After leaving BLACK SABBATH, Ozzy Osbourne spent time doing nothing until Sharon Arden, the daughter of his former band's manager, persuaded him to start a new band. Osbourne advertised in the newspaper - about the search for musicians. One of the guitarists who came to audition was Randal William "Randy" Rhoads.
As Rhodes said in one of his few interviews, he did not know with whom he would have to work. Arriving at the studio for an audition with his amplifier and electric guitar, he was ushered into an empty room. There, Randy connected his equipment and began to "warm up." Suddenly, Ozzy appeared in the room, giving a verdict of "passed!" and ignoring the guitarist's objections that he hadn't started playing yet. According to another version, Ozzy was touched by the fact that Rhodes played the notes.
Also joining the band are bassist Bob Daisley and drummer Lee Kerslake of URIAH HEEP. With this line-up, they released their first album Blizzard of Ozz and went on a concert tour, the first performance of which was a concert on September 12, 1980 in Glasgow.
To release his solo album, Ozzy Osbourne needed a record deal. After numerous rejections, Ozzy eventually managed to reach an agreement with CBS, which, however, did not take the project with the degree of seriousness that Osbourne had hoped for, considering the latter to be another minor event.
To change his impressions for the better, Ozzy, on the advice of Sharon, brought two pigeons to the company's office - with the original intention of releasing them in front of an astonished public and thus attracting public attention.
The trick worked, though not exactly as intended. After releasing the first pigeon - as expected, Osborne unexpectedly bit off the head of the second. This action was captured by the studio photographer, and soon the photos appeared in most newspapers. This is unlikely to have influenced (in a positive way) the management of the record company, but it has created an understandable interest in Osbourne among young people.
It is not known whether this action was planned this way from the very beginning: neither Sharon nor Ozzy himself clarified the motives for this act. The only comment that the singer made about this was to admit that he was very drunk at that moment.
The 1980 album "Blizzard Of Ozz" was very popular. Randy Rhodes was named "Best Young Talent" by Guitar Player magazine. Stylistically, the album is close to BLACK SABBATH's "Technical Ecstasy", but with a more gritty, "metallic" sound. The lyrics of the song "Suicide Solution" later became the object of criticism due to the ambiguous interpretation of the word "solution": "solution" and "liquid" (thus, the title can be translated in different ways: "Decision to commit suicide", "Suicide decision" or "Suicidal Liquid").
A year later, Ozzy and his band recorded their second album, The Diary of a Madman. By that time, the line-up had been updated - the rhythm section went to the reorganized URIAH HEEP, and Kerslake and Daisley were replaced by Tommy Aldridge and Rudy Sarzo, respectively. According to Osbourne himself, this album turned out to be better than the previous one. Stylistically, he was more rigid, especially the first composition - "Over the Mountain". However, the musicians themselves looked back at the charts: BLACK SABBATH's competitors with the album "Mob Rules" only reached the 29th position, while "Diary of a Madman" stayed in the TOP-15 for some time. Interestingly, the authorship of the songs belongs entirely to the previous line-up of the group.
During the tour, Ozzy amused himself by throwing raw meat at the audience who came to his concerts. However, this was part of the contract: during the concert, Osborne had to throw about ten kilograms of veal liver and pork offal into the hall. Sometimes this part of the show took unexpected turns: for example, after one of the concerts, someone called the band's management and asked how to wash raw blood.
However, the public quickly picked up the idea. Soon, in response to Ozzy's antics on stage, dead cats, frogs, snakes and other stuff that had once been living creatures began flying at him. Once, someone threw a doll (life size) onto the stage. Ozzy was shocked, at first mistaking her for a real baby.
On January 20, in Iowa, during a concert, someone threw a live bat from the audience onto the stage. The stunned animal lay silently on the stage, fluttering slightly. Ozzy, mistaking a bat for a rubber one, decided to provoke the audience by biting a gift that unexpectedly flew to him. In response, the bat bit Osborne himself. As a result, the concert ended with the immediate removal of the vocalist to the hospital in order to be vaccinated against rabies. Ozzy entered the emergency room barking like a dog. When an American nurse asked him what was the matter, Ozzy barked at her too, explaining that he had rabies. When anti-tetanus injections began, repeated every 4 days, the patient was no longer in the mood for jokes. This story got into the newspapers and incredible things began to happen at Osborne's concerts: white mice and birds with their legs tied were thrown onto the stage. One of the spectators was caught trying to drag a dead cat into the hall. Others still managed to carry a dead dog. Then there was the case of the snake and the great Louisiana toad, which the little tormentors killed by skinning it. In the city of Cincinnati, a group of teenagers got hold of the head of a freshly slaughtered bull at a local meat packing plant. However, they were stopped just in time.
In March 1982, the band lost their guitarist, Randy Rhodes. During a US tour, the band's bus stopped for repairs near Leesburg, Florida. To pass the time, the bus driver offered the group members a ride in his plane. On the second run, the plane took Randy Rhodes and the band's hairdresser, Rachel Youngblood. The driver himself took the place of the pilot. The ex-wife of the driver was with the group, next to the bus. According to her, he suddenly decided to kill her by crushing her with a plane. According to her, the plane made three very low circles over the bus, hitting it on the fourth attempt. After the collision, the plane was thrown into a nearby building, where it exploded. The pilot and passengers of the aircraft died at the scene. A subsequent investigation revealed that the pilot was under the influence of drugs.
Randy Rhodes and Ozzy worked on the idea of the band's third record, Bark At The Moon. Ozzy stated that despite the death of a friend, he will continue to work. To fulfill contractual obligations, Osbourne had to release a live album. There was recorded material from concerts with the late Rhoads, but Ozzy considered it unethical to release this disc immediately after the death of a friend (the album called "The Rhandy Roads Tribute" was released in 1987). But true to his contractual obligations, Ozzy recruited guitarist Brad Gillis (Brad Gillis) and recorded a live album "Talk of the Devil" (in the US version - "Speak of the Devil"), consisting entirely of BLACK SABBATH material. But it was not possible to avoid accusations of being unethical - Ozzy was criticized by Tony Iommi, who believed that Ozzy was not the author of most of the songs presented on the album, although his name is indicated as such on all the group's albums from 1970 to 1978.
Jake E. Lee became the new guitarist. Jake Lee, half-Japanese by origin, studied piano as a child, but his youthful passion for the guitar gradually overcame his interest in classical music. From the classics, Jake left a serious professional attitude to the instrument, that is, many hours of daily practice developed his guitar playing technique.
The album's title track "Bark at the Moon" tells of a living being (a werewolf) who has returned seeking revenge on those who despised him and took him to his grave. In the video for this song, Ozzy plays a mad scientist imprisoned in an insane asylum. From the window, he sees a werewolf watching him. This song, as well as others, could set listeners to negative thoughts. Reading: "Rock Violence Outbreak", Canadian Press Association: Halifax, Canada, 9/26/84.
“…according to the Canadian Telegraph Press Service, the influence of heavy metal rock music on the young Canadian James Jollimore was so strong that on New Year's Eve '83 he went out into the street and stabbed someone. A friend of the defendant testified that Jollymore, a 20-year-old Canadian who was charged with first-degree murder of a 44-year-old woman and her two sons, enjoyed stabbing people after he started listening to music like Ozzy Osbourne's "Bark at the Moon." . "Jimmy said in court that every time he listened to this song, he got a strange feeling, and when he heard it again on New Year's Eve, he went outside and stabbed someone."
Stylistically, the album turned out to be softer, closer in sound to soft metal. The song "Rock'n'roll Rebel" became a real rock anthem.
In 1986, Ozzy recorded the album The Ultimate Sin. And goes on tour in support of both albums. Ozzy later said that this album is the poorest in terms of musical ideas. The album turned out to be the softest, diluted synth sound. The text concept was based on the ideas of peace and non-violence.
