Latest news with #Vol4
The Sun
30-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Buying guide to recently departed Ozzy Osbourne's vast back catalogue
STREAMING numbers for the late Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath had already been rising since the massive farewell concert at Villa Park, Birmingham, UK on July 5. Dubbed the biggest event in the history of heavy metal, it was a suitable send off for a band deemed many to be a pioneering force of the genre. Though Ozzy had looked frail during the spirited performance, fans around the world were still left shell-shocked by his sudden demise a mere three weeks later. As with any rock star death, this inevitably leads to a surge in interest in the artiste's discography. If you are just streaming, the playlists will take care of the selection for you. But if you are looking to invest in tangible copies, what are considered essential albums in the Prince of Darkness's oeuvre. With prices expected to rise dramatically following Ozzy's passing, music collectors may have to pick wisely to get the best retrospective listen at his legendary career. Back to beginning Ok, here is the bad news as far as Ozzy's output with Black Sabbath is concerned. There are literally no crap albums. The first six are bona fide classics, laying the blueprint for thousands of bands thereafter. The self-titled debut is the obvious starting point and one can still order a vinyl copy for RM140 from some local music emporiums. Same go for Paranoid, Masters of Reality, Vol 4, Sabbath Bloody Sabbath and Sabotage. To think the Rhino label vinyl reissues were selling for a mere RM70 just a few years back. Nothing like the Grim Reaper to help push prices skywards! Even the much derided Technical Ecstasy and Never Say Die re worthy additions to any collection as they are solid albums. They pale somewhat to earlier releases but when the bar is set so high, there is bound to be some drop off. Compact discs of the first eight studio albums usually retail for under RM50, for now. Do expect prices to start creeping up. Even the comeback album – 13 – is well worth the investment. Not classic but good enough to warrant the RM150 musicrecords2u was asking for a vinyl copy. Compact disc editions of this later album is significantly cheaper and can be had at RM50 while used copies change hands for significantly less, depending on condition. Box sets and collections Those who have a tight budget but want a slice of Sabbath on vinyl or CD could opt for a compilation. There are quite a few on the market but the one to look out for is the double LP set – We Sold Our Souls for Rock n Roll – which cherry-picked the best tunes from the first five studio albums. Rhino did a splendid eight CD box set containing the first run of Ozzy-fronted albums, with some online stores demanding in excess of RM300 sans postage. Truth be told, this is really essential stuff as every album is worth its weight in gold. If money is no object, then by all means opt for the vinyl edition of the said box set. Titled Hand of Doom, each album is loving presented in 180g remastered vinyl, promising a truly mind-blowing sonic experience. Expect to pay in excess of RM1,300 for this deluxe box set which was released in 2023. Slightly cheaper is the box set from the Castle label which has everything from the first six albums crammed into five LPs or four CDs. These can only be found as pre-loved items as it was released in 1991 and has not been reissued since. It is thus quite a rare collector's item and vinyl editions start from US$100 (RM422) online sans shipping whilst the CD equivalent is significantly cheaper, depending on condition. Solo material After being booted out of Black Sabbath in 1978, Ozzy went on to forge an incredibly successful solo career. Tapping into heavy metal's growing popularity in the 80s, Ozzy released a slew of records that captured the zeitgeist. Not least were Blizzard of Oz and Diary of a Madman which showcased the incredible talent of genius guitarist Randy Rhoads. These two are absolute essential purchases as they capture Ozzy at his best as a solo artiste. It can be said that aside from No More Tears (1991), the rest of Ozzy's solo material is patchy at best despite being multi-platinum sellers. However, if you are looking to go the whole hog and want to be a completist, then the 18-lp box set See You On the Other Side – is the way to go. Released earlier this year, it was retailing for US$599 sans postage, prior to Ozzy's passing. Expect the price to be much higher now. How much you wish to spend is entirely dependent on your state of finances. But it can safely be said, splurging on the first six (or even eight) Black Sabbath albums will be a decision you will not regret. This is music that laid the very foundations for an entire genre. It is not everyday that such an artiste appears and those albums will sit very nicely in any music collection.
The Sun
30-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Rock of ages
STREAMING numbers for the late Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath had already been rising since the massive farewell concert at Villa Park, Birmingham, UK on July 5. Dubbed the biggest event in the history of heavy metal, it was a suitable send off for a band deemed many to be a pioneering force of the genre. Though Ozzy had looked frail during the spirited performance, fans around the world were still left shell-shocked by his sudden demise a mere three weeks later. As with any rock star death, this inevitably leads to a surge in interest in the artiste's discography. If you are just streaming, the playlists will take care of the selection for you. But if you are looking to invest in tangible copies, what are considered essential albums in the Prince of Darkness's oeuvre. With prices expected to rise dramatically following Ozzy's passing, music collectors may have to pick wisely to get the best retrospective listen at his legendary career. Back to beginning Ok, here is the bad news as far as Ozzy's output with Black Sabbath is concerned. There are literally no crap albums. The first six are bona fide classics, laying the blueprint for thousands of bands thereafter. The self-titled debut is the obvious starting point and one can still order a vinyl copy for RM140 from some local music emporiums. Same go for Paranoid, Masters of Reality, Vol 4, Sabbath Bloody Sabbath and Sabotage. To think the Rhino label vinyl reissues were selling for a mere RM70 just a few years back. Nothing like the Grim Reaper to help push prices skywards! Even the much derided Technical Ecstasy and Never Say Die re worthy additions to any collection as they are solid albums. They pale somewhat to earlier releases but when the bar is set so high, there is bound to be some drop off. Compact discs of the first eight studio albums usually retail for under RM50, for now. Do expect prices to start creeping up. Even the comeback album – 13 – is well worth the investment. Not classic but good enough to warrant the RM150 musicrecords2u was asking for a vinyl copy. Compact disc editions of this later album is significantly cheaper and can be had at RM50 while used copies change hands for significantly less, depending on condition. Box sets and collections Those who have a tight budget but want a slice of Sabbath on vinyl or CD could opt for a compilation. There are quite a few on the market but the one to look out for is the double LP set – We Sold Our Souls for Rock n Roll – which cherry-picked the best tunes from the first five studio albums. Rhino did a splendid eight CD box set containing the first run of Ozzy-fronted albums, with some online stores demanding in excess of RM300 sans postage. Truth be told, this is really essential stuff as every album is worth its weight in gold. If money is no object, then by all means opt for the vinyl edition of the said box set. Titled Hand of Doom, each album is loving presented in 180g remastered vinyl, promising a truly mind-blowing sonic experience. Expect to pay in excess of RM1,300 for this deluxe box set which was released in 2023. Slightly cheaper is the box set from the Castle label which has everything from the first six albums crammed into five LPs or four CDs. These can only be found as pre-loved items as it was released in 1991 and has not been reissued since. It is thus quite a rare collector's item and vinyl editions start from US$100 (RM422) online sans shipping whilst the CD equivalent is significantly cheaper, depending on condition. Solo material After being booted out of Black Sabbath in 1978, Ozzy went on to forge an incredibly successful solo career. Tapping into heavy metal's growing popularity in the 80s, Ozzy released a slew of records that captured the zeitgeist. Not least were Blizzard of Oz and Diary of a Madman which showcased the incredible talent of genius guitarist Randy Rhoads. These two are absolute essential purchases as they capture Ozzy at his best as a solo artiste. It can be said that aside from No More Tears (1991), the rest of Ozzy's solo material is patchy at best despite being multi-platinum sellers. However, if you are looking to go the whole hog and want to be a completist, then the 18-lp box set See You On the Other Side – is the way to go. Released earlier this year, it was retailing for US$599 sans postage, prior to Ozzy's passing. Expect the price to be much higher now. How much you wish to spend is entirely dependent on your state of finances. But it can safely be said, splurging on the first six (or even eight) Black Sabbath albums will be a decision you will not regret. This is music that laid the very foundations for an entire genre. It is not everyday that such an artiste appears and those albums will sit very nicely in any music collection.
