The Black Sabbath song Ozzy Osbourne called a “gift”
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The debut album Ozzy Osbourne called “one of the greatest” of all time
Ozzy Osbourne is rightly one of the most beloved figures in rock; without him, life would be a lot less enjoyable. One of the more colourful frontmen in the history of rock, his iconic style of vocal delivery carried the pulsating sounds of West Midlands legends Black Sabbath from their primitive stages as Earth to their pioneering metal records such as Paranoid and Master of Reality.
Osbourne’s otherworldy vocal delivery allowed the band to imbue their work with the blackness that caught the world off guard, with his wail matching Geezer Butler’s gothic lyrics on their eponymous debut in 1970. His work set a precedent for what was to come, with almost every of metal’s various subgenres owing a lot to Osbourne and the original Black Sabbath, bassist and lyricist Butler, guitarist Tony Iommi and drummer Bill Ward.
Despite the Brummie quartet making many strides over their career, their hedonism and dedication to hellraising would see the interpersonal relationships in the band become so fraught that in 1979, Osbourne was fired. However, displaying his undoubted talent and incredibly plucky nature, he formed another outfit, which would see him truly cement his status as ‘The Prince of Darkness’.
Called The Blizzard of Ozz, the new group comprised former Quiet Riot guitarist Randy Rhoads, bassist and lyricist Bob Daisley of Rainbow, keyboardist Don Airey, also of Rainbow, and drummer Lee Kerslake of Uriah Heep.
In 1980, they released their eponymous debut album, which featured cuts such as ‘Crazy Train’ and ‘Mr. Crowley’, and it confirmed to everyone that Osbourne and Rhoads had formed one of the most powerful creative partnerships of the era, making the guitarist’s untimely death in 1982 that little bit harder to bear. By the end of the decade, and with a host of insane escapades to his name, Osbourne was cemented as one of the all-time greats and one of rock ‘n’ roll’s most storied characters.
These days, music has taken more of a backseat role for Osbourne, as he is no longer the spring chicken he once was, with his protracted battle with his health a defining factor in this. However, this has not stopped him from being one of music’s resident sages, and his thoughts on the form are as treasured as any of his surviving contemporaries.
In 2017, when speaking to Rolling Stone, he surprised us all and listed his ten favourite metal albums, which featured a variety of artists ranging from Alice in Chains to Pantera. However, one of the most eye-catching on the list was Guns N’ Roses’ 1987 debut Appetite for Destruction. Featuring classic cuts such as ‘Sweet Child’ o Mine’ and ‘Welcome to the Jungle’, not only is it hailed as one of the definitive metal albums of the decade, but of all time.
Of the record that first introduced Axl Rose, Slash, Duff McKagan, Izzy Stradlin and Steven Adler to the world, Osbourne opined that it is one of the best debuts of all time. He said: “One of the greatest debut albums of all time. There’s not a weak song in the bunch. I never get tired of hearing it.”