On March 19, 1987, the Randy Rhoad's Tribute album was released, containing archival recordings selected by Max Norman (producer of Ozzy's first three solo albums). It includes live recordings of material from the first two albums (primarily from the first album, which is almost completely presented in a live version), several BLACK SABBATH songs and fragments of the studio recordings of the Dee song.
On the next album, No Rest For The Wicked, Ozzy enlisted the talented guitarist Zakk Wylde, who became a very important part of the band for the next few years. Sharon, Ozzy's wife, becomes the band's manager and helps the musician get rid of alcohol addiction. In The Decline of Western Civilization: The Metal Years, Ozzy is portrayed as a sober housekeeper reassuring that he no longer "don't bitch up with women". The sound of the next album turned out to be stronger, although a touch of soft metal was felt. Characteristic was the absence of ballads on the album. The most interesting compositions were "Breaking All the Rules" with a "signature" transition from minor to major and the gloomy "Bloodbath in Paradise". In the song "Demon Alcohol" Ozzy talks about the struggle with alcohol addiction. For the tour, Ozzy enlisted longtime friend and BLACK SABBATH bandmate Geezer Butler (who also appears in the videos). In 1989, the live EP "Just Say Ozzy" was released.
In March 1989, the single "Close My Eyes Forever" was released, recorded together with Lita Ford (Lita Ford), hits the top ten in the United States. In 1991, Ozzy released the album "No More Tears", but without the usual enthusiasm he holds concerts, explaining that he wants to spend more time with his family. The tour in support of the album was called "No More Tours", that is, "No more tours." The album turned out to be very worthy, the song “Mama, I’m Coming Home” (dedicated to Sharon’s wife) and “I Don’t Want to Change the World” were awarded music awards. After that, Ozzy announces the cessation of active musical activity. However, this did not prevent him from reuniting with BLACK SABBATH for a couple of concerts in 1992 (which was the reason for the departure of Ronnie James Dio, who did not want to sing as an opening act for Ozzy).
After a long break in 1994, Ozzy announces the future release of a new album, recorded with the participation of Steve Vai (Steve Vai). He also teams up with THERAPY to sing vocals on the song "Iron Man" for BLACK SABBATH's "Navity in Black" cover compilation.
In 1995, Ozzy, with the participation of Rick Wakeman (formerly of BLACK SABBATH on the album "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath") and Zach Wild, recorded the album "Ozzmosis", which can be considered the most successful since the first two albums. Ozzy successfully interspersed hard numbers like "Perry Mason" with softer ones ("I See You on the Other Side"), and also improved in signature transitions ("My Jekyll Doesn't Hide"). A significant event was also a reunion with bassist Geezer Butler. The tour guitarist was a student of Randy Rhoads named Holmes (Joe Holmes). The album was supported by an international tour.
In 1997, rumors of a BLACK SABBATH reunion became a reality. The group reunited with the original line-up and staged an international tour. 2 new songs were recorded, but the promised album never came out. Gradually, Ozzy and Tony returned to solo activities. In 2000, Ozzy recorded the song "Who is Fooling Who" for Tony Iommi's solo album.
In 2001, Ozzy's album Down to Earth was released, demonstrating even more heaviness of the sound and excellent quality of the material, so that the new release, perhaps, even surpassed Ozzmosis. Not without lyrics - the song "Dreamer" was willingly played even by pop radio stations.
In 2005, the album "Under Cover" was released with cover versions of songs that influenced Ozzy (among them the songs of Lennon and THE BEATLES occupied a special place). A 4-disc box set "Prince Of Darkness" is also released, which includes, in addition to the collection and covers, Ozzy's duets with various musicians.
In 2007, a new album "Black Rain" was released. Ozzy is not afraid to experiment with sound, but in general the album is inferior to its predecessor. Ozzy himself admitted that this is "my first album that I recorded while sober."
On June 22, 2010, the tenth solo album "Scream" was released, which was announced on the official website. Its release was preceded by an advertising campaign held at Madame Tussauds in New York. Ozzy sat motionless on a couch in one of the halls of wax figures, and when fans of his work approached him to take pictures, Osbourne stood up abruptly or simply scared the visitors with a scream.
In July 2010, Osborne was invited to write a healthy lifestyle column for the American magazine Rolling Stone.
According to materials: en.wikipedia.org
The future "Godfather of heavy metal" was born on December 3, 1948 in Birmingham. John Michael was the fourth child in the Osborne family of six.
The boy's parents worked in a factory that made electrical appliances. The family lived very poorly, eight people barely fit in a small three-room house. But there was no money to improve living conditions.
Nickname "Ozzy" John got it at school. And that name stayed with him for the rest of his life. The musician himself says that this is just a diminutive form of his surname "Osborne". Perhaps the name Ozzy is also a reference to the name of the magical land, the fairy tale about which the boy loved so much.
John never got an education. At the age of 15, he was expelled from school, as his parents could not pay for classes - there was a catastrophic lack of money. Then the guy began to look for a job himself. In a short time he changed several professions: assistant plumber, locksmith, auto mechanic.
He also worked at the slaughterhouse and at the cemetery as a gravedigger. But none of these cases attracted a young man, and did not bring a lot of money. Out of desperation and total lack of money, John Osborne decided to break into apartments.
The guy was again unlucky and was arrested. He could not pay the fine, so he ended up in prison, where he served three months. It was there that the future vocalist got his first and most legendary tattoo: the name "Ozzy" on the fingers of his left hand.
From the age of fourteen, Ozzy dreamed of a career as a musician. And the guy's vocal abilities were quite good. Coming out from behind bars, Osborne actively set about achieving his goal. The first step to success was the activity with the group "Music Machine". However, the guy worked with them for only two concerts.
After Ozzy Osbourne decided to create his own band. He put an ad in the newspapers, as well as all the record stores in the city: "Ozzy needs a band, he has an amplifier."
It was then that the guys came to him, who later became his group. Among them was Tony Iommi, with whom John went to school, but then they did not even communicate. This is how the Earth group came together. At first, the guys performed their own cover versions of popular songs, played in clubs and bars.
Their first song was "Black Sabbath", which was associated with the then popular horror film of the same name. Soon the group itself also began to be called, since the original name was already taken.
On the wave of the first popularity of Ozzy Osbourne leaves Black Sabbath to create your own career. Finding another vocalist, he records his first solo album. At this time, the musician for the first time to marry Thelma Riley, with whom he will live in marriage for twelve years.
The couple had two children together and a son from Thelma's first marriage, whom Ozzy would later adopt. A year later, Osbourne will return briefly to his old band. The man started black line in life: after the death of his father, he begins to drink heavily.
Later, he will be diagnosed with chronic alcoholism, and in endless attempts to recover, John will get hooked on drugs. By the way, it is because of the unrestrained drunkenness of the musician that his marriage will break up. Fully get rid of addictions he can only at the beginning of the 2000s.
Things got off the ground thanks to the Black Sabbath manager's daughter. Sharon offered to form his own band for him, and she herself became his new manager. Once again, Ozzy Osbourne advertises for the recruitment of musicians.
New compositions were wildly popular with the public. The second solo album took first place in all music ratings, beating even Black Sabbath. Osborne's concerts were hugely popular.
During the performance, the rocker threw pieces of meat and tripe at the fans, and once bit off the head of a bat, after which he had to be injected with rabies. Oddly enough, the public enthusiastically accepted this idea. Soon all sorts of reptiles, rodents and meat also flew into the singer.
Again problems with law Ozzy Osbourne started in 1986. The musician was charged that a 19-year-old teenager committed suicide because of the song "Suicide Solution".
Among the people, accusations of hypnosis and other methods of influencing consciousness began. But there is no evidence for such things, and nothing illegal was found in the text. The musician himself claims that in the song he expressed his negative opinion about alcohol, with which he himself had problems. Thus, all charges were dropped from Ozzy Osbourne.
A year after his divorce from his first wife, Osbourne married his manager Sharon, who by that time had become his faithful companion. The couple had three more children. In the early 2000s, Sharon filed for divorce due to her husband's infidelity. But after a while she was able to forgive her beloved, and now the couple is gradually establishing peace in the family.
