Metal, Hardcore, Indie, Rock
This week, the pre-Black Sabbath band Earth‘s ownership dispute over unreleased recordings grew more intense, as reported by theprp. That early version featured all four members of Black Sabbath‘s iconic lineup: drummer Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler, guitarist Tony Iommi, and singer Ozzy Osbourne. Before finally evolving into the groundbreaking heavy metal group that is now well-known and revered worldwide, they went by a number of names, including Earth.
Jim Simpson, the band’s manager at the time, wants to release “Earth: The Legendary Lost Tapes,” a compilation of “lost” recordings from the band’s early years. However, Osbourne and Black Sabbath manager Sharon Osbourne have threatened and criticized his plans to do so.
Simpson was the band’s initial manager, but Sharon said she doesn’t “know him from a hole in the wall” during this week’s edition of “The Osbourne Podcast.” She continued by discussing Simpson’s early interaction with the band.
He wasn’t cruel to them. He did his best, but he could only take them so far.
After around two years with him, the band decided to take a different approach with management after switching to Black Sabbath. As Sharon reported on the previously stated program, Simpson subsequently filed a lawsuit.
Jim Simpson went to court ’cause he had a contract with Black Sabbath — which nobody can find it — but anyway there was a contract and the judge awarded him £30,000. It was a lot of money, So Jim Simpson, that was it, gone. They never spoke to him, never saw him, it was like, they were flying. I mean it was instant success worldwide for them when their record was out. And Jim Simpson, never, never heard [from him,] there was no relationship with him with any of the guys.
There wasn’t bad blood, but they were busy being famous and he was in Birmingham, so their career was flying high, and Jim apparently stayed with his jazz world and did that, but has always… [banked on being the one to discover Black Sabbath.] Which is great, you know, the usual pub talk. But now 56 years later, he has tapes of, he claims, of Sabbath when they went into demo to get a record deal. They are the Earth demos, he claims. And he claims ownership because he says he paid the bill for the studio which he says was £500. If £30,000 today is worth 5 or £600,000, what’s £500? He would have never had that money to pay for a studio in those days. Never.
Anyway, he claims that he paid so therefore he owns them. And he’s kept it quiet for all these years because they’re now out of copyright, which is 50 years. So he’s been holding and holding and holding. Anyway, this story is cutting to Jim Simpson could have called us at any time and go, ‘Look, I’ve got old photos. I’ve got these tapes. Let’s be partners. Let’s do a deal. Pay me. You know, I want backend. Whatever. Whatever.’ No, he doesn’t do that. He keeps it totally quiet, finds a little record company ’cause no major record company would have taken it.
He finds this little record label, which the guy who runs it has gone seven times bankrupt, which is fine. But it just shows you… And he does a deal with this little record label to take the tapes and distribute them. So we found out, and for 18 months we have been going back and forth saying, ‘We will sue you. You cannot do this. You cannot do this.’ Now he’s never said you’ll get a royalty, not one penny. He thinks he’s going to put out these tapes and he’s going to get 100% of everything for himself.
Now he’s in his mind is going back 56 years to where they started. For the first 10 years of their career, they made millions and never got a penny. [He’s] treating them the same way. And it’s like, no. I’m sorry. I don’t care what the fuck your name is or where you come from. You are a pig. You want it all. You’re trying to get away with this. You’ve wasted your time to out of copyright. And you…
He could have had it so differently. He could have come to us with the tapes. He would have made a lot of money. And Sabbath would have done well. But you cannot take this and do this to Sabbath again. [This would be] the second time it would have happened to them.
And I am putting it out there to every Sabbath fan. If these tapes come out, please don’t buy them. Don’t support him, because he’s taking 100%. He’s lying and saying that he will give money to charity. He’s never said what charity or how much money. And what I want to do is just say to him, let it go to a proper record company. It can be properly distributed, properly produced. You will get money. Don’t do this.
…And he is going to distribute it from his office, Big Bear Records, which isn’t even a limited company. He will take people’s money and post out the stuff. And it’s like, how dare you put these guys at the age they are at in that position again where you’re stealing from them.
Since then, Simpson has come up with his own press statement, which was released today, November 14, in which he refutes several of Sharon’s earlier assertions about his intentions for this release.
Jim Simpson, the first manager of Black Sabbath, today rejected what he says were “inaccurate and unfair criticisms” made by Sharon Osbourne, the wife of the late Ozzy Osbourne.
Speaking on the latest episode of The Osbournes podcast, Sharon expresses outrage over Simpson’s plans to release a unique album of tracks from the pre-Black Sabbath days of Ozzy, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward.
Simpson, now in his late-80s, paid for the recordings back in 1969 when Ozzy and co were youngsters in a band called Earth. He has now restored and remastered each track and planned to release them on an album called Earth: The Legendary Lost Tapes, currently delayed due to Sharon’s threats to sue.
Today, Simpson rejected Sharon’s angry claims and said: “It’s such a shame Sharon has decided to go all out on the attack without sitting down to talk about this. It’s also very unfair of her to make such inaccurate and potentially defamatory comments.”
On the podcast, Sharon questions Simpson’s ownership of the recordings, saying: “He says he paid the bill for the studio, which he says was £500 … He would have never had that money to pay for a studio in those days.”
In response, Simpson, still ubiquitous on the Midlands’ music scene with his Big Bear Music company, said: “At the time, Earth were just the newest of the bands I managed. During those years, I regularly recorded and paid for recording sessions with bands I managed or played in.
“I’d already had a hit single with Locomotive, and record deals with major labels like EMI Harvest and Parlophone. How can Sharon possibly know what I could afford back then? The fact is that I did pay for the Earth recordings, and they belong to me.”
