Black Sabbath Technical Ecstasy Super Deluxe 4CD Box Set - The Now Spinning Review with Phil Aston 

At long last! So thrilled to know that Technical Ecstasy is your favourite Sabbath album. I avoided it like the plague back in the day. Then finally I succumbed to a Nice Price special one evening in my local record emporium (now sadly buried under Tesco). Again I wasn’t convinced after one listen. Roll on the years and one evening I dug it out and I couldn’t believe what I’d been missing. Naturally enough I bought the box set which arrived one Sunday afternoon along with the Sabotage box set. My ecstasy was complete….

SOLD! Just put the order in. Phil, I watched this twice and you convinced me. I have no experience with this album, so no expectations whatsoever (because yes, I was always under the impression that it was crap!). I'm diving in and am so excited! Thank you, brother!

Thank you so much for this review Phil-I am going to order this today! I absolutely love T.E... I have been listening to this album since 1980 in these formats-cassette,vinyl & CD! It's the only Sabbath LP i have on Picture Disc! I am so happy when i see that other people like this album as much as i always have-Take Care all you fans of T.E.

Heard today and love ❤️ the album 💿 top 🔝 class for sabbath and maybe the more progressive of they’re discography

I agree those outtakes were worth the price of admission

Hi Phil, Thank you for your perfect review and wonderful analysis or story. You convinced me to buy the vinyl super deluxe boxset 😁👌! It’s quite the same price as the CD one (80€). I guess I would appreciate the artworks and design more 🤘. I also have the previous cd remaster that sounds great. Thanks. Up the irons and hello from France 👋🤘

Hi Phil this was the official program i have bould this program ACDC was before Sabbath in de Jaap Edenhal in Amsterdam and they where loud very loud..

01:53 Yes!, you can trust every single Black Sabbath album

I love Technical Ecstasy. It ranks well above Sabotage and SBS for me. That prog element really added something that Sabbath had lacked in their previous two albums.

Thanks for your review. Based on your comments I just bought it on eBay. I saw the tour. In fact it was my 1st concert with Montrose with Sammy Hagar opening. Amazing!

You’re a sound bloke Phil - I wish you were my boss in work! 😀

Great review ,am buying. Nice cheeky guitar solo by you at the end there

Encouraged by your review, I received my ordered (cheap) Box-set from US today. I really like the work how it all was done - everything as in your comments. But you also see the limits of 1976 rock material - I think now everything is squeezed out from the old masters. I enjoy the Wilson mix with its defined instruments - except all the fine cymbals Bill had thoose days. Thanks again for your great channel

Love Technical Ecstacy. A unique album. A brilliant evolution from the first six releases and criminally underrated. I love all Sabbath and hope the Tony Martin albums get official re-releases. We'll probably have to wait for Sharon to pop her clogs.

Hi Phil, I totally agree with you that this is a great release. I still don't understand why many people ignore it but I remember years ago when I first listened to She's Gone on the radio, I was hooked and went out to buy this album straight away. I don't have the cd edition but my vinyl edition sounds awesome. I have played it from the beginning to the end a few times and I still can't understand why so many people pan it. By the way, the program in my boxed set is the same as the 7" one you have in your box in case no one has mentioned it. Now I just don't understand why Sabbath Bloody Sabbath and my favorite Black Sabbath (debut) have not been given the deluxe treatment. Have a great day and I am off to watch the live broadcast of Arsenal v Manchester City!

I love the album and I don't get the negativity towards it. Dirty Women alone must have one of Iommi's best and heaviest riffs mid way through the song. Even the sleeve artwork is unique and thought provoking.