Ozzy Osbourne's real name is John Michael Osbourne. Ozzy was born December 3, 1948 in the UK, in Birmingham. Contrary to popular misconception, John Osborne received the nickname "Ozzy" back in his school years: it was this nickname that his classmates gave him for his love of the book "The Wizard of Oz".
Ozzy Osbourne went to the same school with Tony Iommi, but at that time they were not friends. Their creative union, which marked the beginning of the Black Sabbath group, was formed a little later.
At the age of 15, Ozzy was expelled from school, and, due to the difficult financial situation in the family (he was the fourth of six children), the future rock musician got a job as a plumber's assistant. Subsequently, Ozzy tried to work as an assistant locksmith, a slaughterer at a slaughterhouse, an auto mechanic, a painter and even a gravedigger. Not finding himself in the field of honest work, young John Osborne tried to trade in thefts. When caught, he could not pay the fine and served (according to various sources: one and a half or three) months in a Birmingham prison. It was in prison that Ozzy made himself the famous OZZY tattoo on the knuckles of his left hand. After leaving prison, Ozzy decided to try himself as a musician. Just then, the Music Machine group turned up, which was looking for a vocalist, and Ozzy took a seat at the microphone.
Subsequently, deciding to start his own band, Osborne advertised in a local newspaper looking for like-minded people. Terence Butler (later Geezer Butler), who by that time had been learning to play the electric guitar for six months, came to the announcement. A little later, Tony Iommi and Bill Ward joined them - on the same announcement. With the arrival of Iommi, Butler retrained as a bass player. The joint group was called simply and without fanfare: "Earth".
The band's first original song was "Black Sabbath", inspired by the 1935 horror film of the same name. Prior to this, the group played exclusively cover versions of songs by other artists. From 1969 to 1970 the band played in various clubs while working on their own material. One day, someone took notice of the Birmingham Four's own song, "Black Sabbath," sparking thoughts of the first record. Also, young people found out that there is already a group called "Earth". So they changed their name to "Black Sabbath" - after their first song. In January 1970, the group managed to record their first album, which took good places in the English and American charts.
In 1971, Ozzy married for the first time - to a certain Thelma Riley. In 1975, the group decides to change their manager. Don Arden, the father of Sharon Osbourne, Ozzy's future wife, becomes the new manager of Black Sabbath.
After the release of Never Say Die in 1978, which coincided with the death of Ozzy's father, Ozzy became depressed, heavily abusing alcohol and hard drugs. After Osbourne did not show up for rehearsals for a month, Tony Iommi decided to get rid of him. Iommi already had sketches for the next album, Heaven And Hell, and he also met Ronnie James Dio, who recently left Rainbow and didn't have his own band at the time. The task of letting Ozzy know that the band no longer wanted to work with him was done by Bill Ward. Both Ozzy and Tony Iommi admitted in subsequent interviews that this was precisely the dismissal. However, Osbourne admitted that parting with Black Sabbath was a relief for him.
After leaving Black Sabbath, Ozzy spent time doing nothing until Sharon Arden, the daughter of his former band's manager, persuaded him to start a new band. Osborne advertised in the newspaper - about the search for musicians. One of the guitarists who came to audition was Randall William Rhoads. As Rhoads said in one of his few interviews, he did not know with whom he would have to work. Arriving at the studio for an audition with his amplifier and electric guitar, he was ushered into an empty room. There, Randy connected his equipment and began to "warm up." Suddenly, Ozzy appeared in the room, giving a verdict of "passed!" and ignoring the guitarist's objections that he hadn't started playing yet. Bassist Bob Daisley and drummer Lee Kerslake also joined the band. With this line-up, they released their first album Blizzard of Ozz and went on a concert tour, the first performance of which was a concert on September 12, 1980 in Glasgow.
To release his solo album, Ozzy Osbourne needed a record deal. After numerous rejections, Ozzy eventually managed to reach an agreement with CBS, which, however, did not take the project with the degree of seriousness that Osbourne had hoped for, considering the latter to be another minor event. To change his impressions for the better, Ozzy, on the advice of Sharon, brought two pigeons to the company's office - with the original intention of releasing them in front of an astonished public and thus attracting public attention. The trick worked, though not exactly as intended. After releasing the first pigeon - as expected, Osborne unexpectedly bit off the head of the second. This action was captured by the studio photographer, and soon the photos appeared in most newspapers. This is unlikely to have affected (in a positive way) the management of the record company, but it has created an understandable interest in Osbourne among young people. It is not known whether this action was planned this way from the very beginning: neither Sharon nor Ozzy himself clarified the motives for this act. The only comment that the singer made about this was to admit that he was very drunk at that moment.
A year later, Ozzy and his band recorded their second album, The Diary of a Madman. According to Osbourne himself, this album turned out to be better than the previous one. However, the musicians themselves looked back at the charts: Black Sabbath's competitors with the album "Mob Rules" only reached the 29th position, while Diary of a Madman stayed in the Top-15 for some time.
During the tour, Ozzy amused himself by throwing raw meat at the audience who came to his concerts. However, this was part of the contract: during the concert, Osborne had to throw about ten kilograms of veal liver and pork offal into the hall. Sometimes this part of the show took unexpected turns: for example, after one of the concerts, someone called the band's management and asked how to wash raw blood.
However, the public quickly picked up the idea. Soon, in response to Ozzy's antics on stage, dead cats, frogs, snakes and other stuff that had once been living creatures began flying at him. Once, someone threw a doll (life size) onto the stage. Ozzy was shocked, at first mistaking her for a real baby. On January 20, in Iowa, during a concert, someone threw a real live bat from the audience onto the stage. Stunned by the light, the animal lay quietly on the stage, fluttering slightly. Ozzy, mistaking a bat for a rubber one, decided to provoke the audience by biting a gift that unexpectedly flew to him. In response, the bat bit Osborne himself. As a result, the concert ended with the immediate removal of the vocalist to the hospital in order to be vaccinated against rabies. Ozzy entered the emergency room barking like a dog. When an American nurse asked him what was the matter, Ozzy barked at her too, explaining that he had rabies. When anti-tetanus injections began, repeated every 4 days, the patient was no longer in the mood for jokes. This story got into the newspapers and incredible things began to happen at Osbourne's concerts: white mice and birds with their legs tied were thrown onto the stage. One of the spectators was caught trying to drag a dead cat into the hall. Others still managed to carry a dead dog. Then there was the case of the snake and the great Louisiana toad, which the little tormentors killed by skinning it. In the city of Cincinnati, a group of teenagers got hold of the head of a freshly slaughtered bull at a local meat packing plant. However, they were stopped just in time.
In March 1982, the band lost their guitarist, Randy Rhoads, whose last show was on Thursday March 18, 1982 in Knoxville at the Knoxville Civic Coliseum. March 19, the group was heading to the festival in Orlando. After a long overnight journey, the musicians stopped near the town of Leesburg, Florida. To pass the time, the bus driver offered the group members a ride in his plane. The band's keyboardist, Don Airey, was the first to fly with him, and this time everything went smoothly. After that, Airi persuaded Randy to fly next.
During the flight, Ozzy, his wife Sharon and bassist Rudy Sarzo were sleeping on the bus and in order to wake them up, the pilot made three sharp descents. During the fourth, the plane flew about three meters above the ground and hit the back of the bus with its left wing. Most of the plane flew over the bus and crashed into a large pine tree before crashing into the north wall and roof of the garage on the west side of the house. Crashing into a house, the plane immediately exploded. All three passengers died.
Randy Rhoads is buried in the same cemetery with his parents in San Bernardino (California).
