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The Complete Ozzy Osbourne Biography and FAQ
The largest source of info on Ozzy on the Internet
Last Updated: April 2003
Written By: Mike L.
Note: This FAQ is seriously out of date. It is no longer maintained on
a regular basis. It is posted automatically every month by the FAQ
maintainers at MIT.EDU
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*READ* Disclaimer *READ*
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
This article is provided as is without any express or implied warranties.
While every effort has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the information
contained in this article, the author/maintainer/contributors assume(s) no
responsibility for errors or omissions, or for damages resulting from the
use of the information contained herein.
All statements made in this file are those of the author.
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Author's Note
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Most web pages, which offer you information on Ozzy Osbourne, are sketchy.
Other pages are never updated and remain the same for over a year. Even
the commercial pages run by record companies can't beat the pages run by
Ozzy fans. This text file is without a doubt the largest source of
information available on Ozzy, which can be found on the Internet.
This file may be freely distributed in all forms, or put on your web page,
providing the contents are not changed, though I doubt much would
happen even if you did :)
I welcome any suggestions, corrections or complaints you may have.
I have been asked if it is alright to use this FAQ. The answer, as stated
above, is YES. The only condition is that you DON'T MODIFY THE FILE
OR REMOVE THE CREDITS. (* Read the last sentence *)
I no longer post on the newsgroup or actively collect Ozzy material.
The reason is that I feel Ozzy is turning from a singer into a money
marketing tool that everybody including his own wife is attempting to
exploit.
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Revision History
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April 2003:
- Added section 1.2b and 2.20.
- Added to 3.5, 3.7, 2.18.
March 2003:
- Updated everything! (dead links removed, added new links,
continued the timeline from 2000-2003, new song definitions, did you Know,
dates, more childhood information, where they are now, etc etc etc)
- Added sections 1.8 (much more information), 2.14-2.19
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Table Of Contents
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[1.0] Introduction
[1.1] What was Ozzy's childhood like?
[1.2] How did Ozzy start his music career?
[1.2b]Ozzy in Approach
[1.3] Who was Jim Simpson? (Manager Number One)
[1.4] Who was Earth/Black Sabbath?
[1.5] How did Black Sabbath come to be?
[1.6] Paranoia
[1.7] An act of SABOTAGE?
[1.8] Don Arden
[1.9] Manager Number Two
[1.10] When and how did Ozzy leave Black Sabbath?
[2.0] Ozzy and Randy
[2.1] What the hell is this about biting a bat? (Diary of a Madman)
[2.2] When and how did Randy Rhoads die?
[2.3] What is this about a dove?
[2.4] Wife as Manager/Speak of the Devil
[2.5] Suicide Solution
[2.6] Bark at the Moon
[2.7] The Ultimate Disaster
[2.8] No Rest for the Wicked
[2.9] No More Beers
[2.10] Ozzmosis
[2.11] Why did Zakk leave Ozzy?
[2.12] Of Priests and Devils
[2.13] Will there ever be a reunion?
[2.14] After Ozzmosis/Ozzfest
[2.15] 2002 and the world goes crazy!
[2.16] Kelly Osbourne
[2.17] Jack Osbourne
[2.18] Aimee Osbourne
[2.19] Who is Robert Marcato
[2.20] The Family
[2.21] Money money money
[3.0] Ozzy Album Discography
[3.1] Rare/B-sides/etc.
[3.2] Song Definitions
[3.3] Did You Know?
[3.4] Tattoos
[3.5] Milestones
[3.6] Questions
[3.7] Quotations
[3.8] Fan Club Info
[3.9] Where to find lyrics, tabs, links, and other info
[3.10] Ozzy's Movie Career
[3.11] Where are they now?
[4.0] Closing Remarks
[4.1] Credits
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1.0 INTRODUCTION
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1968
====
In a small German club, a band by the name of "Earth" is
up on the stage. The audience is ignoring the band as audiences typically
do.
The lead singer, Ozzy, decides to get their attention. He goes back to the
dressing room, unnoticed by the audience. Backstage, he coats his hands,
face and feet with purple paint. He returns to the stage and then screams at
the audience. The audience remains oblivious to this purple man screaming
at them. The band resigns themselves to the fact that the audience is just
not going to pay them any attention.
2003
====
Ask someone if they have heard of Celine Dion or Tom
Cochrane, and even if their answer is no, they have most likely heard about
Ozzy Osbourne or Black Sabbath. Since his debut in the late 60's as a
blues/rock singer, this man has had a world wide impact on the music scene.
You may think of him as a drugged out lunatic who sacrifices animals and
eats dead frogs for supper while worshiping Satan with dead bodies around
him. This is of course complete and utter nonsense... I have never heard
of him using more than one dead body. :)
The most common stories are the beheading of the bat, wasn't there something
about a dove?, and what was that about the Alamo? From his childhood right
on
up to his current Ozzmosis album, this file will attempt to explain it all.
At the age of 55, this man still has the mind, and at times, the body of
a 22 year old. His records still continue to sell and make it to the
charts, his concerts sell out within minutes, all this despite his never
having followed any given 'trend' as a lot of music groups try to do today.
When Britney Spears is 48, do you think she will still have sell out
concerts?
With the introduction of The Osbournes on MTV, a new younger generation of
Ozzy
fans are heading to the internet, exposed to the singer in a new light. The
newsgroup
has never so much activity. Unfortunately most of it comes from young people
who
have no ability to express themselves without the use of profanity
"When I left school I wanted to become a plumber. When I heard the Beatles
I wanted to become a Beatle" ...Ozzy
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.1 What was Ozzy's childhood like?
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The year was 1948 and John Michael Osbourne was born on December 3rd in
the industrial town of Birmingham, England to Jack and Lillian Osbourne.
John was the fourth of six children (2 brothers, Paul and Tony) and 3
sisters
(Jean, Iris and Gillian) in a small two bedroom home at 14 Lodge Road in
Aston, England. Needless to say the house was more than a little crowded.
Ozzy's father worked nights in a steel plant while his mother worked days in
the Lucas car plant assembling electrical circuits. His family was in
poor financial shape with no money, no car and little food. Ozzy says his
childhood consisted of one pair of shoes, one pair of socks, no underwear,
one pair of pants and one jacket. There would be a bucket at the end of the
bed to urinate in, which sat there for months. Their beds never had clean
sheets, and sometimes they used overcoats as bed shets.
Ozzy was beaten quite a bit by his father, most of it was deserved for
stunts like trying to kill his siblings. (Ed: While I don't condone the
beating of a child, I also don't think one should attempt to kill one's
siblings either. Take the above comment with this in mind.)
One day Ozzy's friends gave his brother a used condom and told him it was a
balloon. His brother went into the house with the condom blown up, and his
father washed his mouth out with soap.
In his spare time, Ozzy would watch television. He liked shows such as
"I love Lucy", "Lassie" and "Roy Rogers". This was the lifestyle of
Birmingham, a time where you went to work all day and then to the pub to
drink and play darts until deciding to stagger home. For the Osbourne
family,
life was no different. It was all work and little time to enjoy the finer
moments in life. While the Beatles were singing about flower power and
loving one another, the people of Birmingham simply had to take a good look
around them to see the reality of the world: it was hard. Life was no
different for the Osbourne family.
While in school, other students called John, "Ozzie" or "Oz-brain" with
respect to his last name. Quite the rebel, Ozzy did however take part
in various school opera-plays such as H.M.S. Pinafore, The Mikado
and The Pirates of Penzance. There was one student at school named
Tony Iommi whom Ozzy did not get along with. Tony and John were from two
different crowds and there was no love lost between the two. Tony and his
mates would make fun of Ozzy's high voice and compared his singing to that
of a girls. The two of them would later reunite later on under totally
different circumstances.
Ozzy did not do particularly well in school and wanted to get out as soon
as he could. When asked on a school survey what his ambition was, he wrote
that he wanted to become a plumber. This was not to happen however. Ozzy
was kicked out from school. His parents argued often, and the main issue was
their lack of money. Ozzy decided that he could fix this if he could go out
and get a job. So at the age of 15, Ozzy took his first job as a plumber's
assistant. He proceeded to cut the end of his thumb off, and it had
to be reattached. He still bears a scar.
His second job was as a toolmaker's apprentice. Ozzy then went on to
work in a slaughterhouse in Digbeth for two years, killing cows. Perhaps
this influenced his musical style, I do not know. Other jobs included an
auto mechanic, house painter and even two weeks at a mortuary. His first
musical job was working in the Lucas electrical plant tuning car horns.
He later said, "I liked heavy metal better because it was louder".
Ozzy did not care for working for other people so he decided to try crime
instead. He once tried stealing a 24 inch television set. Balanced on top of
a wall with it, and trying to keep his balance, he fell off with the
television landing on top of him. He did some more break and enters but
used a pair of gloves with the fingers cut off. Naturally he was caught.
Unable to pay the fine, Ozzy spent three months (or was it 6 weeks?)
in Birmingham's Winson Green Prison for breaking into an occupied boarding
house.
While incarcerated there, Ozzy tattooed the now famous letters O-Z-Z-Y on
his left knuckles and happy faces on his knees using sewing needle and a
graphite slab. One happy face can be seen on his left knee on the "Diary of
a Madman" album cover. He would later be put in jail again for punching a
police officer in the mouth.
Shortly after his release from prison for burglary, Ozzy wound up in the
hospital on glucode for 12 hours after being thrown through a glass window
while fighting 3 men.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.2 How did Ozzy start his music career?
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
After getting out of jail, Ozzy decided he did not want to go end up going
back. At this time, The Beatles were becoming increasingly popular and
becoming the craze. Ozzy thought that this would be the way to go. There was
money to be made in singing as opposed to crime. In fact the Beatles were
one
of his main influences. Even to this day he still listens to the Beatles
before going out on stage. It is of interest to note that this would not be
his first musical experience though: earlier at the age of fourteen he
had already been in a band named 'The Black Panthers'.
A band by the name of "Music Machine" needed a singer because theirs was
sick. Ozzy liked the idea of being able to travel to gigs and meeting women
so he filled in. Later on he joined a band named "Approach" but didn't like
the band so he quit. He then decided to call himself "Ozzy Zig" and placed
this ad in the local music paper/shop: "Ozzy zig requires gig. Ozzy's
father loaned him some money and together they purchased a 50 watt amp.
Ozzy placed an ad in a local record store reading, "Ozzy zig requires
gig. Owns own P.A.". Another 18 year old Brummie named Terence 'Geezer'
Butler had been playing guitar for just six months when he saw Ozzy's ad
on a shop bulletin board and decided to go look him up. After the two met,
they decided to form a band named "Rare Breed". Rare Breed lasted only two
shows before disbanding.
Elsewhere Ozzy's old schoolmate, Tony Iommi had teamed up with an 18 year
old
assistant truck driver named William Ward who had just quit his job. Tony
and
Bill also decided to form a band, "The Rest", and recruited a singer named
Chris Smith. The Rest eventually moved north to a small town named Carlisle
where they renamed themselves "Mythology" and gained a large following of
fans. They played mainly blues songs inspired by such groups as The
Yardbirds, Cream, The Beatles and John Mayal.
Mythology eventually split up; Tony and Bill returned to Birmingham and
went to the music shop where they also saw Ozzy's ad. Tony was hoping this
was not the same 'Ozzy' he had went to school with because that Ozzy could
not sing well and the two of them disliked one other. It turned out that it
was indeed the same Oz and decided it would not be a good idea to form a
band
together. Tony was also not impressed with Ozzy because he had very short
hair (really!). Since Ozzy and Geezer still needed a drummer they later
approached Tony to see if he knew of a drummer. Bill was at Tony's place and
agreed to join them but only if they'd let Tony join too. So along with a
slide guitar player named Jim Phillips and a saxophone player, they formed
a new band. The new band returned to Carlisle where Tony and Bill had been a
success and played some gigs. Not being pleased with a six piece band, they
broke up and then rejoined once the two extras had gone. This was a
polite way of getting rid of the two unnecessary members. The foursome them
learned 18 songs in their first week together. Ozzy named the band "Polka
Tulk Blues Band" after a tin of talcum powder. It has also been said that
the name came from a Pakistani clothing store named the 'Polka Tulk Trading
Company'. Geezer Butler switched to playing bass guitar since Tony was now
the lead guitar player. Unable to afford a bass guitar, Geezer simply took
two of the guitar strings off his guitar and re-tuned it to make a bass
guitar. Another name change ensued and the group was soon known as "Earth".
History:
-------
Ozzy Osbourne Geezer Butler Tony Iommi Bill Ward
| | | |
Black Panthers (1962) | Rocking Chevrolets |
| | | |
Music Machine/Approach | | |
| | >>> The Rest <<<
>>>> Rare Breed <<< |
| |
>>>>> Polka Tulk Blues Band <<<<<
|
Earth (Autumn 1967-August 1969)
|
Black Sabbath (Aug. 1969-1978)
|
Black Sabbath (1978-) [After Ozzy left, Ronnie James Dio left 'Rainbow'
to replace him)
"Black Sabbath makes Led Zeppelin look like a kindergarten house band"
...Advertisement by Jim Simpson
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1.2b Ozzy in Approach
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
An old aquantaince of Ozzy's named Jeff Hibbard sent me his story on his
time spent with Ozzy. I'm reprinting the article as it was published from
"Swinging in the 60's" by Dave Reeves. Jeff has a webpage here where you
can find the article too. http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Aegean/4974/
Unfortunately Jeff doesn't have any recordings with Ozzy, I already asked.
"Alright mate?", I said to this mechanic who has come from another garage to
collect some spare parts from us. He used to come on a regular basis for
parts. He said he played in a band. He played bass guitar and there was also
a lead guitar and a singer. "We practise in a cellar below this church up
the road from Witton Island."
"Oh, really" said I, "I've got a guitar. Don't play much really , but I like
it
though." "What guitar you got ?" said he. "Oh it's a Vox" said I.
"Fancy joining our band? Said he "Yeah! " said I. That was it, I was in a
group.
The next time I meet him is in the concrete cellar. "Alright mate ?"
"Alright Jeff ?" "Yeah!" "This is the lead guitarist." "Alright mate?"
"Alright Jeff?" "Yeah!" "And this is the singer, Ozzy." "Alright Jeff ?"
"Alright Ozzy?" They both have smart guitars; Ozzy just has a michrophone
and
they all play through one amplifier. A small combination guitar amp. There
isn't
a drummer or a P.A. system.
The lead shows me how to play bar chords. I pick them up pretty quick, and
we are
soon playing as one, all those soul songs, but still drummerless. I think
the idea
is to get a drummer when we get somewhere larger to play. This place is OK.
It has a concrete floor and ceiling and square supporting columns with a
wider
square at the bottom which could serve as seats. The winter draws closer
though and
there's no heating in here. Some nights I can hardly play because my fingers
are so
cold. We play away as Ozzy launches into Midnight Hour, and sings for all he
was
worth, and worth all he was singing for. My fingers are hurting and Ozzy's
breath
is freezing as it leaves his mouth.
Last time we practiced here, we shared our cellar with another group,
probally to
cut the cost. The one guitarist works at Music Exchange at Snow Hill; he's
the one
who sold me this amp, and guitar I've bought.When I tried them out at the
shop,
I asked him if he played. He said "Oh no, I don't play." And there he is
playing
in a group. Bleeding liar! Why do they do that?
Anyway, we picked Ozzy up tonight in the van from his house in Lodge Road.
Yeah!
Our van with the name of the group, The Approach, written on both sides.
Funny that,
Ozzy lives in Lodge Road and we live in Witton Lodge Road. That kid lives
next door
but one to me,the kid who taught me my first guitar piece. And over the road
lives
another kid who plays the drums. I think his name is Bill Ward.
We have fun in that van. We were driving through Erdington on Saturday and
the lads
were shouting to the girls "Drop your lingerie!". I shouted "Drop your
laundry!"
"What did you say?" says Ozzy. "Drop your laundry" said I. I think I get the
words
mixed up sometimes! Ozzy has a funny way with words too. "Go on Ozz, make us
laugh."
"OK. Brass Boots, Hot pumps, Brass Boots, Hot Pumps." We all laugh. We
trundle up
Perry Common Road then in our van, drop me off first, then I say "OK, lads,
see you
at the next practice".
Moms quite proud. She tells everyone, "Oh, our Jeff's in a group, you know."
She likes to see the van with The Approach written on the sides. Ozzy's Mom
always
waves us off from their house. She stands on the doorstep. "Hey Mom! Did I
tell you
what Ozzy did the other night?" "Whats that, Jeff ?" says Mom. "Oh, he got
drunk at
the Aston Hotel, upstairs, and fell down the stairs and nearly crashed
through a
stained glass window.""The kids drink too much today" says Dad. Well, he
came to
practice the other week with his arm in bandages.`Must have been fighting.
"Hey! Guess what? We've got a better place to play." "Where's that, Jeff ?"
Underwood School, in their hall, on the Lyndhurst Estate. It's quite new. If
we're
gonna play louder, Ozzy's gonna need a P.A. system. So me and Ozzy went up
town
today, to George Clays on Broad Street. I bought a Vox Conqueror, a piggy
back amp,
and a speaker on chrome swivel stands. Ozz bought a Vox P. A. system and
microphone. 0zzy doesn't use a stand.
Along with the new place of practice, came a drummer. He left after a while
and was
quickly replaced. Ozzy looks smart, standing there, out front, microphone in
hand,
with his shiny suit on and short hair. He launches into Knock On Wood.
"Hey lads! Did I tell you about that kid? He came to our house on Saturday
night."
"Oh, him." "Yeah! He only wanted to borrow me new amp." "Who for?" said Ozz.
"For that new group who play in Erdington." "What group?" "I think they are
called
The Idle Race" "Oh, them! Yeah! The singers called Jeff Lyne. Anyway, did
you lend
it to him?" "No" said I, "I axed Dad and he said "No, son, it's not paid
for.
Here we are again practicing. The surroundings are better but this group
thing is
becoming more like a job. My hands aren't cold anymore and there's Mom and
Dad
standing in the doorway. I told them to drop by. I look across and they
smile and
wave, I smile back. Ozz doesn't bat an eyelid. He always looks straight
ahead,
microphone in hand. Gone are the days and nights at the little church where
we
began with one amplifier, one microphone, and three guitars. Gone are the
nights
outside the Curry Shop after practice, standing there under the street lamp
with
a carton of Chinese curry each.
We start to learn a new song tonight, it's called Purple Haze, by that
coloured guy.
It's a strange song-strange words, strange sounds from that guitar. Its
sticks out
like a sore thumb amongst all the soul songs we play. I find I can play some
of the
lead, the bass doesn't like it. "You're the rhythm, play rhythm" says he.
People are
coming into the hall to ask us to play at their weddings and parties. The
bass tells
them "No! We're not ready yet". I have to stand next to this guy through
each and
every song. We should be playing to people. That's why we do it. There's no
applause.
Things are changing or is it me?
I sense some rebellion in them veins again. We finish the set we have worked
on for
months. I take my guitar off, place it against the amp, and walk towards the
toilets.
The bass follows me. He stops me, looks me in the eyes and says, "The groups
splitting". Ozzy follows the lead. He must be telling him. I couldn't
believe it.
"Don't cry" the bass says. It's alright for you I thought, you're almost out
of these
teenage years . I ain't too bothered about you, the drummer ain't been with
us too long,
the leads a lot older than me, but I'll miss the singer, he's dedicated.
I'll probably never see him again, that Ozzy Osbourne.
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1.3 Who was Jim Simpson? (Manager Number One)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jim Simpson was a musician who played jazz trumpet. He was also the manager
of a Brummie band named 'Bakerloo Blues Band'. Unable to find a place where
he could promote the band, he opened his own place called "Henry's
Blueshouse". Henry's, located at Hill Street and Station Road was an
instant success. It wasn't before long before the club had to stop
accepting new bands. A band that was just starting out, Led Zeppelin, would
also be one of the first bands to play Henry's.
In 1969, the four members of Earth approached Jim and asked if they could
play at Henry's. They also wanted him to be their manager since they knew
nothing of the business sense of things. He told them that they could open
for the band 'Ten Years After', which pleased them. Happy to have a manager
who supposedly cared for their interests, they recorded a song in tribute
to him, "Song for Jim". The song was a spoof of their manager and the jazz
music he played. This elusive song is still sought after by Sabbath fans
worldwide. Simpson would also give the band some of his jazz records to
inspire them to write songs.
It is of interest to mention that around this time, Tony left to join
Jethro Tull. While Tony did not appear on any of Tull's albums, he did make
an appearance at the "Rolling Stone's Rock and Roll Circus" which was never
released, because the Stones were upstaged by other acts. Tony and Jethro
can be heard on a bootleg called "Archangel Rides Again". The movie was
eventually released in the movie festival circuit.
Tony's stint with Jethro Tull was very brief (for two weeks). He left Tull
and was soon back in Earth.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.4 Who was Earth/Black Sabbath?
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
BAND MEMBER FULL NAME BIRTHDATE
Tony Iommi [guitar] Anthony Frank Iommi Feb 19, 1948 in Aston
Bill Ward [drums] William Ward May 5, 1948 in UK
Ozzy Osbourne [vocals/harmonica] John Michael Osbourne Dec. 3, 1948 in Aston
Geezer Butler [bass] Terence Michael Butler July 17, 1949
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.5 How did Black Sabbath come to be?
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
"When we hit America we were the wild bunch. We bought dope and f***ed
anything that moved" ...Ozzy
While waiting to go into a rehearsal one day, they noticed a Boris Karloff
movie playing named "Black Sabbath" (1935). Geezer mentioned it was strange
that people would go to a movie to scare themselves silly. Until this time
they had only played other artist's material. They decided to use the name
of the movie as the name for their first original song.
One day the band showed up to do a gig at Henry's. There, someone mentioned
they liked the bands single. The only problem was the foursome hadn't ever
released a single! They then realized that there were two bands by the same
name. The audience were of upper class and expecting a totally different
type of music. Unable to back out of the show, the scruffy four played
blues and rock to the audience. It was a disaster! The band however did
have some fun in watching the crowd try to dance to their type of music.
As a result, Geezer came up with the idea to change their name to that of
the Karloff movie, 'BLACK SABBATH' to avoid being confused with the other
band named Earth. They now had a song and a band name taken from the
movie's title. This would also reflect the groups interest in the occult.
It has also been said that the name Black Sabbath came from Geezer's
interest in occult writer Denis Wheatley.
Not having any money, the band relied on Tony's mother who owned a
chocolate shop, for the use of a van, food and cigarettes. Sometimes the
group would get gigs on their own, other times they would show up at a
place where another band was to be playing. In the event that the scheduled
band failed to show up, the Sabs would take their place. They played the
Star Club in Hamburg in Jan. 1969, a place the Beatles had made famous.
They were so popular that they were booked to come back for 5 more shows.
They would play 7 shows a day, and write new material as they went along.
This would also explain why their early songs had different lyrics than the
final album versions.
As Black Sabbath made news, a group of Satanists asked them to play at
their "night of Satan" at Stonehenge. They refused. The head witch of
England, Alec Sanders who was a regular fan of Sabbaths, informed them that
these Satanists had placed a hex on the band members. Ozzy asked his father
to make aluminum crosses, which he did, and then had them blessed. They
wore these crosses 24 hours a day for protection. The cross remains a well
known Black Sabbath symbol even to this day. You see, Black Sabbath as
Satanic and dark as the name sounded, had nothing to do with the devil when
they chose their name.
An independent producer named Tony Hall paid for the band to record some
demo songs at the Regent Sound studio on Tottenham Court Rd. These were
produced by Roger Bayed, whose name appears on many of their albums. One
demo cut, a single called "Evil Woman", was released on the Fontana record
label in Jan. 1970. This was a cover song from a Minnesota band named Crow,
which did quite well unbeknownst to the band. One demo was called "The
Rebel"
and is played as a 10 second sample in "The Black Sabbath Story - I" video.
The song, about a reclusive voyeur, is one of the rarest Sabbath songs in
that it did not make it to the final album. (For those who are trying to
track down
The Rebel and A Song for Jim, the only known person who has these is said to
be Pete Sarfas who used to run the old Black Sabbath Fan Club. Jim Simpson
won't even answer your mail.)
Their first completed album was released on Friday, Feb. 13th, 1970. It
took them only eight hours to record and cost a mere 800 British pounds
(approx. $1200 US). The album was recorded in four tracks on an 8 track
machine. The band was not that popular at this time, they simply wanted to
do what they liked best... sing about the darker, more depressing things
that surrounded them. It was not likely they ever intended to make the big
time, in fact Ozzy has said he was just happy to show his mother that his
voice was recorded on a piece of vinyl. It was not as easy as it sounds
though, it took them 14 tries before Jim Simpson found a record company
(Vertigo) that would carry the album.
The record company chose to put an upside down cross on the
gatefold of the album and thus people readily associated the band with
Satanism. The band knew nothing about this and did not want the upside down
cross, however they backed down from the record company's "wiser and
higher" marketing methods. Inside the inverted cross was a poem. The poem
seemed to correspond with the album's cover showing a woman standing in a
countryside, apparently in a gothic setting. The poem is called "Still
Falls the Rain". Due to requests by fans, it is shown below:
*** STILL FALLS THE RAIN ***
"Still falls the rain,
the veils of darkness shroud the blackened trees,
which, contorted by some unseen violence,
shed their tired leaves, and bend their boughs
toward a gray earth of severed bird wings.
Among the grasses, poppies bleed before a gesticulating death,
and young rabbits, born dead in traps,
stand motionless, as though guarding the silence
that surrounds and threatens to engulf
all those that would listen.
Mute birds, tired of repeating yesterdays terrors,
huddle together in the recesses of dark corners,
heads turned from the dead, black swan
that floats upturned in a small pool in the hollow.
There emerges from this pool a faint, sensual mist,
that traces its way upwards to caress the feet
of the headless martyr's statue
whose only achievement was to die too soon,
and who couldn't wait to loose.
