How was I to know yesterday, when I posted about Black Sabbath's Sabotage, that Ozzy was going to die that day. While my post didn't slag Ozzy personally, it did slag the genre he helped create. In light of this, I felt I should write a few lines about the Prince of Darkness.
Ozzy was one of the most unlikely frontmen. He wasn't a golden god like Robert Plant. He didn't have a conventionally magnificent voice. He was never emulated by other artists. But along with Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward, he created Heavy Metal. In many ways Black Sabbath are the Alpha and Omega of Heavy Metal. Those first few albums are great. Ozzy's first few solo albums are brilliant. I did check out after Shot in the Dark, and never watched an episode of his reality show, but he was an important figure in the development of my musical taste. Bizzard of Ozz and Diary of a Madman are perfect albums. I listened to them non-stop. Randy Rhoads blew my mind. His death was also a gut punch.
I wasn't going to pile on with another Ozzy tribute, but since I shot my mouth off about Sabotage it felt right to recognize his importance to music. It's nice that he was able to perform in Black Sabbath one more time before he passed. I would imagine it gave him a sense of pride in his legacy, and some closure. Rest in peace Ozzy. You lived a hell of a life. Peace.
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