Black Box: The Complete Original Black Sabbath (1970-1978)
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| Black Box: The Complete Original Black Sabbath (1970-1978) | ||
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| Box set by Black Sabbath | ||
| Released | April 27, 2004 | |
| Recorded | 1969-1978 | |
| Genre | Heavy metal | |
| Length | 323:28 | |
| Label | Warner Brothers Rhino |
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| Producer(s) | Various | |
| Professional reviews | ||
|---|---|---|
| Black Sabbath chronology | ||
| Symptom of the Universe (2002) |
Black Box (2004) |
Greatest Hits 1970-1978 (2006) |
Black Box: The Complete Original Black Sabbath (1970-1978) is a collection of the first eight albums by the quintessential British heavy metal quartet. The set contains the albums recorded with original charismatic frontman Ozzy Osbourne, who quit (or was fired from) the band following completion of the eighth album. All eight albums are digitally remastered and repackaged in mock vinyl LP packaging, along with an 80-page booklet and a four song DVD containing the infamous Beat Club footage from 1970.
The eight albums included in the set are:
1970 
Black Sabbath
1970 
Paranoid
1971 
Master Of Reality
1972 
Volume 4
1973 
Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
1975 
Sabotage
1976 
Technical Ecstasy
1978 
Never Say Die!
They are represented as they appeared when first released, with the exception of the debut album, which has a new track order and the inclusion of songs that were limited to alternate versions. They are kept in digipak cases, with all original LP artwork intact. The CDs themselves are entirely black, but retain the lettering used for each individual release, as opposed to a uniform stylized font.
True to its title, the nine discs are housed in a solid black case, complete with gothic imagery and lettering. Inside, there are two smaller boxes containing four CDs each. Also enclosed is a booklet, which contains the DVD in a sleeve attached to the inside back cover. The booklet traces the entire history of the band, with essays, interviews, timelines, and the lyrics to every song personally checked by Geezer Butler, the band's main lyricist. The DVD contains live footage of the band playing the songs: "Black Sabbath", "Paranoid", "Iron Man", and the Carl Perkins' classic "Blue Suede Shoes".
Previously, a 1996 remastered box set was issued by Castle Communications. This set used unknown source tapes and did not involve any input from the band. For this boxed set, issued by Rhino, all of the songs have been digitally remastered from the Warner Brothers tape archives, as was the previously released Rhino compilation Symptom Of The Universe. The result of Rhino using the original masters for this set is that the sound quality is noticeably superior to the Castle discs.
This box set has only been released in the United States and Canada.
[edit] External links
| Black Sabbath |
| Ozzy Osbourne | Tony Iommi | Geezer Butler | Bill Ward |
| Dave Walker | Ronnie James Dio | Vinny Appice | Ian Gillan | Bev Bevan | David Donato | Glenn Hughes | Dave Spitz | Eric Singer | Ray Gillen | Tony Martin | Bob Daisley | Jo Burt | Terry Chimes | Laurence Cottle | Cozy Powell | Neil Murray | Bobby Rondinelli | Mike Bordin | Geoff Nicholls |
| Discography |
|---|
| Studio albums: Black Sabbath | Paranoid | Master of Reality | Black Sabbath, Vol. 4 | Sabbath Bloody Sabbath | Sabotage | Technical Ecstasy | Never Say Die! | Heaven and Hell | Mob Rules | Born Again | Seventh Star | The Eternal Idol | Headless Cross | Tyr | Dehumanizer | Cross Purposes | Forbidden |
| Live albums: Live Evil | Cross Purposes Live | Reunion | Past Lives |
| Compilations: We Sold Our Soul for Rock 'n' Roll | Under Wheels of Confusion | The Sabbath Stones | Symptom of the Universe: The Original Black Sabbath 1970-1978 | Black Box: The Complete Original Black Sabbath (1970-1978) | Greatest Hits 1970-1978 |
