Album Review: BLACK SABBATH - Technical Ecstasy Super Deluxe Edition

Another month and another well-constructed Black Sabbath deluxe box set hits the shelves from BMG. Growing up this was an album that largely had passed me by. Following the legendary first six releases by the band, there was always going to be a point where the standard of quality was going to drop off. In reviewing these releases, I usually bypass discussing the over-familiar albums and instead focus these pieces on the new “extra” songs and offerings. However, I was quite surprised to listen to the original album several times prior to writing. The album itself serves up some quite good tracks. “Back Street Kid”, opens in thundering /and rapid speed before the tempo drops slightly for “You won’t change me” an absolute classic where Ozzy delivers a heart-rending ballad to a former lost love. Listening in 2021 this sounds actually pretty good and a highlight that I had previously overlooked-with characteristic Iommi soloing all over it.

Technical Ecstasy as an album also shows Sabbath stepping slightly out of the confines of their defining sound in terms of offering some new sonic elements. Unfortunately, “It’s all right” comes over as too much of a departure, at least for me personally, coming across as a lightweight makeshift “filler” – not even rescued by Iommi’s soloing over what is too much of a bland tune. Featuring lead vocals by Bill Ward, I doubt even if sung by Ozzy himself would have managed to rescue this one. The rest of the album is a bit of a hit-and-miss affair. Some interesting experimental stuff where the band dabbles with an almost funky bass-driven groove on “All Moving Parts (Stand Still”, the 50/50 bad/good “Dirty Woman”, to the great rocking heavy laden track, such as “Rock n Roll Doctor”. Revisiting the album many years later certainly hasn’t enhanced my opinion on it. Too many ballads and not enough of the heavy doomy Sabbath sound.

However, moving on, one thing that I do love about these new deluxe box sets is the packaging that they are served up in. Indeed, there is once again a lot of bonus material which makes it an essential purchase for the discerning Sabbath collector. TECHNICAL ECSTASY: SUPER DELUXE EDITION comes with eight previously unreleased outtakes and alternative mixes. Among those are different mixes of “You Won’t Change Me” and “Rock ’n’ Roll Doctor,” as well as both outtake and instrumental versions for “She’s Gone.” The collection concludes with 10 previously unreleased live tracks recorded during the 1976-77 Technical Ecstasy World Tour. The songs touch on different eras of the band’s history with early tracks like “Black Sabbath” and “War Pigs” alongside new songs “Gypsy” and “Dirty Women.”

The collection comes with an extensive booklet featuring artwork, liner notes, rare memorabilia, and photos from the era, plus a replica of the 1976-77 world tour concert book and a large colour poster.

As usual, I will once again bemoan the fact that I should have collected the vinyl editions for no matter how good my cd versions appear in terms of packaging I can only imagine how much better in terms of visuals that the vinyl versions would serve up.