Watch Rare Late-’70s Footage Of BLACK SABBATH Performing Without OZZY OSBOURNE

When metal fans talk about the big turning points in Black Sabbath history, the headline moment is obvious: Ozzy Osbourne out, Ronnie James Dio in. That’s the origin story of Heaven and Hell, of a new, slicker but still crushing version of the band.

What gets overlooked is that Ozzy Osbourne had already walked once before that famous split. In late 1977, with the classic lineup battered by drugs, burnout, and internal tension, he stepped away just as Black Sabbath were gearing up to cut their eighth studio album, Never Say Die!.

For a band already wobbling creatively and personally, losing their frontman at that moment was brutal timing. They still had a record to deliver. So they went hunting for a new voice.

Their solution was as unexpected as it was short-lived: Dave Walker, a seasoned singer with credits in Fleetwood Mac, Savoy Brown, and other outfits, was brought in to front Black Sabbath. On paper, it’s a fascinating move. You’ve got the godfathers of heavy metal teaming up with a vocalist rooted in British blues-rock and hard rock – not the obvious choice, but definitely not a lightweight.

For a brief moment, this was the lineup: Tony Iommi’s riffs, Geezer Butler’s bass, Bill Ward’s drums, and Dave Walker at the mic, preparing to usher in the Never Say Die! era.

Then reality hit. Ozzy Osbourne had second thoughts about his exit and decided to come back. When he did, he made it clear he wasn’t going to sing any of the material Black Sabbath had put together with Dave Walker. Whatever songs had been written in that in-between chapter were effectively erased from the official story.

The result? Dave Walker’s time in Black Sabbath became one of those half-mythical footnotes metal nerds argue about on forums: it happened, but nobody could really hear it.

Earlier this month, YouTube user Brian Schaefer uploaded what’s being described as the first known footage of Black Sabbath performing with Dave Walker on the UK television programme “Look! Hear!”.

On the clip, the band eases into the intro of “War Pigs” – one of the most sacred songs in the Black Sabbath catalog – with Dave Walker at the mic. They also roll out an early version of the Never Say Die! track “Junior’s Eyes”, giving us a rare glimpse into how that song sounded before Ozzy Osbourne reclaimed the frontman role and the band reshaped the material around him.