Source: Page 37 of White Noise Keywords: "toilet," "raised," "letters"

From: noemail@nodomain.com Subject: -- The Osbourne's FAQ -- Date: 30 July 2004 Newsgroups: alt.music.ozzy

Archive-name: music/ozzy-osbourne-faq Posting-Frequency: every 21 days Last-modified: April 2003 Version: April 2003 The Complete Ozzy Osbourne Biography and FAQ The largest source of info on Ozzy on the Internet Last Updated: April 2003 Written By: Mike L. Note: This FAQ is seriously out of date. It is no longer maintained on a regular basis. It is posted automatically every month by the FAQ maintainers at MIT.EDU -------------------------------------------------------------------------- *READ* Disclaimer *READ* --------------------------------------------------------------------------- This article is provided as is without any express or implied warranties. While every effort has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this article, the author/maintainer/contributors assume(s) no responsibility for errors or omissions, or for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein. All statements made in this file are those of the author. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Author's Note --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Most web pages, which offer you information on Ozzy Osbourne, are sketchy. Other pages are never updated and remain the same for over a year. Even the commercial pages run by record companies can't beat the pages run by Ozzy fans. This text file is without a doubt the largest source of information available on Ozzy, which can be found on the Internet. This file may be freely distributed in all forms, or put on your web page, providing the contents are not changed, though I doubt much would happen even if you did :) I welcome any suggestions, corrections or complaints you may have. I have been asked if it is alright to use this FAQ. The answer, as stated above, is YES. The only condition is that you DON'T MODIFY THE FILE OR REMOVE THE CREDITS. (* Read the last sentence *) I no longer post on the newsgroup or actively collect Ozzy material. The reason is that I feel Ozzy is turning from a singer into a money marketing tool that everybody including his own wife is attempting to exploit. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Revision History --------------------------------------------------------------------------- April 2003: - Added section 1.2b and 2.20. - Added to 3.5, 3.7, 2.18. March 2003: - Updated everything! (dead links removed, added new links, continued the timeline from 2000-2003, new song definitions, did you Know, dates, more childhood information, where they are now, etc etc etc) - Added sections 1.8 (much more information), 2.14-2.19 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table Of Contents --------------------------------------------------------------------------- [1.0] Introduction [1.1] What was Ozzy's childhood like? [1.2] How did Ozzy start his music career? [1.2b]Ozzy in Approach [1.3] Who was Jim Simpson? (Manager Number One) [1.4] Who was Earth/Black Sabbath? [1.5] How did Black Sabbath come to be? [1.6] Paranoia [1.7] An act of SABOTAGE? [1.8] Don Arden [1.9] Manager Number Two [1.10] When and how did Ozzy leave Black Sabbath? [2.0] Ozzy and Randy [2.1] What the hell is this about biting a bat? (Diary of a Madman) [2.2] When and how did Randy Rhoads die? [2.3] What is this about a dove? [2.4] Wife as Manager/Speak of the Devil [2.5] Suicide Solution [2.6] Bark at the Moon [2.7] The Ultimate Disaster [2.8] No Rest for the Wicked [2.9] No More Beers [2.10] Ozzmosis [2.11] Why did Zakk leave Ozzy? [2.12] Of Priests and Devils [2.13] Will there ever be a reunion? [2.14] After Ozzmosis/Ozzfest [2.15] 2002 and the world goes crazy! [2.16] Kelly Osbourne [2.17] Jack Osbourne [2.18] Aimee Osbourne [2.19] Who is Robert Marcato [2.20] The Family [2.21] Money money money [3.0] Ozzy Album Discography [3.1] Rare/B-sides/etc. [3.2] Song Definitions [3.3] Did You Know? [3.4] Tattoos [3.5] Milestones [3.6] Questions [3.7] Quotations [3.8] Fan Club Info [3.9] Where to find lyrics, tabs, links, and other info [3.10] Ozzy's Movie Career [3.11] Where are they now? [4.0] Closing Remarks [4.1] Credits --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1.0 INTRODUCTION --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1968 ==== In a small German club, a band by the name of "Earth" is up on the stage. The audience is ignoring the band as audiences typically do. The lead singer, Ozzy, decides to get their attention. He goes back to the dressing room, unnoticed by the audience. Backstage, he coats his hands, face and feet with purple paint. He returns to the stage and then screams at the audience. The audience remains oblivious to this purple man screaming at them. The band resigns themselves to the fact that the audience is just not going to pay them any attention. 2003 ==== Ask someone if they have heard of Celine Dion or Tom Cochrane, and even if their answer is no, they have most likely heard about Ozzy Osbourne or Black Sabbath. Since his debut in the late 60's as a blues/rock singer, this man has had a world wide impact on the music scene. You may think of him as a drugged out lunatic who sacrifices animals and eats dead frogs for supper while worshiping Satan with dead bodies around him. This is of course complete and utter nonsense... I have never heard of him using more than one dead body. :) The most common stories are the beheading of the bat, wasn't there something about a dove?, and what was that about the Alamo? From his childhood right on up to his current Ozzmosis album, this file will attempt to explain it all. At the age of 55, this man still has the mind, and at times, the body of a 22 year old. His records still continue to sell and make it to the charts, his concerts sell out within minutes, all this despite his never having followed any given 'trend' as a lot of music groups try to do today. When Britney Spears is 48, do you think she will still have sell out concerts? With the introduction of The Osbournes on MTV, a new younger generation of Ozzy fans are heading to the internet, exposed to the singer in a new light. The newsgroup has never so much activity. Unfortunately most of it comes from young people who have no ability to express themselves without the use of profanity "When I left school I wanted to become a plumber. When I heard the Beatles I wanted to become a Beatle" ...Ozzy --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1.1 What was Ozzy's childhood like? --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The year was 1948 and John Michael Osbourne was born on December 3rd in the industrial town of Birmingham, England to Jack and Lillian Osbourne. John was the fourth of six children (2 brothers, Paul and Tony) and 3 sisters (Jean, Iris and Gillian) in a small two bedroom home at 14 Lodge Road in Aston, England. Needless to say the house was more than a little crowded. Ozzy's father worked nights in a steel plant while his mother worked days in the Lucas car plant assembling electrical circuits. His family was in poor financial shape with no