HiRez Poll Black Sabbath - PARANOID [Blu-Ray Audio]

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Rate the BDA of Black Sabbath - PARANOID


  • Total voters
    111
I feel the vocals on the title track and War Pigs aren’t mixed high enough on the Quad. The title track for example, the vocals echo in the rears in a way that really bothers me and lessens my enjoyment of the track. Sounds way out of sync with the rhythm track. It’s there on the stereo mix but obviously not as apparent. Still, with those caveats, this release is a strong 9.

I have the same issue with the Quad mix of “Let Me Roll It” from Band on the Run. I wonder if it is a system-related issue.
yes i should've used the word echo and not reverb
 
I set up a dedicated Quad listening system with 4 full range speakers tonight and this was the disc I was eager to put in because it was giving me issues when played on my 5.1 system with satellites for the rear speakers.

I can say without a doubt that 4 full range speakers greatly benefit this mix. Ozzy’s vocals are still a little buried and reverberant for my liking, but not nearly as bad as on my 5.1 system.

This disc SMOKES at high volume. No fatigue whatsoever. The guitars are appropriately massive and Geezer is bombastic as he should be, not to mention Bill Ward’s drumming. The cymbals have such a nice sheen to them which is totally absent on the original stereo mix, where I always thought his kit sounded “wooly” for lack of a better term.

Hearing Paranoid in this way also reminds me what an absolute shame it was that Mike Butcher didn’t have the opportunity to mix the other classic records like this. Especially Sabbath Bloody Sabbath.
 
This is awesome! Got the Blu-ray last week (a bit expensive over here, but well worth the money) and I've been playing it LOUD these past few days.

The first thing I noticed is how good Bill and Geezer sound. Delicious! Ozzy's vocals can sound a little bit distant as many of you have mentioned, but I didn't find it distracting. I find some mixing (panning) choices inconsistent, and the overall sound gets a bit unbalanced from time to time, and I expected a more adventurous mix of Planet Caravan, but I'm nitpicking... it's just so much fun to listen to this.

I wouldn't say it's the definitive way to listen to this album (I don't think I'll stop playing some of the best stereo masterings), but it will get a lot of spins for sure. A great, very much worth listening and FUN alternative to the stereo mix. This gets a 9 from me.
 
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