TE is quality my second favorite BS album with NSD being my favorite,

Sweet , just ordered it. I will have it by Friday 😂🎉❤

Love the review for this box set. I ordered mine but somebody stole it, so now I have to order it again and wait even longer to hear it. I'm so happy to hear that they did a good job with this one. I never really gave this album a chance. Never liked the production of it, and only liked a couple songs. But when I heard there was gonna be a deluxe box for this I went back and listened to it, and the album has started to grow on me. Can't wait to hear this box set for myself. Cool to hear what the reception was like back in 76 as I wasn't born yet. I really hope they remaster Born Again. They were never able to remaster it good cause they couldn't find the original reels. But I've heard that recently Tony Iommi said the original reels were found, so I'm praying they remaster it properly, cause I cant stand the mix on that album, but love the songs.

Great job Phil. Thank you for this.

Great review Phil, thank you.

WILL BE BUYING THIS ONE AND THE DEHUMANIZER CD DELUXE EDITION AS ALSO BORN AGAIN DELUXE EDITION 😁 JUST BECAUSE IT'S BLACK SABBATH 🙃 Weed Me ALSO HAD BOUGHT A LIVE RADIO 8 CDZ SET THE EARLY DAYS 😐

Great review. I like TE very much. I like (love) Never Say Die even more. ✌️

Fantastic review. Lovely to see such passion in a review.

Great review, looks epic 🤘🏻

I have tech. Ecstasy on 8 track tape.

Awesome loved the outtakes disc on this as well. Repeat listens

Thanks for the review My boxset si coming Salute from 🇵🇪

I like your passion mate

I think your videos on these unboxings are exceptional and certainly the best on YT overall -I love the honesty and yes artists do make duff albums or record companies don’t do their job from time to time so sharing this is vital for your credibility- you have me intrigued on this set -so excellent 👍 job! Btw Phil any chance of doing an ELP fanfare set on the channel-can’t see that anyone has done one on YT!!

Love your reviews. First time we’ve heard an album review that wasn’t complete rubbish, totally unbiased. Thank you for that! We are new subscribers.🙏🏻🎧

I love this album, I got it when it was first released and adored it. After your review I’m seriously thinking about buying that box set which is a first for me, because I don’t normally bother with box sets, my curiosity has got the better of me. Great review.

Great review .I have all the Sabbath box sets.Love the remixed version .Less muddy sounding .

Thanks for another great passionate review. We are SO on the same page! I’ve had a complete collection of Sabbath on CD, all of the original remasters from the early 90s, for years and I’ve so far resisted getting any of the more recent reissues, not wanting to waste money or get ripped off. But I’ve just ordered the TE deluxe set, as your review convinced me it’s well worth diving in. Now I can’t wait for it to arrive! Btw, I totally agree about Tony Martin Sabbath being great, too. Iommi is one of my absolute favourite guitarists and can do no wrong in my book. I once met him, out back of Southampton Gaumont, hanging with roadies unloading their gear for a gig that night, on my way home from college. I got an autograph and we chatted about the new Heaven And Hell album and also his thoughts on the Live At Last album, which had also just come out without the agreement of the band. He was none too pleased about that, at the time, but shrugged it off as one of those things that happens ‘in the biz’ when bands often have little say in how and what gets released. Still got the autograph, as pride of place in one of my ticket collages. 🤘

Phew! Thank goodness for that 'cus I ordered it on Friday! Cheers Phil 👍

Just ordered mine. Thank you...i guess :D

Hello Mr. Aston. Glad to see your videos. Well BS fans now can be really happy , just like you I saw that enthusiasm when you were trying to explain how fantastic the sound is. I´m not really into this album but I know BS is the best. Keep on rocking! Be safe.

Thank you Phil, now I know which Super Deluxe Edition I will buy from Black Sabbath ... and it will be "Technical Ectasy"! In your previous video, I mentioned that your advice is honest, professional and truly invaluable! Finally, I would like to add that I really appreciate "Technical Ectasy", because I have an open mind and my contact with music is not limited only to passionate exploration of the world of broadly understood rock or metal. I serve a lot of classical music, film music, ambitious art pop, funk music, soul, blues, jazz, klezmer music and hip-hop. I feel that contact with this Sabbath box will be an amazing adventure! In Poland, the cheapest CD box, we can buy it for as much as 67 Euro!

