Never Say Die [Import, Original recording remastered]

Black Sabbath | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 30, 1998)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import, Original recording remastered
• Label: Castle Music UK
• Copy Protected
• ASIN: B000005RFN
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (147 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #289,521 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Never Say Die

2. Johnny Blade

3. Junior's Eyes

4. Hard Road

5. Shock Wave

6. Air Dance

7. Over to You

8. Break Out

9. Swinging the Chain

Editorial Reviews

1996 reissue on Castle of their 1978 album for WarnerBrothers, remastered from the original master tapes & withfaithfully restored artwork. Nine tracks, including 'NeverSay Die', 'Over To You' and 'Swinging The Chain'.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unsung Heros, March 23, 2004

By 

Doomantra - See all my reviews

This review is from: Never Say Die (Audio CD)

It always facinates me to hear the guys in Sabbath say they didn't care for albums like Sabatoge and Never Say Die. I think they remember the events surrounding the albums more than the actual music. Never Say Die is a fantastic album no matter what anyone says. You really won't find the classic sludge of Master of Reality on Never Say Die but you will find Sabbath acting like a real group and expanding on different styles in the same manner Zeppelin did. If Sabbath released a new album you can bet it would be a bit more 'by the numbers' and that would be fine since we all want a new Sabbath album anyway. But this is probably the most diverse album Sabbath ever did. Does this mean this is the quinissential Sabbath album? Of course not. But it does mean it's a great album to really hear what Sabbath was capable of, regardless if you dig their ideas at the time. Once Ozzy was gone, Sabbath took a step in the new metal sound of the time and an album like Never Say Die would never be a possibility following this. Buy this album and dig it.

35 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars out with a bang, January 3, 2000

By 

N. Yetter (Denver, Colorado) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Never Say Die (Audio CD)

Apparently, most Sabbath fans hate Never Say Die, and in fact Technical Ecstasy as well. I couldn't disagree more. These last two albums (for after Ozzy left, it wasn't really Sabbath anymore, was it?) let show the troubles the band was having, but that doesn't stop them from being great music. "Johnny Blade", "Air Dance", "Junior's Eyes", and "Shock Wave" top my list of great songs from this record. Maybe it's that some listeners pigeonhole Sabbath after hearing stuff from Paranoid, Masters of Reality, et cetera, and don't take the time to consider all 8 albums as a whole. If you sat down and listened carefully to all 8 in a row, you could hear the progression from one to the next. Their self-titled debut is similar to Paranoid, which is similar to Master of Reality, which is similar to Volume 4, but the first LP and Vol4 are not similar AT ALL. Black Sabbath experienced a very complex musical progression, and it deserves to be considered as a whole. And when considered thus, Never Say Die makes a fitting ending.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Never Say Never!, December 26, 2000

By 

P. Chavez "nicknamesarealwayspublic" (Houston, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Never Say Die (Audio CD)

I bought the Castle Remaster Edition (Cstle; ASIN: B000005RFN) and was very impressed with the packaging and sound quality. Lots of great colour and black/white photos along with complete lyrics and all artwork from the original album. In addition, each album has a unique fact-laden essay about the band during the circumstances surrounding each album.

The remastering is very crisp and clean as I've given this album the headphones test and it passed with flying colours. The songs have a dynamic sound as opposed to the Warner Brothers edition where everything sounds flat.

As for the music, Sabbath no longer plods along with heavy riffs that pummel their listeners into submission... a fact that turned many listeners off to this album as well as its predecessor, Technical Ecstasy. Instead, Sabbath turned the speed up a notch and used more blues oriented riffs and somber melodies. Even so, at times the music sounds lost and dark, like in a drugged haze. The album rocks, but at a slightly faster pace than their older albums. And yes, that's Bill Ward singing on the last track!

Never Say Die is not perfect (in Sabbath's sense) but it's better than the best of those influenced by Sabbath.

I would HIGHLY recommend the Castle edition for all the Sabbath albums as the sound quality is superior, the artwork is great and the extra photos and lyrics are everything you could wish for!