Ozzy Osbourne - Part 2.

Posted in Music

3 Sep
Ozzy Osbourne - Part 2. image 1

Ozzy Osbourne - Part 2.

 In 1995 Osbourne releasedOzzmosis and returned to touring, dubbing his concert performances The Retirement Sucks Tour. The album reached number 4 on the US Billboard 200. The album achieved gold and platinum in that same year, and double platinum in April 1999.

After undergoing treatment for his addictions, Ozzy continued to find success, winning his first Grammy for the song I Don't Wanna Change The World off the 1992 album No More Tears. He and Sharon then launched Ozzfest, a touring festival of heavy rock acts, which was so successful it went back on the road in 1998. His status as the "King Of Loud" was confirmed.
It is, however, The Osbournes TV show which has made Ozzy, Sharon and teenage children Kelly and Jack, the world's most popular family. The planet's maddest dad is also the "King Of The Ratings," it seems, as his family's not so day-to-day lives continue to fascinate audiences on both sides of the Atlantic. And despite announcing his retirement almost a decade ago, Ozzy shows no sign of slowing down.

2001 saw Osbourne release his first new material studio album in six years. Down to Earth was a success and a live album Live at Budakan achieved platinum in 2003 and in 2002 Osbourne appeared at the Party in the park for the Queens silver jubilee singing Black Sabbath standards.

In 2003 He was rushed to hospital after suffering an accident on his quad bike on his estate in Buckinghamshire. He suffered a broken collar bone, eight broken ribs and a break to a vertebrae. It was also revealed that Osbourne stopped breathing during one of the operations.

Whilst in hospital Ozzy achieved his first UK number one hit with Changes a duet with his daughter Kelly.

In March 2005, Osbourne released a box set called Prince of Darkness. The first and second discs are collections of live performances, B-sides, demos and singles. The third disc contained duets and other odd tracks with other artists, including Born to Be Wild with Miss Piggy. The fourth disc, is entirely new material where Osbourne covers his favourite songs by his biggest influences and favourite bands, including the BeatlesJohn LennonDavid Bowie and others. 

Osbourne also helped judge the 2005 UK series of the X-Factor where his wife Sharon was one of the main judges. In March 2006, he said that he hoped to release a new studio album soon with Zakk Wylde. In October 2006, it was announced that Tony Iommi, Ronnie James Dio, Vinny Appice, and Geezer Butler would be touring together again, not as Black Sabbath, but under the name Heaven and Hell . The response to the news on Osbourne's website was that Osbourne wished Tony and Ronnie well and that there is only one Sabbath. Osbourne's album, titledBlack Rain, was released on 22 May 2007. Osbourne's first new studio album in almost six years, it featured a more serious tone than previous albums. "I thought I'd never write again without any stimulation... But you know what? Instead of picking up the bottle I just got honest and said, 'I don't want life to go to pieces, Osbourne stated to Billboard magazine.

Osbourne revealed in July 2009 that he was currently seeking a new guitar player. While he states that he has not fallen out with Zakk Wylde, he said he felt his songs were beginning to sound like Black Label Society (Wylde´s old band) and fancied a change. In August 2009, Osbourne performed at the gaming festival BlizzCon with a new guitarist in his line-up Gus G. Osbourne also provided his voice and likeness to the video game Brütal Legend character The Guardian of Metal. In November,Slash featured Osbourne on vocals in his single Crucify The Dead, and Osbourne with wife Sharon were guest hosts on WWE Raw. In December, Osbourne announced he would be releasing a new album titled Soul Sucka with Gus GTommy Clufetos on drums, and Blasko on bass. Negative fan feedback was brought to Osbourne's attention regarding the album title. In respect of fan opinion, on 29 March Osbourne announced his album would be renamed Scream.

On 13 April 2010, Osbourne announced the release date for Scream would be 15 June 201. The release date was later changed to a week later. A single from the album, Let Me Hear You Scream, debuted on 14 April 2010 episode of CSI: NY. The song spent 8 weeks on the Billboard Rock Songs, peaking at No. 7. Osbourne held a Meet-And-Greet album signing at the main branch of HMV in his home-town Birmingham, followed later that day by an intimate show in the Birmingham Town Hall. The first four hundred fans that arrived at the store earlier in the day were given wrist bands, enabling free access to the show.

On 9 August 2010, Osbourne announced that the second single from the album would be Life Won't Wait and the video for the song would be directed by his son Jack. When asked of his opinions on Scream in an interview, Osbourne announced that he is "already thinking about the next album". Osbourne's current drummer, Tommy Clufetos, has reflected this sentiment, saying that "We are already coming up with new ideas backstage, in the hotel rooms and at soundcheck and have a bunch of ideas recorded". In October 2014, Osbourne released Memoirs of a Madman, a collection celebrating his entire solo career. A CD version contained 17 singles from across his career, never before compiled together. The DVD version contained music videos, live performances, and interviews.

In August 2015, Epic Records president Sylvia Rhone confirmed with Billboard that Ozzy was working on another studio album; in September 2019, Osbourne announced he had finished the album in four weeks following his collaboration with Post Malone. In April 2017, it was announced that guitarist Zakk Wylde would reunite with Osbourne for a summer tour to mark the 30th anniversary of their first collaboration on 1988's No Rest for the Wicked

 In 2017, Ozzy was announced as the headline act for the Sunday of the 2018 Download Festival held annually at Donington Park in Leicestershire, England. Having previously graced the main stage in previous years fronting Black Sabbath, this would be his first ever Download headline solo appearance. The Download Festival set comes as part of Osbourne's final world tour announcement that morning.

On 6 February 2018, Osbourne announced that he would embark on his final world tour dubbed No More Tours II, a reference to his 1992 tour of the same name, with support from Stone Sour on the North American portion of the tour. He later insisted that he would not retire, "It's 'No More Tours', so I'm just not doing world tours anymore. I'm still going to be doing gigs, but I'm not going on tour for six months at a time anymore. I'd like to spend some time at home¨.

In 2019, Osbourne featured on the song Take What You Want by Post Malone. The song would peak on the Billboard Hot 100 charts at number 8, making it Osbourne's first US Top 10 single in 30 years since he was featured on Lita Ford's Close My Eyes Forever. On 8 November 2019, Osbourne released a new single, Under The Graveyard.

Still busy making an album as we write we contemplate the life as the original rock madman starting life out as a burglar turning to music and becoming a rock icon.

Hard working and hard playing I give you the Brummie rock God Ozzy Osbourne.

 

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