I really can’t wait for the master of reality set. :)

Being a Sabbath Fan since Master of Reality ...But Paul wat a great preformense and a good story. All Sabbath fansin the world greatings from Haarlem Netherlands

i always liked Tecnical Ecstasy - only crit i would level at it would be that it is a little overproduced but has some good songs, i can see where Ozzy wanted to be judging by his solo albums. Never Say Die was a bit more like the old Sabbath.

Your review mirrors my thoughts on this release. I've been spruiking this album to all and sundry for many years to mainly disbelieving ears. TE is grossly underrated and unfairly maligned and it's my favourite of the Ozzy-era. Some of my favourite Sabbath songs are on this album and they sound fantastic here. While I was initially skeptical of the additional discs, I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of these recordings and the exceptional quality of their sound. This is easily the most satisfying Sabbath deluxe set as far as the overall sound quality and bonus discs content is concerned.

I agree - people generally loved it at the time. I'm putting it fourth, after Sabotage, Sabbath Bloody Sabbath and Master of Reality. I'm just talking abou the albums, not all this version stuff. I wouldn't call the production muddy. To me it's got a nice tight midrange to it, almost like an old version of a characteristic Martin Birch job?

Hi again Phil great video I've the vinyl set it's awesome better set then dark side lol Phil could I ask you can you do a review of Jimi Hendrix electric lady land the box set it got a live recording at the Hollywood bowl I think its great but love to hear your views on it thank you

Being a BS fan since the first album in 70, I got tired with all the re/re/rereleases (which I ended up buying all over the years). So I highly appreciate your newest review. Hope to hear more from you when there will be a new "Super deluxe" box from my fav. band. I, too, love ALL BS albums (maybe except the Rubin 13).....

Hi Phil my name's Martin and I've just started seeing your videos and they are all fantastic there nothing you do I don't like I've subscribed I'm just watching the burn review I love that album to seeing them live must have been wicked can I just say there a film called Telstar and some actor plays Blackmore when he was very young I collect vinyl records and have about 1500 and CDs and tapes lol sorry this is a bit long but thanks for reading this oh I'm 60 years old you not be interested in that bit but I'll bore you with it any way again thanks keep the videos coming there awesome

Fantastic review… unbelievable but at 59 I’m just properly discovering Sabbath… have the Paranoid box set and just waiting on Vol4 and Sabotage…have picked them up for just about £50 each in vinyl.. quite a bargain… wasn’t sure about TE … but think you have convinced me it’s worth it .. believe or not but can get the vinyl set for £46..so would be rude not too .. Fantastic channel… the more I watch the better you get … Up coming Hawkwind box … have you got your eye on it ?…

I have it now and indeed this is brilliant Phil The German box 60 euros and indeed this is the best Then VOL4 ,Paranoid and last Sabotage. I hope for Sabbath Bloody Sabbath with the Santimonica Jam Cd live in 1974 April 6 in the USA GREAT LIVE SHOTS

The original Tour Programme was square (it was the same size as a 12" album) Great review, I think TE is criminally underrated, and much of that is down to the band themselves, not having great memories of making it.

Agree 100% about embracing all eras of Sabbath….can’t wait for the Tony Martin box set. And yes TE is fantastic…don’t understand the hate

Well said Phil, to me the only iffy Sabbath album is forbidden. Every band is allowed one iffy album. Cheers Phil.

Greetings Phil, Once again , a very objective review...I totally agree with your observations and comments about my least favorite Ozz-era Sabbath album. I got this album in '76 and was not very impressed, but as time has passed, I've grown to appreciate the effort, I also love all of their albums. It is good to see that a remix and remaster was done, the original was quite dull -sounding, so hearing an improvement will be a treat....I'm hoping that "they" do the same with Master of Reality and Sab. bloody Sab.???and Born Again??? Cheers!!!

hi phil , it's good because : steven wilson work like : jethro tull's remastering : aqualung and others!!!!! ihave sanctuary ,uk edition of 2000 like you said it's good !enough for me ! see you!

