Early Black Sabbath demos from their Earth days to be released ahead of final show
As Black Sabbath gear up for their historic final show this Saturday, fans are being treated to one more parting gift: a collection of the band’s earliest recordings, made back when they still went by the name Earth.
The upcoming release, titled Earth: The Legendary Lost Tapes, compiles rare 1969 demos recorded at Zella Studios in Birmingham, just before the band adopted the name Black Sabbath and began their seismic rise through rock history.
This was the same period when founding guitarist Tony Iommi had just returned from a brief stint with Jethro Tull, reuniting with his bandmates – Ozzy Osbourne, Bill Ward and Geezer Butler – in time to lay down these formative tracks.
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The tapes have been compiled by the band’s original manager, Jim Simpson, who considers the release a snapshot of Sabbath’s musical DNA before the world even knew their name.
“Before Black Sabbath, the band were known as Earth – a blues-driven powerhouse already making a name for themselves,” Simpson says in a statement.
“This new release presents rare early recordings from that era, remastered from long-lost tapes.”
“These recordings clearly demonstrate what fine music they produced right from the very beginning.
“We recorded these tracks at Zella Studio in Birmingham in 1969, but held back from releasing them as their style was evolving so quickly.”
“Now, some 57 years later, the recordings assume a greater importance, illustrating how these four young men from Birmingham, barely out of their teens, were excellent musicians and a fine band, fully deserving of all the success that was to come their way.”
Earth: The Legendary Lost Tapes will be released on 25 July via Big Bear Records, the blues/jazz label founded by Simpson. The project is not officially endorsed by the Sabbath camp, and none of the four original members are believed to be involved.
Speaking of the band’s final bow, Tony Iommi is also marking the moment with a new collaboration. The guitarist has teamed up with Laney on a special-edition reissue of his TI100 signature amp – a faithful recreation of the model he’s relied on since its original release in 2012.
“Without you [Laney], we wouldn’t be here,” he said. “I wouldn’t use anything else.”
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