A collection of early Black Sabbath demos, which the band recorded under the name Earth, will finally get an official release next month.
Earth: The Legendary Lost Tapes is set to arrive July 25 via Big Bear Records. It contains a handful of recordings that Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward recorded at Zella Studios in Birmingham, England, in 1969. Later that year, Earth changed their name to Black Sabbath, with the band releasing their self-titled debut in February 1970.
The Legendary Lost Tapes was overseen by Big Bear founder Jim Simpson, who also served as Black Sabbath’s first manager. Simpson said (via Louder) that the collection “presents rare early recordings,” which have been “remastered from long-lost tapes.”
He added: “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.”
While these demos have never gotten an official release, a handful of bootleg collections containing recordings from the Earth era have been released over the years. It’s unclear if Black Sabbath are involved with The Legendary Lost Tapes in any capacity. A rep for the band did not immediately return Rolling Stone’s request for comment.
News of the release comes as Black Sabbath prepare to reunite one last time at what’s scheduled to be Osbourne’s final concert. Osbourne, Iommi, Butler, and Ward haven’t all taken the stage together since 2005, with Ward declining to participate in some of the band’s more recent shows (like their 2016 The End Tour). The concert is set to take place on July 5 in Birmingham with a lineup that also includes Metallica, Slayer, Pantera, Gojira, Alice in Chains, and Tom Morello serving as musical director.