In 1986, Ozzy was arrested while leaving the plane at the airport in Los Angeles. The allegations presented to the vocalist were that a 19-year-old teenager shot himself while inspired by the song "Suicide Solution". The prosecution claimed that the song itself contains special noises that affect the subconscious and hypnotize the listener. Osbourne's lawyers managed to prove that there are no extraneous sounds on the recording, and the lyrics of the song cannot be the subject of a lawsuit, as they fall under the first amendment to the US constitution, which guarantees freedom of speech. By the way, it should be noted that the text of the song itself does not call for suicide: excessive addiction to alcohol is compared with suicide in the song. According to Ozzy, he wrote the song "Suicide Solution" under the influence of the news of the death of Bon Scott, lead singer of AC / DC, who choked on vomit as a result of extreme intoxication. Bob Daisley, who claimed credit for the song, stated that the lyrics were written because Ozzy himself had a serious drinking problem at the time.
Randy Rhodes and Ozzy worked on the idea of the group's third record "Bark At The Moon" (Howl on the Moon). Ozzy stated that despite the death of a friend, he will continue to work. To fulfill contractual obligations, Osbourne had to release a live album. There was recorded material from concerts with the late Rhoads, but Ozzy considered it unethical to release this disc immediately after the death of a friend (an album called "The Rhandy Roads Tribute" was released in 1987). But true to his contractual obligations, Ozzy recruited guitarist Brad Gillis and recorded a live album, Talk of the Devil (in the US version - Speak of the Devil), which consisted entirely of Black Sabbath material. But it was not possible to avoid accusations of being unethical - Ozzy was criticized by Tony Iommi, who believed that Ozzy was not the author of most of the songs presented on the album, although his name is indicated as such on all the group's albums from 1970 to 1978.
Jake E. Lee became the new guitarist. Jake Lee, half-Japanese by origin, studied piano as a child, but his youthful passion for the guitar gradually overpowered him and he left classical music. From the classics, Jake left a serious professional attitude to the instrument, that is, many hours of daily practice developed his guitar playing technique.
The album's title track "Bark at the Moon" tells of a living being (a werewolf) who has returned seeking revenge on those who despised him and took him to his grave. In the video for this song, Ozzy plays a mad scientist imprisoned in an insane asylum. From the window, he sees a werewolf watching him. This song, as well as others, could set listeners to negative thoughts. Reading: "Rock Violence Outbreak", Canadian Press Association: Halifax, Canada, 9/26/1984.
"... according to the Canadian Telegraph Press Service, the influence of heavy metal rock music on the young Canadian James Jollimore was so strong that on New Year's Eve '83 he went out into the street and stabbed someone A friend of the defendant testified that Jollymore, a 20-year-old Canadian who was charged with first-degree murder of a 44-year-old elderly woman and her two sons, enjoyed stabbing people after he started listening to music like "Bark at the Moon" Ozzy Osbourne". "Jimmy said in court that every time he listened to this song, he got a strange feeling, and when he heard it again on New Year's Eve, he went outside and stabbed someone."
Stylistically, the album turned out to be softer, closer in sound to soft metal. The song "Rock" n "roll Rebel" became a real rock anthem.
In 1986, Ozzy recorded the album "The Ultimate Sin" and went on tour in support of both albums. Ozzy later said that this album is the poorest in terms of musical ideas. The album turned out to be the softest, diluted synth sound. The text concept was based on the ideas of peace and non-violence.
On March 19, 1987, the album "Randy Rhoad's Tribute" was released, containing archival recordings selected by Max Norman (producer of Ozzy's first three solo albums). It included live recordings of material from the first two albums (primarily from the first album, almost completely presented in live version), several Black Sabbath songs and fragments of studio recordings of the Dee song.
On the next album, No Rest For The Wicked, Ozzy enlisted the talented guitarist Zakk Wylde, who became a very important part of the band for the next few years. Sharon, Ozzy's wife, becomes the band's manager and helps the musician get rid of alcohol addiction. "The Decline of Western Civilization: The Metal Years" features Ozzy as a sober housekeeper reassuring himself that he no longer "don't bitch up with women". "Breaking All the Rules" with its "signature" transition from minor to major and the gloomy "Bloodbath in Paradise" became a characteristic feature of the album's absence of ballads.The most interesting songs were "Breaking All the Rules" For the tour, Ozzy brought in longtime friend and Black Sabbath colleague Geezer Butler (who also appears in music videos) In 1989, the live EP "Just Say Ozzy" was released.
In March 1989, the single “Close My Eyes Forever” was released, recorded together with Lita Ford, and entered the top ten in the United States. In 1991, Ozzy released the album “No More Tears”, but without the usual enthusiasm he holds concerts, explaining that he wants to spend more time with his family. The name "No More Tears" itself comes from the phrase "No more tours", that is, "No more tours." The album turned out to be very worthy, the song "Mama, I" m Coming Home "(dedicated to Sharon's wife) and" I Don "t Want to Change the World" were awarded music awards. After that, Ozzy announces the cessation of active musical activity. However, this does not prevent him from reuniting with Black Sabbath for a couple of concerts in 1992 (which was the reason for the departure of Ronnie Dio, who did not want to sing as an opening act for Ozzy).
After a long break in 1994, Ozzy announces the future release of a new album, recorded with the teachings of Steve Vai (Steve Wai). He also teams up with Therapy to sing vocals on the song "Iron Man" for the Black Sabbath compilation "Nativity in Black" covers.
In 1995, Ozzy, with the participation of Rick Wakeman (who previously worked with Black Sabbath on the album "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath") and Zach Wild, recorded the album "Ozzmosis", which can be considered the most successful since the first two albums. Ozzy successfully interspersed hard numbers like "Perry Mason" with softer ones ("I See You on the Other Side"), as well as perfecting signature transitions ("My Jekill Doesn't Hide"). A significant event was also a reunion with bassist Geezer Rhoads student Holmes was the tour guitarist, and the album was supported by an international tour.
In 1997, rumors of a Black Sabbath reunion became a reality. The group reunited in the original composition and, having taken Vinny Apisi as a "changer", arranged an international tour. 2 new songs were recorded, but the promised album never came out. Gradually, Ozzy and Tony returned to solo activities. In 2001, Ozzy's album "Down to Earth" was released, demonstrating even more heaviness of the sound and excellent quality of the material, so that the new release, perhaps, even surpassed Ozzmosis. Not without lyrics - the song "Dreamer" was willingly played even by pop radio stations.
On March 5, 2002, an event took place that to a large extent turned the idea not only about Ozzy Osbourne himself, Sharon Osbourne and the entire Osbourne family, but also about the private life of a rock musician in general.
We are talking about the series "The Osbournes", which debuted on the MTV channel that day. Before that, for several months in a row, television cameras installed in the same Osbourne house in Beverly Hills - filming was even made in the bedrooms and toilets! - day after day recorded the daily life of the whole family. However, not everything. The eldest daughter Aimee (Aimee) refused to act and moved to another house Ozzy for a while. The debut episode was watched by 6 million people worldwide!..
The series "The Osbournes" brought such popularity to Ozzy all over the world that even those in power noticed him. First, US President George W. Bush invited Ozzy and Sharon to a gala banquet at the White House. In addition to the Osbournes, there were Hollywood stars Glenn Close (Glenne Close), Rockwell Welch (Raqwell Welch) and Harrison Ford (Harrison Ford). Knowing about the eccentric nature of Ozzy and his willingness to do unthinkable jokes in absolutely any company, the president's security guards, as well as the press representatives present, kept their eyes on the Osbournes.
In 2003, Ozzy recorded the song "Who is Fooling Who" for Tony Iommi's solo album. At the end of the same year, Jason Newsted left the band, as his contract as a musician was signed for only six months. His place was taken by Rob Nicholson, former musician of Rob Zombie's band.
On December 8, 2003, Ozzy, riding an ATV around his home in Birmingham, falls from it, breaks eight ribs at once and seriously damages the cervical vertebrae. Osborne comes to himself only two days later. This news is discussed even in the House of Commons, where everyone sincerely wishes Osborne health. Many musicians also wished Ozzy a speedy recovery, the "Maestro of Horrors" Ellis Cooper himself sent several picture books to the patient. And the newspaper "The Sun" decided to cheer up the patient in an individual style and sent Ozzy a bat-shaped cake to the ward.