Sharon then claims on the podcast: “He’s kept it quiet for all these years because they’re now out of copyright, which is 50 years.”
Simpson said: “That’s not the case. The truth is that when Black Sabbath walked out of my management contract, I turned my hand to re-discovering a total of 35 neglected black American blues men, touring them through UK and Europe, and recording them.
“In the early 1980s I got more deeply involved in jazz, launching the Birmingham Jazz & Blues Festival and publishing The Jazz Rag – both still ongoing. I produced more than 80 albums for Big Bear Records, ran 23 festivals across Britain, and managed various other UK bands, including The Quads, who had a hit single. All in all, I’ve been pretty busy, although I always intended to release the Earth records.
“I approached members of the band about this on 24 September 2024. The message I got back was that they didn’t want it released and wanted nothing to do with it. This included two very threatening emails from Sharon. But the band had every chance to be involved.”
Sharon claims on the podcast that Simpson intends to keep all profits for himself, saying: “He’s never said you’ll get a royalty, not one penny. He thinks he’s going to put out these tapes and he’s going to get 100% per cent of everything … You are a pig, you want it all.”
Simpson said: “Sharon is very mistaken. I wanted all band members to receive royalties from the album in the usual way, and I’m still more than happy for that to happen.”
Sharon alleges that Simpson is being dishonest about donating any proceeds to charity, saying: “He’s lying, saying he will give money to charity. He’s never said what charity or how much money.”
Simpson said: “This is so unfair and potentially defamatory. I have correspondence with St Basils, a charity for homeless young people in Birmingham, dated 21 January 2025, which clearly states that if Black Sabbath refuse to accept royalties, then we will pay them to this charity.”
Sharon also derides Simpson’s album plans, saying: “He finds a little record company, because no major record company would have taken it … to take the tapes and distribute them.”
Simpson said: “This is another misrepresentation of the truth. The label for Earth: The Legendary Lost Tapes is actually on Big Bear Records, the UK’s longest-established independent recording company that I have owned and operated since 1968.
“We are in the process of relaunching Big Bear Records in a new distribution partnership with Trapeze Music & Entertainment Ltd, a well-established company with a huge catalogue including the likes of Johnny Cash, Buddy Holly, Marlene Dietrich, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Digby Fairweather and hundreds of other artists.
“They might not be what Sharon calls a ‘major’, but they are certainly not ‘little’. They are our new partner for the relaunch of all Big Bear Records, not just the Earth album.”
In the podcast, Sharon also belittles Simpson’s role in the founding and development of Black Sabbath, and claims: “For the first 10 years of their career, they made millions and never got a penny.”
To this, Simpson responded: “Under my management, we renamed Earthas Black Sabbath and they became one of the biggest names in heavy rock music, touring extensively and appearing on radio and TV.
“I was manager when we released their seminal debut eponymous album Black Sabbath in February 1970 and followed it up with the equally adored Paranoid in September 1970. Both charted worldwide and sold millions, with hit single Paranoid reaching number 4 in the charts.
“While under my management, which ended in September 1970, they received proper payments. It was when they broke their contract that it all went wrong for them.”
Sharon goes on to say that she has threatened to sue Simpson if he goes ahead and releases the album. But she also offers a laurel leaf, adding: “He could have come to us with the tapes and he would have made a lot of money and Sabbath would have done well. Let it go to a proper record company and be properly distributed, properly produced.”
Despite the row, Simpson says he’s more than willing to discuss a resolution. He said: “In my email to Sharon on 4 July 2025, when she was in Birmingham, I suggested it might be fruitful for her and I to meet for coffee to discuss this issue. If they want to strike a deal with me to launch this album, I would therefore be delighted to discuss that with them.”
Simpson added: “My reason for launching this album now is because it will become a crucial segment of music history. It contains recordings that clearly demonstrate what fine music Ozzy, Tony, Geezer and Bill were producing right from the very beginning in their pre-Sabbath says.
“It shows how these four young men from Birmingham, barely out of their teens, were already remarkable musicians when they existed as Earth, and that they fully deserved all the success that was to come their way as Black Sabbath.”
Earth: The Legendary Lost Tapes features previously unheard studio recordings, capturing Earth’s evolution as they pushed toward the heavy metal sound that would change rock music forever.
The new album begins with three blues covers: Blue Suede Shoes, Evenin’and Wee Wee Baby. There are two versions of a track called Song For Jim, the name in the title referring directly to Simpson. Tony Iommi plays guitar in the first version, and then a rare performance on the flute in the second version. The beginnings of heavy metal then start to emerge with an ‘Untitled’ track and three more called Free Man, Wicked World and Warning.
Simpson added: “If we can finally release this album, it will be a great gift to the music world and to millions of Sabbath fans.”
If given the opportunity, almost all rock and metal drummers would be thrilled to play with Black Sabbath. Unexpectedly, Zak Starkey, the former drummer for The Who and Oasis, was approached to join the heavy metal godfathers but declined the invitation. He has now voiced “regret” for not doing so more than ten years ago. On July 23, Starkey posted an homage to himself and disclosed that in 2012, Sharon Osbourne requested him to take over as drummer.
Despite being asked multiple times, Starkey doesn’t go into detail as to why he didn’t accept her offer. The record to which Sharon Osbourne is alluding is Black Sabbath‘s 2013 album “13”, their first since 1995’s “Forbidden”. It was the first time the other three original members had performed since 1978’s “Never Say Die!” however it did not include drummer Bill Ward. Tommy Clufetos, who had taken Ward’s place earlier that year, was wrapping up his work as their touring drummer. In the end, both performed on Black Sabbath‘s last EP, “The End” (2016), and Brad Wilk of Rage Against the Machine performed on “13”.
