This is a record that I might not normally cover on this site, and the review will probably be a bit shorter than normal. Given the interest in some of my other recent Ozzy reviews though, I thought this release might be relevant to other dedicated Oz collectors like me. As a reminder, it’s just three short days until Ozzy finally gets inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of fame as a solo performer. It looks like you can watch the ceremony/performance on Disney+ on October 19th, and that Zakk Wylde and Rob Trujillo will be appearing as band members.
Before I continue, I feel like I have to mention the horrible news that Jake E. Lee (Ozzy’s second long-term guitarist) was shot multiple times while attempting to take his dog for a walk outside his Las Vegas home early yesterday morning. As a Las Vegas local myself and a big Jake fan, this news is extra disturbing. The police believe the shooting was entirely random (possibly a gang initiation), and that Jake was in no way at fault. I would like to say that I’m surprised this happened in our city but… I’m not and neither is anyone else who lives here. It happens way too often. Thankfully, Jake is expected to make a full recovery. Thoughts and prayers to him and his family, as there is really nothing else we can do for him. He and his family have requested privacy at this time.
So… Speak of the Devil: Live at the Ritz: New York, NY – September 27th, 1982. This is a soundboard recording of what would become, in large part, Ozzy’s double live album Speak of the Devil. I covered this show, and the previous days show just a few posts back. You can check that one out for a little more in-depth coverage and history of this fantastic album. Ozzy himself always hated it, and eventually went as far as deleting it from his catalog entirely in early 2002. Thankfully, it’s still pretty widely available in its official form for us to enjoy, and soundboard recordings like this one are a great supplemental material, so to speak.
Many of us have heard this recording multiple times, but this particular version claims (on the back sleeve) to be “remastered” (and this one is on vinyl!). I can’t quite tell for sure, but I think it does sound a little bit better than most of the other versions I have heard. This is the September 27 show, which would make it the second (and final) night of the shows at The Ritz. We know now that most of the songs that made it to the actual album came either from this particular performance, or the rehearsal for that show earlier in the day.
This is a double LP on red wax, and it comes packaged in one of those extra wide single jackets instead of a gatefold. This seems like it might be a downside, but the jacket is actually really well made. My first impression of the overall package was that this is a budget type, or “no frills” sort of release. While I normally gravitate more toward the fancier stuff, I can kind of appreciate a set like this at the same time. Speak of the Devil isn’t exactly difficult to get a hold of, but nice copies can be expensive. Japanese copies, which I believe to be the best versions, are definitely expensive and rarely found complete. So, a release like this makes it affordable for folks to pick up, while at the same time providing something cool and unique for collectors with the soundboard aspect.
Looking everything over, it was obvious that this is a good value for what you are getting. The discs are nice and heavy, and while the labels are sort of plain, they compliment the color of the discs and the artwork pretty well. The label graphics sort of remind me of the Bacardi bat, but they still look nice. This release is considered “Not on Label”, which means that no one has taken credit for its release anywhere on the packaging. I can tell though, by comparing it with some other pressings that I have seen over the last few years, that the company has made quite a few other unofficial releases as well. I bring this up because normally, the weak point with these pressings is the artwork. Usually, the images on the cover are blown up from tiny CD artwork, and they are very blurry. With Speak of the Devil, however, the artwork really looks great. The colors are a little bit different than the official versions of the album, but overall, it’s a nice-looking package.
As I mentioned, the discs themselves are heavy and of good quality. There were no visible warps or other defects to be found, so I all of a sudden had high hopes for this one. The labels have everything clearly marked, so it’s easy to tell the discs and the sides apart from each other. If you have read my stuff before, you’ll know this isn’t always the case with unofficial releases. After giving them a thorough cleaning, I gave them a spin.
Soundboard Recording – The Ritz – New York, NY USA – 27th September, 1982
A1 Symptom Of The Universe
A2 Snowblind
A3 Black Sabbath
B1 Fairies Wear Boots
B2 War Pigs
B3 The Wizard
C1 N.I.B.
C2 Sweet Leaf
C3 Never Say Die
D1 Sabbath, Bloody Sabbath
D2 Iron Man
D3 Children Of The Grave
D4 Paranoid
Overall, the audio quality is exceptional. The soundstage is pretty impressive for a soundboard recording. The drums and bass are really powerful and will definitely put your system through the paces. I would say you could totally listen to this in place of the official album and get a similar type of experience. Certainly, a more honest one, if nothing else. In other words, if someone else were in the room, they wouldn’t ask why the hell you were listening to such a low-quality recording, which is often the case with these types of releases.
The only issue I had with the entire set was a tiny section of very light clicks and pops on Side B. Beyond that, I would mention that the editing isn’t great. The beginnings and endings of each disc just sort of cut out abruptly. If someone went through the trouble of remastering the show, I don’t know why they couldn’t add fading to the first and last tracks to make the transitions a little less jarring. Also, N.I.B. is announced on one record, and you have to put the next one on to hear the song. This could have been a space issue, but I don’t think so. It would have been better to divide everything a little differently and add fades to make it a better overall listening experience, but honestly, these are small complaints.
I think the big question for a lot of people is why they would want to buy this record instead of the officially released version. My answer to that is always going to be that you shouldn’t. Bootlegs are something cool to have after you have everything else from an artist. I would also go as far as to say that it would be very difficult to fully appreciate a recording like this until you are very familiar with the officially released version. Once you have that level of familiarity, you can begin to appreciate the specific nuances of a live performance that may have the same setlist, but that are radically different from a musical perspective.
The main difference between this version of Speak of the Devil and the official one is going to be the missing tracks. The official pressing has two extra songs added in (“I Don’t Know” and Mr. Crowley”) that come from other live performances. Also, this soundboard version, while cleaned up by a collector somewhere, also lacks the professional editing you’d find in the official copy. Whoever did the editing for the real thing did quite a good job of removing or hiding some of the vast array of obscenities that Ozzy unleashes during the performance. With this unofficial copy, you’re getting all of that unfiltered, plus all the other unpolished nuances of an honest, live performance. It’s sort of like you were really there in the audience, which is the entire purpose of releases like this.
One last thing that should be noted is the presence of “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath”. Since we know this song was never performed at either of the two Ritz shows, it’s presence here indicates that this can’t possibly be one continuous recording from the soundboard for the September 27th show. I suppose this could be the soundboard version of that track from the rehearsal. In any case, it’s a great version of a great song, so I’m glad it’s here. My “complete show only” friends might feel differently about this one, though.
In conclusion, I would give the packaging and presentation on this release a 7/10. It’s certainly a simple, no-frills version, and you should keep that in mind if you decide to shop around for a copy. This should not be an overly expensive purchase. While I think it would have been cool to include a poster with this one… something like the now super rare poster that came with the original Japanese pressing, I understand why they kept it simple. The audio source is great, and I would say it’s a solid 10/10. As far as the pressing itself, 9/10 seems fair taking the few clicks and pops into consideration. That shouldn’t scare you aware from this release though, as they certainly were minor on my copy. As always, I just try to point out everything that I personally come across.