BIG NEWS! It appears the multi-track master tapes for Born Again have been found!! #KeepItWarmRat
If you’ve been following me for any time you’ll remember that when Universal was doing the Deluxe Edition series of CD’s between 2009-2011, they were doing them in order (from Sabbath 1970 through Eternal Idol). However, Born Again was skipped, and done last. The reason for this was because the multi track master tapes were lost. Those were needed in order to do a remix of the album, which everyone in the band wanted to do. In the end, they did a simple remaster of that album vs a full on remix, because the tapes were gone.
Over the years they’ve tried to find them, but apparently this has been done! In this interview with Tony Iommi about the Sabotage Deluxe Edition, he mentions this amongst other things…
I’m also thinking of remixing the album “Born Again”, the one with Ian Gillan, now that we have found the original tapes.
That is AMAZING news. The tapes have been thought lost for nearly 40 years now. It would be seriously spectacular if they could put together a Super Deluxe box for the summer of 2023 for the album’s 40th anniversary. Of course we all want it done tomorrow, but Tony has plenty of other things on his plate.
As much as I love the original mix of Born Again, I would love to hear what they’d do with this.
Yes! Good news, indeed! Hopefully they release that next year, I’d love to listen to that newly mixed album which would actually be born again. Zero the Hero, Trashed, great tunes to be reborn.
I went back to the bar and hit the bottle again….but there was not tequilla!
Wow that is some crazy news! I’ve always thought people’s distaste for the original mix was a bit overblown but it would be SO COOL to hear a nice clean remix. Some of the performance is bogged down under a cloud of thick brown ectoplasm which works on tracks like Born Again, but to hear Zero The Hero or Trashed in full range HD would be magical. Really looking forward to this!
Thanks for posting this, Joe. Hopefully Tony will be inclined enough to remix BA at some point though as you stated above, he has many other things to contend with. I’ll reiterate here that it would be great if a DVD could be included with the remix with video footage of Sabbath’s Reading Festival performance w/Ian from 1983. I read on the Deep Purple Appreciation Society website a long time ago that Tony didn’t really want that performance to be released (on video); if that was the case way back when, I would love if Tony has changed his mind.
Ted
Good to hear the news…but I have a thought.
The original mix is amazing, totally sick, and is what IMO gives the album the uniqueness and that eerie vibe. Unfortunately records sound all the same today, so it’s sad that younger generations won’t be able to have these experience with all these remixing going on….one thing is to remix “Forbidden”, one is to remix “Born again” which is a legendary Lp.
Is there any demo from “Born Again” session with Bill Ward on drums? Or any gig with Bill Ward this time around? Thanks in advance for your attention!!!
Great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Demos yes, gigs no.
Hello Fellow Sabbath Heads! first post in this forum..
I was fortunate enough to get to see the Born Again tour 7th row on Tony’s side at the Nassau Coliseum. It was the first concert I ever saw. I think i was 13.. They Blew Me Away.. It was so loud! loll .. I was a bit let down when I noticed it wasn’t Ward behind the drums.. Great show though.. I have recollection of Trashed, Disturbing the Priest, Zero, Digital Bitch, Keep it Warm, Fairies, War Pigs, they even played Smoke On The Water. It was so loud during Children of the Grave I had to go out in the hallway and gather my senses for 5 or 10 minutes! loll
Awesome, this was my first show as well! At the Cow Palace in SF!