Following the passing of Ozzy Osbourne, the reunion of Black Sabbath is experiencing a resurgence in popularity. Two complete collections from their 2012 concert, which boasted a particularly special brilliance, have been reissued simultaneously! This release is the first and main part of these simultaneous reissues. It's a three-disc set featuring multi-camera audience footage from the May 19, 2012 Birmingham concert and the August 3, 2012 Lollapalooza concert. The greatest feature of this 2012 Black Sabbath concert, which only saw three shows, is its superb quality, earning it rave reviews as the "greatest audience-focused masterpiece" in Sabbath's entire history. To understand this, we need to briefly review the history of Black Sabbath's reunion. For convenience, we'll refer to their reunion as "Phase I," "Phase II," "Phase III," and "Phase IV." Phase I: Two spot reunions (1985/1992); Phase II: A nine-year reorganization (1997-2005); Phase III: Six years centered around "13" (2012-2017); Phase IV: Final event "BACK TO THE BEGINNING" (2025). Phases I and IV were not regular activities, but rather one-off commemorative reunions. Phases II and III were serious reunions. Of these, this work marks the beginning of Phase III. Despite the reunion, they had not yet begun work on the album "13." This period saw extremely few live performances, making it different from any other period. Let's take a look at their activities here. 2011 (November 11: Reunion press conference) 2012 (January 9: Iommi announces he has lymphoma) (February 3: Bill Ward announces he won't be participating) *May 19: Birmingham performance ←★DISC 1-2★ ・June 10: "DOWNLOAD 2012: DELUXE EDITION" *August 3: Appearance at Lollapalooza ←★DISC 3★ (August: Production on "13" begins) A semi-recreation of the debut album, just for 2012. This is BLACK SABBATH from 2011/2012. A massive world tour was originally planned, but most of it was canceled when Iommi was diagnosed with lymphoma. All they managed to pull off was two festival dates and one warm-up show. This three-disc set mainly features warm-up club gigs in their hometown of Birmingham, supplemented with "LOLLAPALOOZA 2012" (the remaining Donington performance can be enjoyed on "DOWNLOAD 2012: DELUXE EDITION"). Not only were there a limited number of shows, but the show content was also different from any other period. The key point is that it was a "semi-reproduction of the first album." Let's summarize the contents of the set for both shows. Black Sabbath, Black Sabbath, The Wizard, Behind the Wall of Sleep, N.I.B., etc.; Paranoid: War Pigs, Electric Funeral, Fairies Wear Boots, Iron Man, Paranoid; Master of Reality: Into the Void, Sweet Leaf, Children of the Grave; Vol. 4: Under the Sun, Snowblind, Wheels of Confusion (★), Tomorrow's Dream (★); Other: Dirty Women, Symptom of the Universe (instrumental). *Note: * indicates Birmingham performance (DISC 1-2) only. At the Birmingham performance (DISC 1-2), the band played a solid number of tracks from their debut album, Black Sabbath, mid-show, and at the Lollapalooza performance (DISC 3). Moreover, the selection and track order closely mirror the album's A-side. To begin with, BLACK SABBATH has never performed any kind of album reproduction live performance, with the 2012 "1st Album Semi-Reproduction" being the closest. It's truly a special set exclusive to this period. Even looking at each song individually, it feels very special. For example, three songs: "The Wizard," "Wheels of Confusion," and "Tomorrow's Dream." While "Phase III" includes two official live recordings and the superb soundboard "DEFINITIVE HOLLYWOOD BOWL 2016 (Zodiac 278)," these three songs cannot be heard on such line recordings. Furthermore, there is no soundboard recording of "Tomorrow's Dream" in "Phase II," and "Wheels of Confusion" even in the 1970s. In fact, there are only three live takes of "Wheels of Confusion" in Sabbath's entire history (the other two were audience recordings in 1972). This Birmingham performance, where these three songs all came together, is truly the "IIIth Period"...or rather, the most important stage in the entire history of BLACK SABBATH. Even after 13 years, it's a masterpiece of unparalleled quality. Even more transcendent than such a set is the production quality. It's a multi-camera video produced by a core overseas enthusiast, but each angle and image quality are superb, and the editing and cut-and-cut production are professional-quality, even the sound is superb. Furthermore, the opening screen, menu screen, and song title captions, which were all thoroughly scrupulously crafted, are works of art, meticulously crafted down to the smallest detail. At the time, there was a strong feeling that "this might be Iommi's last," which led to the perfection of the spirit. In fact, it was said that "there's no need for any more pro shots," but even in the six-year "IIIth Period" total, no footage surpassing it appeared. It's truly Sabbath's ultimate audience work. Then, 13 years after this release, Ozzy Osbourne passed away on July 22, 2025, completely eliminating the possibility of a BLACK SABBATH revival. Looking back at Sabbath's history, perhaps there was no more determined time than 2012. Suffering from a terminal illness, Iommi focused on music to shake off his anxiety, and Ozzy and Geezer, touched by his efforts, responded wholeheartedly. Later, "13" became a huge success, and Iommi overcame his illness, but at the time, he was still unaware of such a future and simply fighting with determination. The set, performance, and even the spirited expressions of the audience members at the "2012" concerts (May 19, 2012 Birmingham and August 3, 2012 Lollapalooza) were unlike any other. Produced by a core overseas enthusiast, the angles and image quality are superb, and the editing and cuts are professional-quality. The opening screen, menu screen, song title captions, and more are all perfect, making this the best of all Sabbath audience works. This is a three-disc set that allows you to fully experience two performances, centered around the reproduction of the A-side of "Black Sabbath." O2 Academy, Birmingham, UK 19th May 2012 AMAZING SHOT!!!!!! Grant Park, Chicago, IL, USA 3rd August 2012 AMAZING SHOT!!!!!! "Birmingham 2012" O2 Academy, Birmingham, UK 19th May 2012 Disc 1 (59:12) 1. Intro(Sabbath Medley) 2. Into The Void 3. Under The Sun 4. Snowblind 5. War Pigs 6. Wheels of Confusion ★Very rare 7. Electric Funeral 8. Black Sabbath ★Reproduced from side A of the 1st album 9. The Wizard ★Reproduced from side A of the 1st album 10. Behind The Wall Of Sleep ★Reproduced from side A of the 1st album Disc 2 (49:03) 1. N.I.B. ★Reproduced from side A of the 1st album 2. Fairies Wear Boots 3. Tomorrow's Dream ★Rare 4. Sweet Leaf 5. Symptom Of The Universe 6. Drum Solo 7. Iron Man 8. Dirty Women 9. Children Of The Grave 10. Intro Sabbath Bloody Sabbath 11. Paranoid "Lollapalooza 2012" Grant Park, Chicago, IL, USA 3rd August 2012 Bud Light Stage Disc 3(101:45) 1. Intro(Sabbath Medley) 2. Black Sabbath ★Reproduces side A of the 1st album 3. The Wizard ★Reproduces side A of the 1st album 4. Behind The Wall Of Sleep ★Reproduces side A of the 1st album 5. N.I.B. ★Reproduces side A of the 1st album 6. Into The Void 7. Under The Sun 8. Snowblind 9. War Pigs 10. Electric Funeral 11. Sweet Leaf 12. Symptom Of The Universe 13. Drum Solo 14. Iron Man 15. Fairies Wear Boots 16. Dirty Women 17. Children Of The Grave 18. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath 19. Paranoid COLOUR NTSC Approx. 210min.(Total) Ozzy Osbourne - Vocals Tony Iommi - Guitar Geezer Butler - Bass Tommy Clufetos - Drums Adam Wakeman - Keyboards
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