The Demos BLACK SABBATH Recorded Before They Were Famous Are Finally Coming Out

Summary

• Black Sabbath’s 1969 demos, recorded as Earth, will finally see an official release on July 25 via Big Bear Records.
• The recordings were tracked in Zella Studios, before the band adopted the Black Sabbath name and redefined heavy metal.
• No comment yet from the band, but original manager Jim Simpson is overseeing the release, calling the tapes a snapshot of their early potential.

Before the world knew them as Black Sabbath, the band that helped define heavy metal was just four young musicians from Birmingham, England, playing under the name Earth. On July 25, those early recordings will finally get an official release as a new album titled Earth: The Legendary Lost Tapes.

The collection features demo tracks recorded in 1969 by Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward. These sessions were tracked at Zella Studios, just months before the group changed their name to Black Sabbath and released their self-titled debut album in early 1970.

Unearthing the past

The project is being released by Big Bear Records, the Birmingham label founded by Jim Simpson, who also served as Sabbath’s first manager. Simpson was the one who originally brought the band into the studio and has overseen the recovery and remastering of these lost tapes.

In a press statement shared via Louder, Simpson said the recordings showcase the band’s strength even before they adopted their famous name.

“These recordings clearly demonstrate what fine music they produced right from the very beginning,” he said. “We recorded these tracks at Zella Studio in Birmingham in 1969, but held back from releasing them as their style was evolving so quickly.”

He added that the tapes “assume a greater importance” today, more than five decades later. “These four young men from Birmingham, barely out of their teens, were excellent musicians and a fine band,” Simpson said.

Not your average reissue

While bootleg versions of these early demos have circulated for years, this is the first time they’ll be released officially.

The exact tracklist hasn’t been confirmed yet, but the songs are expected to reflect the band’s blues-influenced roots before they moved into darker, heavier material.

It’s unclear if the members of Black Sabbath are involved in the release. According to Rolling Stone, a representative for the band did not respond to a request for comment.

The album appears to be a project managed solely by Simpson and Big Bear Records.

Right place, right time

The timing of the release is not a coincidence. Earth: The Legendary Lost Tapes arrives just weeks after Black Sabbath’s final concert, a massive hometown show billed as Back to the Beginning, which took place on July 5 at Villa Park in Birmingham.

The farewell event featured a star-studded lineup, including Metallica, Pantera, Slayer, Gojira, Alice in Chains, and a special all-star supergroup curated by Tom Morello.

The concert marked the first time that the original Black Sabbath lineup, Osbourne, Iommi, Butler, and Ward, had been seen together on stage since 2005.

Ward had not joined the band on their 2016 The End tour, citing disagreements and health concerns at the time.

In the days leading up to the concert, the city of Birmingham awarded the band the freedom of the city, one of the area’s highest honors. During the ceremony, all four original members received medals and scrolls recognizing their contributions to music and the city’s legacy.

Butler described Birmingham as a “great working-class city” and recalled how the band’s accent was once mocked. “We weren’t given a chance when we started out, but Birmingham has always been behind us,” he said, according to NME.

What fans can expect

Fans hoping for studio polish might want to manage their expectations. These recordings were made when the band was still finding their voice. Expect a raw, blues-heavy sound that hints at what would later become the foundation of doom metal and stoner rock.

For those curious about how Sabbath began, this release offers a rare glimpse into their early creative process. The demos may not have the thunder of Paranoid or the doom-laden riffs of Master of Reality, but they represent a key part of the band’s history.

Earth: The Legendary Lost Tapes will be available on streaming services and in physical formats starting July 25. It’s not just a nostalgia trip for longtime fans, but also a reminder that even the heaviest of legends had to start somewhere, sometimes under a different name, in a modest studio, with a few microphones and a big idea.

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