As I have mentioned in previous posts, I don’t usually buy more than one version of the same album unless there is something really great about it. On Air 1970 is one of the rare releases for me where I wanted to grab it in multiple formats. Released by Expensive Woodland Recordings (yes, I double checked… it’s “Expensive” rather than “Expansive”), this album is available on Red and Black vinyl, CD and Picture Disc. I got the red vinyl for the turntable, the CD to transfer the files to my FLAC player, and the picture disc to hang up on the wall since the art is cool.
The first copy I received was the red vinyl, and right away I noticed that the disc was well made, and that the packaging itself was high quality. The record came with a hype sticker that indicated it was printed on colored vinyl. Some listings for this release indicate that the color of vinyl can be random, but when I looked into it, it seems all the colored versions are red. There were no visible defects in the wax itself, and the labels look great. The only complaint I can come up with is that while the artwork is amazing, it’s a little dark and it can be a bit hard to see the details.
The CD version came next, and I was curious to see if the liner came with any notes or other information. The CD is pressed rather than being a cheap CD-R burn (always a good sign), and it came professionally sealed along with the same artwork as the LP. Sadly, no additional information was provided in the standard two-panel foldout, but I honestly didn’t really expect it to have any.
Finally, the picture disc for On Air 1970 arrived. This one comes sealed in a thick poly bag with a single barcode sticker on it. It lists the name of the recording, but that’s about it. It’s pretty standard to have no inner sleeve with picture discs, since the manufacturer wants people to see the artwork right away when it’s for sale in a store. This makes sense, because the artwork is just about the only real selling point for the average picture disc.
I started by spinning the red LP, and I wasn’t disappointed at all. These concerts are taken from broadcast recordings made in 1970, so the sound quality here is excellent. It was so crystal clear that it was easy to forget I was listening to a vinyl copy. While not a perfectly mixed recording, the sound quality is very high, with no crowd noise. This audio was probably taken from an original soundboard tape rather than some random person who recorded it off the radio.
The set-list is just what you would expect from Sabbath during this time period and contains all the favorites. There are two versions of “Black Sabbath”, but I think the versions are different enough to warrant a repeat entry. Obviously, they were taken from two different shows. I think the main draw here, as always with these type of live performance recordings, is to hear what the band sounded like if you had been able to see them in person during these magical performances. Almost all of the tracks have alternate lyrics, and some of them are pretty bizarre (several references to eating rats, for example).
I tried the picture disc next and was also very impressed. As I have mentioned before, picture discs, by their very nature, produce low fidelity playback as a result of the manufacturing process. This one, however, is one of the best I have ever heard. It’s much better than any of the discs in the official Hand of Doom box set which I have reviewed previously, at least sound-wise. The artwork is the same from the front and back covers of the standard LP release, so no complaints there. I really enjoy the artwork on this one, and I intend to put it in a frame and use it as a decoration.
As far as the CD version goes, it’s exactly what you would expect in relation to the others. It’s the same high-quality broadcast recording, but without any noise whatsoever that could be associated with vinyl. It transferred to FLAC just fine for me, and someone had already entered the information into several commonly used internet databases, so I didn’t even have to tag it myself.
If you are a Black Sabbath fan and enjoy getting these types of unofficial live releases in physical format, this is one you should consider picking up. I imagine the black version of the vinyl is at least as good as the red one is, but that’s the only one I don’t have at this point, so I can’t confirm for sure. There can sometimes be issues with low quality colored vinyl, but I didn’t find any here. If you like red, I would say to go for it. If you are a fan of picture discs or just think this one looks really cool, this is one instance where I can say it’s probably safe to go with that one. Even if you want to listen to it! It’s very well made, and the noise is very minimal. If you are a CD person, you can get this great recording at a substantially lower price than the vinyl versions.
At the time of this writing, all of the versions I mentioned here, along with the black, are still available at various retailers. This one really isn’t that expensive, and you can find any of them for less than 40.00 USD. The CD version comes in at a way lower price point… around 15.00 USD is all you should expect to spend on it. As usual with these recordings, you can find streaming versions online on sites like YouTube, so check the recording out there if you want to get an idea of what the quality is like before investing in a physical format version. Solid 10/10 on this boot.