The cataract of darkness forms fully,
the long black night begins, yet still
by the lake a young girl waits.
Unseeing she believes herself unseen, she smiles faintly
at the distant tolling bell, and the still falling rain."
The first album contained the following songs:
1) Black Sabbath (a dark doom sounding song)
2) The Wizard (a song about a wizard who walks through towns cheering
people up through the use of magic)
3) Wasp/Behind The Wall of Sleep
4) Bassically/N.I.B. (a song about the devil falling in love with a
mortal woman and changing to a good person)
5) Wicked World (society, and our struggle to survive)
(Euro versions had 'Evil Woman' instead, another great single)
6) Sleeping Village/Warning (a very blues influenced song that is an
easy listener, about found/lost love)
This was definitely NOT a satanic album! Today there are still people who
hear the words "Black Sabbath" and think hard rock devil music. This is
plain ignorance. Remember the band was originally a blues band, and there
is a definite blues sound in their debut album.
Ozzy brought the album home to proudly show his parents. The Osbourne's
were the type of people who would sit around the phonogram with a beer and
merrily sing alone to the records. This was not to be though. When Mr.
Osbourne heard the album he asked John, "Are you sure you were just
drinking alcohol?, this isn't music, this is weird." The first song began
with a church bell tolling and the sound of rain falling in the background,
and was eerie to say the least. Ozzy too had not heard the final product
until now. It would reach #8 in the UK charts and #23 in the United States.
The four unknowns were now finally making a name for themselves with the
release of an album. It is of interest to note that their album followed
the release of Led Zeppelin's first album. Both bands knew one another
personally since they both played in the same club and the music scene was
a close knit group. It came in the form of a surprise to the Sabs when
someone put on a brand new album from Led Zeppelin. Bill Ward was close to
Zeppelin's drummer, John Bonham. He talks about the relationship between
the two bands in the book, "The Story of Black Sabbath".
It is of interest to point out that in February of 1970, the same month
their debut album came out, they broke the attendance record at Simpson's
club which had remained untouched for over a year by Jethro Tull. Tony had
made the right choice in returning to Sabbath it would seem. With an album
comes touring, and with touring comes America. America would have a great
impact on them as well. Ozzy has said that people would go around saying,
"if you go to San Francisco be sure to wear a flower in your hair". This
mystified him because he did not know what or where San Francisco was. When
the band eventually did tour America, it took them by storm. They had never
seen anything like it. They had their share of groupies and took in the
marvelous sights of America. They played one of their first shows at the
Fillmore East. Some old 8mm footage of their first trip overseas can be
seen on the commercial video, "The Black Sabbath Story - Volume 1". It must
be said, that on this particular videotape, Bill Ward the drummer relates
an interesting story: While playing in New York, the audience was still at
the stage where they would simply sit there and listen to the music. The
band wanted a stronger reaction from the audience since they were putting
150% effort into their songs. Ozzy would often yell at the audience to get
up and go crazy (as many bootlegs can attest to). At one particular show
they were growing fed up with the audience just sitting there and Bill
picked up his drum set and threw it at the audience. Bill says that as a
result, that night they did SEVEN encores. Can you think of any band in
today's scene which does seven encores? By the time they reached Los
Angeles, people had already heard about this "Black Sabbath".
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1.6 Paranoia
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
While working on their next album the band released a single called
"Paranoid". The single was very popular, maybe too popular: On October 23,
1970 the band attempts to play the Mayfair Ballroom in Newcastle. The crowd
is very drunk and all over the stage and equipment. The band, unsuccessful
in trying to get them off the stage, starts playing their hit single
Paranoid. 70 minutes later the show is done and the band is very upset.
Someone put their foot through one of their big PA speakers, Bill's drum
sticks and cymbals were stolen and a bass drum mic destroyed. The audience
had gone crazy over their new single and Ozzy says, "If it means us having
to give up putting out singles then we will. We want people to listen to
us, not try to touch us. I was really terrified, shocked out of my mind."
This would also be the gig that would give birth to their new song,"Fairies
Wear Boots". While walking down a street some time after the show, the band
was attacked by a group of skinheads. Tony's arm was badly hurt and this
forced them to cancel their next show. Due to the fact the skinheads wore
boots, they decided to make fun of the punks in the song.
It was not uncommon for the band to be verbally abusive if the audience was
not responding properly. If they were talking, the band would just crank up
the music some more. Bands were so loud during this time the Leeds City
Council introduced a "96 decibel law". If any band's music was to rise
above 96 decibels the amplifiers would cut out. Sabbath did not consider
their night's work complete unless they hit at least three cut outs a
night.
PARANOID
-------------
The album, 'Paranoid', was recorded in four days once again at
Regent Sound and then released in Jan. 1971. The cover shows a person
running out of a forest with a sword and shield in hand. This seemed to
listeners, a strange representation of being paranoid. The truth is that
the album was to originally be named "War Pigs" (mans constant desire to
have weapons of destruction and killing). The record company objected to
the album title and so it was named after one of the songs. The song "War
Pigs" came about when Sabbath was told tales of horror and war from
soldiers while playing an American air force base. The Paranoid album
reached FIRST place in the UK charts and 12th in American charts. It was
during the span between the Paranoid and Master of Reality albums that Jim
Simpson was fired as the band's manager. The reason for this is will be
discussed in a later chapter.
MASTER OF REALITY
-----------------
In 1971 "Master of Reality" was released, charting 5th place in UK
and 8th place in USA song charts. Ozzy also married his first wife, Thelma
Riley and became a stepfather to her son, Elliot. This album would take
an interesting turn with the release of "After Forever" which was clearly a
religious, believe in God, song. The church called this blasphemy. People
disliked the band, perhaps for their After Forever song or perhaps for what
they represented. In any event, 1971 saw some strange events: At a show in
Memphis, their dressing rooms had crosses painted in blood on the walls.
During the show a Satanist jumped on stage with a sacrificial knife. The
local witches coven later gathered outside the band's hotel and Geezer
tried to scare them away with a fake hex. It was also the year that threats
were made that the band would be shot sometime during their US tour. At one
show the lights suddenly failed into their 3rd song and Ozzy stood frozen
solid with fear. The band also included a song titled "Sweet Leaf" which
openly talked about the band's usage of marijuana. The song begins with a
coughing sound (as if someone had just inhaled the drug). In actual fact,
Tony had just finished smoking drugs in a water pipe and the sounds were
included in the final version.
VOLUME 4
--------
The following year "Volume 4" was released. As with the inverted
cross case and the "War pigs" album title, the record company would again
take authority over the bands wishes. Volume 4 (hence the fourth Sabbath
album) was to have originally been called "Snowblind", another drug
reference. The record company thought this was too controversial and so
they had to change it. The band was becoming involved in hard core drugs by
this time (including cocaine). During the recording of Volume 4, the band
sat around in a Jacuzzi snorting coke all day and would get up every so
often to record a new song. We can see why Snowblind was an appropriate
album title. Not being allowed to use it as an album title, they came up
with this amusing line on the cover sleeve of the record: "Thanks to the
COKE-Cola Company". It was also during this year that Ozzy and Thelma had
their first mutual child, Jessica.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.7 An act of SABOTAGE?
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
"For the first part of their career they were managed by two of the
biggest crooks in the business. They made nothing, I mean nothing."
...Sharon on Sabbath's early management
The year is now 1974. The band is living a good life of drugs, sex, cars,
etc. If they wanted a car or a house they would ask for it and receive it
almost the next day. Ozzy even owned a Jaguar which he smashed while
backing out of his driveway, the same day he was to sell it. What the band
never saw though, was money. They became very successful especially in the
UK charts. Their material possessions were provided by their new management
of Patrick Meehan and Wilf Pine. What happened was this: During the same
year that Paranoid was soaring up the charts, Pat and Wilf left their
management company (which was Don Arden's, more on him later). The duo
offered the band a chauffeured limo, champagne dinner at the Speakeasy, and
filled the Sab's heads with ideas that Jim was mismanaging them and they
could do a hell of a lot better with them instead. The Sabs agreed and on
Sept.4, 1970 Jim Simpson found out he was history. The man who had turned
the four nobodies into a juggernaut was dismissed. The Sabs were also not
happy that with Jim they were being paid a lot less than what they should
have been getting. The reason was that Jim insisted they perform at the
shows they had already been booked for, even six months prior. These older
bookings were for a lot less money than the usual fee, now around 2000
pounds per show. Simpson launched lawsuits against them for of breach of
contract. Some concerts later, Ozzy was handed a subpoena on stage for
Simpson's lawsuits. The resulting court case would last years.
California saw the Cal Jam concert take place in Ontario on April 6th. This
was a televised concert to millions of viewers as well as over 450,000
audience members. It featured bands such as Electric Light Orchestra. In
the middle of the night, their management threatened the band with a
lawsuit if they did not play the Cal Jam concert. The band had not
practiced for months and was not ready for a show, especially one with over
450,000 people in attendance. It has been said that the band did not even
know they were to play the show. This would be one of the final straws for
the band and they soon began the process of getting rid of their second
management. Ozzy talks a bit about this in the documentary, "The Decline of
Western Civilization II" where the band questions how much money they are
really making if their managers could afford houses and cars.
[[ The California Jam is available on audio as well as hard to find video. I
was
sent a VHS of the show but it's poor wobbily quality. I forget the name of
the
person who sent it to me long ago but he told me his room mate had the
entire
copy. While others have made claims to having the entire set, it's always
lip talk. ]]
Once again the band gets rid of their management and decides to form their
own management. This allowed them to have more control and say into what
decisions were made for the band. It would be a learning experience as well
since they had never dabbled in the management aspects before. They decided
a rest was in order since they were exhausted. Their next US tour would be
in three short installments rather than one big tour to further save them
exhaustion and nervous breakdowns. Oh yes, remember all the flashy cars and
houses they were given? They were never really theirs, and when they dumped
the management duo they lost everything. They still had the Warner Bros.
label in America though, and stayed with WB during the management change.
SABOTAGE
--------
In September of 1975, the band released their "Sabotage" album.
The last song on the album, "The Writ", would reveal their feelings towards
their previous management and all the problems they'd encountered:
The Writ
========
The way I feel is the way I am
I wish I'd walked before I started to run to you, just to you
What kind of people do you think we are?
Another joker who's a rock and roll star for you, just for you
The faithful image of another man
The endless ocean of emotion I swam for you, yeah for you
The shot troopers laying down on the floor
I wish they'd put an end to my running war with you, yeah with you
Are you metal, are you man?
You've changed in life since you began, yeah began
Ladies digging gold from you
Will they still dig now you're through, yeah you're through
You bought and sold me with your lying words
The voices in the deck that you never heard came through, yeah came through
Your folly finally got to spend with a gun
A poisoned father who has poisoned his son, that's you, yeah that's you
I beg you please don't let it get any worse
The anger I once had has turned to a curse on you, Yeah curse you
All of the promises that never came true
You're gonna get what is coming to you, that's true, ah, that's true
Are you Satan, are you man?
You've changed the life since it began, it began
Vultures sucking gold from you
Will they still suck now you're through
The search is on, so you just better run
And find yourself another way
Probably dead, they don't feel a thing
To keep you living for another day
You are nonentity, you have no destiny
You are a victims of a thing unknown
A mantle picture of a stolen soul
A fornication of your golden throne
A smiling face, it means the world to me
So tired of sadness and of misery
My life it started some time ago
Where it will end, I don't know
I thought I was so good I thought I was fine
I feel my world is out of time
But everything is gonna work out fine
If it don't I think I'll lose my mind
I know, I know, I know, yeah yeah I know
Listen to me while I sing this song
You might just think the words are wrong
Too many people advising me [managers, lawyers]
But they don't know what my eyes see
But everything is gonna work out fine
If it don't I feel I'm lose my mind
The anger is very strong in both the lyrics and the tone of Ozzy's voice.
After hearing the song one cannot help but feel sympathy for what the band
had been enduring. Some album labels (Warner Bros. for example) have a
hidden tune following the song, you need to really turn up the volume to
hear it. It features the band playing piano and singing an old 'Nitty
Gritty Dirt Band' song called "Blow on the Jug". A sound engineer caught
this during a recording session and it was put on the album. Sadly, there
are a lot of other Sab cover songs which we will never get to hear. You can
hear the 'Blow on the Jug' song by clicking right here!
Reporter: "Do you have a drinking problem?"
Ozzy: "Yes, I can't find a bar."
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1.8 Don Arden
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
If Jim Simpson sounds like a manager from hell, you should be introduced
to Don Arden. This is Sharon Osbournes father in case you're wondering
the relevance.
Don Arden was born Harry Levy In 1926 In Cheetham Hill, Manchester, England.
Don spent most of the fifties working the boards as a singer comedian.
Arden had ambition and drive in abundance but lacked the necessary diplomacy
to
ingratiate himself with influential show business moguls. His uncompromising
aggression
and short temper alienated so many important contacts that eventually he
decided
to branch out from performing into promotion. He began modestly, organising
Hebrew folk
song contests before putting together his own shows.
By the late fifties, Arden had found his niche. As a master of ceremonies,
he could
still sing, crack jokes and keep audiences happy while his star attractions
lay waiting
in the wings.
By the mid-sixties, Arden has reached a crucial stage in his career. He had
promoted many
successful package tours involving a number of American acts such as Jerry
Lee Lewis,
Little Richard and Sam Cooke, but his progress in this area was thwarted by
the dramatic
emergence of the Beatles and their ilk. Suddenly, American stars were passé
and as the beat
boom reached it’s peak, attendance figures at Arden’s concerts revealed a
noticeable slump.
After losing approximately £100,000 in a disastrous 10-week run, Arden
abandoned his fifties
rock ‘n’ roll stars and set out in search of young pop groups, his first
involvement in the
beat group scene came through Mike Jeffrey, manager of the Newcastle-based
Animals.
Jeffrey, a notorious hustler and shady operator, was looking for an
influential agent to
get his group work in the South. Arden brought them to London and secured a
residency at
the fashionable Scene club. The Animals went down a storm and Arden
immediately became their
full-time agent, ensuring that he had sole rights to promote them worldwide.
He also claims responsibility for recruiting producer Mickie Most, who
proved instrumental
in setting in motion the Animals rise to international fame. Following the
transatlantic
chart-topper ‘House Of The Rising Sun’, Arden made substantial profits from
promoting the
Animals, but with their association was relatively short lived. A dispute
arose with Jeffrey
and rather than involve himself in protracted legal action, Arden sold his
rights to other
parties. Jeffrey’s own managerial career was relatively short lived. Several
years later,
he died in mysterious circumstances following a plane explosion. The body
was never recovered.
By this stage, Arden realised that pop group management could prove
extremely lucrative,
and he wasted no time in signing the Nashville Teens. The Weybridge sextet
had already
undergone a gruelling apprenticeship at Hamburg’s all-night Star Club and
emerged as one
of the most exciting groups of their day. Soon they were snapped up by
Decca.
Arden’s main contribution to the Nashville Teens was keeping them in work
constantly
throughout their career. In spite of the Teens’ intense gigging schedule,
Arden occasionally
found difficulty releasing sufficient funds to cover their various expenses.
Ray Phillips
recalls how Arden’s severe budgeting frequently frustrated the group:
We had to go up and barter for the money. If we were owed a grand he’d say,
‘Would you
settle for £600?’ We’d be sitting in the office waiting for some money to
get to a gig.
He’d keep us waiting till the banks closed. ‘Oh, I’ve got no money now. I’ve
got
some here - would you settle for that?’ Little did you know, that’s it - you
were paid off.
Although the group grudgingly accepted the ‘bartering system’ as a method of
payment,
pianist John Hawken insisted on challenging Arden’s absolute authority.
Prior to a performance in Manchester, he arranged to collect £120 from his
manager’s
Carnaby Street office, but, upon arrival, he was handed a cheque for £20.
Overcome by
reckless indignation, Hawken raised his voice in complaint and demanded the
full sum
in no uncertain terms. Arden was evidently astounded by his impudent
outburst, incensed,
he leapt from his chair, seized Hawken by the throat and pinned him against
the wall.
Staring directly into his eyes, Arden screamed: ‘I have the strength of 10
men in these hands’.
Feeling the pressure of Arden’s fingers on his neck, young Hawken realised
that this was
no idle boast. Within seconds, the agitated Arden had dragged the musician
towards his
office window, two floors above ground level, and exclaimed wickedly:
‘You’re going over, John, you’re going over’. Fortunately, Hawken managed to
free
himself from his manager’s grip and fled from his office in a distraught
state.
Suffice to say, Hawken learned the hard way that a manager of Arden’s
stature always
demands respect.
In the aftermath of their brief success, the Nashville Teens continued
working with Arden,
always hoping to re-establish their old reputation.
The fact that Arden kept the group on his books long after they were a
lucrative proposition
was some consolation and he would no doubt argue that without his
involvement their life
span would have been considerably shorter. Under the terms of their
management contract
he received one third of their gross receipts from live performances, so
there was every
incentive to sustain their flagging career. Although their business
relationship was never
ideal, there was no animosity forthcoming from the group when they finally
left their
long-time manager. In retrospect, Phillips portrays Arden as a highly
successful
business manager whose main deficiency was a lack of creative input:
‘I got on well with Don Arden. I liked Don. But he couldn’t manage a band.
He couldn’t
inject ideas... He was into buying and selling rather than making. The Teens
needed
guidance and direction.’
Arden went on to manage The Small Faces around 1965.
As 1966 wore on it became blatantly obvious that there was a growing rift
between Arden
and his number one act. Prompted by their concerned parents, the group began
to take a closer
look at their financial state. With no accounts forthcoming from Arden and a
history of
extravagant spending behind them, the Small Faces were unsure whether they
were millionaires
or paupers. Eventually, the parents decided to pay Arden a visit and demand
an explanation.
For some reason, they never quite got round to talking about money. Arden
fended off such
questions by expressing his deep concern about the boys’ drug-taking habits.
Not suprisingly, the parents were up in arms and left Arden’s Carnaby Street
office convinced
that their children were hardened addicts. According to Ronnie Lane it took
a great deal
of persuasion to convince them otherwise. On another occasion, Lane himself
visited Arden
to discuss money matters but his confidence was shattered upon being
introduced to one of
Don’s assistants, a certain ‘Mad Tom’. Arden alone was an imposing figure,
but the selected
heavies that hung around his office suggested that any criticisms of the man
would best
be left un-uttered. Following a group meeting, the boys decided to employ an
independant
lawyer and accountant to sort out their financial affairs. Battlelines were
being drawn.
The Small Faces would probably have remained under Arden’s aegis but for
their concern over
unaccounted revenue. News of their disenchantment spread through the back
lanes of Tin Pan
Alley, but Don convinced himself that all would be well. His countenance
grimly altered when
he heard a rumour that one of Robert Stigwood’s associates had expressed an
interest
in the group. Inflamed by proprietorial zeal and a sense that some unwritten
code of
entrepreneurial etiquette had been transgressed, Arden decided to teach the
unfortunate
Stigwood a lesson that he would never forget. Marshalling his forces, Arden
enacted a
remarkable scene which will live forever in the folk-lore of sixties pop
management:
I had to stop these overtures - and quickly. I contacted two well-muscled
friends and hired
two more equally hugh toughs. And we went along to nail this impressario to
his chair
with fright. There was a large ornate ashtray on his desk. I picked it up
and smashed it
down with such force that the desk cracked - giving a good impression of a
man wild with
rage. My friends and I had carefully rehearsed our next move. I pretended
to go
berserk, lifted the impressario bodily from his chair, dragged him on to the
balcony
and held him so he was looking down to the pavement four floors below. I
asked my friends
if I should drop him or forgive him. In unison they shouted: ‘Drop him’. He
went rigid
with shock and I thought he might have a heart attack. Immediately, I
dragged him back
into the room and warned him never to interfere with my groups again.
The shaken Stigwood, who had never personally contacted the Small Faces,
took heed of Arden’s
advice, as did many other figures in the pop world.
Although Arden had sold the Faces’ agency contract for a reputed £12,000,
his company still
owed the group royalty payments in respect of record sales. Retrieving those
sums was to prove
extremely difficult. An intriguing dispute ensued during which Arden
demonstrated his
predilection for drawn-out court proceedings. During the summer of 1967 an
action was brought
against Arden’s Contemporary Records for an amount of royalties due to the
Small Faces.
On receipt of the order, dated 9th June 1967, an account was filed which
revealed that
£4,023. 7s. was owed to the group. Several months later, on 11th October
1967, the Small
Faces obtained judgement in their favour and Counsel for Arden stated in
Court that his
company had sufficient funds available to pay the debt. Having battled for
nearly a year,
it seemed as though the group had won a hard-earned victory against their
former manager.
Unfortunately, the Small Faces had underestimated Arden’s tenacity and,
within a week,
their premature celebrations came to an abrupt end. On 16th October, Arden’s
solicitors,
M.A. Jacobs & Sons, wrote to the Small Faces’ legal advisers stating
‘... with regard to the judgement which you have obtained against our
Clients, our Clients
are not in a position to meet this fully and in one payment. Therefore,
they would suggest
that they should discharge the debt by instalments of £250 per month...’ Of
course, this
meant that the group would not receive their full £4,023. 7s. until as late
as January 1969.
Reluctantly, they accepted this instalment plan, but after proffering £500,
Contemporary
Records suddenly ceased payment. The Small Faces were left with no option
but to petition
for the winding up of Arden’s company and an order was duly granted on 5th
February 1977,
approximately 10 years after payment was due, that the group finally
recovered the full
sum of £4,023. 7s. Arden’s mastery of litigation was to remain a constant
throughout
his future management career.
The loss of a major group such as the Small Faces might have proved a severe
blow to a
minor-league manager, but Arden always ensured he had acts in reserve. His
strength lay
in the success of his agency, Galaxy Entertainments, which booked over a
hundred groups
in it’s heyday including the Nashville Teens, the Applejacks, The Action,
Neil Christian,
the Fairytale and the Skatellites. In his role as starmaker, Arden carefully
chose to
manage those acts whom he felt had the strongest change of achieving
success.
While waiting the emergence of a new act to rival the chart feats of the
Small Faces,
Arden temporarily revived his own singing career. He was probably influenced
by the
dramatic rise in sales of ballad material in the UK during the first half of
1967.
With Tom Jones, Engelbert Humperdinck, Vince Hill, Frank Sinatra and even
Harry Secombe
all scoring massive hits Arden must have felt that he stood an outside
chance.
He even hired a well-known ‘promoter’ to exploit the sales of his single,
investing £250
in the process. ‘Sunrise Sunset’, released on Decca, failed to chart, though
it is doubtful
whether many people expected to see Arden on ‘Top Of The Pops’. Don later
boasted that the
single sold approximately 27,000 copies, though if such a figure is
accurate, it is
suprising that he decided not to release further material. Perhaps he was
distracted by
the formidable hit machine which fell into his hands in 1967.
When Arden took over the management of Amen Corner from agent Ron King, they
had already
achieved some chart success. Don was intent on continuing their hit run and
it was bizarre
to witness how uncannily their career paralleled that of the Small Faces.
Lead singer, Andy
Fairweather-Low quickly emerged as a pin-up hero in the same manner as his
predecessor,
Steve Marriot; both singers hit the headlines by collapsing during
rehearsals for important
television programmes; both groups failed to crack the US market while
managed by Arden;
both were involved in disputes with their mentor; both prompted Arden to
threaten a
potential poacher; both left him and signed to Andrew Oldham’s Immediate
label.
For Amen Corner, 1967-8 was a tremendously exciting and frequently
frustrating period
which they will never forget. Signing to Arden appeared to guarantee drama
and intrigue
and under his tutelage they served the equivalent of a university course in
the politics
of the pop world. By the summer of 1968 they had notched up four hits, ‘Gin
House’,
‘World Of Broken Hearts’, ‘Bend Me Shape Me’ and ‘High In The Sky’ and were
regarded by
the media as a cut above the average pop group. What the press did not
reveal was the intense
power struggle that served as a backdrop to this group’s short career. Guns,
threats of
physical violence and even a proposed assassination were just some of the
happenings
during Arden’s term of management.
Events reached a head when Don learned the by now familiar tale that his
group were
searching for new management and had been approached by certain individuals.
On this
occasion, however, Arden found himself up against a consortium of wealthy
and influential
figures backed by a powerful pop music entrepreneur. The aims of the
consortium have
never been made clear, though Arden suggests that they may have regarded
themselves as
an independant trade union in search of better deals for pop artistes.
However, the
involvement of the mysterious pop mogul implies that their prime motive may
have been
to pressurise Arden into surrendering his more important assets. The first
signs of trouble
occurred when an intermediary of the consortium phoned Arden and suggested
that he might
release Amen Corner from their management contract. Arden’s reply was
characteristically
blunt and intimidating;
I warned him that committing suicide might be better than causing trouble
for me...
The story was that £3000 had been put up to get me ‘fixed’. I know full well
that it is
possible to hire someone to maim or kill for a few thousand pounds. But
this time I was
scared because there was talk of getting me through my one weakness - my
family.
Arden has always been strongly protective of his family, so it is not
suprising to learn that
he acted quickly. Three bodyguards were employed for a three-figure sum to
provide
round-the-clock protection for Arden’s wife and children while a
counter-plot was being
hatched. Don then hired a further six bodyguards and briefed them of his
plans for
frightening off the consortium. Their focus of attention was a patsy whom
Don suspected
had some connections with the consortium and seemed the single weakest pawn
in their
richly-funded Mafia-style vendetta. In broad daylight, Arden’s henchmen set
out to his
mews flat armed with sawn-off shotguns and revolvers. When the potential
victim saw
these thugs from his upper window, he screamed his lungs out. Having
terrified this
character out of his wits, the heavies casually returned to their car and
drove away.
Arden had presented his visiting card and effectively persuaded the
consortium that
it would be folly to risk taking this dispute to it’s logical extreme.
Of course, Arden’s intimidatory retaliation was itself a dangerous ploy
which might
have backfired on him in various ways. Indeed, during the aftermath of this
incident,
he was contacted by a senior police officer investigating complaints
concerning guns.
It took all of Arden’s rhetoric and cunning to persuade the police that
their informant
was a crank. In spite of flexing his muscles, Arden could not retain the
confidence
of Amen Corner who left him for another manager shortly afterwards. There
was much talk
in the press about Don taking legal action to retain his interests in the
group, though
nothing came of it. Arden later claimed that he had sold Amen Corner’s
contract for a
profit of £50,000.
The employment of minders and persuaders and the frequent disputes with
managers and
artistes soon earned Don Arden the title ‘The Al Capone Of Pop’. An absurd
rumour
spread that he had been appointed by the Mafia to supervise their
activities in London.
Amused by the anxiety this caused in some quarters, Don actively
perpetuated the
myth by refusing to comment on the matter. The notorious reputation he
acquired in the
late sixties may have alarmed some of his acts, but many others were
flattered by their
association with such a powerful entrepreneur. Such was evidently the case
with
Skip Bifferty, another of Arden’s rare failures. During the early stages of
their career,
the group harboured ambitions of achieving overnight success. However, the
grinding toll
of endless one-nighters that Arden so favoured frustrated and disillusioned
them.
Arden was less than impressed by their seeming lack of commitment and
endurance:
They weren’t tough enough to make it.... They wanted to become stars, but
just when we got
them from £10 to £100 a night, they went to pieces. They seemed to forget
that nothing
comes easy, you’ve got to work for what you get. They had no staying power,
no patience
and they wouldn’t accept guidance. And artistes have to co-operate with me.
Skip Bifferty not only refused to co-operate with Arden, but actively sought
to terminate
their management contract, a course of action guaranteed to inflame their
mentor’s wrath.
Following a disagreement, they spent most of their time outside London,
unsure of what to do
next. Frightened and emotionally intimidated, they confessed their worst
fears to Beckenham
police and were advised by Detective Inspector John MacNamara to report any
threats,
unexpected visits or disturbances. Shortly afterwards, two cars pulled up
outside their
house and they were confronted by several thugs brandishing firearms and
threatening
dire consequences. Wisely, they telephoned MacNamara and after a lengthy
chase one of the
cars was stopped in London’s Tottenham Court Road. Several offensive
weapons were
discovered in the vehicle and the heavies were duly charged. It was another
astonishing
episode in the career of an Arden group who found themselves hopelessly out
of depth in
their dealings with the all-powerful Al Capone of Pop.
The grandly-named Electric Light Orchestra was finally launched in Early
1972 and Arden
booked an impressive tour, spending lavishly on billboard and trade
announcements. After
18 months of preparation, however, the group was still not ready and the
tour was postponed.
When they eventually made an uneasy debut at the Fox and Greyhound,
Croyden, the audience
merely registered perplexity and Arden expressed concern about the
over-ambitious nature
of the project.
By the late seventies, Arden has established himself as one of the most
successful
entrepreneurs in the music business with an international record label, Jet.
His son, David,
helped run the affairs of the UK company while daughter Sharon served an
equally tough
apprenticeship on the road looking after ELO and others. Flamboyant,
outspoken, garrulous
and high-living, Sharon shared many of her father’s personality traits and
was no stranger
to the excesses of road life, which included loud parties, food fights and
hotel room
demolishing. Her ‘rock ‘n’ roll’ lifestyle was welcomed by ELO and
applauded by her
greatest admirer, Ozzy Osbourne.
Since leaving Don Arden, Ozzy has seen many lawsuits. The most bizarre of
these was served
backstage a Live Aid after Ozzy had appeared briefly onstage with his old
friends from
Black Sabbath. The writ alleged that Osbourne was attempting to reform the
original group as
a performing unit and actively discouraging them from associating with
their former manager.
Ozzy was astonished by the implications of the legal document and could be
heard fulminating:
‘If Don thinks I’m going back to Black Sabbath, he must be crazy!’ Clearly,
with a solo career
in bloom, the last thing he envisaged was a Sabbath revival. Osbourne still
seems unsure
whether Arden is genuinely aggrieved or merely playing some clever game. Who
can fathom this
entrepreneur who never forgets or forgives past transgressions and appears
to regard
management contracts as eternally binding?
Of course, such a controversial character is always likely to invite
unwanted scrutiny and
in 1979 Arden found himself under investigation by the BBC’s watchdog
programme ‘Checkpoint’.
Roger Cook’s team made some damning comments on Arden’s business methods
which greatly upset
the man. Faced by Cook’s relentless questioning, Arden became increasingly
evasive and
frequently appeared bamboozled by the sheer weight of the accusations
levelled against him.
He swore at Cook, conjured up spurious rumours of homosexuality, and even
threatened on air,
to break the neck of any person found tailing him! It was a remarkable and
chilling
confrontation.
There was one final footnote to the Arden/BBC extravaganza which neither
party had
anticipated. One of Don’s sixties groups, the Nashville Teens, took
advantage of his plight
in order to promote a comeback single, ‘Midnight’, which they cheekily
dedicated to the man.
Extending the ironic gesture still further, they embarked on a ‘Be nice to
Don Arden’ tour
and even offered to play a benefit concert for the beleaguered rock mogul.
It was a
delightful spoof and a pleasing reminder that after all the financial
disputes, harsh
criticisms and bitterness, this hard-working, stoical group had somehow
retained its sense
of humour.
Don Arden assumed a lower profile in the eighties, leading to speculation
that he had
mellowed with passing years. It was a happy delusion broken by newspaper
headlines in 1985
and 1986 suggesting that he was in more trouble than ever.
On 19th March 1986, David Arden appeared at the Old Bailey charged with
carrying out his
father’s instructions to blackmail and imprison Harshad Patel, an
accountant who rose to
power in the Jet organisation to become Don’s partner. Patel had fallen out
with Arden,
who accused him of extorting company funds in excess of $100,000. It was
not a vast sum
by Arden’s financial standards, but rather than pursuing his allegations
through the
courts, Don allegedly decided to take the law into his own hands using
strong-arm methods.
One evening, Don and David Arden, accompanied by two thugs, allegedly held
Patel captive
for over 24 hours. During his long ordeal, the unfortunate accountant was
verbally abused
by Arden Snr, who at one point allegedly flew into a rage and threw a cup
of coffee over
his victim. In an earlier hearing, it was suggested that Patel had been
‘beaten up’ and
forced to sign a letter of credit for £69,000. Evidently, Arden had not
bargained upon
Patel’s indignation and willingness to contact the police about the
incident. In the past,
Don’s intimidatory tactics had attracted enquiries from the police, but
these allegations
were arguably the most serious yet, and, if proven, would almost certainly
place Arden
behind bars.
The Old Bailey trial ended with Arden’s son, David, being sentenced to two
years’ imprisonment,
albeit with one suspended. Meanwhile, Arden Snr remained in Los Angeles
awaiting his fate.
In open court, it was confidently stated that Arden would be brought back to
England at the
earliest opportunity to face these charges. An extradition order followed
and, 20 months after
his son’s incarceration, Arden arrived at the Old Bailey for one of the
most dramatic court
cases in pop history.
Don Arden was arrested in the US in late 1985 and prior to extradition
proceedings
voluntarily returned to the UK where he was charged under his family name,
Harry Levy,
on two separate counts of false imprisonment and blackmail. During November
1987,
the Old Bailey heard a staggering series of accusations from Harshad Patel,
Arden’s
former book-keeper/accountant. Patel explained that Arden suspected him of
misappropriating
funds from Jet Records and during a stormy meeting in November 1983
allegedly attacked
him with a hatstand, pulled a gun from his briefcase and threatened: ‘I’m
going to shoot you’.
The accountant was then dispossessed of several post-dated cheques and car
keys before
being unceremoniously sacked. He claims Arden demanded ‘substantial
compensation’
for the supposed fraudulency and threatened to recruit Mafia associates to
take care of
matters. The perturbed Patel returned to England, but further trouble
followed.
On 7th December 1983 at 1 a.m., Patel was asleep at his house in Harrow when
an American
heavy named Charlie Holbrook alleged unless he accompanied him immediately
to Arden’s
Wimbledon home. There, Patel was supposedly interrogated by the son of a
leading New York
Mafia boss and physically assaulted by Arden, resulting in superficial
injuries
including a fractured rib. Following his alleged night of captivity, Patel
claims he was
taken to Arden’s accountants and persuaded to sign a bank draft for
£69,132.37.
That he assumed, was the end of the matter. Two months later, however,
Arden discovered
further irregularities. On 14th February 1984, Patel claims he received a
second visit
from Charlie. This time he was taken to Arden’s office in Portland Place and
supposedly
held prisoner for 24 hours, a period in which he claims to have been
attacked by Arden,
punched in the face and stomach, showered with coffee and water,
consistently hit over
the head with a 16 oz.paperweight, suffered danger from various flying
missiles
including an ashtray, prevented from leaving his seat or going to the
lavatory for
agonising spells in excess of 14 hours, and threatened with the possibility
of being
beaten with a baseball bat and chained up and done away with, along with his
parents.
The alleged presence of another Mafia persuader and the suggestion that
David Arden
alluded to Muslims chopping off the hands of thieves completed the
accountant’s grim scenario.
Eventually, Patel claims, he was released, bloodied and bruised, and warned
that he must
repay a further £10,000 compensation to Arden within one month, Soon
afterwards, Patel
contacted solicitors and police intervention followed.
During the two-week trial, Arden strenuously denied Patel’s allegations,
flew in several
star witnesses from the States and focused considerable attention on a
separate civil
action concerning Patel’s alleged fraudulency of Jet. On 19th November 1987,
a jury of
eight men and three women found Arden ‘Not Guilty’ on all charges. At the
age of 62, his
character remains unblemished by a criminal record.
(Source: The Don Arden Story from 'King Of The Universe' Fanzine in 1997 &
1998.
Edited but used with permission from Jim Hoban, Carlisle, Cumbria, U.K)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.9 Manager Number Two
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
After leaving Sabbath and in need of a new manager, Don Arden was hired.
Ozzy and
Sharon met when Ozzy walked into Don's office wearing a tap faucet around
his
neck and sat on the floor - refusing to use a chair. Sharon was terrified
of Ozzy upon first sight. She even tried to get another woman working in
the office to bring him a cup of tea, rather than bring it to him herself.
The two of them would get to know one another quite well over the years as
Don and the Sab four conducted business.
Money and fame were no longer problems for the four of them, instead the
only challenge was how to come up with another best selling album. A very
audible change in the bands musical direction began to show in their 1974
album, "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath". Despite the title, the album contains deep
lyrics with many different musical arrangements. The songs seemed more
uplifting and vibrant than their previous dark, gloomy sounding material and
a more energetic sound. Electronic instruments also changed the way they
were able to record songs. This album, probably their best album with Ozzy
as vocalist, placed 4th and 11th respectively in UK and American charts.
TECHNICAL ECSTASY
-----------------
"Technical Ecstasy" was released in 1976. This album was
considerably less heavy then previous albums, and perhaps was due to the
band just being fed up with it all. They had succeeded in making a lot of
money, owned as many cars as we own socks, and were getting burned out from
constant touring. T.E. would contain a song titled, "It's Alright"
featuring Bill the drummer on vocals, a very gentle song. The album cover
also set the stage for something entirely new from the band. No more dark
images, this artistic cover showed two robots having sex (or so it has been
said). Sadly, Technical Ecstasy did not sell very well.
The late 1970's also saw some deep trouble for the band. On January 20,1978
Ozzy's father passed away. Here is a small portion of an interview with Ozzy
regarding his father:
"In England, they don't tell you, y'know. What they did to my father was, he
hadn't eaten a fucking thing because of his -- whatever the fucking tube --
he had a lump here like a fucking black ball, in his sagophagus or whatever
the
fuck it is; he couldn't eat any food. Plus the fact that he had cancer of
the fucking intestines, the bowels, so he couldn't shit. He never ate a
thing for thirteen weeks.
They operated on him about a fucking week before he died. They took the
whole tube out and put a plastic one in. I don't know what it's like in the
states, but in England...they put him in a fucking closet with the fucking
mops and
buckets, because he was on the death ward and it was too distressing for the
rest of the patients so they put him in a cot, sort of a crib thing, a giant
crib. They strapped him...like a boxer, fucking bandages on his hands, with
a glucose drip going into his arm. He was stoned out of his head. You know,
the most amazing thing he said to me. I told my father one day, "I take
drugs. I said to him, "Before you go, will you take drugs?"
He says, "I promise you I'll take drugs." He was on Morphine. Totally out
of his mind on Morphine, because the pain must have been horrendous. They
had the operation on a Tuesday, and he died on Thursday...No one could
understand what he was talking about, because he was so out of it. He says
to
me -- he only understands drugs as "speed" -- he says, [whispers, a
drawn-out,
rattling imitation] "ssspeeeeed." And he died in my arms.
I haven't got over it yet. The twentieth of January, I'll go freaking like a
werewolf. I'll cry and I'll laugh all day long, because it's the day my
daughter was born and the day my father died. Like a fucking lunatic.
When they go, they're out of their misery. But what freaked me out more than
anything else was the funeral. I was singing fucking "Paranoid" in the
church...Seconal, drunk... it blew me away. All the family came that I'd
never seen for fucking years, and they were making comments. In England,
it's a
weird scene at a fucking death. My father hated his brother Harold -- my
whole family's fucking nuts."
This took a toll on Ozzy and he decided to quit Black Sabbath. Ozzy's
father, Jack, who thought his son would either end up in prison or end up
being
someone very special, died knowing his son had made something out of
himself. While on his leave of absence, Ozzy asked Glenn Hughes
(another vocalist who would eventually spend some time in Sabbath)
about the two of them forming a band. Oz was fed up with Sabbath by this
time, though he kept his feelings about this to himself. Glenn did not join
Ozzy
in his desire. Meanwhile the band had to continue work on its upcoming
album,
"Never Say Die".
NEVER SAY DIE
-------------
They took in Dave Walker (who used to be with Fleetwood Mac) to write new
material for their album. Ozzy decided he wanted to rejoin the band, but he
refused to sing any of the songs written with Dave Walker. So Dave left and
the band had to rewrite all of their songs. Tony booked a studio in Toronto,
Ontario because it was where the Rolling Stones had recorded one of their
albums.
The band traveled up there in the middle of winter to record the album.
Ozzy has since said it was a stupid thing to do and that it was freezing up
there. Tony was just trying to keep the band together in a time of turmoil.
Ozzy had this to say on the album:
"The fucking studio's a pile of shit, the fucking -- we had two songs half-
written before we'd gotten into the studio. The reason we'd gone to Canada
was because of the tax-exile thing, because the taxes are so high in
England. In the end, it cost us nearly 500 fucking thousand dollars to make
that album, and it was the biggest pile of horseshit that I've ever made in
my life. I'm embarrassed with that album."
There is one song titled "Junior's Eyes" which is available on the
"Archangel Rides Again" bootleg, featuring Sabbath with Dave Walker on
vocals. Junior's Eyes was kept for the final album with the same music but
Ozzy rewrote the lyrics in a way as to say goodbye to his father.
Junior's Eyes
=============
Junior's eyes looked up to the skies in tears
He prayed that his maker, the giver and taker, would `pear
Junior sighed, as his hands reached out to the sky
Junior cried, the day that his best friend died
(chorus)
You're coming home again tomorrow
I'm sorry it won't be for long
With all the pain I've watched you live within
I'll try my hardest not to cry
But it is time to say goodbye
Junior's eyes, they couldn't disguise the pain
His father was leaving, and Junior is grieving again
Innocent eyes watched the man who had gave everything
Junior's sorrow, who knew what tomorrow would bring?
(chorus)
Junior's eyes looked into the skies once more
Now he knew well, this life was hell for sure
He desperately tried, his fingertips stretched to the stars, yeah
Reaching for reason, along with the time and the stars
(chorus)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.10 When and how did Ozzy leave Black Sabbath?
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
By now, all four members of the band were staying in their rooms all day
and doing hard drugs and booze. They had cars, success, and perhaps little
motivation to release another album. Ozzy himself has said he only wanted
to release an album to make money and get fat off of beer. Ozzy would
subsequently not show up for weeks at a time for practice. They were to
begin work on their next album, "Heaven and Hell". Tony, having met Ronnie
James Dio (ex-Rainbow) by this time, then asked Bill to get rid of Ozzy.
Tony was fed up with Ozzy and was interested in having Dio as a vocalist.
After the 1978 NSD tour, Ozzy was told by Bill, that they no longer wanted
him in the band. Bill feels bad about doing this because him and Oz were
best of friends and yet Bill wanted Ozzy out of the band as well. People
still ask how Ozzy left, the truth is that both him and Tony Iommi say he
was fired. Ozzy also adds that he was relieved at this. In actual fact Ozzy
was asked many times on the last day to leave before being fired. For some
time now Ozzy wanted to go into a new musical direction and perhaps was
unable to do so with the politics of the band being the way they were.
Tony, being the transportation, would never be spoken against by the other
members of the band. 1978 saw the end of the original Black Sabbath. Their
last tour would be the "Never Say Die" tour. Appropriately named.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
2.0 Ozzy and Randy
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
After being fired from Sabbath, Ozzy spent three months staying in the
Le Parc Hotel in Los Angeles. He would order out for pizza and booze and
have his dealer drop off cocaine for him. He basically thought his life was
over. It was around this time that his friend Sharon Arden suggested he
start
a new band. Over in Los Angeles, a 23 year old guitar player named Randall
William Rhoads was turning heads.
Randy's father was a music teacher and his mother ran a music school. The
following
comes from the Official Randy Rhoads Web site:
"His love and understanding for music can rightfully be traced back to his
mother,
Delores Rhoads, and to his introduction to music at such a young age. Mrs.
Rhoads
has owned and operated the Musonia School of music in Burbank, CA since
1949.
After graduating from UCLA with a bachelors degree in music she taught in
the Los
Angeles School system before leaving to play professionally and to start her
Musonia.
Randy's father was a music teacher himself, but he left when Randy was 17
months old,
leaving Mrs. Rhoads to raise her three children, Randy, Kellie and Kathy,
and to head the
music programs Musonia school of Music, Burbank, CA."
The website is: www(dot)csun(dot)edu/~igra/rhoads/
Born Dec. 6, 1956 in Santa Monica, Randy was with Quiet Riot (who
are best remembered for their hit "Cum On Feel The Noize"). Randy
had recorded two albums with Quiet Riot, released only in Japan.
Randy was introduced to Ozzy through Dana Strum (now of
Slaughter). Randy showed up at Ozzy's audition and reportedly
played for just five minutes before Oz said he was in. With Bob
Daisley on bass and Lee Kerslake on drums, they recorded an album,
"Blizzard of Ozz", in England. The album would also contain a
melody titled "Dee" which was dedicated to Randy's mother,
Dolores, a source of inspiration for Randy. The album was released
on Don Arden's JET Record label. What about Don Arden and Black
Sabbath? Well when Ozzy was fired, and Ozzy went solo, the record
company said bye-bye to the Sabs.
Ozzy then decided to tour, with his first solo concert in Glasgow,
Scotland on September 12, 1980. What you probably don't know is
that Ozzy had two shows before his debut under the band name of
"Law". The opening day of his first solo concert he and Sharon
paced the streets nervously. Since people in Scotland usually
showed up at the concert without prepaying for tickets, they had
no way of knowing how many people would show up. As it turned out
it was a big success.
Ozzy played all of his Blizzard of Ozz album and some Sabbath songs.
Eventually he broke down and cried because he realized that he could make
it on his own without the other three Sabbath members with whom he had
paved the road to success. You must realize that when Ozzy was in Sabbath
he was really not a contributing member of the band. Geezer wrote most of
the song lyrics and Ozzy would come by and sing the words, but he had
little to do with the actual contributions to the songs[*]. Now Ozzy and
Randy were the main writers and had equal say as to what went into the
songs.
[*] Ozzy did write 'Am I Going Insane' (his feelings about society's views
towards him and his anger towards society) and 'Who Are You?'
Since this chapter will be the end of the Black Sabbath era, here is a list
of the albums which were recorded with any of the original members. As you
can see, in the end only Tony chose to remain in the group:
Ozzy Tony Bill Geezer
=======================================================
Black Sabbath * * * *
Paranoid * * * *
Master of Reality * * * *
Volume 4 * * * *
Sabbath Bloody * * * *
Sabotage * * * *
We Sold Our Soul * * * *
Technical Ecstasy * * * *
Never Say Die * * * *
Heaven and Hell * * *
Mob Rules * *
Live Evil * *
Born Again * * *
Seventh Star (was to be solo) *
Eternal Idol *
Headless Cross *
Tyr *
Dehumanizer * *
Cross Purposes * *
"Who do you think you were in previous incarnations?"
"I think I was a bat" ... Ozzy some years before the "incident"
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
2.1 What the hell is this about biting a bat?
(Diary of a Madman)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The following year, "Diary of a Madman" was released. An
interesting note, Ozzy's son, Elliot is shown on the album cover.
Though production of the album was rushed towards the end so that
the band could get out and tour, Ozzy has said he liked this album
better of the two. The album came out the same time as Sabbath's
Mob Rules album. Diary soared to the top 15 on US charts while Mob
Rules remained at #29. Ozzy's first two albums would sell over 6
million copies. As they toured, Randy would often hold a guitar
clinic for kids who wanted to learn to play guitar. A kid named
Joe Holmes took lessons from Randy, and would later have an impact
on Ozzy's life as well.
The Diary tour was nicknamed Night of the Living Dead tour due to various
misfortunes: The entire band was expelled from a San Diego over Ozzy's
reputation, the prop truck broke down, and in Minneapolis a crane fell and
crushed $8000 worth of synthesizers. On the upside, the stage setting for
Diary of a Madman was a huge castle complete with fog. The drummer was
situated on a raised platform, and there was an opening in the center of
the stage where a dwarf would come out to give Ozzy water and towels. The
dwarf was actually Little John Allen who played R2D2 in Star Wars. It has
been brought to my attention that Kenny Baker actually played R2D2 so I
don't know which name is correct. John Allen suffered mock abuse by having
pig entrails tossed at him, he was stuffed into a hole and he was even
hanged for prolonged periods from a noose (as shown on some videos). This
was accomplished with a harness so as not to really choke him, but how did
he manage to stay up for so long??
During the Diary tour, Ozzy would throw raw meat at his audience. It was
even part of his contract that 25 pounds of calves livers and pigs
intestines be thrown. A parent once phoned the promoter of the show asking
how to get blood out of the clothes. As the tour continued, people would
bring meat to the show to throw back at him. As time passed, the audience
brought dead frogs, cats, snakes, etc. to throw onto the stage. Once,
someone threw a toy doll onto the stage and Ozzy freaked out thinking that
someone had thrown a real infant up on stage.
On Jan. 20 at a Des Moines, Iowa concert some winner threw a real bat up on
stage. The bat lay still because of the spotlights on the stage, and so
Ozzy picked it up, THINKING IT WAS A TOY RUBBER BAT. He bit into the bat,
taking off its head. Immediately the audience and Sharon freaked out. Ozzy
was rushed to emergency to have rabies shots. It is reported that at the
time he was treating the whole thing as a joke, apparently barking like a
dog when wheeled into the hospital. He sent the crew back to find the bat
to find out if it was in fact real or not, the bat could not be found. The
shots would continue for about a week, with needles in each buttock, arms
and leg. Ozzy would also faint or collapse at the concerts which followed.
Ozzy's advice on the situation is, "if you want to be a complete dick, try
it". Subsequently the bat would become a symbol for Ozzy on his upcoming
albums, and even a tattoo. The animal humane society would become involved
and show up to boycott Ozzy concerts. From this point on, he was marked a
madman and his reputation began to precede him. One such nasty rumor, and
sure sign of people's ability to go overboard with gossip and rumors is
this little gem: Before one concert even started, Ozzy supposedly threw
three small dogs into the audience. He refused to play the show until all
the dogs came back to him dead. The story is not true. It was the honest
mistake with a bat which would cement itself in people's minds, even to
this day.
[Ed: I can recall when Ozzy came to my home town on the Diary tour, the
SPCA and police were there threatening to take action if any animals were
harmed on stage. Ozzy has never returned.]
"If they were buzzing the bus, like people say, it probably meant
that Randy was struggling with the pilot to stop him from crashing it"
-Kevin Dubrow of Quiet Riot
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
2.2 When and how did Randy Rhoads die?
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
In 1981, Ozzy divorced his first wife, Thelma. They were separated soon
after the day he came home (drunk) to find a bailiff at the door, and all
of his belongings outside. He was told that if he stepped inside the house
he would be arrested. Ozzy was not exactly what you would call a father
figure. He would leave home for days, weeks, at a time and stay at friends
places until they kicked him out. Rather than go through the divorce
proceedings, Ozzy told her to just keep everything. By now Ozzy and Sharon
had gotten to the point where they decided to get married. Sharon had been
hoping this would also get Ozzy a better deal since her father was the one
managing the recording and managerial contracts.
On March 19th, 1982 Ozzy and his band were on their way to Orlando, FL from
Knoxville, TN. The show was to feature Foreigner and UFO. Ozzy and Randy had
been talking about their recent success. Randy mentioned wanting to leave to
pursue a degree in classical guitar at UCLA. Ozzy has said that if Randy
were still alive, it is doubtful that Randy would still be playing with
him.]
During the trip, they stopped to do some repairs on the tour bus at its base
near Leesburg, Florida. The bus driver, Andrew Aycock (36) invited some of
the
people for a ride in his Beechcraft Bonanza airplane (9-10 am). The bus
driver took Don Airey and Jake Duncan (the tour manager) for a spin.
Aycock had been involved in a previous accident in which a young boy was
killed.
When the plane landed, the driver went for another ride, this time with
Randy
and Ozzy's seamstress, Rachael Youngblood, 58. The pilot of the plane was
presumably under the influence of cocaine (it was later found in drug
tests).
The pilot's ex-wife was standing outside the bus and it is assumed the pilot
dove the plane into the bus in an attempt to kill her. Aycock circled the
bus three times, and on the fourth pass, the plane clipped the tour bus and
careened into a nearby house where it exploded. Ozzy ran into the
house and pulled out a deaf man, who was unaware of the fire.
Rachel and Randy were both killed in the crash. The fire destroyed the home,
and adjacent garage.
Ozzy's new solo career had come to a screeching halt.
He would continue the tour in April with a quick shoe in of Bernie Torme.
Bernie used to play guitar for Gillan (Ian Gillan, who would join Sabbath).
Bernie would not stay with Ozzy long however. Bernie left Ozzy's band. The
reason is not known for sure. Some people say he was not used to playing big
gigs. What is known is that Bernie had a UK tour lined up for his 'Electric
Gypsies' album. His departure from Ozzy was bound to happen.
Brad Gillis left 'Night Ranger' to replace Torme for the remainder of the
tour. Brad Gillis also appeared on the 'Speak of the Devil' LP. After the
tour Ozzy would hire Jakey Lou Williams (Jake E. Lee) with whom he recorded
1984's 'Bark At The Moon' album. Gillis would later rejoin Night Ranger.
Brad may have wanted to stay on with Ozzy but Oz didn't really think the
two of them were compatible.
On Feb. 19, 1982, while visiting San Antonio,
Texas, Ozzy was again drunk after drinking a bottle of Courvoisier. Sharon
decided to lock his clothes in the hotel room so that Ozzy would not go
outside and cause trouble. To solve this problem, Ozzy dressed up in one of
Sharon's evening gowns. While taking some photos of himself in drag, he had
to urinate and did so on the historical Alamo building. The Alamo is the
1836 site of the legendary battle between the Texans and the Mexican army.
Ozzy was arrested and charged with defiling a national monument and banned
from playing in San Antonio any further. This would be another blow to his
image that would haunt him to this day. The ban was eventually lifted.
I received a piece of email from one of the officers who arrested Ozzy
at the Alamo. Contrary to the dress we was supposed to be wearing,
he says Ozzy was not in one. This is just one of the many contradictions
in this FAQ. Until they can be proven, they will remain.
Here is the e-mail I received (Thanks Sam):
"I am one of the officers who arrested Ozzy at the Alamo and to set the
record straight he was not wearing a womans clothes. He had on athletic
shoes with no socks, a T-shirt and a pair of sweatpants with no underwear.
He also had a pack of cigarrettes rolled up in one sleeve. He was wasted
and he never spoke. Billy actually arrested him and I
was driving the "wagon" that day. The wagon is a van outfitted for prisoner
transport. I was called to transport him from the Alamo to jail. The jail
was then
directly across from the S.A.P.D. and it now is the Wackenhut federal parole
violator jail. I've kicked myself several times since then for not having
kept copies
of the reports.
I know what he was wearing because I searched him for weapons and had very
close contact with him. Half way to the jail, which was only about a mile
away the dispatchers were already calling wanting to know who had him in
custody. By the time I dropped him off there was a long black stretch limo
waiting for him.
You might note for your records he was actually given a big break. He was
arrested and booked for public intoxication a class "C" misdemeanor which
carries a max $200.00 fine. The law that more appropriately applied was
"Desecration of a venerated Object" which covers among other things
"Shrines." The Alamo is considered a shrine.
You can post my info on your web page if you like. I think it would be cool
to hear from fans to answer their questions.
Check back later on the report. Send me the exact date again as I really do
not remember and I'll try to get it for you. "
(Where did you go Sam?)
Ozzy married his long time friend Sharon, on a Honolulu-Hawaii beach on
July 4, 1982.
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2.3 What is this about a dove?
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
While the bat incident which still haunts Oz's reputation to this day can
be called an accident, the incident with the dove can be called stupidity.
Here is the story: After leaving Black Sabbath, Ozzy was rejected by many
record labels. Tony Martell, CBS records executive, signed Ozzy to a
contract. Ozzy and wife Sharon were being introduced to the head executives
of CBS records in Los Angeles (Guitar Magazine claims it was New York).
CBS was not too interested in Ozzy because they had just signed Adam Ant.
Ozzy was just another album to them, and they were not interested in the
person behind the music. Sharon decided it would be a
good publicity stunt for Ozzy to walk into the office and throw two doves
up into the air.
The stunt worked, and made CBS pay attention to Ozzy. It also made
the nation pay attention to Ozzy as well: After throwing one dove
up in the air, Ozzy bit the head off of the other one. It is not
known whether Sharon intended for Ozzy to actually bite the dove's
head off or not. Ozzy has already admitted he (not surprisingly)
had drunk a bottle of booze beforehand. Make no mistake about it,
Sharon Osbourne is a shrewd marketer and I wouldn't put any dirty
trick past her. What follows is an interview with an eyewitness
(from Epic) who saw the event:
Q: What happened?
A: It was a normal Thursday morning marketing meeting down in the
conference room. It was just prior to the release of Ozzy's first solo
album. His management and Jet Records, which is the associated label that
puts out his albums, had arranged for him to pay a little surprise visit to
us, to say "Hi, my name is Ozzy Osbourne, and let's make this record a
hit".
Q: Is it unusual for the artist to come to a marketing meeting?
A: No, they seldom do. We've had people from time to time just come in.
Their manager arranges for them to drop by and say, "Surprise!" just to
push the album.
Q: Then what happened?
A: He walked in with Sharon, who later became his wife, and [withheld] from
Jet Records. They introduced Ozzy all around, and there was a photographer
with them. They sat him down on the arm of a chair, and he pulled a dove
out of his pocket. I looked at it and thought, "Gee how cute!"
Q: It was a live dove?
A: I'm ninety-nine and nine-tenths sure it was alive, but now I can't say
for sure. I remember I was leaning forward and thinking, "How cute," and
suddenly he bites its head off. There was blood on the floor. I think he
ate the head; he started spitting some feathers out. I was in shock. It's
hard to remember too much after that, to tell you the truth. It was
horrible.
Q: What was the reaction of the people in the room?
A: There was a stunned silence, and they got him out of there, fast. It was
just very quiet-not a good reaction, I would say. People were going,
"Yucch!". Some looked as though they thought it was a fake bird, that it
was all just a publicity stunt. And others said "No, it's a real bird and
what a horrible thing to do." Personally, I thought it was an awful thing
to do even if it was a fake bird. Sharon called up afterward and sort of
apologized.
Q: Do you think it was her idea all along?
A: Oh, I know it was. I said to her, "He's not mad, just desperate for
publicity."
Q: Did it work? Did he get the publicity?
A: I don't think it worked in getting Epic Records to take notice, but I
think it did work as far as getting the kids to take notice. When the story
leaked out, with photos and all, it got around everywhere. I'm sure Sharon
was calling columns all over the country. That sort of became the Ozzy
legend, that and all the other things he did afterwards.
Q: Sharon said that Epic wasn't taking any notice of Ozzy before this
happened.
A: I feel that people were already aware of Ozzy, prior to the meeting. My
impression was certainly that he was a major artist we were going to be
working with. I doubt if it changed our impression one way or the other,
although I could be wrong. Obviously, he went on to great success, and
maybe that was part of the reason, but who am I to say?
Q: So it was all definitely planned in advance?
A: Definitely. It was not a spontaneous act. He just didn't walk in and
happen to find a dove hanging out in the CBS reception area and say, "Gee,
I'll take this in with me in case I get hungry and they don't have coffee
and doughnuts." It was right in his jacket pocket. Come to think of it, he
had two of them. That was it: he had two of them, one in each pocket. He
let the other one go afterwards. Everyone made him do it. He took the other
one out of his pocket and everyone screamed, "No, don't do it again!"
Q: Did the second one fly away? That would indicate the first one was
alive, wouldn't it?
A: Not necessarily. He might have had one live one and one fake one. It's
just all so hazy; I was so shocked.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
2.4 Wife as manager/Speak of the Devil
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
"I am something of a madman. I can do nothing in moderation. If it's
booze, I drink the place dry. If it's drugs, I take everything and then
scrape the carpet for little crumbs. I took LSD everyday for years - I was
spending about $1000 a week on drugs... I OD'd about a dozen times."
...Ozzy on his addictions
Once married, the better deal they had hoped for fell through.
Sharon did not want her father controlling Ozzy's future any more.
It was decided that the two of them would buy out Ozzy's contract
from her father. Before they could buy out Ozzy's management and
recording contracts, Ozzy still had to deliver an album under his
old contract. Since he wanted out badly, the result was the
purposely low-budget live album "Speak of the Devil". This album
was a live concert recorded Sept. 26 and 27th at The Ritz in New
York. After the album was done, Ozzy could then leave his contract
with Sharon's father.
Don would not give it up so easily though, even for his own daughter. The
newly married couple, not having much money, had to buy Ozzy's contract for
over $1.5 million dollars from her father. Sharon has not spoken with her
father since. Speak of the devil was released in November of 1982.
The runes on the border of the 'Speak of the Devil' album and inside cover
actually translate into meaningful phrases. The translation is found in
Ozzy's autobiography book:
"Howdy! Dial-A-Demon productions in conjunction with graveyard graphics
proudly presents the madman of rock dumping into El Satanos toiletto. "
"A tribute to Randy Rhoads, the axeman. That kid was my lifeline, you
know?
He was such a dynamic player and I'd rather not talk about it anymore
because it cuts me up every day of my life.
Randy Rhoads rest in peace and love."
One of the conditions for the transfer of Ozzy's contract from Don to
Sharon was that she get him to enroll in the Betty Ford center for his
drinking problems. She did this by telling him she was "going to teach him
to drink like a gentleman". Ozzy took this to mean that he would learn how
to drink properly, not at all what the Betty Ford center was for. When he
showed up, he asked where he could find the bar. It didn't take long to
find out that at Betty Ford there is no bar! Ozzy would also begin work on
his next album, Bark at the Moon.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
2.5 Suicide Solution
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
"I swear on my kid's life I never said 'get the f***ing gun'"
...Ozzy on his Suicide Solution song
"They know what they are putting out. There are people who are out there
trying to make money, and they have no hesitation to sell your kids down the
drain. You see a perfectly normal kid there who doesn't show any signs of
depression at all. Then six hours later, he's dead. Nobody can explain it.
The only thing we know is that he was listening to this music."
...Father of suicide victim who listened to Ozzy
A song on Ozzy's first solo album, "Blizzard of Ozz" would cause a lot of
trouble. The song "Suicide Solution" from the start, would have a very
misleading title and this was understandable. Ozzy wrote the song after the
singer for AC/DC (Bon Scott) died after drinking heavily one winter's night
and passing out in his car, dying of hypothermia as a result. Ozzy's
intentions were to talk about alcohol as a DEADLY LIQUID ('solution'
meaning mixture) but the word 'solution' was looked upon as "an answer"
instead. If you are not familiar with Ozzy's lyrics and true intentions, I
strongly suggest before you pass judgement, to read the meaning behind the
song.
Suicide Solution:
================
Wine is fine
But whiskey's quicker
Suicide is slow with liquor
Take a bottle drain your sorrows
Then it cuts away tomorrows
Evil thoughts and evil doings
Cold, alone you hang in ruins
Thought that you'd escape the reaper
You can't escape the master keeper
'Cause you feel life's unreal and you're living a lie
Such a shame who's to blame and you're wondering why
Then you ask from your cask is there life after birth
What you saw can mean hell on this earth
Now you live inside a bottle
The reaper's traveling at full throttle
It's catching you but you don't see
The reaper is you and the reaper is me
Breaking laws, knocking doors
But there's no one at home
Made your bed, rest your head
But you lie there and moan
Where to hide,
suicide is the only way out
Don't you know what it's really about
The song is clearly about the dangers of alcohol, but the song title could
be misinterpreted just as well. Try as I might, I just can't see anything
which tells a person to commit suicide. The only misleading words are in
the song title. In October 1984, a nineteen-year-old teenager named John M.
shot himself in the head, while listening to Ozzy Osbourne's "Suicide
Solution". When the coroner entered the room, he found the headphones still
on John's head.
In 1986, Ozzy had just gotten off a plane at LAX airport when people began
asking him about the "lawsuits". Ozzy knew nothing about any lawsuit but
the details quickly emerged. Three lawsuits had been launched against Ozzy,
claiming that his lyrics had caused youths to commit suicide. The family of
John hired attorney Thomas Anderson in a lawsuit against Ozzy. Mr. Anderson
claimed on the "Don't Blame Me" Ozzy video, that the song contained tones
known as 'hemisync' and would cause a person to be unable to resist what
was being said in the song. On Jan. 13, 1986 the parents of John, sued Ozzy.
The lawsuit was thrown out on Dec. 19, 1986 by a California Superior
Court judge. On July 18, 1988 an appeals court uphold the decision to
dismiss the lawsuit.
