Sharon Osbourne has again challenged the release of early Black Sabbath demos, saying the band never approved the tapes.
Sharon Osbourne is challenging the planned release of early Black Sabbath demo recordings from 1969, a period when the band were still performing as Earth. The dispute centers on a collection which former manager Jim Simpson has called ‘The Legendary Lost 1969 Tapes’ (which have also been referred to as the Earth tapes), announced in June through his company Big Bear Music. The recordings were made at Zella Studios in Birmingham months before the group rebranded as Black Sabbath.
The project was originally slated for a July release, but legal issues quickly stalled it. Black Sabbath and Simpson remain at odds over who controls the material, whether it can be released, and whether the musicians themselves should have access to the audio.
Sharon Osbourne addressed the situation on a recent episode of The Osbournes podcast, saying that Simpson had tapes from over 50 years ago “of Sabbath [as Earth] when they went into demo and get a record deal…And he’s kept it quiet for all these years because they’re now out of copyright…so he’s been holding, holding and holding.” She also alleged that he “claims ownership” of the tapes, and wanted to release them for profit.
Simpson responded to Osbourne’s claims in a press release on November 14, addressing what he called “inaccurate and unfair criticisms” about the intent behind releasing Black Sabbath/Earth’s demos. “It’s such a shame Sharon has decided to go all out on the attack without sitting down to talk about this,” Simpson said. “It’s also very unfair of her to make such inaccurate and potentially defamatory comments.” He also said that he did pay for the Earth recordings and that they “belong” to him.
On November 15, Osbourne issued a longer public statement responding to Simpson’s claims from the press release. She included email exchanges dating back to late 2024 regarding Black Sabbath’s demos and argued that her earlier communication “was not threatening” but instead outlined the group’s legal position. Osbourne also contested Simpson’s description of Big Bear as the UK’s longest-running independent label, pointing instead to Topic Records, founded in 1939.
She went on to challenge Simpson’s description of his new partnership with Trapeze Music & Entertainment, questioning whether the artists listed, or their estates, would have approved sales in the United States. Sharon noted financial issues within Trapeze and criticised the label for allowing the Sabbath recordings to appear digitally in the US through a domestic import distributor, saying the material was quickly withdrawn once Simpson’s team was told the tracks were not out of copyright.
Osbourne said Trapeze’s owner had previously overseen companies that collapsed and reiterated that the band was never shown the tapes and never offered royalties. “A full legal opinion from Kings Council was provided to their UK lawyer. Trapeze’s owner previously ran several companies that ended up in bankruptcy. We would never have allowed any Black Sabbath product to be released through Big Bear Records or Trapeze Music, and at no time did Simpson ever offer the band royalties, and he has continuously refused to let Black Sabbath hear the recordings that he claims are his. Their integrity is dubious,” the statement continues.
Osbourne concluded by addressing Simpson’s claim that he attempted to meet with her on July 4, saying she was at soundcheck at Villa Park for Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne’s Back To The Beginning charity concert all day and later heard he was hosting a Q&A about his time managing the band at a pub for personal gain.
One email included in the statement (sent by Osbourne) reads: “As you know, the Band do not want these tapes released, not least as they haven’t heard them despite you saying you would provide copies long ago. You know that, as a band, Black Sabbath don’t take things lying down and you can be assured that if you go ahead with this against the Band’s wishes we will take any action where their rights are infringed, both here and in America.”
It seems like the legal dispute over the Earth Tapes continues with no end in sight – although, a quick search online does show that pre-orders for The Legendary Lost 1969 Tapes remain open (although the expected release date is noted as late September).
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