Black Sabbath Seventh Star Demos with Vocalist Jeff Feinholt

[Hardrock69]

BLACK SABBATH - Star Of India (Seventh Star Demos)
Year 1985
Jeff Fenholt on vocal
Recorded in Cherokee Studios - Hollywood

01-Star Of India (Seventh Star) #1
02-Take My Heart (No Stranger To Love) #1
03-Eye Of The Storm (Turn To Stone) #1
04-Love On The Line (Heart Like A Wheel)
05-Star Of India (Seventh Star) #2
06-Chance On Love (Danger Zone)
07-Take My Heart (No Stranger To Love) #2
08-Eye Of The Storm (Turn To Stone) #2
09-Star Of India (Seventh Star) #3
10-Unreleased Jam #1
11-Unreleased Jam #2
12-Unreleased Jam #3
13-The Thrill Is Gone
14-Unreleased Jam #4
15-Unreleased Jam #5
16-Unreleased Jam #6

http://rapidshare.com/files/25994112/Black_Sabbath-Star_Of_India.rar

[VanHalener]

Thanks for the lead. Checking this out now and warming up the speakers.

[Hardrock69]

Here is the info from Black-Sabbath.com:


As if all the 1984 stuff wasn't confusing enough, we now come to Jeff Fenholt. Before you read this part, understand that I do not consider Jeff Fenholt to be a member of Black Sabbath. Read all of this, and you'll understand why it's listed here at all.


Jeff Fenholt
Jeff's part in the history of Black Sabbath is in dispute. The Black Sabbath camp has said that Fenholt merely "tried out" for the part. Jeff says that he was in the band for about 7 months, worked on the Seventh Star album, and is uncredited for co-writing some of the stuff on the album, including No Stranger to Love. If you'd like to read Jeff's side of things, check this out:

At the same time, there was a tremendous spiritual war for my will. I had a great difficulty surrendering a lot of things, and money was a big one. I figured the only way I could make money was in secular rock music. But while making a rock album after coming to the Lord, my best friend Felix Papilardi, was murdered. 'Two days before, I had witnessed to him and he had rejected Christ. Now he was dead. Soon after, my drummer Gary Driscoll was murdered.'

I tried investing in 'Christian investments' and was severely ripped off twice. The Lord showed me that I had put my faith and trust in other men instead of Him. But once again I panicked, and headed back to making a living in the world of secular rock music.

So guess who called me first? Black Sabbath. I accepted the offer and was the group's lead vocalist from January to May of 1985, all the while thinking I could be a 'light in the darkness'. It didn't work.

Finally, I came to the point where I said, 'Okay, Ive been in the biggest rock groups in the world, but I can't get blessed in these groups anymore because I'm not of the same spirit.' At that point I wasn't getting blessed in Christianity either because I hadn't gone completely into it. I was like a donkey standing between two bales of hay starving to death because he wouldn't make the choice. So I said to myself, 'Either you go all the way into the world and forget Jesus, or go all the way with Jesus.' It took about 1/10th of a second to decide; I could not live one minute without my Saviour.

The incredible power of Christ's forgiveness and compassion has led me into a whole new ministry to those who have also suffered abuse or have been bound by bitterness, violence, or drugs

I have requested that the Fenholt camp release a picture of him with the band so that we can have some proof, but as of yet, I have not received a response to this specific request. The general consensus is that Fenholt wasn't really part of the band, but is making this up to "push his cause". If I get an answer or a resolution from either side on this, I will update this section with that info. However, I'm not holding my breath, I don't suggest you do, either.

However, other info about this time is more secure. Tony Iommi was briefly engaged to be married to Lita Ford during this time, and because of this (I would assume) when Iommi started working on a solo project (what became The Seventh Star) he used Eric Singer and Gordon Copley from Lita's band. When Lita went to go back out on the road in the fall of 1985, Gordon left the band to go with her, while Eric stayed. Gordon does appear on the final version of Seventh Star on the track No Stranger To Love, though.

There is a bootleg floating around with Seventh Star music on it (called "Star of India"), but with different lyrics sung by Jeff Fenholt. I've heard it, and it is definitely Seventh Star music in an early form, but with different lyrics. I've never been able to formally get any kind of official confirmation from anyone as to the sources of this recording (I don't think I ever will). However, I believe it's a recording of Fenholt's audition to work with Tony when Tony was working on his solo album back in 1985 (the album eventually became Seventh Star). I've also been told that the Fenholt audition tape shows the reason Jeff wasn't hired, which was his inability to come up with lyrics on the fly. If you'd heard it, you'd know what I mean by that.

