Live at Last (Black Sabbath album)

Live at Last is a 1980 live album by English heavy metal band Black Sabbath. Despite its wide distribution and success (it peaked at No. 5 on the UK Albums Chart[2]), the album was released without the permission or knowledge of the band, and is thus regarded in some quarters as an unofficial bootleg live album. The album was, however, released legally by the band's former manager Patrick Meehan who owned the rights to the recording.[3] The album was re-released with the approval of the band on 27 September 2010.[4]

Live at Last
Live album by
Black Sabbath
ReleasedJuly 1980 (1980-07)
RecordedManchester Free Trade Hall, 11 March 1973 and The Rainbow, London, 16 March 1973
GenreHeavy metal
Length57:08
LabelNEMS
ProducerPatrick Meehan
Black Sabbath live albums chronology
Live at Last
(1980)		 Live Evil
(1982)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]

The nature of the album's initial release as being without the band's approval is demonstrated by a notoriously embarrassing goof in the original version, which falsely credited the singer as "Ossie Osbourne".[1]

Background

After dismissing manager Patrick Meehan in the late 1970s, Black Sabbath became embroiled in a long legal dispute with their former management.[3] Later, in 1980, Meehan arranged the reissue of the Black Sabbath catalogue and the release on the NEMS label of a live album of old recordings without the band's consent. The album consisted of a 1973 concert recording the band intended to use for a live album, but shelved indefinitely after being unhappy with the recording.[3]

Recording

The release of Live at Last, combined with Ozzy Osbourne's 1982 release of Speak of the Devil live album consisting entirely of Black Sabbath songs, prompted Black Sabbath to release their first official live album, 1982's Live Evil.[5]

Release history

Remastered versions of the original Live at Last recording have been released since the 1990s by various record labels. In the liner notes of the reissue on CD by Castle Communications in 1996, it is stated that the recordings were taken at Manchester Free Trade Hall and at the Rainbow Theatre in North London.[6] This album was re-released by Sanctuary Records in 2002 as the first CD of Past Lives. Past Lives itself was re-released again in 2010 in a "Deluxe Edition". According to the Past Lives liner notes, the Live at Last performance was recorded on the 11 and 16 of March 1973.[7]

Reviews and responses

The album has received a mixed to negative review from AllMusic, with critic Alex Henderson stating that he found the band "in decent form" but criticising the shortness of the release and the absence of some of Black Sabbath's best known material such as "Iron Man" and their title track "Black Sabbath".[1] Mixed to positive reviews have appeared in the Encyclopaedia Metallum.[8]

Track listing

All songs composed by Butler, Iommi, Osbourne, Ward

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."Tomorrow's Dream"3:04
2."Sweet Leaf"5:27
3."Killing Yourself to Live"5:29
4."Cornucopia"3:57
5."Snowblind"4:47
6."Embryo / Children of the Grave" ("Embryo" not listed on the sleeve)4:32
Side two
No.TitleLength
7."War Pigs"7:38
8."Wicked World" (Medley/jam that contains parts of "Into the Void", "Sometimes I'm Happy", "Supernaut" and a drum solo; transitions back into "Wicked World")18:59
9."Paranoid"3:10

Personnel

Album sleeve design – Dave Field

See also

References
  1. Henderson, Alex. Live at Last at AllMusic. Retrieved 19 February 2019.
  2. "Black Sabbath – Black Sabbath Live at Last". The Official Charts Company.org. Retrieved 2013-08-31.
  3. Iommi, Tony; Lammers, T. J. (11 December 2012). "50 – Gettin Black and Blue". Iron Man: My Journey through Heaven and Hell with Black Sabbath. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Da Capo Press. ISBN 978-0-306-82145-5.
  4. "Live at Last". Black Sabbath Online. Retrieved 2013-07-28.
  5. Iommi, Tony; Lammers, T. J. (11 December 2012). "55 – A Munster in the mix". Iron Man: My Journey through Heaven and Hell with Black Sabbath. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Da Capo Press. ISBN 978-0-306-82145-5.
  6. Gilmour, Hugh (1996). Live at Last (CD Booklet). Black Sabbath. Chessington, UK: Castle Communications. p. 2.
  7. Milas, Alex (July 2010). Live at Last (CD Booklet). Black Sabbath. London, UK: Sanctuary Records Group/Universal Music Group.
  8. "Black Sabbath – Live at Last". Encyclopaedia Metallum. Retrieved January 20, 2014.
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