From a rubbish burglar and pub-room blues singer to the godfather of heavy metal and (inter)national treasure, Ozzy Osbourne’s journey was sometimes a rocky one. But beyond the bat-biting antics and hair-raising war stories, Ozzy leaves behind a body of work that completely redefined rock and spawned an entire genre of music that continues to enthral generations the world over. Outside of heavy rock, Ozzy and Black Sabbath’s heavy boot imprints can still be heard all over the contemporary musical landscape. The worlds of hip hop, industrial, stoner and psych rock, and doom-laden modern-day folk acts like Dublin’s Lankum all owe a debt to the almighty sounds he and Sabbath first cooked up in Aston, Birmingham at the dawn of the ‘70s. Here, MOJO's Mark Blake hitches a ride aboard Ozzy’s train and charts his musical journey via his ten greatest songs...
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READ MORE: Every Black Sabbath Album Ranked!
Black Sabbath
(from Black Sabbath, Vertigo, 1970)
Osbourne’s lyrics on track one, side one of Black Sabbath’s debut album were inspired by bassist Geezer Butler spotting a shadowy apparition in his Aston bedroom. “Oh no, no please God help me!” implores Ozzy, sounding like the distraught victim in a Hammer Horror movie. Osbourne’s musical life started here.
War Pigs
(from Paranoid, Vertigo, 1970)
On first listen, this strident anti-war anthem is defined by his bandmates’ great lumbering rhythm and Tony Iommi’s staccato riff, but Osbourne’s beseeching wail – “Generals gathered in their masses” etc. – is the glue holding it together. His repeated “Oh Lord yeah” is pure Oz: daft and simple but wholly believable.
Paranoid
(from Paranoid, Vertigo, 1970)
Geezer Butler wrote the song about his own parlous mental condition, but Ozzy’s narration captured his friend’s anguish. Osbourne saw himself in the song, too, and Top Of The Pops viewers had their first glimpse of him shaking his curtains and clinging to the mike stand like a drunk to a lamppost.
Planet Caravan
(from Paranoid, Vertigo, 1970)
Like a stoned astronaut, Osbourne croons about “sailing through endless skies” and “the crimson eye of great god Mars”. With its pattering bongos, jazzy guitar and Ozzy’s hushed vocals fed through a Leslie speaker, it’s crying out for an Ibiza comedown compilation remix. Think: Ozzy goes trip-hop.
Changes
(from Vol 4, Vertigo, 1972)
Sabbath’s first power ballad avoids the genre’s usual bombast, partly because of its subtle arrangement, but mainly because of Ozzy’s guileless vocal. There’s no posturing: he sings it like someone who's lost the love of his life, but by ’72 the changes were metaphorical too, with the band, not least their singer, staring down the narcotic abyss.
Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
(from Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, Vertigo, 1973)
There’s no heavy metal vocalist on the planet who could deliver Sabbath Bloody Sabbath’s foreboding lines with such utter conviction. But Osbourne showed his versatility too: switching from sounding hurt and defeated (“Fill your head all full of lies”) to furious in the draw of a breath. His ‘You bastard!’ is one of the song’s highlights.
Symptom Of The Universe
(from Sabotage, Vertigo, 1975)
One of Sabbath’s most underrated albums was recorded amid legal and chemical warfare, with Osbourne vocalising their collective woes on its defining song. “Swim the magic ocean I’ve been crying all these years,” he urges before managing a little optimism at the end. But really, it sounds like one long howl of pain (see also: Sabotage’s Hole In The Sky and The Writ).
Crazy Train
(from Blizzard Of Ozz, Jet 1980)
Away from Sabbath, Osbourne’s comic-book wildman persona quickly took shape. The first single from his debut solo album blueprinted a new look and sound: Ozzy fessing up to his supposed mental instability over Randy Rhoads’ nimble solos, but with everything anchored by a shiny, singalong pop-metal chorus. America was soon his for the taking.
No More Tears
(from No More Tears, Epic, 1991)
The title track to Osbourne’s sixth solo album was a canny reboot for the 1990s. Doomy pop-rock toughing it out against Nirvana, Pearl Jam, etc, it had Ozzy inhabiting the guise of a serial killer, dragging out his syllables and wailing along to the riff the way he’d done on Sabbath’s Iron Man and other vintage gems.
Mama, I’m Coming Home
(from No More Tears, Epic, 1991)
Heavy rock is littered with hollow songs about weary road warriors missing home. Ozzy’s contribution to the genre was superior because he only ever had one gear: honest and unaffected. As heard during his final performance at Villa Park, he sang it like he meant every word of it.
Photo: Martyn Goodacre/Getty Images