In a new interview with Stereogum, Ozzy Osbourne reflect on Black Sabbath's appearance at 1985's Live Aid concert.
Stereogum: You and Tony (Iommi) have had this on-again, off-again collaboration for all these years where you guys can always dip back into each other’s lives. I wanted to ask about the first time you played together after you left Sabbath, which was live Live Aid in 1985. What was that experience like?
Ozzy Osbourne: "Fucking hell. Going back a bit now. Well, they were managed by my father-in-law [Don Arden], and my father-in-law and my wife [Sharon] and I were in a fucking war. I was fucking served [a lawsuit] at Live Aid by my father-in-law, for interference or some bullshit, and nothing ever materialized from it. And I was drinking lots of fucking booze in them days, and I was bloated. It wasn’t a great experience. It was more like [an] “I’ll have my revenge on them,” kind of thing. Or no, it wasn’t revenge. It was just the first time I’d seen them all since the breakup.
"It wasn’t a life-shattering experience where I went, 'Fuck, why did I go and get fired,' and all this shit. It was just Sabbath. By that time, I’d felt freedom as well, whereas with Sabbath, I didn’t feel that important in the band. I used to feel I was just a sideman for their show. I’d come up with my own melodies and that, but I didn’t feel on an equal part with them, because I couldn’t play an instrument. But that was a long time ago, and when you start thinking about this shit now, it doesn’t seem necessary anymore, does it?"
Stereogum: You did continue to get back together with them at a few other points. Did you feel at that time like that door was open?
Osbourne: "It was for the fans who thought they would never get the chance to see the original lineup. It was a bit awkward because the fans would write and say, Oh, we’d like to see the original lineup.' And Sharon would show these to me from time to time. But I never wanted to go back full-time on tour with them."
Read the full interview at Stereogum.
Ozzy is providing an inside look into the making of his new album, Patient Number 9, with a three-clip video series featuring interviews and in-studio clips with some of featured performers. New episodes drop Fridays, and you can watch a trailer for the upcoming second episode, entitled The Sabbath Connection, below:
Watch the first episode below:
Ozzy has topped his previous chart entries with record-breaking numbers around the world for his critically acclaimed new album Patient Number 9.
Released September 9 and marking Ozzy’s 13th solo studio album, it triumphantly sets new career highs for Ozzy. In the US, the album debuted at #1 on multiple charts: Top Album Sales (Ozzy’s first #1 ever on this chart), Top Current Album Sales (another first), Top Rock & Alternative Albums, Top Rock Albums, Top Hard Rock Albums, Top Vinyl Albums and Tastemaker Albums charts; and at #3 on the Billboard Top 200 albums chart. Globally, the album charted at #1 in Canada (Ozzy’s first-ever #1 there); career high #2 entries in the UK, Australia, Finland and Italy; #6 in the Netherlands and New Zealand; #8 in Belgium; and #14 France. Other highlights include #2 Austria, Germany and Sweden; #3 in Switzerland; and #4 in Norway.
Produced by Andrew Watt, Patient Number 9 marks Ozzy’s 13th solo studio album. It’s heavy, it’s hard-hitting, it’s historic - it’s everything you’d want from an Ozzy record and maybe more. Working with producer Watt for the second time, Ozzy welcomed a dynamic A-list featured guests. For the first time ever, Black Sabbath co-founder, guitarist, and riff-master Tony Iommi appears on an Ozzy solo album.
The record also boasts guitarists Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Mike McCready of Pearl Jam, and longstanding righthand man and six-string beast Zakk Wylde who plays on the majority of the tracks. For the bulk of the album, Chad Smith of Red Hot Chili Peppers held down drums, while the late Taylor Hawkins of Foo Fighters appears on three songs. Old friend and one-time Ozzy band member Robert Trujillo of Metallica plays bass on most of the album’s tracks, with Duff McKagan of Guns N’ Roses and Chris Chaney supplying bass on a few songs.
Order Patient Number 9 here.
Tracklisting:
"Patient Number 9" (feat. Jeff Beck)
"Immortal" (feat. Mike McCready)
"Parasite" (feat. Zakk Wylde)
"No Escape From Now" (feat. Tony Iommi)
"One Of Those Days" (feat. Eric Clapton)
"A Thousand Shades" (feat. Jeff Beck)
"Mr. Darkness" (feat. Zakk Wylde)
"Nothing Feels Right" (feat. Zakk Wylde)
"Evil Shuffle" (feat. Zakk Wylde)
"Degradation Rules" (feat. Tony Iommi)
"Dead And Gone"
"God Only Knows"
"Darkside Blues"
"Patient Number 9" video:
"One Of Those Days" video:
