Early Sabbath Demos Unearthed

Some of the earliest known demos from Black Sabbath have appeared online.

The nine minute audio clip taken from demo acetates features the band playing three tracks ('The Rebel', 'When I Came Down' and 'Early One Morning Blues'), and according to the person that posted the clip, two tracks were recorded at Trident Studios in Soho in 1969 with the third recorded live somewhere.

The Metal Den has this to say about the demos:

"'The Rebel' is without a doubt one of the most sought-after BLACK SABBATH songs ever recorded. Although a small fragment of this very un-SABBATH like song can be heard on 'The Black Sabbath Story Volume 1' video, most fans have never heard this still-unreleased 1969 demo.

"Is it an EARTH or BLACK SABBATH demo? One of the most frequently asked questions about 'The Rebel' is whether the song could be considered as an EARTH demo. Although the actual acetate credits the recording to BLACK SABBATH, the song was recorded during a transitional period. It has been alleged in several recent BLACK SABBATH biographies that the band decided upon changing their name from EARTH to BLACK SABBATH while they were on route to The Star Club in Hamburg in early August 1969. To avoid the inevitable confusion arising from this sudden change, the band performed many prior bookings as EARTH. In fact, their final gig as EARTH was performed in Kilcaldy, Scotland just one day after recording 'The Rebel'"

You can hear the audio tracks below. See if you stop yourself from wincing when Ozzyfs voice comes in on the first track: