{"id":26947,"date":"2025-07-27T03:25:10","date_gmt":"2025-07-27T03:25:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/26947\/"},"modified":"2025-07-27T03:25:10","modified_gmt":"2025-07-27T03:25:10","slug":"ozzy-osbourne-loved-the-beatles-as-much-as-he-loved-raising-hell","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/26947\/","title":{"rendered":"Ozzy Osbourne loved The Beatles as much as he loved raising hell"},"content":{"rendered":"

In recent years, Ozzy Osbourne<\/a> had to cancel multiple proposed concerts and tours due to a litany of health issues. But he kept trying to get well enough to get back onstage for the sake of his loyal fans.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s one of the things I\u2019ve been the most f**king pissed off at: I never got the chance to say goodbye or thank you,\u201d the Black Sabbath<\/a> vocalist-turned-solo-star told Rolling Stone UK<\/a> in 2023. \u201cBecause my fans are what it\u2019s all about.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I can\u2019t continue doing shows on a regular basis, I just want to be well enough to do one show where I can say, \u2018Hi guys, thanks so much for my life,\u2019\u201d he added. \u201cThat\u2019s what I\u2019m working towards, and if I drop down dead at the end of it, I\u2019ll die a happy man.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s eerie reading this quote now because, as it turns out, that\u2019s pretty close to what happened: Less than three weeks after headlining a banner farewell show in Birmingham dubbed Back to the Beginning, Osbourne died at the age of 76<\/a>.<\/p>\n

His death was genuinely shocking, as he had long lived with Parkinson\u2019s disease, but seemed in stable health; in fact, just 10 days before he died, Osbourne appeared at Comic Con Midlands with his family. And at Back to the Beginning \u2014 an epic day celebrating Osbourne and Black Sabbath that drew a who\u2019s-who of heavy music, including Guns n\u2019 Roses<\/a>, Metallica, Slayer and Tool \u2014 he was in an animated mood and in fine vocal form.<\/p>\n

The sheer number of artists who flew to Birmingham specifically for the show illustrated his incredible legacy and influence, and the respect he commanded from the heavy music universe. Heavy metal might have eventually come to exist without Ozzy, but it would\u2019ve looked and sounded very different. Osbourne was the Thomas Edison of rock \u2018n\u2019 roll: a tireless sonic inventor who influenced the genre\u2019s development across multiple offshoots. The mainstream hard rockers and hair bands of the 1980s certainly wouldn\u2019t exist without Osbourne, but neither would more niche offshoots, like stoner rock, thrash metal, death metal and doom metal. He helped create a blueprint for heavy music that was thoughtful and immersive as well as aggressive.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Heavy metal might have eventually come to exist without Ozzy, but it would\u2019ve looked and sounded very different.<\/p>\n

In the 1970s, Black Sabbath prioritized gouging grooves, thrumming basslines and ponderous drums; they treated their albums like cohesive sonic statements. At the helm was Osbourne, who channeled the darker forces within this music with hypnotic wild-child abandon, as if he were possessed by the hellfire spirit. And musically, Black Sabbath was genuinely terrifying: The ponderous song \u201cBlack Sabbath,\u201d which opened the band\u2019s self-titled 1970 debut LP, felt like it was barely escaping the fires of hell, between the ominous tolling bells and spacious arrangements that exuded dread.<\/p>\n

\u201cParanoid,\u201d the band\u2019s second LP of 1970, was even better: a deliberately disorienting slab of viscous proto-punk (the title track) and roaring stoner rock sludge (\u201cIron Man\u201d). Yet the band continually refined its approach. On their 1973 album \u201cSabbath Bloody Sabbath,\u201d the synth-heavy \u201cWho Are You?\u201d incorporated elements of prog and space rock, while the title track was a punchier take on their sprawling epics.<\/p>\n

Despite these obvious innovations, critics were not fans. \u201cI don\u2019t think we ever had a good review,\u201d Osbourne told The Guardian<\/a> earlier this year. \u201cMaybe that was a catalyst in a way: every critic didn\u2019t like us, so more of the people liked us. We were a people\u2019s band: four guys from Aston, one of the poorest parts of Birmingham.\u201d<\/p>\n

Start your day with essential news from Salon.
Sign up for our free morning newsletter<\/a>, Crash Course.<\/p>\n

That upbringing made him an inclusionary presence, as well as someone who never feared going against the grain. For starters, Osbourne\u2019s voice was distinctive. He lacked the abrasiveness or gruffness found in many metal singers, opting instead for a theatrical melodic yowl with silvery overtones. On Black Sabbath\u2019s 1975 LP \u201cSabotage,\u201d his voice even possessed a soulful tone. Credit for this no doubt goes at least partly to his unabashed, life-long love of The Beatles<\/a>. \u201cI absolutely worshiped The Beatles,\u201d he told Rolling Stone<\/a> in 2002. \u201cSteve Jones of the Sex Pistols once said to me, \u2018I hated The Beatles.\u2019 To me, that\u2019s like saying you hate air.\u201d In 2005, he even honored his heroes with a reverent version of \u201cIn My Life<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

On Black Sabbath\u2019s 1975 LP \u201cSabotage,\u201d his voice even possessed a soulful tone. Credit for this no doubt goes at least partly to his unabashed, life-long love of The Beatles.<\/p>\n

Tom Morello also once described<\/a> Osbourne\u2019s voice as the sound of \u201cthe no-hope working class driving a stake through the heart of the flower power generation.\u201d That potent yearning never fully dissipated; Osbourne always sounded like a seeker, something constantly in search of meaning. This became even more prominent when he launched a solo career after parting ways with Black Sabbath in 1979. His first two solo albums, 1980\u2019s \u201cBlizzard of Ozz\u201d and 1981\u2019s \u201cDiary Of a Madman\u201d harnessed his untamed persona into classic singles \u201cCrazy Train,\u201d \u201cMr. Crowley\u201d and \u201cFlying High Again.\u201d While no less ominous than his work with Black Sabbath, they possessed a commercial edge that led to mainstream success.<\/p>\n