money, no car and little food. Ozzy says his childhood consisted of one pair of shoes, one pair of socks, no underwear, one pair of pants and one jacket. There would be a bucket at the end of the bed to urinate in, which sat there for months. Their beds never had clean sheets, and sometimes they used overcoats as bed shets. Ozzy was beaten quite a bit by his father, most of it was deserved for stunts like trying to kill his siblings. (Ed: While I don't condone the beating of a child, I also don't think one should attempt to kill one's siblings either. Take the above comment with this in mind.) One day Ozzy's friends gave his brother a used condom and told him it was a balloon. His brother went into the house with the condom blown up, and his father washed his mouth out with soap. In his spare time, Ozzy would watch television. He liked shows such as "I love Lucy", "Lassie" and "Roy Rogers". This was the lifestyle of Birmingham, a time where you went to work all day and then to the pub to drink and play darts until deciding to stagger home. For the Osbourne family, life was no different. It was all work and little time to enjoy the finer moments in life. While the Beatles were singing about flower power and loving one another, the people of Birmingham simply had to take a good look around them to see the reality of the world: it was hard. Life was no different for the Osbourne family. While in school, other students called John, "Ozzie" or "Oz-brain" with respect to his last name. Quite the rebel, Ozzy did however take part in various school opera-plays such as H.M.S. Pinafore, The Mikado and The Pirates of Penzance. There was one student at school named Tony Iommi whom Ozzy did not get along with. Tony and John were from two different crowds and there was no love lost between the two. Tony and his mates would make fun of Ozzy's high voice and compared his singing to that of a girls. The two of them would later reunite later on under totally different circumstances. Ozzy did not do particularly well in school and wanted to get out as soon as he could. When asked on a school survey what his ambition was, he wrote that he wanted to become a plumber. This was not to happen however. Ozzy was kicked out from school. His parents argued often, and the main issue was their lack of money. Ozzy decided that he could fix this if he could go out and get a job. So at the age of 15, Ozzy took his first job as a plumber's assistant. He proceeded to cut the end of his thumb off, and it had to be reattached. He still bears a scar. His second job was as a toolmaker's apprentice. Ozzy then went on to work in a slaughterhouse in Digbeth for two years, killing cows. Perhaps this influenced his musical style, I do not know. Other jobs included an auto mechanic, house painter and even two weeks at a mortuary. His first musical job was working in the Lucas electrical plant tuning car horns. He later said, "I liked heavy metal better because it was louder". Ozzy did not care for working for other people so he decided to try crime instead. He once tried stealing a 24 inch television set. Balanced on top of a wall with it, and trying to keep his balance, he fell off with the television landing on top of him. He did some more break and enters but used a pair of gloves with the fingers cut off. Naturally he was caught. Unable to pay the fine, Ozzy spent three months (or was it 6 weeks?) in Birmingham's Winson Green Prison for breaking into an occupied boarding house. While incarcerated there, Ozzy tattooed the now famous letters O-Z-Z-Y on his left knuckles and happy faces on his knees using sewing needle and a graphite slab. One happy face can be seen on his left knee on the "Diary of a Madman" album cover. He would later be put in jail again for punching a police officer in the mouth. Shortly after his release from prison for burglary, Ozzy wound up in the hospital on glucode for 12 hours after being thrown through a glass window while fighting 3 men. --------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- 1.2 How did Ozzy start his music career? --------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- After getting out of jail, Ozzy decided he did not want to go end up going back. At this time, The Beatles were becoming increasingly popular and becoming the craze. Ozzy thought that this would be the way to go. There was money to be made in singing as opposed to crime. In fact the Beatles were one of his main influences. Even to this day he still listens to the Beatles before going out on stage. It is of interest to note that this would not be his first musical experience though: earlier at the age of fourteen he had already been in a band named 'The Black Panthers'. A band by the name of "Music Machine" needed a singer because theirs was sick. Ozzy liked the idea of being able to travel to gigs and meeting women so he filled in. Later on he joined a band named "Approach" but didn't like the band so he quit. He then decided to call himself "Ozzy Zig" and placed this ad in the local music paper/shop: "Ozzy zig requires gig. Ozzy's father loaned him some money and together they purchased a 50 watt amp. Ozzy placed an ad in a local record store reading, "Ozzy zig requires gig. Owns own P.A.". Another 18 year old Brummie named Terence 'Geezer' Butler had been playing guitar for just six months when he saw Ozzy's ad on a shop bulletin board and decided to go look him up. After the two met, they decided to form a band named "Rare Breed". Rare Breed lasted only two shows before disbanding. Elsewhere Ozzy's old schoolmate, Tony Iommi had teamed up with an 18 year old assistant truck driver named William Ward who had just quit his job. Tony and Bill also decided to form a band, "The Rest", and recruited a singer named Chris Smith. The Rest eventually moved north to a small town named Carlisle where they renamed themselves "Mythology" and gained a large following of fans. They played mainly blues songs inspired by such groups as The Yardbirds, Cream, The Beatles and John Mayal. Mythology eventually split up; Tony and Bill returned to Birmingham and went to the music shop where they also saw Ozzy's ad. Tony was hoping this was not the same 'Ozzy' he had went to school with because that Ozzy could not sing well and the two of them disliked one other. It turned out that it was indeed the same Oz and decided it would not be a good idea to form a band together. Tony was also not impressed with Ozzy because he had very short hair (really!). Since Ozzy and Geezer still needed a drummer they later approached Tony to see if he knew of a drummer. Bill was at Tony's place and agreed to join them but only if they'd let Tony join too. So along with a slide guitar player named Jim Phillips and a saxophone player, they formed a new band. The new band returned to Carlisle where Tony and Bill had been a success and played some gigs. Not being pleased with a six piece band, they broke up and then rejoined once the two extras had gone. This was a polite way of getting rid of the two unnecessary members. The foursome them learned 18 songs in their first week together. Ozzy named the band "Polka Tulk Blues