Black Sabbath – In Moscow (1989/2008)

May 20, 2024

Sabbath’s short residency in Moscow after the fall of the iron curtain is a fairly famous event in their long and varied history. Touring with Cozy Powell, Neil Murray and Tony Martin, desperately trying to claw back some credibility with a solid lineup and a new album on a new label (for Sabbath), the Moscow shows seemed to come at a good time for the band.

The band played both matinee and evening shows for the crowds in Moscow, and whilst the two that were documented (one matinee and one evening show, of which video also exists of varying quality) may have slight differences, the bulk of the set is identical between the two. Interaction between the crowd and the band is especially awkward. I’ve always found Tony Martin, excellent as his voice may be, to be a pretty uninspiring character when it comes to whipping up the crowd, so throw a Russian translator into the mix and things get even more cringy and awkward.

Musically, the band were tight as fuck and the quality of the recordings of this set of shows is extremely high. I believe it was intended for this to be an official live release, but for a multitude of reasons the idea fell through. I’m pretty fascinated by this era of the band and have listened to many boots from this era but the Moscow shows are probably your best bet in regards to quality / fidelity – as well as having the accompanying video footage – even if they aren’t personally my favourite recordings from the band.