The Rebel (Blue)

Blue colored vinyl and in a limited edition contains nine rarities from the early stages of Black Sabbath’s career. As the abundant and exhaustive notes published on the back cover explain, “The Rebel” (written by Locomotive singer and keyboardist Norman Haines, who was initially expected to join the group and who played piano and organ in the recording made at Trident Studios in London) is a true “holy grail” for collectors dating back to the period in which the band, at that time still known as Earth, was about to change to its definitive name; Haines also wrote the bluesy “When I Came Down”, recorded at Zella Studios in Birmingham in October 1969, while the three pieces that complete the A-side of the LP are alternate takes of famous songs later included in the first and homonymous album by Tony Iommi, Ozzy Osbourne, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward. Opening with a cover of “Early One Morning” by bluesman Elmore James, the tracklist of the second side continues with two songs later included in “Black Sabbath” and closes with a version of “Wicked World”, published as the B-side of “Evil Woman”: the four songs were recorded live on November 16, 1969 at the Rugman’s Youth Club in Dumfries, Scotland, on a Grundig reel-to-reel recorder.