Band" after a tin of talcum powder. It has also been said that the name came from a Pakistani clothing store named the 'Polka Tulk Trading Company'. Geezer Butler switched to playing bass guitar since Tony was now the lead guitar player. Unable to afford a bass guitar, Geezer simply took two of the guitar strings off his guitar and re-tuned it to make a bass guitar. Another name change ensued and the group was soon known as "Earth". History: ------- Ozzy Osbourne Geezer Butler Tony Iommi Bill Ward | | | | Black Panthers (1962) | Rocking Chevrolets | | | | | Music Machine/Approach | | | | | >>> The Rest <<< >>>> Rare Breed <<< | | | >>>>> Polka Tulk Blues Band <<<<< | Earth (Autumn 1967-August 1969) | Black Sabbath (Aug. 1969-1978) | Black Sabbath (1978-) [After Ozzy left, Ronnie James Dio left 'Rainbow' to replace him) "Black Sabbath makes Led Zeppelin look like a kindergarten house band" ...Advertisement by Jim Simpson --------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- 1.2b Ozzy in Approach --------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- An old aquantaince of Ozzy's named Jeff Hibbard sent me his story on his time spent with Ozzy. I'm reprinting the article as it was published from "Swinging in the 60's" by Dave Reeves. Jeff has a webpage here where you can find the article too. http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Aegean/4974/ Unfortunately Jeff doesn't have any recordings with Ozzy, I already asked. "Alright mate?", I said to this mechanic who has come from another garage to collect some spare parts from us. He used to come on a regular basis for parts. He said he played in a band. He played bass guitar and there was also a lead guitar and a singer. "We practise in a cellar below this church up the road from Witton Island." "Oh, really" said I, "I've got a guitar. Don't play much really , but I like it though." "What guitar you got ?" said he. "Oh it's a Vox" said I. "Fancy joining our band? Said he "Yeah! " said I. That was it, I was in a group. The next time I meet him is in the concrete cellar. "Alright mate ?" "Alright Jeff ?" "Yeah!" "This is the lead guitarist." "Alright mate?" "Alright Jeff?" "Yeah!" "And this is the singer, Ozzy." "Alright Jeff ?" "Alright Ozzy?" They both have smart guitars; Ozzy just has a michrophone and they all play through one amplifier. A small combination guitar amp. There isn't a drummer or a P.A. system. The lead shows me how to play bar chords. I pick them up pretty quick, and we are soon playing as one, all those soul songs, but still drummerless. I think the idea is to get a drummer when we get somewhere larger to play. This place is OK. It has a concrete floor and ceiling and square supporting columns with a wider square at the bottom which could serve as seats. The winter draws closer though and there's no heating in here. Some nights I can hardly play because my fingers are so cold. We play away as Ozzy launches into Midnight Hour, and sings for all he was worth, and worth all he was singing for. My fingers are hurting and Ozzy's breath is freezing as it leaves his mouth. Last time we practiced here, we shared our cellar with another group, probally to cut the cost. The one guitarist works at Music Exchange at Snow Hill; he's the one who sold me this amp, and guitar I've bought.When I tried them out at the shop, I asked him if he played. He said "Oh no, I don't play." And there he is playing in a group. Bleeding liar! Why do they do that? Anyway, we picked Ozzy up tonight in the van from his house in Lodge Road. Yeah! Our van with the name of the group, The Approach, written on both sides. Funny that, Ozzy lives in Lodge Road and we live in Witton Lodge Road. That kid lives next door but one to me,the kid who taught me my first guitar piece. And over the road lives another kid who plays the drums. I think his name is Bill Ward. We have fun in that van. We were driving through Erdington on Saturday and the lads were shouting to the girls "Drop your lingerie!". I shouted "Drop your laundry!" "What did you say?" says Ozzy. "Drop your laundry" said I. I think I get the words mixed up sometimes! Ozzy has a funny way with words too. "Go on Ozz, make us laugh." "OK. Brass Boots, Hot pumps, Brass Boots, Hot Pumps." We all laugh. We trundle up Perry Common Road then in our van, drop me off first, then I say "OK, lads, see you at the next practice". Moms quite proud. She tells everyone, "Oh, our Jeff's in a group, you know." She likes to see the van with The Approach written on the sides. Ozzy's Mom always waves us off from their house. She stands on the doorstep. "Hey Mom! Did I tell you what Ozzy did the other night?" "Whats that, Jeff ?" says Mom. "Oh, he got drunk at the Aston Hotel, upstairs, and fell down the stairs and nearly crashed through a stained glass window.""The kids drink too much today" says Dad. Well, he came to practice the other week with his arm in bandages.`Must have been fighting. "Hey! Guess what? We've got a better place to play." "Where's that, Jeff ?" Underwood School, in their hall, on the Lyndhurst Estate. It's quite new. If we're gonna play louder, Ozzy's gonna need a P.A. system. So me and Ozzy went up town today, to George Clays on Broad Street. I bought a Vox Conqueror, a piggy back amp, and a speaker on chrome swivel stands. Ozz bought a Vox P. A. system and microphone. 0zzy doesn't use a stand. Along with the new place of practice, came a drummer. He left after a while and was quickly replaced. Ozzy looks smart, standing there, out front, microphone in hand, with his shiny suit on and short hair. He launches into Knock On Wood. "Hey lads! Did I tell you about that kid? He came to our house on Saturday night." "Oh, him." "Yeah! He only wanted to borrow me new amp." "Who for?" said Ozz. "For that new group who play in Erdington." "What group?" "I think they are called The Idle Race" "Oh, them! Yeah! The singers called Jeff Lyne. Anyway, did you lend it to him?" "No" said I, "I axed Dad and he said "No, son, it's not paid for. Here we are again practicing. The surroundings are better but this group thing is becoming more like a job. My hands aren't cold anymore and there's Mom and Dad standing in the doorway. I told them to drop by. I look across and they smile and wave, I smile back. Ozz doesn't bat an eyelid. He always looks straight ahead, microphone in hand. Gone are the days and nights at the little church where we began with one amplifier, one microphone, and three guitars. Gone are the nights outside the Curry Shop after practice, standing there under the street lamp with a carton of Chinese curry each. We start to learn a new song tonight, it's called Purple Haze, by that coloured guy. It's a strange song-strange words, strange sounds from that guitar. Its sticks out like a sore thumb amongst all the soul songs we play. I find I can play some of the lead, the bass doesn't like it. "You're the rhythm, play rhythm" says he. People are coming into the hall to ask us to play at their weddings and parties. The bass tells them "No! We're not ready yet". I have to stand next to this guy through each and every song. We should be playing to people. That's why we do it. There's no applause. Things are changing or is it me? I sense some rebellion in them veins again. We finish the set we have worked on for months. I take my guitar off, place it against the amp, and walk towards the toilets. The bass follows me. He stops me, looks me in the eyes and says, "The groups splitting". Ozzy follows the lead. He must be telling him. I couldn't believe it. "Don't cry" the bass says. It's alright for you I thought, you're almost out of these teenage years . I ain't too bothered about you, the drummer ain't been with us too long, the leads a lot older than me, but I'll miss the singer, he's dedicated. I'll probably never see him again, that Ozzy Osbourne. --------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- 1.3 Who was Jim Simpson? (Manager Number One) --------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- Jim Simpson was a musician who played jazz trumpet. He was also the manager of a Brummie band named 'Bakerloo Blues Band'. Unable to find a place where he could promote the band, he opened his own place called "Henry's Blueshouse". Henry's, located at Hill Street and Station Road was an instant success. It wasn't before long before the club had to stop accepting new bands. A band that was just starting out, Led Zeppelin, would also be one of the first bands to play Henry's. In 1969, the four members of Earth approached Jim and asked if they could play at Henry's. They also wanted him to be their manager since they knew nothing of the business sense of things. He told them that they could open for the band 'Ten Years After', which pleased them. Happy to have a manager who supposedly cared for their interests, they recorded a song in tribute to him, "Song for Jim". The song was a spoof of their manager and the jazz music he played. This elusive song is still sought after by Sabbath fans worldwide. Simpson would also give the band some of his jazz records to inspire them to write songs. It is of interest to mention that around this time, Tony left to join Jethro Tull. While Tony did not appear on any of Tull's albums, he did make an appearance at the "Rolling Stone's Rock and Roll Circus" which was never released, because the Stones were upstaged by other acts. Tony and Jethro can be heard on a bootleg called "Archangel Rides Again". The movie was eventually released in the movie festival circuit. Tony's stint with Jethro Tull was very brief (for two weeks). He left Tull and was soon back in Earth. --------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- 1.4 Who was Earth/Black Sabbath? --------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- BAND MEMBER FULL NAME BIRTHDATE Tony Iommi [guitar] Anthony Frank Iommi Feb 19, 1948 in Aston Bill Ward [drums] William Ward May 5, 1948 in UK Ozzy Osbourne [vocals/harmonica] John Michael Osbourne Dec. 3, 1948 in Aston Geezer Butler [bass] Terence Michael Butler July 17, 1949 --------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- 1.5 How did Black Sabbath come to be? --------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- "When we hit America we were the wild bunch. We bought dope and f***ed anything that moved" ...Ozzy While waiting to go into a rehearsal one day, they noticed a Boris Karloff movie playing named "Black Sabbath" (1935). Geezer mentioned it was strange that people would go to a movie to scare themselves silly. Until this time they had only played other artist's material. They decided to use the name of the movie as the name for their first original song. One day the band showed up to do a gig at Henry's. There, someone mentioned they liked the bands single. The only problem was the foursome hadn't ever released a single! They then realized that there were two bands by the same name. The audience were of upper class and expecting a totally different type of music. Unable to back out of the show, the scruffy four played blues and rock to the audience. It was a disaster! The band however did have some fun in watching the crowd try to dance to their type of music. As a result, Geezer came up with the idea to change their name to that of the Karloff movie, 'BLACK SABBATH' to avoid being confused with the other band named Earth. They now had a song and a band name taken from the movie's title. This would also reflect the groups interest in the occult. It has also been said that the name Black Sabbath came from Geezer's interest in occult writer Denis Wheatley. Not having any money, the band relied on Tony's mother who owned a chocolate shop, for the use of a van, food and cigarettes. Sometimes the group would get gigs on their own, other times they would show up at a place where another band was to be playing. In the event that the scheduled band failed to show up, the Sabs would take their place. They played the Star Club in Hamburg in Jan. 1969, a place the Beatles had made famous. They were so popular that they were booked to come back for 5 more shows. They would play 7 shows a day, and write new material as they went along. This would also explain why their early songs had different lyrics than the final album versions. As Black Sabbath made news, a group of Satanists asked them to play at their "night of Satan" at Stonehenge. They refused. The head witch of England, Alec Sanders who was a regular fan of Sabbaths, informed them that these Satanists had placed a hex on the band members. Ozzy asked his father to make aluminum crosses, which he did, and then had them blessed. They wore these crosses 24 hours a day for protection. The cross remains a well known Black Sabbath symbol even to this day. You see, Black Sabbath as Satanic and dark as the name sounded, had nothing to do with the devil when they chose their name. An independent producer named Tony Hall paid for the band to record some demo songs at the Regent Sound studio on Tottenham Court Rd. These were produced by Roger Bayed, whose name appears on many of their albums. One demo cut, a single called "Evil Woman", was released on the Fontana record label in Jan. 1970. This was a cover song from a Minnesota band named Crow, which did quite well unbeknownst to the band. One demo was called "The Rebel" and is played as a 10 second sample in "The Black Sabbath Story - I" video. The song, about a reclusive voyeur, is one of the rarest Sabbath songs in that it did not make it to the final album. (For those who are trying to track down The Rebel and A Song for Jim, the only known person who has these is said to be Pete Sarfas who used to run the old Black Sabbath Fan Club. Jim Simpson won't even answer your mail.) Their first completed album was released on Friday, Feb. 13th, 1970. It took them only eight hours to record and cost a mere 800 British pounds (approx. $1200 US). The album was recorded in four tracks on an 8 track machine. The band was not that popular at this time, they simply wanted to do what they liked best... sing about the darker, more depressing things that surrounded them. It was not likely they ever intended to make the big time, in fact Ozzy has said he was just happy to show his mother that his voice was recorded on a piece of vinyl. It was not as easy