“Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward first came together in 1968 and originally named themselves The Polka Tulk Blues Band, before transitioning to Earth shortly afterwards. In 1969, they recorded a number of demos in Zella Studios in Birmingham that were never released. The band these Brummie boys were fated to become were always an exceptional group, even in their early years as Earth, when as teenagers they formed a blues band. Neatly timed in the mid-1960s, as the blues boom was in decline. Nevertheless, they persevered, widening their repertoire, until, name-change they became the most important and most-copied of all heavy metal bands. They single-handedly invented the style that influenced and inspired not only so many bands, but also those dozens of sub-metal styles that now abound — black metal, death metal, gothic metal, nu metal and so many more. The band’s subsequent worldwide success over the last fifty odd years has, unsurprisingly, drawn attention away from just how fine a band they were at the outset. This release will most certainly address that position. These early recordings were made by the band, still known as Earth, who had already built an enviable reputation and a veritable army of fans with their high-powered, blues-rooted, red hot and rocking performances. These recordings accurately chart their development of their repertoire as they edged their way towards those heavy metal anthems that were soon to captivate the world of rock. All tracks featured have been carefully restored from the original masters, untouched for over 50 years, and presented here for the very first time in all their glory.”
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