Black Sabbath Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler Demos

From the band’s formation in 1969 to the present day in 2014, BLACK SABBATH’s history spans 45 years. There have been many ups and downs along the way. The band has been in crisis more than once or twice. Of all the crises, the band was in the midst of the “greatest turmoil” from 1984 to 1985. This was the period from Ian Gillan’s departure to 1986, when Tony Iommi made a new start with “SEVENTH STAR”. During this period, Sabbath was in the midst of turmoil, with Iommi and Geezer welcoming new singers to rebuild the band and each exploring solo activities. This work, “THE BATTLE OF THE DEMOS 1985”, covers a number of valuable demo recordings that Iommi and Geezer produced with the same singer, Jeff Fenholt, from 1984 to 1985, and highlights the “great turmoil period of Sabbath”, which had many unknown points. The main tracks on this album are 11 demo tracks that Tony Iommi produced as the basis for his solo album. These would eventually become the album we know today, SEVENTH STAR, but at this point Jeff Fenholt was singing a version with significantly different lyrics and melodies. The album contains 5 songs and 8 tracks. The album includes “Star Of India,” which would become “Seventh Star,” “Take My Heart,” the prototype of the famous ballad “No Stranger To Love,” and “Eye Of The Storm,” the original song of “Turn To Stone,” in two different versions with different performances and arrangements. In addition, you can enjoy “Love On The Line,” the prototype of “Heart Like A Wheel,” and “Chance Of Love,” the early version of “Danger Zone,” with solid quality. All of the songs you can listen to here are melodic and high-quality metal numbers that are typical of the mid-’80s. “It seems familiar, but in fact I’ve never experienced it” and “Another different version of a song I’ve listened to many times” are full of the fun of “this is a demo recording.” In addition, from track 9 to track 11, three more tracks of rehearsal sessions by the same members (track 11 includes singing) are recorded. Jeff Fenholt’s performance on these songs is amazing. He is an unusual rock singer with a career in the Broadway musical “JESUS ​​CHRIST SUPERSTAR”, and he sings cleanly and powerfully. The rhythm section is Gordon Copley (bass) and Eric Singer (drums), who cooperated from LITA FORD. Although it is a demo, the cohesive band sound makes the song more attractive (Iommi’s guitar and keyboard Jeff Nichols are, of course, well known). There are already known takes, but the higher master freshness of this sound source is attractive. The well-organized songs will also bring listeners deeper entertainment and understanding of the historical background. In the second half of this work, from track 12 to 16, three songs and five tracks of Geezer Butler’s demos are recorded. These were deemed “unidentified fakes” when they appeared overseas as part of the “SEVENTH STAR” demo, but they were later confirmed to have been performed at Geezer’s ’85 live show, and were found to be “GEEZER BUTLER BAND demos” rather than Iommi’s solo songs. Pedro House (Geezer’s nephew), who plays guitar here, has since participated in Geezer’s solo project, and enthusiasts will know about it. The other members are completely different, with Gary Ferguson, who played with GARY MOORE at the same time, on drums and Gerald Woodruff, the first keyboardist of Sabbath (nostalgic for enthusiasts), on keyboards. And what surprised enthusiasts the most was that Jeff Fenholt, like Iommi, was used as the singer. Geezer Butler’s work with Ozzy and his solo work since the ’90s gives the impression of being “heavy and doomy,” but this recording is surprisingly melodic and pop, and in a sense, it has a sound that is reminiscent of AOR, and this unexpectedness is what is most surprising. Fenholt’s singing voice matches the first song, “Lock Myself Away,” perfectly with “Don’t Turn Away” and “Love Has No Mercy,” which each have two takes. It’s unfortunate that there are fewer songs than Iommi’s demo, but I can say with confidence that these are five important tracks that will give listeners a big shock and impact! An even more shocking track appears at the end of this album! This is the demo “No Way Out” sung by Dave Donato, who was officially hired by Sabbath as his replacement in 1984 when Ian Gillan left the band. In addition to Iommi, Geezer, keyboardist Jeff Nichols, and singer Donato, the original drummer Bill Ward also participates here. Moreover, the song is the Tony Martin era masterpiece “The Shining” (albeit with different lyrics and melody)! The three original members performed, Donato sang the only song, and it was the prototype of “The Shining”, making this a truly amazing trio! If you listen to “No Way Out” here, the early take with different lyrics that appeared for the first time on this CD, and the version included in “THE ETERNAL IDOL: RAY GILLEN MIX”, the process of the birth of the masterpiece “The Shining” will emerge in more detail! Although both are central figures in BLACK SABBATH, this work clearly shows the different approaches to songs by Iommi and Geezer, with one singer. This work, which unravels the missing link between “Born Again” and “Seventh Star” from 1984 to 1986, when Sabbath was virtually broken, is a first-class documentary sound source that is indispensable for all SABBATH enthusiasts. Tony Iommi Vs. Geezer Butler featuring Jeff Fenholt STEREO SBD TONY IOMMI DEMOS (1985) 1. Star Of India #1 (Seventh Star) 2. Star Of India #2 (Seventh Star) 3. Take My Heart #1 (No Stranger To Love) 4. Take My Heart #2 (No Stranger To Love) 5. Eye Of The Storm #1 (Turn To Stone) 6. Eye Of The Storm #2 (Turn To Stone) 7. Love On The Line (Heart Like A Wheel) 8. Chance Of Love (Danger Zone) 9. UnKnown Instrumental #1 10. UnKnown Instrumental #2 11. Unknown Song Tony Iommi – Guitar / Jeff Fenholt – Vocal / Gordon Copley – Bass / Eric Singer – Drums / Geoff Nicholls – Keyboards & Backing Vocals THE GEEZER BUTLER BAND DEMOS (1985) 12. Lock Myself Away (Can’t Stand Much Longer) 13. Don’t Turn Away #1 (Patrol) 14. Don’t Turn Away #2 (Patrol) 15. Love Has No Mercy #1 (I’m Leaving) 16. Love Has No Mercy #2 (I’m Leaving) Geezer Butler – Bass / Jeff Fenholt – Vocal / Pedro Howse – Guitar / Gary Ferguson – Drums / Gerald Woodroffe – Keyboards BONUS TRACK – BLACK SABBATH (1984) 17. No Way Out (The Shining) Tony Iommi – Guitar / Dave Donato – Vocal / Geezer Butler – Bass / Bill Ward – Drums / Geoff Nicholls – Keyboards