Prior to Osbourne\u2019s solo success, hard rock and metal artists typically stuck together in bands. But Ozzy created a blueprint for a solo heavy metal rockstar, proving that you could carry this music on your own if you had a solid team around you. And Osbourne always flourished when he had a guitarist foil, first Randy Rhoads and later players such as Jake E. Lee and Zakk Wylde. Their virtuosic playing challenged Ozzy to amplify his stage presence.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

(Kevork Djansezian\/Getty Images) Ozzy Osbourne performs during half-time of the NFL game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Buffalo Bills at SoFi Stadium on September 08, 2022 in Inglewood, California.<\/p>\n

But for all of Osbourne\u2019s consistency, he was never afraid to try new things, and he never discounted hard rock\u2019s many evolutions. That was certainly evident with Ozzfest, his metal music festival that always made room for up-and-coming artists as well as legends. The production and sonics on his solo albums evolved gently with the times. As hard rock and heavy metal gained a mainstream foothold in America thanks to MTV, Osbourne leaned into poppier metal sounds on 1983\u2019s \u201cBark at the Moon\u201d and 1986\u2019s \u201cShot In The Dark.\u201d<\/p>\n

By the early 1990s, when metal excess was at its peak, he emerged with the spiritual power ballad \u201cMama, I\u2019m Coming Home<\/a>\u201d and the slick \u201cNo More Tears,\u201d the latter kicking off with cavernous synthesizers. In the subsequent decades, he continued notching mainstream radio hits, embracing contemporary rock\u2019s approach with \u201cI Don\u2019t Wanna Stop\u201d or the Jeff Beck collaboration \u201cPatient No. 9.\u201d<\/p>\n

Collaboration-wise, he was also open to things that, on paper, might seem unorthodox. In 1983, he contributed electroplated speak-sing vocals to the synthfunk jam \u201cShake Your Head (Let\u2019s Go To Bed)\u201d by Was (Not Was). (How did Osbourne end up on the track? \u201cI was lamenting the fact that we didn\u2019t have anybody to sing to our attorney, who we were meeting with,\u201d he told me in 2024. \u201cAnd he said, \u2018Well, you know, Ozzy Osborne\u2019s in town. I represent him. He\u2019d be up for this.\u2019\u201d) At the height of nu-metal, Osbourne teamed up with Coal Chamber for an ominous 1999 cover of Peter Gabriel\u2019s \u201cShock the Monkey.\u201d<\/p>\n

And in 2019, he had one of the biggest hits of his entire career when he contributed a vocal hook on rapper Post Malone<\/a>\u2019s moody top 10 single \u201cTake What You Want.\u201d The following year, the pair reunited on Osbourne\u2019s album \u201cOrdinary Man\u201d for the throttling, Black Sabbath-esque throwback \u201cIt\u2019s A Raid,\u201d a paranoia-soaked true story of police showing up after Ozzy accidentally called them while in a drug-induced state.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

In the hands of other artists, these side quests might sound self-conscious or embarrassing. But Osbourne was always himself: He wouldn\u2019t\u2014and, really, couldn\u2019t\u2014camouflage his voice for the sake of a collaboration. Instead, he sensed how he could work with these artists to create something new.<\/p>\n

Just a few weeks ago at the Back to the Beginning concert, Osbourne relished what he had achieved in his decades-long career. As the sweeping \u201cO Fortuna\u201d movement of Carl Orff\u2019s Carmina Burana thundered over the loudspeakers, he rose from underneath the stage while sitting on a badass, none-more-black throne decorated with skulls and a gigantic bat. \u201cLet the madness begin!\u201d he exclaimed.<\/p>\n

That led into a five-song solo set that kicked off with \u201cI Don\u2019t Know\u201d \u2014 appropriately enough, the first song on his 1980 debut solo album \u201cBlizzard of Ozz\u201d \u2014 and then segued right into the eerie, sinister \u201cMr. Crowley.\u201d The nightcap was a Black Sabbath reunion featuring guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler and drummer Bill Ward. The quartet had started playing as Black Sabbath in the late 1960s; this night marked their first appearance together in 20 years. And they delivered, with a seething set full of menace and vigor.<\/p>\n

The significance of these childhood friends coming back home \u2014 and coming back home together \u2014 made their set downright poignant. \u201cOne of the proudest things I have in my heart is the fact that Black Sabbath wasn\u2019t a band that was created by some big buff mogul guy,\u201d Osbourne told the BBC<\/a> in 2017. \u201cIt was four guys who said, \u2018Let\u2019s have a go, we have a dream.\u2019 And it came true beyond our wildest expectations.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the end, Osbourne was never afraid to be vulnerable. Despite his well-publicized outrageous behaviors and drug addictions, The Prince of Darkness always had a tender heart and a soft side. The cathartic yowl at the start of his debut solo single, \u201cCrazy Train,\u201d was telling: \u201cAll aboooooardd!\u201d Osbourne invited everyone into his dark lair \u2014 and was grateful to his very last day for the community.<\/p>\n

Read more<\/p>\n

about Ozzy Osbourne<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In recent years, Ozzy Osbourne had to cancel multiple proposed concerts and tours due to a litany of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":26948,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[49,48,75,341],"class_list":["post-26947","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-music","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-entertainment","tag-music"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26947","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26947"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26947\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26948"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26947"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26947"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26947"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}