The Institute for Bio-Acoustics Research, Inc. (IBAR) was hired to evaluate
the song. They found subliminal lyrics that weren't included in the lyrics
sheet. These subliminal lyrics were sung at one and one-half times the
normal rate of speech and are not recognized by a first time listener. The
IBAR institute claimed the subliminal lyrics, "are audible enough that
their meaning and true intent becomes clear after being listened to over
and over again." The subliminal lyrics in question were "Why try, why try?
Get the gun and try it! Shoot, Shoot, Shoot", followed by a hideous
laughter.
Further analysis by IBAR revealed the hemisync tones, which result from a
patented process that uses sound waves to influence an individual's mental
state. The tones have been found to increase the rate at which the human
brain assimilates and processes information. IBAR claimed these tones made
John vulnerable to the suggestive lyrics which Ozzy sang.
Ozzy's lawyer claimed that this was nonsense and relied upon the First
Amendment of the Constitution to argue that Ozzy could write about anything
he wanted. Three people had now taken their lives, and in each case it was
Ozzy's 'Suicide Solution' song which was the focus as the cause of the
deaths. Mr. Anderson claimed that the words, "shoot shoot, get the gun, get
the gun" were audible in the song. There is an effect which can be heard on
the song, that could be interpreted as that. The sounds were just Ozzy
dicking around with the soundboard. There is the very real possibility
which we must consider, that the record company wanted to promote publicity
and placed these tones in purposely, but this is not for me to prove or
disprove.
Throughout the world, this problem would occur only in America. People were
forced to now take a look at the family life instead of the actual music.
Rather than blaming the music, families should have realized it was up to
the parents to be strong role models and have good communication with their
children. In all cases, Ozzy was found not at fault and has sworn that this
was never the true meaning behind the song. Heavy metal seems to be a scape
goat in which to blame teenagers problems such as drug abuse on. Yet
teenagers who may listen to punk, jazz, or blues music may also suffer from
substance abuse or commit suicide. As a parent, you should be keeping not
only a close eye on the type of music your child is listening to, but get
involved in their lives. Talk to them, ask them how are they doing, try to
forge some kind of a relationship. When kids turn to heavy metal, sometimes
though not always, it is a form of rebelling against a society or education
system they dislike.
What follows is an article written by a group calling themselves "Truth
About Rock":
'' One teenager who unfortunately succeeded in committing suicide was 14
year old Eric A. of St. Louis Park, Minnesota. His favorite groups were Van
Halen, Black Sabbath, Ozzy Osbourne, AC/DC, Quiet Riot, and Motley Crue.
Eric's mother said, "He watched it (MTV) day and night. He... watched
intil(sic) six o'clock in the morning." Eric and his friends were so
obsessed with the rock scene that, the very night before he died, they held
a seance and attempted to contack(sic) the spirits of dead rock stars. At
2:30 the next afternoon, with his eyes filled with tears, he said to his
father, "Dad, I just can't cope with the pressure." He then went into his
room, took his .22 rifle off the wall rack, and killed himself. ''
[Right here we have some problems. If a kid is spending all his time in
front of the television, it might be a wise idea for the parents to
intervene. If you just let him soak up videos all day, there may be a
problem. Hosting a seance is also not a normal social activity for a
teenager. Why did the father not talk to his son?]
'' Apparently, he had followed the deranged advice of one of his favorite
rock singers, Ozzy Osbourne, who preaches in "Suicide Solution", "Suicide
is the only way out/...Why don't you kill yourself 'cause you can't escape
the Master Reaper..." {3} ''
[This is bullshit. Ozzy never says "Why don't you kill yourself". This is a
prime example of a religious group portraying Ozzy as a menace to society.
If you read the lyrics of his song you would see otherwise.]
'' Though Ozzy preaches such deadly lyrics, he defends himself saying,
"Parents have called me and said, 'When my son died of a drug over-dose,
your record was on the turntable.' I can't help that. These people are
freaking out anyway, and they need a vehicle for the freakouts." {4} ''
[I am not a long hair rock freak. I live a conservative life and am
neutral in my views towards the church and Ozzy. I am not under the devil's
influence, though some religious person could easily claim so for my
negative views, but from my perspective this religious group is trying to
blame the actions of this 14 year old on Ozzy. Drug abuse may be higher
among the 'headbanger' heavy metal crowd, but to shift the blame to the
music itself seems to suggest the person is all too easily influenced by
music. Shouldn't television and newspapers also be censored then?]
I will leave the closing words to the remainder of the groups article:
'' Pathetically, Rock Stars themselves are being caught in the devastating
grasp of suicide. Peter Townshend, formerly of The Who, acknowledged, "Rock
is going to kill me somehow. Mentally or physically or some thing, it's
going to get me in the end." {5} I myself spent 6 months contemplating
suicide every day. The influence of Drugs and Rock 'n' Roll had almost
destroyed my life. Until, with a knife in my hand, after trying to cut my
wrists, I cried out "God help me!" From that moment on He began to change
my life, and a short while later I became a 'born again' Christian. Whether
you like it or not, you are in a battle for your life. The Devil wants to
destroy you and he is using Rock music as a primary agent. But God has not
given you life, only to have it choked out by the demented obsessions of
Rock musicians. There is only one solution to your problems. Begin to live
for God and not for yourself. Because Jesus loves you, He came to Earth to
give His life in your place, so that you wouldn't have to die for your own
sins. If you give your life back to Him, He will give you the peace you're
looking for. ''
For more information on Rock n'Roll, write to: Truth About Rock,
Box 9222, North St. Paul, MN. 55109
Note: Since there is a constant turnover of new Rock groups some of
those mentioned above may not currently be "hot". However, be assured
that other groups have taken their place and continue to present a
similar message.
FOOTNOTES: {1} National Center For Health Statistics
{2} Aurora Mackey, "The Frightening Facts About Teen
Suicide"< Teen, 10/83
{3} Truth About Rock Report, June/July '85, p. 6
{4} "Heavy Metal Mania", Anne Fadiman, Life magazine,
12/84, p.112
{5} Time magazine Dec. 17, 1979, pg. 94
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2.6 Bark at the Moon
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ozzy's next album would be "Bark at the Moon". The title track is a song
about a creature (werewolf) who has come back to seek revenge on those who
scorned and buried him. The video portrays Ozzy being confined to an asylum
because he was a mad scientist. In the asylum he sees this werewolf running
around chasing him. This song, like his earlier songs would supposedly
affect his listeners in negative ways, read on:
"Rock Sparks Stabbing", Canadian Press Association:
Halifax, Canada, 9/26/84
"...according to the Canadian Press Wire Service, the effect of heavy
metal rock music so influenced a young Canadian named James Jollimore,
that '...on New Year's Eve -1983, he went out and stabbed someone. A
friend of the defendant testified that Jollimore, 20, who is charged with
the first-degree murder of a 44 year old woman and her two sons, felt
like stabbing people when he heard music such as Ozzy Osbourne's 'Bark at
the Moon'. 'Jimmy said that every time he listened to the song he felt
strange inside,' the friend told the court. 'He said when he heard it on
New Year's Eve he went out and stabbed someone.'"
[Once again the blame would be shifted from the individual to the
musician.]
Ozzy's band now consisted of Jake E. Lee on guitar, Tommy Aldridge, Don
Airey on keyboard and Bob Daisley on bass. One of the videos they filmed
for the album was the lovely ballad, "So Tired". This ballad made use of a
full orchestra. An interesting note: Ozzy also plays the parts of all the
main characters in the video. A good use of makeup art is evident. One
scene shows Ozzy in front of a mirror clenching his fists, and the mirror
shatters. While filming the video, the charge which would shatter the
mirror was too strong and the mirror exploded sending glass into Ozzy's
face.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
2.7 The Ultimate Disaster
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
After the release of the 1984 Bark at the Moon album and subsequent tour,
Ozzy began work on the long awaited Ultimate Sin album. The Ultimate Sin
would come out in 1986, ending the long wait by his fans. It would also be
one of the poorest amongst the opinions of Ozzy and his fans as well. The
album's sound was cheesy and according to Ozzy, most of songs ended up
sounding alike (which they do).
On March 19/1987, due to overwhelming demand by his fans, Ozzy also
released the Randy Rhoad's Tribute album. Randy's mother, Dolores had
dozens of letters from fans wanting to know if there were any more Randy
concerts out there. She then contacted Ozzy who searched through his house
and came up with some old archive material. The material was sent to Max
Norman who had produced Ozzy's first three albums, to see if the material
was suitable. The result was the Randy Rhoad's Tribute album. Ozzy also
played only one show that year, at the HMP Wormwood Scrubs prison in the UK.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
2.8 No Rest for the Wicked
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The following year, in 1988, Ozzy released his 'No Rest for the Wicked'
album. This featured Zakk Wylde (who had his own band 'Pride and Glory') on
guitar, Randy Castillo on drums and Bob Daisley on bass guitar. The album
title again was a bit eerie and the cover showed an Osbourne sitting in a
chair with two girls (looking possessed) and one screaming at him. Zakk,
who had heard Ozzy on Howard Stern mention that he was looking for a new
guitar player, didn't think he had a chance. It was not until later when a
rock photographer mentioned he would be happy to pass along a tape of
Zakk's music, did he then get the audition and the subsequent part.
On August 12 and 13th of 1989, Ozzy played the Moscow Music Peace Festival.
This show featured acts like Bon Jovi, Scorpions and Motley Crue. The other
bands were basically small club bands but of course Ozzy was a world-wide
name and the crowd just went crazy when it was his turn to play.
In March of 1990, Geezer would join Ozzy in releasing a live album titled
"Just Say Ozzy". This would contain some of the No Rest for the Wicked and
Black Sabbath material combined. Nothing to write home about.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
2.9 No More Beers
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
"A lot of my drinking friends died in their 40's-heart attacks, one
guy's liver exploded. There but for the grace of God go I. Their
must be a guiding star over me" [Ozzy 1996]
The year 1991 would mark the beginning of big changes in Ozzy's life. Ozzy
gave sobriety another try, and came out victorious. It was a combination of
domestic situations, hangovers, and many personal reasons which made him
want to try again. He had wanted to quit drinking every day but was unable
to because he'd be feeling too bad from the day before. He had been to many
treatment centers (including multiple stays at Betty Ford) before. This
time he just woke up one day and decided that enough was enough. Since
successfully quitting, he has not had a drink to this day! Now that he
wasn't drinking, Ozzy took his health one step further. He bought a
Lifecycle (which he uses at least 90 minutes a day), starting dieting (he
now avoids eating red meat) and working out. The result was a better
looking Ozzy, both in physical aspects and his on stage performance. He
would also begin to see life in a different light, enjoying life's moments
that he had previously ignored because of being constantly drunk.
There would be another change, this time in his musical direction. Ozzy has
said he used to write songs based on what he thought his fans would like to
hear. The album titles were dark. He had never written or recorded an album
sober before. During this alcohol free period he recorded his next album,
"No More Tears", which would be a change from his previous dark album
titles.
No More Tears was originally going to be titled "Say Hello To
Heaven" which would be an accurate portrayal of the cover. The cover showed
a tame looking Ozzy with wings, in a cloudy serene background. The music
itself was a pleasant mix of soft ballads like "Mama I'm Coming Home" (one
even your mother would enjoy), to hard rocking songs like "Hellraiser". It
is of interest to note that Lemmy of Motorhead helped Ozzy write the lyrics
to some of the songs (or in the case of Mama, he wrote all the lyrics). The
song "Road to Nowhere" would describe his life in general, while "Mr.
Tinkertrain" would talk about child molestation issues. Being written in
the first person, critics now claimed Ozzy was promoting child molestation.
He would also win a Grammy award for the song, "I Don't Want to Change the
World". This would also be a first in that it was the first album they made
demos of, thus deciding on which songs to keep and which ones to make
changes to. Samples of the untouched, original songs are available on
bootlegs as well.
Ozzy surprised everyone by calling the tour, "No More Tours". In interviews
he said that he was tired of touring and he wanted to spend more time with
his family. He was also suffering bouts of illnesses, canceling shows, and
other injuries. The pressures of touring got to him and he embarked on what
was to be his "final tour". The band now consisted of Zakk on guitar, Randy
Castillo on drums and Mike Inez on bass. During these final tours, some
shows were taped and used in an upcoming commercial video and audio
compilation, "Live and Loud" which was a double album. The CD package also
included two stick-on tattoos. There was much speculation about whether or
not this would be the final tour, or perhaps it was a ploy to get more
money.
On November 15 of 1992, Ozzy played at Costa Mesa, California. This was one
of the two nightly shows that would be the last in his tour. Sharon and
Ozzy decided it would be cool to invite the other members of Black Sabbath
for a reunion since this would be the end of it all. All of the members of
Black Sabbath agreed, but Ronnie Dio did not. After playing his songs, the
members of Black Sabbath came out and joined Ozzy in playing four songs:
Black Sabbath, Fairies Wear Boots, Iron Man and of course, Paranoid. The
video release of this fi