Robert Gray from Ultimate-guitar.com spoke with BLACK SABBATH guitar legend Tony Iommi about the history of the band including the 40th anniversary of their debut. Here are a few excerpts from the chat:

Ultimate-guitar.com: How did Black Sabbath come to sign a record contract with Vertigo Records?

Iommi: "Originally, we did some more auditions for record companies where they'd come to see us play, whether it be at Henry's Blues House or wherever. We did a couple of gigs in London for them to come and have a look, and some of them really didn't like us, and some of them did. That's really what happened. Tony Hall Enterprises were interested in signing us; he basically signed us, and we released our first album with him."

Ultimate-guitar.com: According to the liner notes for the debut album's 1996 Castle Communications reissue, it was recorded on a six hundred pound budget I believe?

Iommi: "It was, yeah."

Ultimate-guitar.com: Adjusted for inflation, how much would that roughly be in 2010?

Iommi: "Umm... God knows. I dunno. It'd be a fair whack, but it wasn't six hundred pounds. It was actually four hundred pounds I think, but at the time, it was just a very tiny studio. We only had a day to record it."

Ultimate-guitar.com: And the record label funded recording?

Iommi: "Yeah."

Ultimate-guitar.com: What are your memories of those recording sessions? You said the album was recorded over one day, though the 1996 reissue liner notes say the album was recorded over two days with mixing happening on the last day?

Iommi: "It was over two days, but the mixing was the next day and we weren't there then. We were there for the first day for recording; we just went, set our gear up, and played as we would play in a rehearsal. They miked it, taped it, and that was it really. It happened relatively quick, and then we left to go on tour in Switzerland."

Ultimate-guitar.com: Do you wish it had been that easy later on in Black Sabbath's career? To be able to just record an album in a day, and have it over and done with?

Iommi: "(Laughs) Yeah. I don't think it quite happens like that. With this last album we did (2009's The Devil You Know), funnily enough, with the HEAVEN & HELL lineup, we tried to approach it the same way and have everything ready for when we go in to record. We then just laid it down, and that was very quick. We did that very quick, but we certainly didn't do it in a day."

Ultimate-guitar.com: Were there any negative aspects to recording all of the debut album's tracks in a day?

Iommi: "At the time, we didn't know any different. It was just like going to do a show for us; we just basically played our set, and left. Yes, I suppose there would've been negative points. You'd like to maybe try things again, but we didn't have the time. That was it. I think the only one I had the chance to play twice was 'Warning'; I wanted to play another solo, and Rodger (Bain - producer) went 'Oh well, we'll do it once more.' That was it. It was all done very, very quick (laughs)."

Ultimate-guitar.com: Are there any plans to celebrate the fortieth anniversary of Black Sabbath's debut album being released?

Iommi: "No. We haven't made any plans at all. It would be nice to actually do a couple of shows for it, but whether we will or not I don't know. Everybody seems fairly wrapped up in everything else, and also coming up is our thirtieth anniversary with (Ronnie James) Dio as well."

Ultimate-guitar.com: So there are no tracks in the vault that Black Sabbath can pull out which were recorded during sessions for the group's debut?

Iommi: "I think we just wrote enough for the album, but there might be outtakes from the record. Otherwise, I don't know."

Read the entire interview here.