as it sounds though, it took them 14 tries before Jim Simpson found a record company (Vertigo) that would carry the album. The record company chose to put an upside down cross on the gatefold of the album and thus people readily associated the band with Satanism. The band knew nothing about this and did not want the upside down cross, however they backed down from the record company's "wiser and higher" marketing methods. Inside the inverted cross was a poem. The poem seemed to correspond with the album's cover showing a woman standing in a countryside, apparently in a gothic setting. The poem is called "Still Falls the Rain". Due to requests by fans, it is shown below: *** STILL FALLS THE RAIN *** "Still falls the rain, the veils of darkness shroud the blackened trees, which, contorted by some unseen violence, shed their tired leaves, and bend their boughs toward a gray earth of severed bird wings. Among the grasses, poppies bleed before a gesticulating death, and young rabbits, born dead in traps, stand motionless, as though guarding the silence that surrounds and threatens to engulf all those that would listen. Mute birds, tired of repeating yesterdays terrors, huddle together in the recesses of dark corners, heads turned from the dead, black swan that floats upturned in a small pool in the hollow. There emerges from this pool a faint, sensual mist, that traces its way upwards to caress the feet of the headless martyr's statue whose only achievement was to die too soon, and who couldn't wait to loose. The cataract of darkness forms fully, the long black night begins, yet still by the lake a young girl waits. Unseeing she believes herself unseen, she smiles faintly at the distant tolling bell, and the still falling rain." The first album contained the following songs: 1) Black Sabbath (a dark doom sounding song) 2) The Wizard (a song about a wizard who walks through towns cheering people up through the use of magic) 3) Wasp/Behind The Wall of Sleep 4) Bassically/N.I.B. (a song about the devil falling in love with a mortal woman and changing to a good person) 5) Wicked World (society, and our struggle to survive) (Euro versions had 'Evil Woman' instead, another great single) 6) Sleeping Village/Warning (a very blues influenced song that is an easy listener, about found/lost love) This was definitely NOT a satanic album! Today there are still people who hear the words "Black Sabbath" and think hard rock devil music. This is plain ignorance. Remember the band was originally a blues band, and there is a definite blues sound in their debut album. Ozzy brought the album home to proudly show his parents. The Osbourne's were the type of people who would sit around the phonogram with a beer and merrily sing alone to the records. This was not to be though. When Mr. Osbourne heard the album he asked John, "Are you sure you were just drinking alcohol?, this isn't music, this is weird." The first song began with a church bell tolling and the sound of rain falling in the background, and was eerie to say the least. Ozzy too had not heard the final product until now. It would reach #8 in the UK charts and #23 in the United States. The four unknowns were now finally making a name for themselves with the release of an album. It is of interest to note that their album followed the release of Led Zeppelin's first album. Both bands knew one another personally since they both played in the same club and the music scene was a close knit group. It came in the form of a surprise to the Sabs when someone put on a brand new album from Led Zeppelin. Bill Ward was close to Zeppelin's drummer, John Bonham. He talks about the relationship between the two bands in the book, "The Story of Black Sabbath". It is of interest to point out that in February of 1970, the same month their debut album came out, they broke the attendance record at Simpson's club which had remained untouched for over a year by Jethro Tull. Tony had made the right choice in returning to Sabbath it would seem. With an album comes touring, and with touring comes America. America would have a great impact on them as well. Ozzy has said that people would go around saying, "if you go to San Francisco be sure to wear a flower in your hair". This mystified him because he did not know what or where San Francisco was. When the band eventually did tour America, it took them by storm. They had never seen anything like it. They had their share of groupies and took in the marvelous sights of America. They played one of their first shows at the Fillmore East. Some old 8mm footage of their first trip overseas can be seen on the commercial video, "The Black Sabbath Story - Volume 1". It must be said, that on this particular videotape, Bill Ward the drummer relates an interesting story: While playing in New York, the audience was still at the stage where they would simply sit there and listen to the music. The band wanted a stronger reaction from the audience since they were putting 150% effort into their songs. Ozzy would often yell at the audience to get up and go crazy (as many bootlegs can attest to). At one particular show they were growing fed up with the audience just sitting there and Bill picked up his drum set and threw it at the audience. Bill says that as a result, that night they did SEVEN encores. Can you think of any band in today's scene which does seven encores? By the time they reached Los Angeles, people had already heard about this "Black Sabbath". --------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- 1.6 Paranoia --------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- While working on their next album the band released a single called "Paranoid". The single was very popular, maybe too popular: On October 23, 1970 the band attempts to play the Mayfair Ballroom in Newcastle. The crowd is very drunk and all over the stage and equipment. The band, unsuccessful in trying to get them off the stage, starts playing their hit single Paranoid. 70 minutes later the show is done and the band is very upset. Someone put their foot through one of their big PA speakers, Bill's drum sticks and cymbals were stolen and a bass drum mic destroyed. The audience had gone crazy over their new single and Ozzy says, "If it means us having to give up putting out singles then we will. We want people to listen to us, not try to touch us. I was really terrified, shocked out of my mind." This would also be the gig that would give birth to their new song,"Fairies Wear Boots". While walking down a street some time after the show, the band was attacked by a group of skinheads. Tony's arm was badly hurt and this forced them to cancel their next show. Due to the fact the skinheads wore boots, they decided to make fun of the punks in the song. It was not uncommon for the band to be verbally abusive if the audience was not responding properly. If they were talking, the band would just crank up the music some more. Bands were so loud during this time the Leeds City Council introduced a "96 decibel law". If any band's music was to rise above 96 decibels the amplifiers would cut out. Sabbath did not consider their night's work complete unless