To say that Ozzy Osbourne is just another artist in the vast world of rock & metal is like saying that Eddie Van Halen is just another guitar player, or that Michael Jordan was an okay basketball player. What they did was change how guitar playing and dominating the court would be for generations to come. Well, the same can be said for Mr. Osbourne, who is currently in the midst of a massive farewell tour.
In the seventies he and his Black Sabbath band mates brought heavy metal to the music world and had a hand in inspiring countless of bands along the way. Upon being fired from the band, Ozzy rose from the ashes and began a solo career that went on to far exceed the success he had achieved with Sabbath. He went on to introduce us to the likes of Randy Rhoads, Jake E. Lee and Zakk Wylde while building a music legacy with hit after hit. And throughout his career one thing that The Prince of Darkness has managed to do is deliver high energy shows while doing all he can to get the crowd just as pumped as he is.
My first recollection of Ozzy dates back to when I first hear the song “Rock ‘N’ Roll Rebel”. The killer guitar, lyrics and sound just blew me away. From there I went back and discovered Blizzard of Ozz and Diary of a Madman, as well as bits and pieces of his time with Black Sabbath. There were so many great songs and from that point on I bought anything the Madman released. To this day The Ultimate Sin remains one of my favorite Ozzy albums. Jake E. Lee’s playing on that record did it for me. That is until I heard the young hotshot, Zakk Wylde, on No Rest for the Wicked with his monster riffs and plethora of harmonics that I just couldn’t get enough of. Not only are they my two favorite Ozzy records but they rank up there on my list of all-time favorites.