Meanwhile, just tragic news comes: Osbourne's career can be put an end to, since there is a high probability that Ozzy will no longer be able to speak. However, three days later, Sharon refutes the gloomy predictions and declares that her husband's vocal cords are not damaged. The vocalist's wife added that Ozzy owes his life to bodyguard Sam Restone, who bailed him out at the last moment.
Even being in the hospital after a severe accident, Ozzy Osbourne sets a new record in the history of rock music. His new composition "Changes", recorded with his daughter Kelly, topped the British hit parade again. This happened exactly 33 years, three months and 23 days after the single of his band Black Sabbath first entered the top five in England.
Guinness World Records has already announced that Ozzy Osbourne's new record will be entered as an unprecedented achievement. The previous record belonged to the singer Lulu and was 29 years old.
The "Ozzfest" festival founded by Ozzy Osbourne is touring around the world, with Black Sabbath featuring KoRn, System Of A Down, Slipknot, Judas Priest, Slayer, Superjoint Ritual, Dimmu Borgir and other "hard" groups. A significant role in the development of the festival was played by Ozzy's young son Jack Osbourne, who, from a certain moment, began to perform the functions of program director.
On August 26, 2004, the OzzFest show was scheduled to take place in Camden, New Jersey. However, immediately after the performance of "Judas Priest", Bill Ward and one of the organizers of the concert took the stage, who voiced Ozzy's statement that he would not be able to perform due to a sudden attack of bronchitis. However, in order not to disappoint the large audience that gathered that evening, and not to cancel the performances of "Black Sabbath", as in 1992, a spectacular castling was undertaken - Osbourne's place at the microphone was taken by the vocalist of "Judas Priest" Rob Halford, who had celebrated his 53rd the day before. anniversary. The following songs were performed: "War Pigs", "N.I.B.", "Fairies Wear Boots", "Into The Void", "Black Sabbath", "Iron Man", "Children Of The Grave" and "Paranoid" (" Black Sabbath" with the participation of Ozzy, in addition to these compositions, he performed "Snowblind").
Already after the end of the concert, Osbourne expressed his gratitude to Halford, who did an excellent job with a difficult task, and said that at the next concert on August 28 in Pittsburgh he would return to the ranks of Black Sabbath.
In 2005, the album "Under Cover" was released with cover versions of the songs that influenced Ozzy (among them the songs of Lennon and the Beatles occupied a special place).
In 2007 a new album "Black Rain" was released. Ozzy is not afraid to experiment with sound, but in general the album is inferior to its predecessor.
October 2, 2009 in London, the presentation of the book "I AM OZZY", written by Ozzy in collaboration with Chris Ayres, took place. The autobiographical narrative tells of the life of the "great and terrible". The father of heavy metal decided on this edition, so that fans would know more about his life - about childhood, about ups and downs. "I AM OZZY" is a revelation of a man who grew up in a poor family and was able to make a career of a great musician with his hard work and win recognition from many fans of heavy music.
In 2010, Scream's tenth studio album was released on Epic Records. It is the first studio album without guitarist Zakk Wylde since 1988's No Rest for the Wicked; instead of him, Kostas "Gus G" Karamitroudis, who in 2003 was recognized by the Japanese magazine BURRN as one of the three best guitarists of the year, was involved as a guitarist. The album's working title "Soul Sucka" was changed at the discretion of Osbourne, who took into account the negative feedback from fans.
The lead single of the album was the song Let Me Hear You Scream, it has already entered the rotation of radio stations in America and Australia, and managed to light up in the Top 5 rating on the Mainstream Rock Chart and Top Ten from Active Rock at 9th place. The song premiered on April 14 on a new episode of CSI: NY. A little later, the Swedish director and screenwriter Jonas Akerlund shot a video for the album's lead single.
Ozzy co-produced the Scream album with Kevin Churko and they had already collaborated on their previous million-selling album, Black Rain.
Discography
September 20, 1980 Blizzard of Ozz
November 7, 1981 Diary of a Madman
December 10, 1983 Bark at the Moon
February 22, 1986 The Ultimate Sin
October 22, 1988 No Rest for the Wicked
September 17, 1991 No More Tears
October 23, 1995
October 16, 2001 Down to Earth
2005 Undercover
May 22, 2007 Black Rain
June 22, 2010
Art films
Candy or Death (Trick or Treat) - USA, 1986
Books
"I AM OZZY" - UK, 2009
On this day, December 3, in Birmingham, UK, the great and terrible Ozzy Osbourne was born. The permanent leader of the Black Sabbath group, a loving father and husband, a style icon for Satanists and quite a successful showman. This multifaceted personality is celebrating its 69th birthday today. And half of his life - 34 years - Ozzy, whose real name is John Michael Osbourne, lived with his wife Sharon. Now, they say, this one of the longest marriages among celebrities is bursting at the seams, but this is not a reason on the birthday of such a human being not to appreciate him as a family man.
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1. Sharon and Ozzy with the same hairstyle in 1978.
Sharon met her future husband, Ozzy, at 18 while working for her father, Don Arden, who was the manager of Black Sabbath at the time. When Ozzy was fired from the band in 1979, Sharon began dating him and took his musical career into her own hands. Three years later, on July 4, 1982, Ozzy and Sharon got married in Maui, Hawaii.
2. Ozzy and Sharon on Halloween in 1986.
The couple have three children: Amy (b. 1983), Kelly (b. 1984) and Jack (b. 1985).
3. At home with their kids - daughters Amy and Kelly and son Jack - in 1986.
4. Ah, this family life! 1989
“When we got married, acquaintances made a bet - how many weeks our marriage would last. And we surprised everyone!”
5. A surprisingly common family portrait from the early 90s.
In his autobiography, I Am Ozzy, Osbourne writes candidly about his long struggle with alcoholism. According to the singer, he began to abuse alcohol from about the age of eighteen, and by the age of forty he became a chronic alcoholic who drank three to four bottles of strong alcohol (vodka or cognac) a day. He repeatedly tried to get rid of his addiction, turning to various rehabilitation centers (including the Betty Ford Clinic), was in the society of anonymous alcoholics, but periods of sobriety were replaced by hard drinking. During treatment for alcoholism, he also became addicted to drugs (Vicodin, Valium, etc.). Osborne finally stopped drinking and abusing drugs only in the middle of the 2000s.
6. In the photo - the whole family (not counting Amy). The Osbournes allowed cameramen to place cameras throughout the house, as in 2002 the hit TV show The Osbournes began.
On May 19, 2002, MTV in England and Ireland began showing The Osbournes, a documentary television series about Ozzy Osbourne and his family.
In form, this film was a staged and real shooting of the life of the characters of the "Osborne family", filled with everyday troubles and joys. There was a carefully conspiratorial scenario (in the last episode of the last season, you can see how they hold the tablets with the words). The Ozzy family was like the Simpson family. According to Ozzy himself, “one ether destroyed millions of fantasies”, because the “godfather of metal” appeared as a henpecked husband and a bad father, unable to cope with offspring.
7. In the same year, Sharon was diagnosed with a terrible cancer, but she insisted that the shooting of the show continue.
In July 2002, Osbourne was diagnosed with colon cancer. She later admitted that the tumor had spread to the lymph nodes and was more dangerous than originally thought. However, she insisted on continuing filming the show "The Osbournes". She managed to beat the cancer, although she had a survival rate of less than 40%.
8. On The Jay Leno Show in 2002 during a discussion that Sharon had decided to launch her own TV show, The Sharon Osbourne Show.
In 2003, Sharon created her own talk show, The Sharon Osbourne Show, which was broadcast on several US channels, as well as on the British channel Sky One. However, the show's ratings were not successful, and Osbourne was heavily criticized for failing to perform the basic tasks required on a talk show. The show was canceled in early 2004 after one season.
9. By 2003, The Osbournes were garnering the highest ratings on MTV, both in the US and the UK. The last episode of the show aired in the US on March 21, 2005.
