Ozzy Osbourne is heavy metal's original madman. Frontman of Black Sabbath in the 70s, his wails of dispair on the likes of Black Sabbath, Paranoid and War Pigs cemented metal's fixation with all things grim, setting a template for a darker strain of music that would extricate itself entirely from late 60s hard rock as the decade progressed.
Booted from Sabbath in 1980, few - Osbourne included - expected him to rally and arise anew as a star in his own right, adding a wild-eyed mania to his repertoire that saw him crowned The Prince Of Darkness. Almost 45 years later, Ozzy is getting his dues by being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame as a solo artist, having already been inducted with Black Sabbath all the way back in 2006. To celebrate his incredible career, Hammer spoke to some of metal's biggest and brightest names to find the ultimate Ozzy Osbourne playlist - from Sabbath to solo.
Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath (Black Sabbath, 1970)
“We covered Black Sabbath’s title track way back. They’ve obviously inspired so many bands, but for me personally I really love that track because it’s so atmospheric. It’s also kind of time-bound for me, as it takes me back to a time where I was discovering all this heavy music that I love so much.” Sharon Den Adel, Within Temptation
Black Sabbath - War Pigs (Paranoid, 1970)
"War Pigs says it all for me. The lyrics are so fucking relevant – unfortunately even more so as time’s gone on. I’ve met Ozzy twice and he’s a legend, genuinely. No matter what he’s doing – even if he’s just scoffing a bag of chips in the corner – he’s still a proper star. He oozes charisma and it all comes out on that song.” Benji Webbe, Skindred
Black Sabbath - Iron Man (Paranoid, 1970)
“Iron Man is so dark and hypnotic, it’s incredible. It’s the kind of song that transcends any musical style – it could have been written for Stravinsky and we would still be playing it all the time. Therapy? got invited to record a cover of Iron Man with Ozzy singing [for the 1994 Black Sabbath tribute album Nativity In Black], and we ended up changing it up arrangement-wise, making it more Black Flag-ish.
I wasn’t sure how Ozzy would feel about it and he came back like, ‘Yes, make it your own!’ We got invited out to Los Angeles to work with Terry Date on the final mix. Ozzy specifically came into the studio to see us. We heard the full track for the first time and we were like, ‘It sounds incredible!’ and Ozzy pipes in, ‘Well, I’ve only been singing it for 20 years!’” Andy Cairns, Therapy?
Black Sabbath - Sweet Leaf (Master Of Reality, 1971)
“I must’ve listened to Sweet Leaf constantly when I heard it for the first time. It was maybe ’76 or ’77, I’d go out riding dirt bikes with my friends and our dads. We’d all get together out in the desert and gather round a camp fire. I remember someone put it on and it was extremely loud and that coughing at the start made me go, ‘What the hell is going on?’ It remains my favourite Sabbath song – I love Ozzy’s vocals so much on it, especially the live version that they put out because it’s so heavy!” Scott Hill, Fu Manchu
Black Sabbath - Solitude (Master Of Reality, 1971)
“I’m a huge Sabbath fan, and so is my son. He loves a lot of that classic rock stuff and I won’t even pretend that wasn’t my doing – it’s all me! I really love Solitude – I can’t believe he sings that. It’s such a beautiful song and his voice is so different. It’s incredibly English too, almost riffing on this Celtic folk idea, and the production sounds so simple even though there’s so much going on in both his vocals and the instrumentals.
The lyrics are very unusual too – it’s not really a metal thing to be like ‘I’m sad, I’m lonely’, it’s almost more like an old folk singer. It’s such a beautiful song; I wish they’d made a whole album like that. But then I guess we’d miss the riffs! Ozzy’s vocal range is insane.” Myrkur
Black Sabbath - Snowblind (Vol. 4, 1972)
“Those early Sabbath tracks are just brilliant, but when they went out to America and there’s a real mix of styles it really takes off for me. These Brummie rockers meeting West Coast lifestyles on tracks like Snowblind. There’s a kind of swagger and swing to them that I really like. Ozzy really lets loose, and it feels like a hint of who he was before he became this media construct of Ozzy Osbourne, where he’s this figure of fun after the TV show. There was something about that time, the looseness of it all.” Bill Bailey
Black Sabbath - Supernaut (Vol. 4, 1972)
“To me, Vol. 4 is still to this day Black Sabbath’s best album. We decided to cover Supernaut back in the day [as Ministry side-project 1000 Homo DJs]. I think we drove it a little bit further because it was driving to start with, but it was hypnotic, we just kind of shoved it in your face a little bit closer.
