Sharon Osbourne pushes back as plans emerge to release decades-old Black Sabbath demos.
Plans to release early Black Sabbath demo recordings have ignited a fresh dispute between Sharon Osbourne and the band’s former manager, Jim Simpson. The long-unauthorised tapes date back to the era before the band even carried the Black Sabbath name.
Simpson first surfaced the existence of nine demos last June, claiming they were captured in 1969 when the young Birmingham band was still performing under the name Earth.
He later announced plans to package the material as Earth: The Legendary Lost Tapes, targeting a July 25th release date that never arrived.
This past Friday, he renewed his intention to issue the recordings and immediately met fierce resistance from Sharon Osbourne, who publicly reiterated the band’s opposition.
In an Instagram post, Sharon shared the letter she originally sent Simpson when he floated the idea earlier this summer.
In it, she stressed that the band had not even been given the chance to hear the recordings Simpson claims to possess.
Her message was blunt: moving ahead without the band’s permission would trigger legal action in both the U.S. and the U.K. The statement underscores the seriousness with which the Sabbath camp views the ownership and integrity of their early work.
Sharon also challenged the legitimacy of Simpson’s label, Big Bear Records, disputing his claim that it stands as the U.K.’s longest-running independent record label.
Citing Topic Records, founded in 1939 and still active, she called Simpson’s assertion “a false claim.” She further stated that Sabbath would have never authorised any release through Big Bear or Trapeze Music, noting that Simpson never offered the band royalties and repeatedly withheld access to the tapes.
“Their integrity is dubious,” she concluded, leaving little room for ambiguity.
As tensions escalate, the fate of the unreleased demos remains unresolved.
Fans eager for unheard early material may have to wait
