01 The Rebel 2:46

02 When I Came Down 1:58

03 Thomas James 8:29

04 Early Morning Blues 4:43

 

In August 1969 BLACK SABBATH's manager Jim Simpson suggested that the band record 'The Rebel', a song written by Norman Haines (of the NORMAN HAINES BAND & LOCOMOTIVE). The session for "The Rebel", took place at Trident Studios in London. Haines also took part in this session, playing organ and piano. Two months later, the band recorded yet another Haines composition called 'When I Came Down'.

 

"When I Came Down" was recorded at Zella Studios in Birmingham in October. The song is short but boasts strong vocals. It begins with a bluesy, pentatonic riff and although the guitar gets rather lost in the mix, the overall feel approximates to a slower take on "Evil Woman".

According to Iommi, "We didn't write those songs. They were written by a chap named Norman Haines. At the time we were managed by Jim Simpson, who was a local Birmingham guy. He insisted that we record these songs. We just wanted to play, so we recorded them. We wanted to write our own songs and make our own record, but this was just an initial effort. We had never been in a recording studio in our lives before that."

 

The third song here is a lengthy jazz influenced instrumental called "Thomas James", which features Simpson on trumpet, trading licks with Iommi, which eventually slows into a trademark SABBATH doom-laden rifftastic finale. It is unknown exactly when and where this was recorded, but it's likely that it's an outtake from one of the two known 1969 sessions.

 

The final song, "Early One Morning Blues", sounds like it comes from a rehearsal tape rather than an official demo session, and as the title suggests it's a blues romp with lashings of fine fret mangling courtesy of Iommi.

 

These songs represent the birth of BLACK SABBATH, the secret first steps, enjoy this peek into the murky past.