The epitome of hard rock depravity became a cult cartoon in its own right in the late ’80s thanks to a television series. Now the 73-year-old ex-singer of the British cult band Black Sabbath presents what will probably be his last hit album with “Patient Number 9”, which sums up his life’s work well.
Prince of Darkness and bat eater, junkie and soap clown: Ozzy Osbourne’s image shimmers in many colors. He became known with Black Sabbath, later became an icon as a solo artist and repeatedly ended up in the drug swamp. He always fought back, even transformed himself on trash TV from the doddering joke figure to the sympathetic father of a family. His new album shows that he remains a musician to be taken seriously: “Patient Number 9” sounds like a hard rock metal overview with deep insights into the blues genes of the genre and plays with Osbourne’s image between genius and madness: “Don ‘t forget me, even when I do.”
Ozzy, born John Michael Osbourne in Birmingham in 1948, has borne the nickname since school. The working-class child ended it at the age of 15. Occasional work kept him afloat, while detours into petty crime led to a short prison sentence. A band should help out of the financial worries, Beatles fan Osbourne placed an ad: “Ozzy Zig Needs Gig – has own PA”. Black Sabbath was born and starting in 1969 they were working on a musical revolution. Transforming blues into hard rock, they gave birth to an entire genre. And shaped its sinister nimbus.
Actually, only the success of horror films inspired her to make music that scares her, not an inner satanic drive. But the dark paintwork matched the heavy guitar riffs and Osbourne’s head voice that alternated between melody and staccato.
The first album “Paranoid” shot to number 1 in 1970. Iron Maiden, Slayer and Foo Fighters call the band a role model. Osbourne was kicked out in 1979 because of his alcohol and drug excesses. It is said that Sharon Arden saved him from the final crash. The music manager motivated the singer to pursue a solo career – and became his wife in 1982, with whom he fathered three children. Already the first solo record “Blizzard of Ozz” bagged five times platinum in the USA in 1980, in the UK it was “only” enough for double gold.
1982: Osbourne bites bat’s head
The record already contains Osbourne’s recipe for success, skillfully combining guitar-heavy hard rock melodies with AOR radio sounds – time and again he (or his wife and manager Sharon) succeeded in recruiting remarkable new rock guitar talents such as Randy Roads or Jake E. Lee. Osbourne became a star, probably also because he had the most important performance of his life in 1982 – at least in PR terms: A spectator threw a bat on the stage – whether dead or alive, there are divided accounts in the legends of rock. Anyway, the spoiled star grabbed her and bit off her head.
Soon Christians saw in him the embodiment of Satan; Animal rights activists were alarmed. Osbourne himself said he mistook the animal for a rubber dummy. Shortly before that, however, he had bitten off the head of a dove, which he was actually supposed to send up to heaven as a sign of peace.
Many biographical details are blurred, be it for reasons of intoxication or image. Songs like “Mr. Crowley”, named after the English magician Aleister Crowley, and supposedly occult stage practices were mere staging. He was sued twice by parents who saw their sons drive him to suicide. In both cases he was acquitted. Excesses were commonplace for him back then, he would pee in the wine glass of a record boss to cheer him up. Alcohol addiction had him in its grip in the 80s, so he tried to strangle his wife Sharon.
13th studio album probably last
Only years later did he manage to withdraw. In the reality TV show “The Osbournes” these problems are discussed in addition to the everyday life of the family. Osbourne reached a mass audience with radio hits like “Dreamer” or “No More Tears”.
He is now back with his 13th solo album. The lavish production is likely to be his last; the 73-year-old announced the final tour. What starts with a crazy laugh from psychiatry develops into a kind of musical legacy, with a star cast: greats like Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck or Rob Trujillo, who played in the band of “Madman” before his career with Metallica, can be heard on the record. “Patient Number 9” contains everything that has characterized Osbourne’s music over the decades. The intro from the institution becomes polyphonic, the e-piano replaces plastic-pop guitars, the drums drum lightly.
Soft hard rock sounds, polished, pleasing and with hang bombast. Osbourne’s signature vocals spiral upwards. A sprawling solo turns into a beautiful purring guitar in “Immortal”, which breaks with the epic opener in a crisp brevity and leads into the third song “Parasite”. Dominated by the drum, it rolls along. The next track, which turns out to be the intro for the retro-heavy “No Escape from Now”, takes you almost into the shape of a ballad. You can go through the entire disc like this. It’s a hit album, routine and sometimes surprising.
Osbourne doesn’t reinvent himself, justifiably trusts his skills without breaking a scam. He even manages to link back to Black Sabbath with a doomy “Evil Shuffle”. Everything is mixed perfectly, but one would have wished for such rolls dirtier, rougher. But then it wouldn’t be Ozzy Osbourne music anymore. The album fades out to harmonica and banjo with “Darkside Blues”, the prince of darkness, who once escaped from the blues, returns to the blues.