RTÉ News
27-07-2025
- Entertainment
- RTÉ News
Ozzy Osbourne - the soundtrack to so many wonder years
I went on holiday once with Ozzy Osbourne. And Black Sabbath. To Portugal, when I was 15. It was late June 1988, and I was never the same again. I had just finished the Inter Cert and the first week of a summer job. Before I left, I asked a twentysomething co-worker who had already become a pal - we're still in touch 37 years later, as the super glue of music did its thing in minutes - about tapes I should buy for the trip. With no hesitation, he said: "The Black Sabbath compilation We Sold Our Soul for Rock 'n' Roll." It was in to Golden Discs in the ILAC that Saturday at 9am. I bought the tape and sold my soul too. A bargain at £6.99. Fast forward 48 hours to baking in the back of a hatchback on the motorways of Portugal. Strauss was on the car's tape deck, but I had the headphones on and the AIWA walkman in the lap, doing a crammer to rival anything for the Inter Cert - this time on Ozzy Osbourne's first six albums with Black Sabbath. I was all in from the first time I heard Paranoid. If ever a riff and an opening lyric - "Finished with my woman 'cause she couldn't help me with my mind" - told the novice everything they needed to know about a band and, indeed, a singer, it was that one-two. And the best was yet to come as I flipped Side A to Side B and back again. You cannot overstate the importance of Black Sabbath's first six records: their self-titled debut (1970), Paranoid (1970), Master of Reality (1971), Vol 4 (1972), Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (1973), and Sabotage (1975). They're the blueprints of heavy metal. They blew the minds of a generation. They still do, half a century later. By the age of 26, Ozzy Osbourne had secured his place in music history alongside guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Terence 'Geezer' Butler, and drummer Bill Ward because of not one but half a dozen records. Think about it: six classics in a row. We Sold Our Soul for Rock 'n' Roll saw as much winding action on that holiday as the sunroof in the rental car. I joined the dots and discovered how much of what I'd been listening to for the previous year and a half owed to Ozzy and co. I can still remember the exact moment on that holiday when I realised that the outro of Black Sabbath's Fairies Wear Boots was the start of Metallica's For Whom the Bell Tolls. You don't know what you don't know at that age, but you sense when you're on to something. Thanks to Black Sabbath, I came back from that trip a changed teenager. The penny dropped that getting into music was not all about the latest overhyped albums and that the old stuff from 15 years previously - a lifetime when you're only 15 - could be way better. And cheaper. Despite all the time that's gone by, two things never changed from that summer. I still regard those first six albums as the pinnacle of Ozzy Osbourne's career. Sure, he made some special solo stuff and Sabbath did sublime work with other singers, but 'The Six' have a life force all their own, and I know they're where most people went when they learned of his passing. The other constant is that the stories of excess and terrible behaviour never held any interest. I thought they were sad at the time, and now I think they're the tragedy of someone being their own worst enemy. As awful as they were, they never eclipsed what Ozzy Osbourne accomplished on those early records. And never will. It's no exaggeration to say every metal/hard rock band and fan that's out there today has their own version of the hatchback story above and what those albums did for/to their young minds. We've all been following a musical through line ever since we heard them for the first time. My own went a few months later to the Masters of Reality album The Blue Garden (they had me from their name alone) to Faith No More's The Real Thing (featuring a cover of Black Sabbath's War Pigs) the following summer to Nirvana's Bleach (it wouldn't sound like it sounds without you know who) in the summer of 1990 and on and on right up to the here and now and a Queens of the Stone Age gig in August. Watch: Ozzy Osbourne at Black Sabbath's farewell show at Villa Park in Birmingham on 5 July And on the subject of gigs, I didn't try to get tickets to Ozzy's farewell show in Birmingham last month because I'd already seen him with Black Sabbath at the Roskilde Festival in Denmark in July 2005. It was fine that summer night, but it felt after the fact. Put simply, it wasn't the back of the car in the summer of 1988. That was as good as it could ever be. I did go away the weekend of the gig, however, and arrived back into Dublin Airport on the Sunday night. There were loads of fans coming home with the t-shirt of the concert - some were older than me! Hand on heart, I was delighted they were there to see the curtain come down after all those years. There was no jealousy. No, no jealousy at all - but I wish I could be as Zen about another related matter. The kid who's hearing Ozzy Osbourne for the first time this week or next week or the week after? You bet your life that I wish I was them.
Extra.ie
25-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Extra.ie
Ozzy Osbourne's unexpected final wish revealed days after tragic death
Ozzy Osbourne was known worldwide for his heavy metal behaviour and rock n' roll antics but his final wish turned out to be a calmer change of pace. The Black Sabbath icon revealed how he wanted the last stage of his life to end just a couple months before his death earlier this week. Ozzy passed away on Tuesday 'surrounded by loved ones' at the age of 76, which according to the rocker, is exactly how he wanted his final moments to go. Ozzy wanted to spend his final few weeks with his grandchildren. Pic: Lisa Stelly/Instagram In May, the rock star told The Guardian that he was finished with his on stage persona and wanted to make his grandkids his priority until the end. Ozzy said: 'It's time for me to spend some time with my grandkids, I don't want to die in a hotel room somewhere. I want to spend the rest of my life with my family.' Ozzy was with his children Jack, Kelly, Aimee and Louis and wife Sharon when he passed away, fulfilling his wishes. Jack Osbourne's ex-wife Lisa Stelly shared a tribute to Ozzy Osbourne on social media. Pic: Lisa Stelly/Instagram The family's statement read: 'It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning. He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time.' While admitting he was done with touring, Ozzy explained: 'I'd love to say 'never say never', but after the last six years or so … it is time. I lived on the road for 50-odd years, and I've kind of got used to not picking up my bags and getting on the bus again. 'I don't smoke dope or do any of the rock star lifestyle any more. I'm kind of like a homebody. I never go out. I never hang out in bars – I don't drink.' Ozzy died surrounded by his family. Pic: Lisa Stelly/Instagram However, Ozzy did manage to get the heavy metal persona out for one last Black Sabbath gig just a few weeks before he died. As frontman of Black Sabbath, he was at the forefront of the heavy metal scene – a deeper, darker offshoot of hard rock. His theatrical stage presence, including once biting off the head of a bat, and styling himself as the Prince of Darkness marked him out as a controversial figure. Ozzy was with his children Jack, Kelly, Aimee and Louis and wife Sharon when he passed away, fulfilling his wishes. Pic:for Tribeca Film Festival All of that was put to the side in the end as he went out as a family man. Many tributes have been paid to Ozzy in the days following his death, with his daughter Kelly – who had a career in music and reality TV of her own as well as being a panellist on The View – paying a heartbreaking tribute to her father, referencing his own lyrics on her Instagram stories. Taking a line from the song Changes, Kelly wrote 'I feel unhappy, I feel so sad. I lost the best friend I ever had,' alongside a heartbreak emoji. Black Sabbath released the song in 1972 on their Vol 4 album, before Ozzy re-released the song in 2003 as a duet with his daughter. Kelly had posted a sweet video of Ozzy with her two-year-old son Sidney just two days before his death, saying good morning to the camera and panning to her dad, who was wearing headphones before telling the camera good morning.
Extra.ie
25-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Extra.ie
Kelly Osbourne's heartbreaking tribute to dad Ozzy
Kelly Osbourne has referenced her father Ozzy's music in a heartbreaking tribute to her late dad. Ozzy passed away on Tuesday (July 22) following a lengthy battle with Parkinson's Disease, aged 76. His death came just weeks after his farewell concert with the original lineup of Black Sabbath, in their native Aston in Birmingham as they played in Villa Park. Tributes have been paid to the Prince of Darkness following his death and storied career, with Kelly — who had a career in music and reality TV of her own as well as being a panellist on The View — paying a heartbreaking tribute to her father, referencing his own lyrics on her Instagram stories. Kelly Osbourne has referenced her father Ozzy's music in a heartbreaking tribute to her late dad. Pic:for The Recording Academy Taking a line from the song Changes, Kelly wrote 'I feel unhappy, I feel so sad. I lost the best friend I ever had,' alongside a heartbreak emoji. Black Sabbath released the song in 1972 on their Vol 4 album, before Ozzy re-released the song in 2003 as a duet with his daughter. Kelly had posted a sweet video of Ozzy with her two-year-old son Sidney just two days before his death, saying good morning to the camera and panning to her dad, who was wearing headphones before telling the camera good morning. Kelly made a reference to the song Changes in a moving tribute to her late dad. Pic:Kelly is the second youngest of Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne's six children, and was a highlight of the reality show that followed her family in the 2000s where she was a typical teenager with angst and teenage humour. In 2002, she released her debut album Shut Up, which included a cover of Papa Don't Preach, in 2002, followed by Sleep in Nothing in 2005. She also got engaged to her partner, Slipknot DJ Sid Wilson, following her father's final concert with Black Sabbath. The couple share one son in Sidney. Ozzy passed away on Tuesday, July 22. Pic:Sharon has also responded to individual tributes to her late husband, who left behind a staggering €187.24 million fortune, including musician Gavin Rossdale who wrote 'RIP Ozzy – a great man – a true legend – I met Ozzy through Jack just a few times but he was so warm and kind and funny and I love that memory.' Sharon responded 'bless you' to the tribute, as well as thanking BBC Radio 1 DJ Jack Saunders for his tribute to Ozzy, writing 'Jack, thank you for your tribute to Ozzy tonight, bless you.'