[Billy Idol guitarist and Ozzy confidante] Billy Morrison, who we worked with on Hopeiumforthemasses and for Moral Hygiene, is like best friends with Ozzy. He eats lunch with him once a week. He told us that Ozzy is just over the moon about that one. Which is incredible! He’s a fucking genius, just like Lemmy, you know. They were true to their selves.” Al Jourgensen, Ministry
Black Sabbath - A National Acrobat (Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, 1973)
“A National Acrobat from Sabbath Bloody Sabbath has always been one of my favourite songs with Ozzy on. Like, Black Sabbath the song is probably the most impactful song ever and the first time I heard it I remember getting scared, but discovering that band was like a drawing a line through who I was. There was before Black Sabbath, and after. But A National Acrobat is still my favourite, there’s just something about it, man. Ozzy’s voice is incredible on that whole record. They were at their most creative at that point, but Black Sabbath are Bible.” Kenny Hickey, Type O Negative / Silvertomb / Sun Don't Shine
Black Sabbath - Gypsy (Technical Ecstasy, 1976)
“I’m a huge fan of metal songs called Gypsy: Gypsy Road by Cinderella, Gypsy by Mercyful Fate… there’s loads! Black Sabbath’s is the best, though – people underestimate just how good Technical Ecstasy and Never Say Die! are. Yes, there’s some crap, but there’s also this wonderful stuff like Bill Ward doing a Beatles-style piano ballad on It’s Alright. Gypsy is the best of those songs.
I discovered Black Sabbath when I went to King’s Lynn Corn Exchange when I was 12 for ‘A Night Of Metal’, which had Carl Sentance from Krokus, various session guys and Tony Martin of late Black Sabbath fame. I ended up listening to the first seven Sabbath albums so often it felt like everything else sucked! There’s a musicality and colour to the last two albums that I think is really interesting, this almost prog thing where they’re trying to keep up with the soft rock bands like Kansas and failing hard. Gypsy is cool because it’s the Sabbath we never saw. It’s better than anything on the first two Ozzy [solo] albums!” Tom Templar, Green Lung
Black Sabbath - Air Dance (Never Say Die!, 1978)
“There’s a song called Air Dance on the last Sabbath album with Ozzy from the 70s. It’s an odd song, but that’s fine – Opeth are an odd band too. Lots of people will talk about Iron Man or Black Sabbath, which are great, but they also have shitloads of experimentation on. Never Say Die! might not be their most popular record, but it also proved they were still trying new things and it’s probably got the weirdest songs of the entire Ozzy era. It wasn’t written to be a super-hit, but it’s so great regardless.” Mikael Akerfeldt, Opeth
Ozzy Osbourne - Crazy Train (Blizzard Of Ozz, 1980)
“Crazy Train is my jam, bro! I first heard it on a skate video and fell for it. Then I learned how to play it and loved it more. It’s such a good song. It’s also that little bit left of centre as well, especially for Ozzy. It’s not as dark. It’s almost groovy. It’s that reminder that we can always do more than what people perceive us to be. I really like that Ozzy’s always pushed people in a way that only he could. I’m a fan of him going that far and living through it. That’s pretty gangster. If nothing else, I need more of that energy in the world.” Jason Aalon Butler, Fever 333 / Letlive.
Ozzy Osbourne - I Don't Know (Blizzard Of Ozz, 1980)
“I love Ozzy. We [Skid Row] opened up for Ozzy Osbourne in Moscow in 1989 when it was still communist. I recently hung out with Ozzy and Sharon at one of Billy Morrison’s art shows. Me and Ozzy just talked about singing and in-ear monitors and looking after your voice, and it was a joy to talk shop with him.
“If you go on my YouTube channel you can hear me singing I Don’t Know with Wolf Hoffmann from Accept, and if you listen to that you’ll hear my love for the song in that recording. I also recorded Believer with Dimebag Darrell but my personal favourite is I Don’t Know. The breakdown in the middle is so melodic, and then you have the heaviness of the main riff and the ambiguity of the lyric where he’s saying, ‘Don’t look at me for answers / Don’t ask me, I don’t know.’ It’s just a great song, it’s cool, it’s heavy as fuck and it’s my favourite Ozzy song.” Sebastian Bach
Ozzy Osbourne - Goodbye To Romance (Blizzard Of Ozz, 1980)
“Goodbye To Romance, I love that song. We did a special tribute to Randy Rhoads last year at a Santa Ana show and I sang that, it was so nice. Eventually I would like to record that cover, I love the emotion.” Doro Pesch
Ozzy Osbourne - Mr. Crowley (Blizzard Of Ozz, 1980)
“We ripped off Mr. Crowley at the very start of our song The Abyss. The intro to it is one of the most terrifying pieces of music, that really crazy synth… On The Abyss I wanted to channel that, really try to replicate it. I loved it so much as a kid and have loved Black Sabbath forever too; we even used to cover Black Sabbath in my old hardcore band. To this day, Ozzy influences us.” Will Gould, Creeper / Salem
Ozzy Osbourne - Over The Mountain (Diary Of A Madman, 1981)
“Ozzy doesn’t get nearly enough praise for his vocals, especially on his early solo stuff. In a way it’s a bit like his performances on Sabotage stuff like Supertzar or Megalomania, these absolutely massive melodies. In Sabbath he’d got Geezer Butler writing the tunes, but solo he has to work that much harder, and some of the stuff he comes up with sits so perfectly with what Randy Rhoads comes up with.
Ozzy has always had that knack for finding the right vocal melody to fit a riff, and I’ve always really wanted to replicate that. He’s not the most technical singer, but he’s always himself and has made himself stand out. I reckon that comes from his love of The Beatles – you can hear that Lennon-McCartney element in his own style.” Ben Ward, Orange Goblin
Ozzy Osbourne - S.A.T.O. (Diary Of A Madman, 1981)
“Randy Rhoads is my favourite guitar player of all time. He was the poster on my wall when I was practising eight hours a day – hugely inspirational. He not only resuscitated Ozzy’s career, but the chemistry between Ozzy’s ‘Prince of Darkness’ vibe and Randy’s shredding professionalism is unique in the annals of rock’n’roll. S.A.T.O. has all those elements: it’s spooky, it’s heavy, it’s got some of the greatest Randy Rhoads guitar playing, and it really shows him as an apex artist, bringing Ozzy Osbourne to a brand new audience.” Tom Morello
Ozzy Osbourne - Diary Of A Madman (Diary Of A Madman, 1981)
“There are so many incredible songs you can relate to Ozzy, but if we go just for his solo career and pick stand-outs, I would pick one that I’ve actually had the good fortune of playing with him on two occasions. Diary Of A Madman for me is just one of the most complete songs in hard rock and metal – it’s incredibly dynamic in terms of the way it grooves and builds really well. It’s a beautiful song, and I’m so happy we got to play it, because when it comes to picking songs for live, Ozzy wants to be very comfortable with what he’s doing, so it was a special moment for me when we did that.” Rob Trujillo, Metallica
Ozzy Osbourne - Bark At The Moon (Bark At The Moon, 1983)
“The one that always stood out to me was Bark At The Moon. When I saw that video as a kid, there was just something about it that made me laugh so much. It’s so silly, so campy, and it was everything I really wanted from metal. It also has great melodies and Ozzy’s voice is really showcased on it. Plus, who doesn’t love werewolves?!” Djamila Azzouz, Ithaca
Ozzy Osbourne - Shot In The Dark (The Ultimate Sin, 1986)
“Shot In The Dark comes out number one for me. We actually used to play that as a stage outro after we were done. We considered a cover for a while, but it’s a very weird tuning. It’s like the top two strings are tuned down a full step, so it’s fucking odd as a guitarist, and we’d have to have extra guitars set up specifically for it and fly around with those. The Ultimate Sin record rules, though.” Gabriel Franco, Unto Others
Ozzy Osbourne - Bloodbath In Paradise (No Rest For The Wicked, 1988)
“Bloodbath In Paradise has always been one of my favourite Ozzy Osbourne songs. The first time I saw Ozzy was on the No Rest For The Wicked tour back in 1988 or 1989. I’m a real hair metal guy. I like The Ultimate Sin and I like No Rest For The Wicked a lot, especially Bloodbath In Paradise. Because of the horror element in the intro, I really, really dig that song.” Mr. Lordi, Lordi
Ozzy & Lita Ford - Close My Eyes Forever (Lita, 1988)
“Back in the 80s, Ozzy did this incredible duet with Lita Ford, Close My Eyes Forever. The first time I heard it I was just a kid, but it was the era of MTV, and I can remember in the video whenever he sings he looks possessed. There was so much rumour around him back then that it scared me, and Lita Ford had kind of that hot older sister vibe… The two of them together in that duet is brilliant.