This part of the band's history is also kind of weird insofar as Sabbath didn't officially exist as "Black Sabbath" and is the main driving force behind my belief that Fenholt was never in Sabbath proper. During this time, the album being worked on was officially going to be a Tony Iommi solo album. From this point of view, it could be construed that even if Fenholt had gotten the gig (which he didn't), was not officially part of Black Sabbath, since this time is generally regarded as Iommi solo project time, and that Sabbath proper wasn't reborn until SIGNIFICANTLY later on in the project when record company pressure forced Iommi to call this a Black Sabbath album, and not a Tony Iommi solo album.

Just for a second, assume that Fenholt was working with Iommi (which everyone I have spoken to or emailed about this issue says he wasn't), but assume he was for a second. Black Sabbath didn't exist during this time period, and even if Fenholt was involved, it wasn't Black Sabbath, so his claim of being a former Black Sabbath vocalist is doubly inaccurate.

Please note that I do not consider Jeff Fenholt a member of Black Sabbath!! I've gotten several messages asking why I even bother to put him here. The main reason is that when I didn't have him here, and I got a lot more messages asking about him. I figure I'll put the sum of my Fenholt knowledge here so people don't have to ask me all the time.

[cMb]

Thx Bro.

[bueno bob]

My old lady saw him putting on a free show here in Portland, some years before we met. He was being billed as "EX BLACK SABBATH VOCALIST JEFF FENHOLT, Free Concert!" or some such thing. One of her friends drug her along to it (some church thing); Sabbath wasn't ever her thing (metal in general isn't her thing - neither is church for that matter, so how she ended up there's a fuckin' mystery to me).

Basically, he played about two or three songs (Christian music) and stopped the concert to witness to everybody - all of about 18 people there or so...while witnessing, all he could do was talk about the evils of Black Sabbath and rock music and how Jesus saved his life from heavy metal, blah blah blah. She ended up bolting with her friend about fifteen minutes into the show. He was still rambling on about Black Sabbath when she left...probably didn't have anything else to talk about...

She couldn't remember who he was at the time she told me, just that he was an ex lead singer of Black Sabbath - I knew neither Ozzy or Ronnie or Ian Gillan were putting on free shows, so we went through Glenn Hughs, Ray Gillen and Tony Martin pictures, she said it wasn't any of them...I told her that he was lying if he said he was in Sabbath, then. We ended up stumbling onto Joe's website and it all became clear...

[bueno bob]

Sabbath had so many dudes around between late '84 and '85...Ian Gillan had bolted in '84 - Live Aid with Ozzy, David Donato, Ron Keel, Jeff Fenholt, Glenn Hughs...6 guys in the span of three years...confusing to know who was where and when sometimes...

[bueno bob]

Interesting that Gary Driscoll was working with Jeff Fenholt prior to the Sabbath gig. For those that don't know, Gary Driscoll was the drummer for Ronnie Dio's pre-Rainbow band, Elf (did three albums) and did drums on the very first Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow album.

He died VERY badly.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Driscoll

[Antman]

File this under W for Who gives a shit.

[cMb]

Originally posted by bueno bob
He died VERY badly.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Driscoll

Holy shit! That's about as bad as it gets!

[bueno bob]

Originally posted by Antman
File this under W for Who gives a shit.

OK, well, fuck off to you too then.

[sonrisa salvaje]

Man, i don't know where i was when this was originally posted but i have been hunting this for years. I thought Fenholt was full of shit for a long time until i found out this was in existence a couple of years ago. Been hunting every since. Thank you very much!!!!

[Hardrock69]

No worries, mate! Just glad the link is still live!
:D

[sonrisa salvaje]

If you ever run across the Eternal Idol demos with Ray Gillan, let me know.

[Diamondjimi]

If you ever run across the Eternal Idol demos with Ray Gillan, let me know.

Ditto!

[chefcraig]

If you ever run across the Eternal Idol demos with Ray Gillan, let me know.

Ditto!

If you guys would like to easily hear a handful of these Ray Gillen tracks, click on this link.