Black Sabbath invented heavy metal in 1970 with their self-titled debut album, but it turns out they totally stole all their ideas from a band called Jazz Sabbath. Jazz Sabbath recorded their self-titled debut album in 1969 and were set to release it in February 1970, though things got derailed when founding member and pianist Milton Keanes was hospitalized with a massive heart attack. Here's the tale of Jazz Sabbath.
Jazz Sabbath (1968) were considered to be at the forefront of the new English jazz movement. Their self-titled debut album would be released on 13 Feb 1970, but on Feb 12th founding member and pianist Milton Keanes was hospitalised with a massive heart attack; leaving him fighting for his life. The record company shelved the album and cancelled the scheduled release out of financial uncertainty of releasing a debut album from a band without its musical leader.
When Milton was released from hospital in September 1970, he found out that a band from Birmingham, conveniently called ‘Black Sabbath’, had since released two albums containing so-called metal versions of his songs. His recalled albums had been destroyed in a warehouse fire in June 1970; leaving only a few bootleg tapes of Jazz Sabbath’s live performances as proof of existence.
The master tapes, believed to be lost in the fire, were found last year. These songs will now finally be heard; proving that the heavy metal band worshipped by millions are in fact nothing more than musical charlatans, thieving the music from a bedridden, hospitalised genius.
You can watch a mini-doc about the band and stream the original "Iron Man" below.
For those unaware, "Milton Keanes" is really longtime Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne keyboardist and guitarist Adam Wakeman and Jazz Sabbath is just a really cool project. Jazz Sabbath is out April 10 and you can grab it here.
