Ozzy Osbourne was many things: godfather of heavy metal, prince of darkness, reality TV star, loving husband. He was also a larger than life personality who found a way to remain relevant in the cultural zeitgeist. From Black Sabbath's emergence in Birmingham, England in the 1960s to his final concert just two weeks ago, his ability to remain relevant was singular. In the world of heavy metal music there is no name more synonymous than that of Osbourne.
His relevancy won't fade rapidly either. Osbourne’s legendary tracks continue to be heard all over the radio: "Crazy Train," "Iron Man," "No More Tears," "Bark at the Moon," "Mama, I'm Coming Home" are but a few you hear regularly. But there are musical gems in his catalogue that are often overshadowed that deserve just as much attention. Here's our offering of a few deeper cuts that will build your appreciation for the prince of darkness — from early Black Sabbath sound setting to famous collabs to lyrical ballads that pull at your heart. There's much more to be appreciated about Osbourne. Ozzy Forever!
"Symptom of the Universe" — Black Sabbath
This selection from 1975's Sabotage has everything that makes for a great Black Sabbath song. It's heavy, there's a face-melting guitar solo and Osbourne has a powerful vocal performance throughout. It's a six and half minute track that at the half way point has Osbourne singing about "finding happiness in the summer sky of love." A surprise from the usual dark themes of Black Sabbath.
"Time After Time" — Ozzy Osbourne
Osbourne knew how to write a song that hits you in the feels. No More Tears was a huge success that includes mega-hits "Mama, I'm Coming Home" and the title track. "Time After Time" had some stiff competition with those songs but shines on its own and is worth the listen.
"One of Those Days (feat. Eric Clapton)" — Ozzy Osbourne
Believe it or not, Osbourne made a song with Eric Clapton. That alone merits giving this one a listen. "One of Those Days" comes off Osbourne's last studio album Patient Number 9, which saw collabs with not just Clapton but Jeff Beck, Taylor Hawkins, Duff McKagen and his Black Sabbath band mate, Tony Iommi.
"After Forever" — Black Sabbath
A pro-religion song from Black Sabbath? At this point the band was sick of being called satanists, so bassist Geezer Butler (who is a Christian) teamed up with Osbourne to write a song about the possibility of God and keeping an open mind. With lyrics like "Well I've seen the truth and I've seen the light and I've changed my ways" and "God is the only way to love" this is not a typical Black Sabbath song.
"Methademic" — Black Sabbath
This track is off Black Sabbath's last album, 13. The band was well into their 60s when they released this album, but they were still rocking harder than bands in their 20s. It's well known that Osbourne was no stranger to drug abuse, and this track addresses Methamphetamine and the horrors that come with addiction.
"Fool Like You" — Ozzy Osbourne
Just look at that album art! That is some serious '80s cheese. The Ultimate Sin is one of Osbourne's less stellar albums but it did include his massive hit "Shot in the Dark" and this underappreciated gem. "Fool Like You" is classic '80s metal and merits a revisit of The Ultimate Sin. The guitar work of Jake E. Lee is mentionable as well — there's some serious shredding going on here.
"Dreamer" — Ozzy Osbourne
This was a big hit for Osbourne in the early 2000s and plenty of people know it, but it's a good representative of Osbourne's ability to write a powerful ballad. He loved The Beatles and you can hear that band's influence in this song. Keep the tissues nearby when you listen.
"The Wizard" — Black Sabbath
Yes, yes, this is another famous song, but it warrants inclusion because NOTHING sounded like this when it came out. Hippie culture was at its peak in 1970 when along came Black Sabbath. The band's dark lyrics and the sense of evil and foreboding throughout their music was (at the time) so heavy it caused mass uproar. Blues and heavy metal collide in this track and it still sounds fresh to this day. The harmonica (played by Osbourne) sets the tone, then in comes Iommi's now-iconic guitar sound, which changed the face of modern music.
"Thunder Underground" — Ozzy Osbourne
Osbourne influenced countless musicians, including many from the grunge era (think Soundgarden and Alice In Chains). This track is Osbourne's take on grunge. The guitars are sludgy and the solos are very early '90s. It's a solid lesser talked about song from an interesting time in Osbourne's career and is underrated in his catalogue.
"Sabbra Cadabra" — Black Sabbath
This song just rocks. It's energetic, fun, has a killer guitar riff and even a synth solo from Rick Wakeman of Yes fame. It's a highlight in the Black Sabbath catalogue and an easy excuse to revisit the Sabbath Bloody Sabbath album — it's good stuff.
"Goodbye to Romance" — Ozzy Osbourne
1980 was a big year for Osbourne. He released his debut solo album Blizzard of Ozz, which included his (arguably) biggest hit "Crazy Train." The record marked the birth of a new iconic duo, with Osbourne pairing up with guitarist Randy Rhoads. If you watch performance videos from this era you can see that the two had an electric stage chemistry to rival the greats. This track is another tear jerker from the prince of darkness and is an additional feather in his beautiful ballad cap.