they hit at least three cut outs a night. PARANOID ------------- The album, 'Paranoid', was recorded in four days once again at Regent Sound and then released in Jan. 1971. The cover shows a person running out of a forest with a sword and shield in hand. This seemed to listeners, a strange representation of being paranoid. The truth is that the album was to originally be named "War Pigs" (mans constant desire to have weapons of destruction and killing). The record company objected to the album title and so it was named after one of the songs. The song "War Pigs" came about when Sabbath was told tales of horror and war from soldiers while playing an American air force base. The Paranoid album reached FIRST place in the UK charts and 12th in American charts. It was during the span between the Paranoid and Master of Reality albums that Jim Simpson was fired as the band's manager. The reason for this is will be discussed in a later chapter. MASTER OF REALITY ----------------- In 1971 "Master of Reality" was released, charting 5th place in UK and 8th place in USA song charts. Ozzy also married his first wife, Thelma Riley and became a stepfather to her son, Elliot. This album would take an interesting turn with the release of "After Forever" which was clearly a religious, believe in God, song. The church called this blasphemy. People disliked the band, perhaps for their After Forever song or perhaps for what they represented. In any event, 1971 saw some strange events: At a show in Memphis, their dressing rooms had crosses painted in blood on the walls. During the show a Satanist jumped on stage with a sacrificial knife. The local witches coven later gathered outside the band's hotel and Geezer tried to scare them away with a fake hex. It was also the year that threats were made that the band would be shot sometime during their US tour. At one show the lights suddenly failed into their 3rd song and Ozzy stood frozen solid with fear. The band also included a song titled "Sweet Leaf" which openly talked about the band's usage of marijuana. The song begins with a coughing sound (as if someone had just inhaled the drug). In actual fact, Tony had just finished smoking drugs in a water pipe and the sounds were included in the final version. VOLUME 4 -------- The following year "Volume 4" was released. As with the inverted cross case and the "War pigs" album title, the record company would again take authority over the bands wishes. Volume 4 (hence the fourth Sabbath album) was to have originally been called "Snowblind", another drug reference. The record company thought this was too controversial and so they had to change it. The band was becoming involved in hard core drugs by this time (including cocaine). During the recording of Volume 4, the band sat around in a Jacuzzi snorting coke all day and would get up every so often to record a new song. We can see why Snowblind was an appropriate album title. Not being allowed to use it as an album title, they came up with this amusing line on the cover sleeve of the record: "Thanks to the COKE-Cola Company". It was also during this year that Ozzy and Thelma had their first mutual child, Jessica. --------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- 1.7 An act of SABOTAGE? --------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- "For the first part of their career they were managed by two of the biggest crooks in the business. They made nothing, I mean nothing." ...Sharon on Sabbath's early management The year is now 1974. The band is living a good life of drugs, sex, cars, etc. If they wanted a car or a house they would ask for it and receive it almost the next day. Ozzy even owned a Jaguar which he smashed while backing out of his driveway, the same day he was to sell it. What the band never saw though, was money. They became very successful especially in the UK charts. Their material possessions were provided by their new management of Patrick Meehan and Wilf Pine. What happened was this: During the same year that Paranoid was soaring up the charts, Pat and Wilf left their management company (which was Don Arden's, more on him later). The duo offered the band a chauffeured limo, champagne dinner at the Speakeasy, and filled the Sab's heads with ideas that Jim was mismanaging them and they could do a hell of a lot better with them instead. The Sabs agreed and on Sept.4, 1970 Jim Simpson found out he was history. The man who had turned the four nobodies into a juggernaut was dismissed. The Sabs were also not happy that with Jim they were being paid a lot less than what they should have been getting. The reason was that Jim insisted they perform at the shows they had already been booked for, even six months prior. These older bookings were for a lot less money than the usual fee, now around 2000 pounds per show. Simpson launched lawsuits against them for of breach of contract. Some concerts later, Ozzy was handed a subpoena on stage for Simpson's lawsuits. The resulting court case would last years. California saw the Cal Jam concert take place in Ontario on April 6th. This was a televised concert to millions of viewers as well as over 450,000 audience members. It featured bands such as Electric Light Orchestra. In the middle of the night, their management threatened the band with a lawsuit if they did not play the Cal Jam concert. The band had not practiced for months and was not ready for a show, especially one with over 450,000 people in attendance. It has been said that the band did not even know they were to play the show. This would be one of the final straws for the band and they soon began the process of getting rid of their second management. Ozzy talks a bit about this in the documentary, "The Decline of Western Civilization II" where the band questions how much money they are really making if their managers could afford houses and cars. [[ The California Jam is available on audio as well as hard to find video. I was sent a VHS of the show but it's poor wobbily quality. I forget the name of the person who sent it to me long ago but he told me his room mate had the entire copy. While others have made claims to having the entire set, it's always lip talk. ]] Once again the band gets rid of their management and decides to form their own management. This allowed them to have more control and say into what decisions were made for the band. It would be a learning experience as well since they had never dabbled in the management aspects before. They decided a rest was in order since they were exhausted. Their next US tour would be in three short installments rather than one big tour to further save them exhaustion and nervous breakdowns. Oh yes, remember all the flashy cars and houses they were given? They were never really theirs, and when they dumped the management duo they lost everything. They still had the Warner Bros. label in America though, and stayed with WB during the management change. SABOTAGE -------- In September of 1975, the band released their "Sabotage" album. The last song on the album, "The Writ", would reveal their feelings towards their previous management and all the problems they'd encountered: The Writ ======== The way I feel is the way I am I wish I'd walked before I started to run to you, just to you What kind of people do you think we are? Another joker who's a rock and roll star for you, just for you The faithful image of another man The endless ocean of emotion I swam for you, yeah for you The shot troopers laying down on the floor I wish they'd put an end to my running war with you, yeah with you Are you metal, are you man? You've changed in life since you began, yeah began Ladies digging gold from you Will they still dig now you're through, yeah you're through You bought and sold me with your lying words The voices in the deck that you never heard came through, yeah came through Your folly finally got to spend with a gun A poisoned father who has poisoned his son, that's you, yeah that's you I beg you please don't let it get any worse The anger I once had has turned to a curse on you, Yeah curse you All of the promises that never came true You're gonna get what is coming to you, that's true, ah, that's true Are you Satan, are you man? You've changed the life since it began, it began Vultures sucking gold from you Will they still suck now you're through The search is on, so you just better run And find yourself another way Probably dead, they don't feel a thing To keep you living for another day You are nonentity, you have no destiny You are a victims of a thing unknown A mantle picture of a stolen soul A fornication of your golden throne A smiling face, it means the world to me So tired of sadness and of misery My life it started some time ago Where it will end, I don't know I thought I was so good I thought I was fine I feel my world is out of time But everything is gonna work out fine If it don't I think I'll lose my mind I know, I know, I know, yeah yeah I know Listen to me while I sing this song You might just think the words are wrong Too many people advising me [managers, lawyers] But they don't know what my eyes see But everything is gonna work out fine If it don't I feel I'm lose my mind The anger is very strong in both the lyrics and the tone of Ozzy's voice. After hearing the song one cannot help but feel sympathy for what the band had been enduring. Some album labels (Warner Bros. for example) have a hidden tune following the song, you need to really turn up the volume to hear it. It features the band playing piano and singing an old 'Nitty Gritty Dirt Band' song called "Blow on the Jug". A sound engineer caught this during a recording session and it was put on the album. Sadly, there are a lot of other Sab cover songs which we will never get to hear. You can hear the 'Blow on the Jug' song by clicking right here! Reporter: "Do you have a drinking problem?" Ozzy: "Yes, I can't find a bar." --------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- 1.8 Don Arden --------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- If Jim Simpson sounds like a manager from hell, you should be introduced to Don Arden. This is Sharon Osbournes father in case you're wondering the relevance. Don Arden was born Harry Levy In 1926 In Cheetham Hill, Manchester, England. Don spent most of the fifties working the boards as a singer comedian. Arden had ambition and drive in abundance but lacked the necessary diplomacy to ingratiate himself with influential show business moguls. His uncompromising aggression and short temper alienated so many important contacts that eventually he decided to branch out from performing into promotion. He began modestly, organising Hebrew folk song contests before putting together his own shows. By the late fifties, Arden had found his niche. As a master of ceremonies, he could still sing, crack jokes and keep audiences happy while his star attractions lay waiting in the wings. By the mid-sixties, Arden has reached a crucial stage in his career. He had promoted many successful package tours involving a number of American acts such as Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard and Sam Cooke, but his progress in this area was thwarted by the dramatic emergence of the Beatles and their ilk. Suddenly, American stars were passé and as the beat boom reached it?s peak, attendance figures at Arden?s concerts revealed a noticeable slump. After losing approximately £100,000 in a disastrous 10-week run, Arden abandoned his fifties rock ?n? roll stars and set out in search of young pop groups, his first involvement in the beat group scene came through Mike Jeffrey, manager of the Newcastle-based Animals. Jeffrey, a notorious hustler and shady operator, was looking for an influential agent to get his group work in the South. Arden brought them to London and secured a residency at the fashionable Scene club. The Animals went down a storm and Arden immediately became their full-time agent, ensuring that he had sole rights to promote them worldwide. He also claims responsibility for recruiting producer Mickie Most, who proved instrumental in setting in motion the Animals rise to international fame. Following the transatlantic chart-topper ?House Of The Rising Sun?, Arden made substantial profits from promoting the Animals, but with their association was relatively short lived. A dispute arose with Jeffrey and rather than involve himself in protracted legal action, Arden sold his rights to other parties. Jeffrey?s own managerial career was relatively short lived. Several years later, he died in mysterious circumstances following a plane explosion. The body was never recovered. By this stage, Arden realised that pop group management could prove extremely lucrative, and he wasted no time in signing the Nashville Teens. The Weybridge sextet had already undergone a gruelling apprenticeship at Hamburg?s all-night Star Club and emerged as one of the most exciting groups of their day. Soon they were snapped up by Decca. Arden?s main contribution to the Nashville Teens was keeping them in work constantly throughout their career. In spite of the Teens? intense gigging schedule, Arden occasionally found difficulty releasing sufficient funds to cover their various expenses. Ray Phillips recalls how Arden?s severe budgeting frequently frustrated the group: We had to go up and barter for the money. If we were owed a grand he?d say, ?Would you settle for £600?? We?d be sitting in the office waiting for some money to get to a gig. He?d keep us waiting till the banks closed. ?Oh, I?ve got no money now. I?ve got some here - would you settle for that?? Little did you know, that?s it - you were paid off. Although the group grudgingly accepted the ?bartering system? as a method of payment, pianist John Hawken insisted on challenging Arden?s absolute authority. Prior to a performance in Manchester, he arranged to collect £120 from his manager?s Carnaby Street office, but, upon arrival, he was handed a cheque for £20. Overcome by reckless indignation, Hawken raised his voice in complaint and demanded the full sum in no uncertain terms. Arden was evidently astounded by his impudent outburst, incensed, he leapt from his chair, seized Hawken by the throat and pinned him against the wall. Staring directly into his eyes, Arden screamed: ?I have