An extremely rare Black Sabbath demo recording from a rehearsal session of ‘Heaven And Hell’ has surfaced online, the forty four year old cassette tape features Ronnie James Dio and Geoff Nicholls in the line-up.
In 1979, ‘Heaven And Hell’ was the very first song written for the newly Ronnie James Dio fronted Black Sabbath after the departure of Ozzy Osbourne.
The rare Black Sabbath demo recording features Ronnie James Dio on vocals, Tony Iommi on guitar, Bill Ward on drums and Geoff Nicholls on bass. Nicholls joined Black Sabbath as a replacement for Geezer Butler and ultimately became the bands keyboardist from 1979 through 2004.
The demo recording was shared on January 28th by the estate of Geoff Nicholls commemorating the fourth anniversary of the musicians death.
The demo recording is considered rare because it was only made for the band’s record label as a way to secure a recording contract. The band members themselves did not have copies of the demo, and it was thought to have been lost or destroyed for many years.
The discovery of the demo recording sheds new light on Black Sabbath’s creative process and provides a rare glimpse into the early stages of the band’s career. By hearing the early versions of the songs, fans can gain a better understanding of how the band’s sound evolved and how the songs were shaped over time.
The rarity and historical significance of the Black Sabbath demo recording make it a valuable find for collectors and fans alike. By bringing this story to light, we hope this article adds to the ongoing legacy of one of the most influential bands in rock history.
The video description on YouTube read as follows: “I recently found this SONY C-90 tape cassette amongst the thousands in Geoff Nicholls’ archive. On the inlay card is written ‘ON & ON HEAVEN & HELL ORIGINAL VERSION GEOFF PLAYING BASS’. “Inside the cassette case was a Maxell UD 90. The B side is written ‘On + On HEAVEN HELL ORIGINAL GEOFF ON BASS’ Nowhere does it say that this is Black Sabbath on the cassette. On And On Heaven And Hell may have been the original working title.”
The estate noted that, on the chance that it wasn’t Black Sabbath playing on the tape, that it may have been “a good cover version”.
Listen to the rare Black Sabbath ‘Heaven And Hell’ demo below, and you’ll hear that it is entirely legitimate!
Heaven & Hell – Black Sabbath (1979 rehearsal featuring Geoff Nicholls on bass)
Birth name Geoffrey James Nicholls ⇗
Born 29 February 1944
Birmingham, England, UK
Died 28 January 2017 (aged 72)
Instruments Keyboards, bass, guitar, vocals
Associated acts Black Sabbath, Quartz, Tony Martin, Johnny Neal and the Starliners, World of Oz, Jimmy Helms.