Hello again from Sweden!! I have not bought this one yet... I have it on remastered cd, this and Never say Die is my 2 least favoured Sabbath albums... ( with Ozzy) But You are so damn covincing 😀... So i might Give it a try, before it solds Out.. Anyway, You asked of my opinion on Kk’s Priest... Fantastic riffing from the Metal God with The Flying V!! I’m not so sure about the lyrics thou...😋.. I have now become a subscriber..Appy Days!!👍🤘🏿

I hope you do unboxing of Deep Purple's "Turning to Crime" on November.

I have Paranoid and Black Sabbath 4 . Your review has pushed me to Technical Exctasy so I shall purchase this set . Remixed by Steven Wilson ? A major plus. I am biased so Master of Reality never had a box set/remastered set ? I wonder why that is ?

Good review of this criminally underated Sabbath album. The original vinyl , which I bought in 1976 was IMHO a poor recording. Some of these new mixes are really interesting and show what might have been. This and NSD are classic sabs albums for me

I picked this up along with Vol. 4, Sabotage, and Live Evil, after your review of Live Evil. I think the remastered version on this sounds a bit hollow, compared to the one on the Black Box box set. The Remixed version is great, however.

Technical Ecstasy is a great sounding album. Just sayin

Thanks Phil. Very in-depth, which I think these box sets merit. I'm not collecting these Sabbath ones myself,... yet... :-), but this was definitely the most persuasive one so far. It's maybe a bit of a shame that not all these sets have been to this same high standard. With the Be Bop Deluxe ones we are currently working through, they all basically achieve the same level, which I think is important as collectors are investing serious money in these things and it's much better that there's an inner confidence that they are all reaching a certain quality threshold. But I guess that's where unboxings and reviews like this offer some really useful value. I'm pleased that they seem to have put an extra push into making this one great. As you say, it's a bit of a perceived ugly sister, rather like Never Say Die, but is actually a fine album and probably suffered as it represented a bit of a progression from the classic Sabbath formula. Well done. Most enjoyable.

Not my favorite black sabbath album, but it's good thing that they are reissuing 1970s albums, hope they reissue "Born Again", "Seventh Star" and the Tony Martin albums on vinyl.

Is there gonna be a deluxe edition with Sabbath bloody sabbath,Never say die orMaster of reality?

Do you think there's any chance they'll do these for "Black Sabbath", "Master of Reality" or "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath"? I'd get if there's no material for the first one. But there's gotta be something for other two, doesn't there?

Is there a never say die one in the pipeline?

I love the first six. I love them a lot. I also love the first two with Dio, Born Again, and Dehumanizer. There are always a few good riffs on every Sabbath album that followed, though I can't stand Glen Hughes' voice. I've tried hard to appreciate this and Never Say Die, but with the exception of a couple of tunes on each, I just can't find love for these albums. You can re-mix it all you want; The songs just aren't there. Just my opinion. Why is the SBS box set taking so long?

Well done Phil, you have really argued the case for this much maligned BS album. After a run of six brilliant albums in as many years, something had to give and the band were exhausted. It was a bold break in style, some of the album works and some of it doesn't but it is no dud. I have the original vinyl but did not get it on CD until the re-mastered version came out. I have not listened to it in a while but will now.

Great package, but why can't they get a designer to do the books? The content looks amazing, but the designer must've been a first year high school art student. The text at the bottom runs into the fold, the margins and single column layout look absurd, and the typography is shockingly amateurish. The band and fans deserve better.

1. Bloody Sabbath 2. Paranoid 3. Master of Reality 4. V.4 5. Technical Ecstasy