dio certainly had his place in Sabbath and the albums he did with the band are memorable and classics ones with some great songs. This 2010 remaster of H & H is a nice upgrade for the fans who already owned the album because the sound on this re-release is the closest to vinyl as has been said before AND the extra disc of 7 live songs from Hartford is a nice touch. Both are good enough reasons to re-purchase this fantastic album.

One big change on the album is of course the fact that lineup is now consisting of Toni Iommi,Geezer Butler,Bill Ward and Ronnie James Dio,but another change is that Iommi's guitar playing has changed in the transition of Ozzy to Dio.He plays awesomely in my opinion and comes out with some rocking riffs that really stick to your head.In a way Dio is much more of a musician while Ozzy is a singer.This album has much more melody than previous albums and its a masterpiece that can sometimes be overlooked.The lyrics can also be more profound and real,they are different than in their previous album,you'll notice.Black Sabbath with Ronnie James Dio is still Black Sabbath to me, lets make this clear.

The albums starts out with one of the best metal songs ever in my opinion,"Neon Knights" which has a great riff by Iommi and at this point already you know you're in for something special."Children Of The Sea" is considerably slower and more of a rocker.Dio sounds amazing on this one and its really an emotional song about courage,one of the best songs on the album."Lady Evil" is another great song with a good chorus and there is really nothing to complain about.I often have some of the lyrics in my head,"Lady evil,evil,she's a magical,mystical woman..." its got a good groove what can I say?"Heaven And Hell",the title track is amazing starting out slow and gradually becoming more intense.The solo in this song is amazing!A highlight of the album."Wishing Well" is pretty good,there's nothing really special,the song is just great."Die Young" is excellent no less."Walk Away"'s the song I don't really like,it's good at what it is,no more."Lonely Is The World" is a good bluesy closer but nothing exceptional here.

Dio was the best choice for a replacement singer,some bands after loosing such important members as Ozzy was decide to quit but sometimes continue and in some case do very well and Sabbath was one of those bands.Everything is top notch,the songs,the playing,everything is there and the result of "Heaven And Hell" is a masterpiece and one of the best Sabbath has ever done.I can't say it enough,this album is a must-have and it should be in any serious rocker's collection. This is one of the highlights of Dio's career (and Sabbath's!), RIP metal fans will never forget you. This remaster is a very good one, to all of those considering it, you probably should! 5/5.

This is the best available, folks. All other versions including Rhino, Castle, and original WB sound far worse than this one. If you don't like this one, tough, because there will probably not be a better one, so deal with it. Buy it. You won't send it back.

The 2nd disc that is live sounds terrible. It sounds like a 2 track bootleg. Boy was I disappointed.