In 2005, Sharon Osbourne released an autobiographical book co-authored by Penelope Dening. The book was called "Extreme, or My Autobiography", and it told about Sharon's difficult childhood, her ups and downs and personal life. The book became a worldwide bestseller and sold over 621,000 copies in 15 weeks.
10. Ozzy with his overly serious teenage kids, smiling wife and American Music Award.
The couple almost divorced after Sharon Osbourne found out on the eve of their 30th anniversary of married life that her husband had repeatedly used drugs and alcohol, although he had quit these bad habits about seven years ago. The couple stopped talking and parted, but weeks later they began to live together again with the condition that Ozzy join a group of anonymous alcoholics and undergo therapy. This and other stories of the star couple are presented in Osborne's book Unbreakable.
Ozzy Osbourne real name is John Michael Osbourne. Born December 3, 1948 in Birmingham. British musician, one of the founders and member of the "golden composition" of the Black Sabbath group.
After leaving Black Sabbath, he began his solo career.
As of December 2010, more than 100 million of his records have been sold worldwide. The albums "Blizzard of Ozz" and "No More Tears" were certified quadro-platinum.
John Michael Osborne was born December 3, 1948 in the UK, in Birmingham and became the fourth child in a family of six children. He got the nickname "Ozzy" during his school years. So his classmates called him, distorting his last name.
According to other information, the nickname "Ozzy" stuck to him, since as a child his favorite book was - "The Wizard of Oz", which he often quoted. This work became widely known to the readers of our country after Alexander Volkov's retelling under the title "The Wizard of the Emerald City".
Tony Iommi studied at the same school, but at that time they were not friends. Their creative union, which marked the beginning of the Black Sabbath group, was formed later.
At the age of 15, Osbourne was expelled from school due to the difficult financial situation in the family, and the future rock musician got a job as a plumber's assistant. Subsequently, Ozzy tried to work as an assistant locksmith, a slaughterer at a slaughterhouse, an auto mechanic, a painter and even a gravedigger. Not finding himself in the field of honest work, young John Osborne tried to trade in thefts. Caught, he could not pay the fine and served (according to various sources: one and a half or three months) in a Birmingham prison. It was in prison that Ozzy made himself the famous OZZY tattoo on the knuckles of his left hand.
After leaving prison, Ozzy decided to try himself as a musician. He met the Music Machine group, who were looking for a vocalist - and Ozzy became one. Subsequently, deciding to start his own band, Osborne advertised in a local newspaper looking for like-minded people.
Terence Butler came on the announcement, by that time he had been learning to play the electric guitar for six months. A little later, Tony Iommi and Bill Ward joined them - on the same announcement. With the arrival of Iommi, Butler retrained as a bassist. The group was named "Earth".
Ozzy got into Black Sabbath three days after posting an "Ozzy Zigg Requires gig" ad at a local record store.
Bill Ward recalls his first meeting with Ozzy: “He walked around with a shoe on a string ... yes, yes, with a shoe. I thought he was crazy (laughs)".
The band's first own song was "Black Sabbath", inspired by the 1963 horror film of the same name. It was a progressive blues based on the motif "Mars" from the "Planets" suite by composer Gustav Holst. Prior to this, the group played cover versions of songs by other artists.
From 1969 to 1970 the band played in various clubs while working on their own material. One day, someone took notice of the Birmingham Four's own song, "Black Sabbath," sparking thoughts of the first record. Also, young people found out that there is already a group called "Earth". So they changed their name to "Black Sabbath" - after their first song. In January 1970, the group managed to record their first album, which took good places in the English and American charts.
In 1971, Ozzy married for the first time to Thelma Riley.
In 1975, the group decides to change their manager. Don Arden, the father of Sharon Osbourne, Ozzy's future wife, becomes the new manager of Black Sabbath.
In 1977, Ozzy left Black Sabbath and was replaced by Dave Walker. The band began recording Never Say Die, however, Ozzy returned in early 1978. At this time, Ozzy was experiencing the death of his father, actively abusing alcohol and drugs. According to other sources, Ozzy's drinking began long before that, Iommi claimed that by that time he had not seen Ozzy sober for several years. The recording of the album proceeded with great difficulties, in particular, Ozzy demanded to rewrite all the lyrics, including the song Junior's Eyes, which Ozzy dedicated to his father. The album was followed by a tour, after which Ozzy finally left Black Sabbath.
Iommi already had sketches for the next album, Heaven and Hell, and he also met Ronnie James Dio, who recently left Rainbow and did not have his own band at that time.
Bill Ward did the job of letting Ozzy know that the band no longer wanted to work with him. Both Ozzy and Tony Iommi admitted in subsequent interviews that this was precisely the dismissal. However, Osbourne admitted that parting with Black Sabbath was a relief for him.
After leaving Black Sabbath, Ozzy spent time doing nothing until Sharon Arden, the daughter of his former band's manager, persuaded him to start a new band. Osbourne advertised in a newspaper looking for musicians. One of the guitarists who came to audition was Randal William (Randy) Rhoads.
As Rhoads said in one of his few interviews, he did not know with whom he would have to work. Arriving at the studio for an audition with his amplifier and electric guitar, he was ushered into an empty room. There, Randy connected his equipment and began to "warm up." Suddenly, Ozzy appeared in the room, giving a verdict of "passed!" and ignoring the guitarist's objections that he hadn't started playing yet. According to another version, Ozzy was touched by the fact that Rhoads played the notes.
Bassist Bob Daisley and drummer Lee Kerslake of Uriah Heep also joined the band. With this line-up, they released their first album Blizzard of Ozz and went on a concert tour, the first performance of which was a concert on September 12, 1980 in Glasgow. To release his solo album, Ozzy Osbourne needed a record deal. After numerous rejections, Ozzy eventually managed to reach an agreement with CBS, which, however, did not take the project with the degree of seriousness that Osbourne had hoped for, considering the latter to be another minor event.
To change his impressions for the better, Ozzy, on the advice of Sharon, brought two pigeons to the company's office - with the original intention of releasing them in front of an astonished public and thus attracting public attention.
The trick worked, though not quite the way it was intended. After releasing the first pigeon - as expected - Osborne unexpectedly bit off the head of the second. This action was captured by the studio photographer, and soon the photos appeared in most newspapers. This is unlikely to have influenced (in a positive way) the management of the record company, but it has created an understandable interest in Osbourne among young people.
It is not known whether this action was planned this way from the very beginning: neither Sharon nor Ozzy himself clarified the motives for this act. The only comment that the singer made about this was to admit that he was very drunk at that moment.
The 1980 album "Blizzard of Ozz" was very popular. Randy Rhoads was named "Best Young Talent" in Guitar Player magazine. Stylistically, the album is close to Black Sabbath's "Technical Ecstasy", but has a harder, "metallic" sound. The lyrics of the song "Suicide Solution" later became the object of criticism due to the ambiguous interpretation of the word "solution": "solution" and "liquid" (thus, the title can be translated in different ways: "Decision to commit suicide", "Suicide decision" or "Suicidal Liquid").
A year later, Ozzy and his band recorded their second album, The Diary of a Madman. By that time, the line-up had been updated - the rhythm section went to the reorganized Uriah Heep, and Kerslake and Daisley were replaced by Tommy Aldridge and Rudy Sarzo, respectively. According to Osbourne himself, this album turned out to be better than the previous one. Stylistically, he was more rigid, especially the first composition - "Over the Mountain". However, the musicians themselves looked back at the charts: Black Sabbath's competitors with the album "Mob Rules" only reached the 29th position, while Diary of a Madman stayed in the Top-15 for some time. Interestingly, the authorship of the songs belongs entirely to the previous line-up of the group.
During the tour, Ozzy amused himself by throwing raw meat at the audience who came to his concerts. However, this was part of the contract: during the concert, Osborne had to throw about ten kilograms of veal liver and pork offal into the hall. Sometimes this part of the show took unexpected turns: for example, after one of the concerts, someone called the band's management and asked how to wash raw blood.
