R.I.P. Ozzy Osbourne, 1948-2025

Sadly, Ozzy Osbourne, Black Sabbath frontman and godfather of metal, has passed away at 76. There won't be another like him.   

The making of Black Sabbath's Sabotage

Here's an entertaining look at  the creation of Black Sabbath's Sabotage album followed by Ozzy's explanation of the bat incident.

Before They Were Famous: Ronnie James Dio

Prior to his time in Rainbow and Sabbath, Ronnie James Dio (aka Ron Padavona) was rockin' with the Red Caps and Electric Elves. 

Happy Birthday Ozzy Osbourne!

Cheers to Ozzy Osbourne on his 72nd birthday.  

Unboxing Black Sabbath's Paranoid Super Deluxe 5LP edition

For the 50th anniversary of Black Sabbath's Paranoid, Rhino have issued a 5 LP version which you can see unboxed below. 

Here's the scoop from Rhino...

Black Sabbath's Paranoid: Super Deluxe Edition includes the original album, in addition to a rare 1974 Quad Mix of the album folded down to stereo, plus two concerts from 1970, from Montreux and Brussels, that are pressed on vinyl for the first time. The five-LP set comes with a hardbound book with extensive liner notes featuring interviews with all four band members, rare photos, and memorabilia, a poster, as well as a replica of the tour book sold during the Paranoid tour.

 

The first two LPs of Paranoid: Super Deluxe Edition feature the original album plus a Quadraphonic Mix of the album. Originally released on vinyl and 8-track cartridge in 1974, but subsequently long out of print, the Quad Mix has now been made available as a fold-down to stereo mix on vinyl for this set.

The collection's final three LPs mark the official vinyl debut of two 1970 live performances. The first was recorded on August 31 in Montreux, Switzerland shortly before the release of Paranoid. It captures the band, already a tight musical unit, thundering through new songs like "Hand Of Doom" and "Iron Man" while mixing in "N.I.B." and "Behind The Wall Of Sleep" from their debut album. The second concert was recorded a few months later in Brussels during the band's performance for Belgian television. Unofficial versions of this classic show have circulated in the past, but they've never sounded this good. 

You can order a copy directly from Rhino right here. 

Watch the unboxing clip followed by an unlikely salute to Sabbath from Robert Fripp and Toyah Willcox below. 

Happy 70th Birthday Geezer Butler!

Cheers to Black Sabbath's bass boss who besides being their primary lyricist also came up with the group's name. 

Happy Birthday Ozzy Osbourne!

Here's Black Sabbath performing Paranoid for the dancers on Top Of The Pops in 1970. 

Marissa Nadler @ The Drake Hotel, Thursday

Watch Marissa perform a few songs from Stranger on KEXP before her show at the Drake Hotel tonight. 

Sroeng Santi vs. Black Sabbath

Since Sabbath is playing Hamilton's First Ontario Centre tonight, here's Sroeng Santi's version of Iron Man. 

Charles Bradley vs. Ozzy Osbourne

Check out Charles Bradley's soulful rendition of Black Sabbath's Changes followed by the original. 

Electric Citizen vs. Black Sabbath

Check out David Brodsky's Sabbathy clip for Electric Citizen's Light Years Beyond off the Sateen album.

Whaddya mean you don't know Daniela Casa

The sleeve art of Daniela Casa's Italian sound library recordings can often be deceiving. 

Black Sabbath @ The ACC, Wednesday

Check out the documentary about the making of Black Sabbath 13 with Rick Rubin below.

William Shatner: From Rocket Man to Iron Man

To get you in the proper frame of mind for William Shatner's appearance at Massey Hall tonight, here are his unique interpretations of two rock classics, Elton John's Rocket Man at the 1978 Science Fiction Film Awards followed by a recent vocal tracking session for Black Sabbath's Iron Man which appears on his entertaining new Seeking Major Tom (Cleopatra Records) album.   


Rocket Man



Iron Man