JANUARY 1ST, 2013
By ADMIN
Name bid: Ozzy
The record label boss who discovered Black Sabbath has launched a campaign to have Birmingham Airport named after singer Ozzy Osbourne.
Jim Simpson, head of Big Bear Music, says it’s time the band’s home town recognised the cultural contribution the band have given to the world.
The idea comes after an attempt to mark their roots with a Black Sabbath Day came to nothing.
Simpson tells the Birmingham Mail: “How does the Ozzy Osbourne International Airport resonate?
“The message that would carry is instantly international, confident, powerful, unforgettable and says ‘Hey World, we are proud of our own’.
“Ozzy might not always have been a paragon of virtue, but he is a genuine flesh and blood Brummie.”
City councillor Philip Parkin, who’s behind the Destination Birmingham promotional campaign, likes the idea.
He says: “I think something like that would need to be consulted on fairly widely because it’s a significant part of our infrastructure.
“I would be interested to know what people thought about that as an idea.
“I still feel in general we need to be making the most of the talent we have got and did have in this city.”
Osbourne, who recently told rising stars to enjoy the first years of their fame, will next year appear on his first album with Black Sabbath since 1979. Guitarist Tony Iommi, who was diagnosed with cancer this time in 2011, admitted the past year wasn’t what he’d expected, but thanked fans for their support.
Classic Rock
NOVEMBER 1ST, 2012
By ADMIN
Suspicion: Ozzy
Ozzy Osbourne didn’t realise Black Sabbath had been such an influence on other bands until he heart Metallica playing his songs – and suspected they were laughing at him.
The iconic frontman recalls a moment in 1986 when the thrash giants were supporting him on tour.
He tells the Telegraph: “I came past their dressing room, and I had to ask one of their assistants if they were taking the piss out of me, because they were playing Black Sabbath.
“For someone to tell you ‘Black Sabbath changed my life’ is a weird thing to get your head round.”
But despite the band’s legacy of dark-edged music, Osbourne insists it’s all about having fun to him.
“I’ve never wanted to be serious, to have solemn music,” he says. “The way that all that happened with the music and the name and everything, if I remember, is we used to rehearse in a movie theatre. So we decided to write songs inspired by scary movies.
“It was all flower-power and love – but for us, living in the industrial town of Birmingham, we liked scary movies.”
Osbourne is at work on his first Sabbath album since 1979 alongside bandmate Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and producer Rick Rubin. Drummer Bill Ward failed to reach a contractual agreement and bowed out of the original lineup reunion. He recently stated he’d like to be part of Sabbath’s future.
They’ve written 15 songs, 12 of which are slated to appear on the album, and tracking is well underway. Sabbath haven’t revealed its title but have confirmed it’s due out in April next year.
They’ve also announced a four-date tour of Australia between April 25 and May 4. The following week they’ll headline the inaugural Japanese edition of Osbourne’s travelling tour Ozzfest.
Classic Rock
DECEMBER 15TH, 2011
By ADMIN
Noddy Holder has revealed that he and Ozzy once went to an Iron Maiden gig wearing tutus and World War II helmets!
Talking to Absolute Radio’s Geoff Lloyd, the former Slade frontman recalled the madcap incident:
“We were going down to see Iron Maiden down at Hammersmith Odeon, as it was in those days. Ozzy decided we’d got to get dressed up, so we went up near Marylebone High Street somewhere, there was a sort of antique shop there that used to sell war memorabilia. So we went in and Ozzy got us both a German helmet each, and then there was a fancy dress shop just up the road and he got us ballerina tutu dresses. So I had to tag along with him. Can you imagine us trying to get a cab in the West End?”
On a more serious note, Holder explained that, thanks to a Slade fan, a studio version of Hear Me Calling has been included as a bonus track on the reissued version of 1974’s Sladest album.
“This guy had found an acetate of Here Me Calling that we used to open our show with for years. Now it’s been on live albums in the past but the studio version, had got lost many years ago, the tapes and everything, and he found this acetate. We managed to clean it up and re-master it.”
Listen to the entire interview here.
Classic Rock
OCTOBER 8TH, 2011
By ADMIN
Ozzy Osbourne has said that plans for a reunion of the original Black Sabbath line-up are still in the early stages.
Talking to Billboard, the Prince Of Darkness said: “It’s in the very early stages, so we haven’t recorded anything yet. If it works out, it’ll work out. If it doesn’t, I’ll keep doing my thing”.
Reports of a Sabbath reunion gained massive momentum in August when the Birmingham Mail ran a story announcing the band were back together, back up by quotes from Tony Iommi. A day later, Iommi claimed these quotes were from an off-the-record conversation and taken out of context.
Classic Rock
AUGUST 23RD, 2011
By ADMIN
“Coming up this Wednesdayaudiences across the country will get an unrivaled look into the mind of legendary rock icon Ozzy Osbourne in God Bless Ozzy Osbourne, an exclusive in-theater event that will be broadcast to movie theaters nationwide on Wednesday August 24 and Monday, August 29 at 7:30 p.m.
Packed with never-before-seen Black Sabbath footage and recent solo tour clips, fans are set to enjoy an incredibly unique experience, by producer and son of the Prince of Darkness himself, Jack Osbourne.
Fellow musicians such as Paul McCartney, Tommy Lee and others will also share stories, while an exclusive interview with the Osbourne family explains why bringing Ozzy’s storied history to life — through the eyes of his son Jack — was the perfect motivation to capture one of music’s greatest icons in candid splendor.
We hope you’ll spread the word about this exclusive event by sharing information about this special God Bless Ozzy Osbourne event with your readers through mediums such as e-newsletters, blog posts, Facebook and Twitter. For more details about God Bless Ozzy Osbourne, including information on participating theaters and tickets, visit http://www.fathomevents.com/ozzyosbourne“
Layla’s Classic Rock
Musicians connected to Whitesnake, Wishbone Ash, Thunder and Ozzy Osbourne have teamed up in a new band called Snakecharmer.
The line-up is:
Chris Ousy - lead vocals
Micky Moody – guitar/vocals
Laurie Wisefield – guitar/vocals
Adam Wakeman – keyboards/vocals
Neil Murray – bass
Harry James – drums
The six-piece will play songs with which they’ve been associated through the years.
Find out more at http://www.smakecharrmer.org/
Classic Rock
JANUARY 5TH, 2009
By ADMIN
Slash has posted another update on the progress of his new Solo LP. Be warned – he’s working with a Black Eyed Pea.
Speaking about the as-yet-untitled new album, which also features former Nine Inch Nails tub-thumper Josh Freese on drums and former Jane’s Addiction bassist Chris Chaney, Slash revealed on his MySpace page: “We’ve nailed four killer tracks with four amazing vocals so far and nailing another one Tuesday [April 14], so things are going extremely well.
“Everybody who has contributed vocals so far have been flawless and the rhythm section, Josh and Chris, are priceless.
“Eric Valentine is a genius producer, not to mention his team is great. All in all this last couple of weeks have been a hell a lot of fun and we’re just getting started.
“It’s definitely going to be a kick-ass record, if I do say so myself.”
As far as for who will be performing vocal duties on the record, Slash’s wife Perla Hudson has allegedly revealed that both Ozzy Osbourne, and The Black Eyed Pea’s Fergie will be guesting on the album.
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