However, the public quickly picked up the idea. Soon, in response to Ozzy's antics on stage, dead cats, frogs, snakes and other stuff that had once been living creatures began flying at him. Once, someone threw a doll (life size) onto the stage. Ozzy was shocked, at first mistaking her for a real baby.
On January 20, in Iowa, during a concert, someone threw a live bat from the audience onto the stage. The stunned animal lay silently on the stage, fluttering slightly. Ozzy, mistaking a bat for a rubber one, decided to provoke the audience by biting a gift that unexpectedly flew to him. In response, the bat bit Osborne himself. As a result, the concert ended with the immediate removal of the vocalist to the hospital in order to be vaccinated against rabies. Ozzy entered the emergency room barking like a dog. When an American nurse asked him what was the matter, Ozzy barked at her, explaining that he had rabies. When anti-tetanus injections began, repeated every 4 days, the patient was no longer in the mood for jokes. This story got into the newspapers and incredible things began to happen at Osborne's concerts: white mice and birds with their legs tied were thrown onto the stage. One of the spectators was caught trying to drag a dead cat into the hall. Others still managed to carry a dead dog. Then there was the case of the snake and the great Louisiana toad, which the little tormentors killed by skinning it. In the city of Cincinnati, a group of teenagers got hold of the head of a freshly slaughtered bull at a local meat packing plant. However, they were stopped just in time.
In March 1982, the band lost their guitarist, Randy Rhoads. During a US tour, the band's bus stopped for repairs near Leesburg, Florida. To pass the time, the bus driver offered the group members a ride in his plane. On the second run, the plane took Randy Rhoads and the band's hairdresser, Rachel Youngblood. The driver himself took the place of the pilot. The ex-wife of the driver was with the group, next to the bus. According to her, he suddenly decided to kill her by crushing her with a plane. According to her, the plane made three very low circles over the bus, hitting it on the fourth attempt. After the collision, the plane was thrown into a nearby building, where it exploded. The pilot and passengers of the aircraft died at the scene. A subsequent investigation revealed that the pilot was under the influence of drugs.
Randy Rhoads and Ozzy worked on the idea of the band's third record, Bark at the Moon. Ozzy stated that despite the death of a friend, he will continue to work. To fulfill contractual obligations, Osbourne had to release a live album. There was recorded material from concerts with the late Rhoads, but Ozzy considered it unethical to release this disc immediately after the death of a friend (an album called "The Rhandy Roads Tribute" was released in 1987). But true to his contractual obligations, Ozzy recruited guitarist Brad Gillis into the band and recorded a live album, Talk of the Devil (in the American version, Speak of the Devil), which consisted entirely of Black Sabbath material. But it was not possible to avoid accusations of being unethical - Ozzy was criticized by Tony Iommi, who believed that Ozzy was not the author of most of the songs presented on the album, although his name is indicated as such on all the group's albums from 1970 to 1978.
Jake E. Lee became the new guitarist. Jake Lee, half-Japanese by origin, studied piano as a child, but his youthful passion for the guitar gradually overcame his interest in classical music. From the classics, Jake left a serious professional attitude to the instrument, that is, many hours of daily practice developed his guitar playing technique.
The album's title track "Bark at the Moon" tells of a living being (a werewolf) who has returned seeking revenge on those who despised him and took him to his grave. In the video for this song, Ozzy plays a mad scientist imprisoned in an insane asylum. From the window, he sees a werewolf watching him. This song, as well as others, could set listeners to negative thoughts.
Stylistically, the album turned out to be softer, closer in sound to soft metal. The song "Rock'n'roll Rebel" became a real rock anthem.
In 1986, Ozzy recorded the album The Ultimate Sin. And goes on tour in support of both albums. Ozzy later said that this album is the poorest in terms of musical ideas. The album turned out to be the softest, diluted synth sound. The text concept was based on the ideas of peace and non-violence.
On March 19, 1987, the Randy Rhoad's Tribute album was released, containing archival recordings selected by Max Norman (producer of Ozzy's first three solo albums). It included live recordings of material from the first two albums (primarily from the first album, which was almost completely presented in a live version), several Black Sabbath songs and a studio recording of an instrumental composition by Dee.
On the next album, No Rest for the Wicked, Ozzy enlisted the talented guitarist Zach Wylde, who became a very important part of the band for the next few years. Sharon, Ozzy's wife, becomes the band's manager and helps the musician get rid of alcohol addiction. In The Decline of Western Civilization: The Metal Years, Ozzy is portrayed as a sober housekeeper reassuring that he no longer "don't bitch up with women". The sound of the next album turned out to be stronger, although a touch of soft metal was felt. Characteristic was the absence of ballads on the album. The most interesting compositions were "Breaking All the Rules" with a "signature" transition from minor to major and the gloomy "Bloodbath in Paradise". In the song "Demon Alcohol" Ozzy talks about the struggle with alcohol addiction. For the tour, Ozzy brought in longtime friend and Black Sabbath colleague Geezer Butler (who also appears in the videos). In 1989, the live EP "Just Say Ozzy" was released.
In March 1989, the single "Close My Eyes Forever" was released, recorded with Lita Ford, and entered the top ten in the United States. In 1991, Ozzy released the album "No More Tears", but without the usual enthusiasm he holds concerts, explaining that he wants to spend more time with his family. The tour in support of the album was called "No more tours", that is, "No more tours." The album turned out to be very worthy, the song “Mama, I’m Coming Home” (dedicated to Sharon’s wife) and “I Don’t Want to Change the World” were awarded music awards. After that, Ozzy announces the cessation of active musical activity. However, this does not prevent him from reuniting with Black Sabbath for a couple of concerts in 1992 (which was the reason for the departure of Ronnie Dio, who did not want to sing as an opening act for Ozzy).
After a long break in 1994, Ozzy announces the future release of a new album, recorded with Steve Vai. He also teams up with Therapy to sing lead vocals on the song "Iron Man" for the Black Sabbath tribute compilation Nativity in Black.
In 1995, Ozzy, with the participation of Rick Wakeman (who previously worked with Black Sabbath on the album "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath") and Zach Wild, recorded the album "Ozzmosis", which can be considered the most successful since the first two albums. Ozzy successfully mixed hard numbers like "Perry Mason" with softer ones ("I See You on the Other Side"), and also improved in signature transitions ("My Jekyll Doesn't Hide"). A significant event was also a reunion with bassist Geezer Butler. The tour guitarist was a student of Randy Rhoads named Holmes. The album was supported by an international tour.
In 1997, rumors of a Black Sabbath reunion became a reality. The group reunited with the original line-up and staged an international tour. 2 new songs were recorded, but the promised album never came out. Gradually, Ozzy and Tony returned to solo activities. In 2000, Ozzy recorded the song "Who is Fooling Who" for Tony Iommi's solo album.
In 2001, Ozzy's album Down to Earth was released, demonstrating even more heaviness of the sound and excellent quality of the material, so that the new release, perhaps, even surpassed Ozzmosis. Not without lyrics - the song "Dreamer" was willingly played even by pop radio stations.
In 2005, the album "Under Cover" was released with cover versions of songs that influenced Ozzy (among them the songs of Lennon and the Beatles occupied a special place). A 4-disc Prince of Darkness box set is also released, including, in addition to the collection and covers, Ozzy's duets with various musicians.
In 2007, a new album "Black Rain" was released. Ozzy is not afraid to experiment with sound, but in general the album is inferior to its predecessor. Ozzy himself admitted that this is "my first album that I recorded while sober."
On June 22, 2010, the tenth solo album "Scream" was released, which was announced on the official website. Its release was preceded by an advertising campaign held at Madame Tussauds in New York. Ozzy sat motionless on a couch in one of the halls of wax figures, and when fans of his work approached him to take pictures, Osbourne stood up abruptly or simply scared the visitors with a scream.
In October 2010, Osbourne recorded a cover version of "How?" in honor of the 70th anniversary of the ex-Beatle. The song was originally released on Lennon's second solo album Imagine in 1971. All proceeds from the sale of the composition are donated to the human rights organization Amnesty International.
