Hmmmm....

[jimiforrest]

OK....I have to admit that sometimes...you guys just crack me up. The conspiracy theories are all too common. I've listened to the live CD from the boxset and even bought the physical Diary legacy CD on my way home today just to have the liner notes. While I don't entirely buy into the fact that the songs are completely from the Blizzard tour...the Osbournes do give full songwriting credits for the songs (yes....that means Daisley and Kerslake). They also list the performers as Ozzy Osbourne, Randy Rhoads, Rudy Sarzo and Tommy Aldridge for the live CD. However, they DO state that the tracks are from the Blizzard tour.

While I don't contribute the performances solely to the Blizzard tour, I do feel that the performances are legit. After listening to all of the audio boots (thanks to our friends here and at TK) I feel that each player tried something new at each perfomance on the tours. Randy, especially.

Considering the technology of the time, '80-'82, and Rudy's diary, I seriously doubt any live recordings were done on anything more than a two-track board recording. While technology has progressed...it certainly cannot erase and re-record performances unless it was multi-tracked. The only multi-tracked shows they would have had a budget for were the King Bisquit shows, if any.

I recently went back to an interview with Max Norman and he said they had two tapes for the Tribute record (Cleveland, OH). One had Randy up in the mix and the other had Randy lower in the mix and he realised that they were the same show. Basically, he chose to master the show with Randy higher in the mix for the Tribute record. When you are using a two-track source from analogue signal from this time period...you can add things but you will be hard-pressed to remove and re-record any individual performance. There will ALWAYS be a footprint of the original instument/voice in the mix. And it would be very hard to hide.

The live CD sounds like a great mastering job of several performances of multiple shows from my ear. I have been a profeesional recording/live musician for 20+ years.