What I really like is that it’s sad and melancholy – it’s about suicide and death. It’s hot and sexy, but also dark. It’s one of my favourite Ozzy songs, and it just so happens to be with one of the queens of rock’n’roll.” Jesse Leach, Killswitch Engage
Ozzy Osbourne - Mr. Tinkertrain (No More Tears, 1991)
“There’s such a history for Ozzy, starting with Black Sabbath. I love some of the more abstract solo songs, though – the ones you might hear on radio, but not too often. I fucking love Mr. Tinkertrain! It’s a weird fucking topic [paedophilia] for anybody, but for Ozzy especially and that song is super-heavy. Every time I hear it on the radio it’s like ‘YEAH! I’m glad they’re playing this instead of Crazy Train!’ Ha ha ha!” Kerry King
Ozzy Osbourne - No More Tears (No More Tears, 1991)
“No More Tears just kicks ass. Other than being the song I know the best, that’s the song that I think kicks some of the most ass. And you know… kicking ass rules! It’s got huge guitars: riffs, huge pinch harmonics, and I love the structure of it being that kind of, vocal, riff, vocal, riff… I take a lot of influence from that, and I do a lot of that in my own songs. That song rocks.” Caleb Shomo, Beartooth
Ozzy Osbourne - Mama, I'm Coming Home (No More Tears, 1991)
“I’ve got a real soft spot for Mama, I’m Coming Home. I didn’t write the lyrics – Lemmy did – but I told him exactly what I wanted to say. But I tell you what, I don’t really have a personal favourite. People always ask what my favourite album I’ve done is – I don’t have one! They are records of fun, chaos or when I’ve been having a miserable fucking time. Each one is a reflection of me at the time.” Ozzy Osbourne
Ozzy Osbourne - Perry Mason (Ozzmosis, 1995)
“My favourite song by Ozzy is Perry Mason, for a couple of different reasons. It was very inspiring for me to listen to a song by the Prince Of Darkness and basically say, ‘Wow, you can write a song about anything.’ But also, before I started out on guitar, I played keyboards, and so that whole intro is amazing – it’s a riff on a keyboard! I’m so glad I still live in a world where Ozzy Osbourne walks the Earth.” Lzzy Hale, Halestorm
Ozzy Osbourne - Dreamer (Down To Earth, 2001)
“Dreamer is such a fantastic song. It’s dark and mysterious, but also has this cool vibe that exists only in British pop and rock, this echo of Beatles in the melody. It warms my heart to hear. Ozzy is a great singer. He doesn’t fit into any standard way of evaluating a voice, but he has so much character that he’s become distinctive. He also proves that we don’t have to be defined by our character constantly; The Prince Of Darkness is also the guy who sings Dreamer, and that’s great!” Eicca Toppinen, Apocalyptica
Black Sabbath - God Is Dead? (13, 2013)
"God Is Dead is such a highlight on the last Black Sabbath album, 13. Not just because Ozzy’s voice sounds great – it’s Sabbath so everything sounds great! – but it felt like a very, very expensive wine that’s only got better as it ages. From the lyrics to his voice to the guitars, it’s absolutely perfect.” Jayant Bhadula, Bloodywood
Ozzy Osbourne - Straight To Hell (Ordinary Man, 2020)
"I did two different records with Ozzy, but I’ve gotta say the song Straight To Hell is fucking killer. Working with him on Ordinary Man seemed really important at the time, because he’d had all these different health scares. It became like, ‘Let’s do this and do it fast!’ and he sang great, and wrote so many cool lyrics.
It was such an honour, and working with both him and Iggy Pop back-to-back finally made it feel like, ‘Hey, I’ve arrived!’ But you know, I don’t have a bunch of my own records up at home, but I do have a gold record from Ozzy!” Duff Mckagan, Guns N' Roses
