Before They Were Famous II – I'm admittedly fairly unlearned in the ways of metal mythology, being something of a sissy who missed the train the first time around, so if any of you rational, always-willing-to-help internet types want to correct any part of this entry please go ahead. Earth was Black Sabbath before they were Black Sabbath, and after they were something inexplicably called The Polka Tulk. "The Rebel" was an early demo they made in 1969 that stands apart from Sabbath's notorious minor-key metal in that it sounds almost like a rousing pop call to arms with harmonies and general forthrightness. (It kind of reminds me a little of Coven's "One Tin Soldier." Please don't hurt me.) I'm confused as to whether this ever came out under the name "Earth," because I saw a JPG of an English 45 that attributes "The Rebel" to "Black Sabbath." However, it appears, for all intents and purposes, that the only time they recorded "The Rebel" they clearly still thought of themselves as "Earth." Who wouldn't? "The Rebel" was written by someone named Norman Haines, who was part of the '60s band Locomotive, who like Sabbath were from Birmingham, England. In fact Haines apparently had an offer to join Black Sabbath, which he declined in favor of forming the Norman Haines Band. We all know how that turned out. No, we don't.
