CLASSIC SABBATH BROADASTS FROM THEIR FIRST DECADE. Formed in Birmingham, UK in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne., Black Sabbath are often cited as the pioneers of heavy metal. The band helped define the genre with releases such as Black Sabbath (1970), Paranoid (1970), and Master of Reality (1971). * After previous iterations of the group called the Polka Tulk Blues Band and Earth, Sabbath settled on the name Black Sabbath in 1969. They distinguished themselves through occult themes with horror-inspired lyrics and tuned-down guitars. Signing to Philips Records in November 1969, they released their first single, 'Evil Woman' in January 1970. Their debut album, Black Sabbath, was released the following month. Though it received a negative critical response, the album was a commercial success, leading to a follow-up record, Paranoid, later in 1970. The band's popularity grew, and by 1973's Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, critics were responding favourably. * This triple-disc set features live broadcast recordings from Sabbath's period when Ozzy Osbourne fronted the group, and kicks off on DISC ONE with 2 early performances. The first from Bremen in Germany recorded for the Beat Club programme in 1970, and the second from the Fillmore West in San Francisco later the same year. DISC TWO features Black Sabbath live at the California Jam festival in Ontario in 1974. The set culminates on DISC THREE with the band live in Pittsburgh, PA in September 1978.