Ozzfest is a festival founded by Ozzy Osbourne. He travels with tours around the world, in the Ozzfest 2004 traveling festival, along with Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Linkin Park, Slayer, Superjoint Ritual, Dimmu Borgir, System of a Down, KoRn, Slipknot, Marilyn Manson, Metallica, Godsmack took part and other "heavy" groups. A significant role in the development of the festival was played by Ozzy's young son Jack Osbourne, who from a certain moment began to perform the functions of program director.
In June 2010, Ozzy decided to donate his body to science, claiming that his body is unique: “Apparently, I am a real medical miracle! I drank for forty years and nothing happened to me. I got drunk, passed out, and then came back to myself. I think I should bequeath my body to the Natural History Museum in London.".
The Knome company assured that they will make his genetic map in order to find out why the musician is still alive. According to Nathan Pearson, director of research at Knome, studying people with unusual medical histories has enormous scientific potential. Among other things, scientists hope that as a result of the study, the mechanism of assimilation of drugs by the body will be clarified.
At the end of October, data from genetic studies were published. According to scientists, Ozzy is a descendant of Neanderthals and ancient Romans who died as a result of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius on August 24, 79. It was also established that the musician is a distant relative of the Russian Emperor Nicholas II and the King of Great Britain George I. In addition, the researchers found that Osborne is related to the famous American criminal of the XIX century Jesse James. The researchers found that Osborne has more stamina than the average person, and the ability of his body to cope with the effects of alcohol and drug use exceeds the average.
In July 2010, Osborne was invited to write a healthy lifestyle column for the American magazine Rolling Stone.
In 1987, he took part in the music video for "Loud and Clear" by the band Autograph.
A story about a teenager's suicide in 1981:
In 1986, Ozzy was arrested on a plane at the Los Angeles airport. The allegations presented to the vocalist were that a certain 19-year-old teenager shot himself while inspired by the song "Suicide Solution". The prosecution claimed that the song itself contains special noises that affect the subconscious and hypnotize the listener.
Osbourne's lawyers managed to prove that there are no extraneous sounds on the recording, and the lyrics of the song cannot be the subject of a lawsuit, as it falls under the first amendment to the US constitution, which guarantees freedom of speech.
By the way, it should be noted that the text of the song itself does not call for suicide: excessive addiction to alcohol is compared with suicide in the song. According to Ozzy, he wrote the song "Suicide Solution" under the influence of the news of the death of AC / DC vocalist Bon Scott, who choked on vomit as a result of extreme intoxication. Bob Daisley, who claimed credit for the song, stated that the lyrics were written because Ozzy himself had a serious drinking problem at the time.
Financial fraud in the payment of fees:
In 1998, former members of Ozzy Osbourne's solo musical project - bassist Bob Daisley and drummer Lee Kerslake filed a lawsuit in the Los Angeles District Court against Osbourne and his wife, accusing them of financial fraud when paying fees to musicians. The litigation issue concerned the payment of royalties for the first two albums: Blizzard of Ozz - 1980 and Diary of a Madman - 1981. The trial court dismissed the claim, prompting the musicians to appeal to the Federal Court of Appeal, which upheld the lower court's decision in 2003.
Ozzy Osbourne Personal Life:
At the age of 21 he married Thelma Riley, has two children from this marriage. Osborne also adopted Thelma's son from her first marriage.
Divorced in 1981 at age 33. On July 4, 1982, he married Sharon Osbourne, who takes care of all the affairs and schedule of her husband. Married to Sharon, he has three children - Amy, Kelly and Jack.
In autobiography "I am Ozzy" Osborne writes candidly about his many years of struggle with alcoholism. According to the singer, he began to abuse alcohol from about the age of eighteen, and by the age of forty he became a chronic alcoholic who drank three to four bottles of strong alcohol (vodka or cognac) a day. He repeatedly tried to get rid of his addiction, turning to various rehabilitation centers (including the Betty Ford Clinic), was a member of Alcoholics Anonymous, but periods of sobriety were replaced by hard drinking. During treatment for alcoholism, he also became addicted to drugs (Vicodin, Valium, etc.). Osborne finally stopped drinking and abusing drugs only in the middle of the 2000s.
Ozzy Osbourne now
Discography of Ozzy Osbourne:
Black Sabbath studio albums
1970 - Black Sabbath
1970 - Paranoid
1971 - Master of Reality
1972 - Black Sabbath Vol. four
1973 - Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
1975 - Sabotage
1976 - Technical Ecstasy
1978 - Never Say Die!
2013 - 13
Black Sabbath live albums
1980 - Live at Last
1998 - Reunion
2002 - Past Lives
Black Sabbath compilations
1975 - We Sold Our Soul for Rock N' Roll
1996 - The Sabbath Stones
2002 - Symptom of the Universe
2004 - Black Box: The Complete Original Black Sabbath (1970-1978)
2006 - Black Sabbath: Greatest Hits 1970-1978
Ozzy Osbourne Solo Career:
Studio albums by Ozzy Osbourne:
1980 - Blizzard of Ozz
1981 - Diary of a Madman
1983 - Bark at the Moon
1986 - The Ultimate Sin
1988 - No Rest for the Wicked
1991 - No More Tears
1995 - Ozzmosis
2001 - Down to Earth
2005 - Undercover
2007 - Black Rain
2010 - Scream
Ozzy Osbourne live albums:
1982 - Speak of the Devil
1987 - Tribute
1990 - Just Say Ozzy
1993 - Live & Loud
2002 - Live at Budokan
Singles by Ozzy Osbourne:
1980 - Crazy Train
1988 - Crazy Babies
1992 - Mama I'm Coming Home
1996 - See You on the Other Side
2001 - Gets Me Through
2002 - Dreamer
2007 - I Don't Wanna Stop
2010 - Let Me Hear You Scream
2012 - Beliver (7" cartoon CD)
Ozzy Osbourne compilations:
1989 - Best of Ozz
1997 - The Ozzman Cometh
1998 - Chef Aid: The South Park Album
2002 - Osbournes, The - The Osbourne Family Album
2003 - The Essential
2005 - Prince of Darkness
2011 - 30th Anniversary Deluxe Boxed Set
2014 - Memoirs of a Madman
Filmography of Ozzy Osbourne:
1986 - Candy or Death "Trick or Treat" at the Internet Movie Database
1986 - Storm Riders (American Way, The) "The American Way"
1988 - The Decline of Western Civilization Part II, the Metal Years
1994 - Gouging (The Jerky Boys)
1997 - Body Parts "Private Parts"
2000 - Nikki the Devil Jr.
2001 - Moulin Rouge! (voiceover)
2002 - Austin Powers: Goldmember
2007 - Comic Relief 2007: The Big One
2010 - The Greatest Song Ever Written: Gyre & Gimbol
2010 - Guys Choice
2011 - Gnomeo and Juliet (voice)
2011 - God Bless Ozzy Osbourne (autobiographical film)
Bibliography of Ozzy Osbourne:
1986 - Diary of a Madman - The Official Biography of Ozzy Osbourne, Zomba Books. - ISBN 978-0-9463-9146-2.
1999 - Paranoid: Black Days With Sabbath & Other Horror Stories, Mainstream. - ISBN 978-1-8515-8993-7.
2000 - Devil Music: the True Story of Ozzy and Sabbath, Mainstream. - ISBN 978-1-8401-8666-6.
2004 - Mr Big: Ozzy, Sharon and My Life as the Godfather of Rock, Robson Books. - ISBN 978-1-8610-5607-8.
2008 - Osbournes Confidential: An Insider's Chronicle, JR Books. - ISBN 978-1-9062-1773-0.
2010 - I Am Ozzy, Bargain Price. - ISBN 978-1-84744-346-5.
2011 - Trust Me, I'm Dr. Ozzy: Advice from Rock's Ultimate Survivor, Hachette Book Group. - ISBN 978-1-45550-333-9.
