In 1974, Black Sabbath stormed the stage at California Jam, delivering one of their heaviest live performances of the decade. This review covers a rare bootleg vinyl remix from Hippie Shit Records that captures the raw energy of that historic Sabbath set. In the world of rock and heavy metal, certain shows attain legendary status. Black Sabbath at the California Jam on April 6th, 1974, is certainly one of these shows. Even all these years later, it’s easy for old and new fans alike to picture Ozzy in his fringe vest and Tony Iommi in his mirrored sunglasses, looking out over a sea people. Official estimates put the attendance that day at around 250,000, but many people think it was closer to around 350,000.
This show is a demonstration of the classic Black Sabbath lineup at the height of their power… playing songs from all of their albums through Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, which had just been released in December of 1973. For all of us too young to remember it, or even to have been alive at the time, it’s still easy to visualize that time in history with more than just a bit of nostalgia. We are also fortunate that audio tapes and video of this great event still exist and have been very well preserved.
There have been many, many versions of this show put out over the years, and it’s been remastered and remixed to the best of fans abilities. As technology improves and sound engineering tools are falling into the hands of the common fan and collector, we are definitely seeing more versions coming out. For a while now, my go to version has been a CD copy of Inverted Cross by Empress Valley Supreme Disc. At California Jam: 2025 Remixed Edition by Hippie Shit Records is a great looking package that helps keep the preservation of this legendary Sabbath performance alive. There are other copies on vinyl as well, but most of the better ones have been on CD only. This double LP green colored vinyl version is limited and highly collectable with only 300 numbered copies out there. But is it worth seeking out?
As far as the performance itself goes, I’m guessing that I don’t need to go into great detail. This show and Asbury Park 1975 are probably the two most well-known and celebrated recordings we have of the band. Most Sabbath fans will know a lot about the show, and at least a little about the original tape. Just in case you don’t, though, the source is supposedly a reel-to-reel soundboard recording, and in general, it sounds great. There are two damaged sections of tape, on “Sweet Leaf” and “Snowblind”, and so far, there has been nothing anyone has been able to do to fix these spots. I think that the rest of the recording being so great, more than makes up for these glitches, though.
Soundboard Recording – Ontario Motor Speedway, Ontario, CA, USA – 6th April, 1974
A1 Tomorrow’s Dream
A2 Sweet Leaf
A3 Killing Yourself To Live
B1 War Pigs
B2 Snowblind
C1 Sabbra Cadabra (Part 1)
C2 (Guitar Solo / Sometimes I’m Happy / Drum Solo)
D1 Supernaut
D2 Iron Man
D3 Guitar Solo & Orchid
D4 Sabbra Cadabra (Part 2)
D5 Paranoid
D6 Embryo / Children Of The Grave
Overall, the setlist is just killer. If you don’t like extended jams though, “Sabbra Cadabra” may not be your favorite track on the record. It’s divided into two parts, and the first part alone clocks in at over 18 minutes! Later on, we get part two, which is about 5 additional minutes. Obviously, Sabbath didn’t jam like this later on, so this is pretty much the last time they did something like this. In these extended sections, we get to hear more than usual from Bill Ward on drums, which is always a highlight for me. He had many health problems that may have slowed him down in later life, but in his prime, he was a monster drummer that broke the mold in a lot of ways. His small solo sections on “Sweet Leaf” and “Sabbra Cadabra” really highlight this, and the drums sound great in this particular mix.
There is certainly a lot of music crammed onto these two LPs, and I noticed that on Side A, the music starts very close to the edge of the record. If you want to start it at the exact beginning, it may take a couple of tries to line it up perfectly without dropping the stylus off the side. All of the other versions of this record that I’m aware of, including an also recent and more affordable option by Expensive Woodlands Records, are also two LP. I don’t think that there is enough material here to justify a third disc, but it barely fits on just two. If you want to check out the Expensive Woodlands version, it’s done on clear wax, and has some great (but generic) cover art. I haven’t heard it yet, but as of the time of this writing, a copy is on it’s way to me.
While the first record has some of the longer songs, by the time we get to Side D, things really start to speed up. I always find myself wishing that the band had cut the jam portion on Side A a bit shorter so they would have had more time to extend some of the other songs that came later in the set. Many of the big hits are crammed in on this last side, including “Iron Man”, which feels a little bit rushed. We’ve also got “Supernaut”, “Paranoid” and “Children of the Grave” to close out this amazing show. If you didn’t get enough “Sabbra Cadabra” earlier on, there’s even some more of that here as well. This certainly wasn’t the first time I’d heard this show, but I found myself really happy with this version by the time I got to the end.
The mix itself is certainly different than other versions I have, but not radically. I didn’t immediately put on my other copies to compare, but taking only this version into consideration, I have to say that I thought it was well done. To my memory, it sounds like there is a bit more high end here than on some other copies I have, but I think that helps to bring out some of the lead guitar. I would have liked there to be a bit more bass in this mix, but I’m not sure if this is even realistically possible given the source material. There are tons of different mixes and takes on this show, and to be totally honest, I have yet to hear a bad one. A bad pressing, yes, but not really a bad mix. With the exception of the two damaged areas on the tape which can’t be helped, anyone remixing this is starting out with a great quality recording, and I think it would be difficult to really “mess it up”, so to speak.
So, is this copy worth buying? If you already have multiple versions of the show, and you are hoping to hear some major revolution in sound, I think you may be a little disappointed. The quality and mix are fantastic, just not radically different. If you don’t yet have a copy of this show on vinyl, however, I think this is certainly the one to get. The packaging and pressing are done so well, I think most serious collectors will want this either way. Pressing and packaging on At California Jam: 2025 Remixed Edition are both an easy 10/10. The source tape itself is around 8.5/10. In the world of bootlegs, it’s hard to get much better than that. Both discs on my copy are nice and heavy, totally flat, and free of any defects. There’s no surface noise to speak of, and the mix sounds great.
I also think that the quality of the packaging here deserves special mention. This gatefold jacket is glossy and very high quality. Someone really took the time to make this package look great, from the art direction to the hype sticker. The sticker is one of my favorite parts, as it highlights the original poster artwork for the California Jam. The colors they used really capture that time in history, and the colorful aesthetic of the show itself. As usual, of course, this title is limited, so if you want one, now is the time to find a copy. Are there many versions of this show out there? Yes, but for the reasons mentioned above, this is one of my favorites overall, and certainly my favorite vinyl version.