| Live at Last | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Live album by | ||||
| Released | June 1980 (1980-06) | |||
| Recorded |
| |||
| Genre | Heavy metal | |||
| Length | 57:08 | |||
| Label | NEMS | |||
| Producer | Patrick Meehan | |||
| Black Sabbath chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
Live at Last is a 1980 live album by the Englishheavy metal bandBlack Sabbath. Despite its wide distribution and success (it peaked atNo. 5 on theUK Albums Chart[2]), the album was released without the permission or knowledge of the band. It was, however, released legally by the band's former managerPatrick Meehan who owned the rights to the recording.[3] It was re-released officially, with the approval of the band, on September 2, 2002 (in the US) as disc 1 of the two-discPast Lives set.[4]
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]
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 entire Black Sabbath catalogue, and the release of a live album of old recordings, all on the NEMS label without the band's consent. The live album consisted of 1973 concert recordings the band intended to use for a live album, but shelved indefinitely after being unhappy with the recording.[3]
The release ofLive at Last, combined with the 1982 release ofOzzy Osbourne'sSpeak of the Devil live album consisting entirely of Black Sabbath songs, prompted Black Sabbath to release their first official live album, 1982'sLive Evil.[5]
During the band's Volume 4 tour, the concerts held on 11 March 1973 at the Hardrock Concert Theatre inManchester, and 16 March 1973 at theRainbow Theatre inLondon, were recorded for use in a planned live album release, but the project was ultimately scrapped despite its plans being already promoted in UK newspaper articles. Despite the liner notes of a 1996 reissue ofLive at Last stating the Manchester concert was held at theFree Trade Hall, this is easily proven incorrect when referencing historical documentation such as tour listings and ticket stubs.
Remastered versions of the originalLive at Last recording have been released since the 1990s by various record labels. In the liner notes of the reissue on CD byCastle Communications in 1996, it is stated that the recordings were taken at Free Trade Hall in Manchester, and at the Rainbow Theatre in North London.[6] This album was re-released bySanctuary Records in 2002 as the first CD ofPast Lives.Past Lives itself was re-released again in 2010 in a "Deluxe Edition". According to thePast Lives liner notes, theLive at Last performance was recorded on the 11 and 16 of March 1973.[7]
The album has received a mixed to negative review fromAllMusic, with critic Alex Henderson stating that he found the band "in decent form" but criticizing 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 theEncyclopaedia Metallum.[8]
All tracks are written byOzzy Osbourne,Tony Iommi,Geezer Butler, andBill Ward.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 7. | "War Pigs" | 7:38 |
| 8. | "Wicked World" (A medley/jam that contains parts of "Into the Void", "Sometimes I'm Happy", "Supernaut" and a drum solo; transitions back into "Wicked World". Only "Wicked World" is listed on the sleeve and label.) | 18:59 |
| 9. | "Paranoid" | 3:10 |
On 12 February 2021,Vol. 4 was reissued as a "Super Deluxe" edition in 4 CD and 5 LP formats with alternate mixes, outtakes and studio dialogue.[9] In addition to the studio outtakes and new mixes, the original analog tape recordings from 11 March 1973 at the Hardrock Concert Theatre and 16 March 1973 at the Rainbow Theatre in London which were used forLive at Last were remixed and remastered for inclusion as the last CD/last 2 LP in the set.[10] With this release, an additional 12 minutes of audio has been added due to some different selections from the concerts being used as well as leaving in more stage banter and tune ups from the band. The remastered selections from the concerts were reordered to create a more accurate representation of a 1973 Black Sabbath concert, asLive at Last changed the track listing.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Tomorrow's Dream" | 3:21 |
| 2. | "Sweet Leaf" | 5:31 |
| 3. | "War Pigs" | 7:52 |
| 4. | "Snowblind" | 5:17 |
| 5. | "Killing Yourself to Live" | 5:45 |
| 6. | "Cornucopia" | 4:55 |
| 7. | "Wicked World (Includes Excerpts of: Guitar Solo, Orchid, Into the Void and Sometimes I'm Happy)" | 19:57 |
| 8. | "Supernaut / Drum Solo" | 3:57 |
| 9. | "Wicked World (Reprise)" | 2:17 |
| 10. | "Embryo" | 0:23 |
| 11. | "Children of the Grave" | 5:37 |
| 12. | "Paranoid" | 4:11 |
Album sleeve design by Dave Field
| Chart (1980) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[11] | 26 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[12] | 5 |