the strength of 10 men in these hands?. Feeling the pressure of Arden?s fingers on his neck, young Hawken realised that this was no idle boast. Within seconds, the agitated Arden had dragged the musician towards his office window, two floors above ground level, and exclaimed wickedly: ?You?re going over, John, you?re going over?. Fortunately, Hawken managed to free himself from his manager?s grip and fled from his office in a distraught state. Suffice to say, Hawken learned the hard way that a manager of Arden?s stature always demands respect. In the aftermath of their brief success, the Nashville Teens continued working with Arden, always hoping to re-establish their old reputation. The fact that Arden kept the group on his books long after they were a lucrative proposition was some consolation and he would no doubt argue that without his involvement their life span would have been considerably shorter. Under the terms of their management contract he received one third of their gross receipts from live performances, so there was every incentive to sustain their flagging career. Although their business relationship was never ideal, there was no animosity forthcoming from the group when they finally left their long-time manager. In retrospect, Phillips portrays Arden as a highly successful business manager whose main deficiency was a lack of creative input: ?I got on well with Don Arden. I liked Don. But he couldn?t manage a band. He couldn?t inject ideas... He was into buying and selling rather than making. The Teens needed guidance and direction.? Arden went on to manage The Small Faces around 1965. As 1966 wore on it became blatantly obvious that there was a growing rift between Arden and his number one act. Prompted by their concerned parents, the group began to take a closer look at their financial state. With no accounts forthcoming from Arden and a history of extravagant spending behind them, the Small Faces were unsure whether they were millionaires or paupers. Eventually, the parents decided to pay Arden a visit and demand an explanation. For some reason, they never quite got round to talking about money. Arden fended off such questions by expressing his deep concern about the boys? drug-taking habits. Not suprisingly, the parents were up in arms and left Arden?s Carnaby Street office convinced that their children were hardened addicts. According to Ronnie Lane it took a great deal of persuasion to convince them otherwise. On another occasion, Lane himself visited Arden to discuss money matters but his confidence was shattered upon being introduced to one of Don?s assistants, a certain ?Mad Tom?. Arden alone was an imposing figure, but the selected heavies that hung around his office suggested that any criticisms of the man would best be left un-uttered. Following a group meeting, the boys decided to employ an independant lawyer and accountant to sort out their financial affairs. Battlelines were being drawn. The Small Faces would probably have remained under Arden?s aegis but for their concern over unaccounted revenue. News of their disenchantment spread through the back lanes of Tin Pan Alley, but Don convinced himself that all would be well. His countenance grimly altered when he heard a rumour that one of Robert Stigwood?s associates had expressed an interest in the group. Inflamed by proprietorial zeal and a sense that some unwritten code of entrepreneurial etiquette had been transgressed, Arden decided to teach the unfortunate Stigwood a lesson that he would never forget. Marshalling his forces, Arden enacted a remarkable scene which will live forever in the folk-lore of sixties pop management: I had to stop these overtures - and quickly. I contacted two well-muscled friends and hired two more equally hugh toughs. And we went along to nail this impressario to his chair with fright. There was a large ornate ashtray on his desk. I picked it up and smashed it down with such force that the desk cracked - giving a good impression of a man wild with rage. My friends and I had carefully rehearsed our next move. I pretended to go berserk, lifted the impressario bodily from his chair, dragged him on to the balcony and held him so he was looking down to the pavement four floors below. I asked my friends if I should drop him or forgive him. In unison they shouted: ?Drop him?. He went rigid with shock and I thought he might have a heart attack. Immediately, I dragged him back into the room and warned him never to interfere with my groups again. The shaken Stigwood, who had never personally contacted the Small Faces, took heed of Arden?s advice, as did many other figures in the pop world. Although Arden had sold the Faces? agency contract for a reputed £12,000, his company still owed the group royalty payments in respect of record sales. Retrieving those sums was to prove extremely difficult. An intriguing dispute ensued during which Arden demonstrated his predilection for drawn-out court proceedings. During the summer of 1967 an action was brought against Arden?s Contemporary Records for an amount of royalties due to the Small Faces. On receipt of the order, dated 9th June 1967, an account was filed which revealed that £4,023. 7s. was owed to the group. Several months later, on 11th October 1967, the Small Faces obtained judgement in their favour and Counsel for Arden stated in Court that his company had sufficient funds available to pay the debt. Having battled for nearly a year, it seemed as though the group had won a hard-earned victory against their former manager. Unfortunately, the Small Faces had underestimated Arden?s tenacity and, within a week, their premature celebrations came to an abrupt end. On 16th October, Arden?s solicitors, M.A. Jacobs & Sons, wrote to the Small Faces? legal advisers stating ?... with regard to the judgement which you have obtained against our Clients, our Clients are not in a position to meet this fully and in one payment. Therefore, they would suggest that they should discharge the debt by instalments of £250 per month...? Of course, this meant that the group would not receive their full £4,023. 7s. until as late as January 1969. Reluctantly, they accepted this instalment plan, but after proffering £500, Contemporary Records suddenly ceased payment. The Small Faces were left with no option but to petition for the winding up of Arden?s company and an order was duly granted on 5th February 1977, approximately 10 years after payment was due, that the group finally recovered the full sum of £4,023. 7s. Arden?s mastery of litigation was to remain a constant throughout his future management career. The loss of a major group such as the Small Faces might have proved a severe blow to a minor-league manager, but Arden always ensured he had acts in reserve. His strength lay in the success of his agency, Galaxy Entertainments, which booked over a hundred groups in it?s heyday including the Nashville Teens, the Applejacks, The Action, Neil Christian, the Fairytale and the Skatellites. In his role as starmaker, Arden carefully chose to manage those acts whom he felt had the strongest change of achieving success. While waiting the emergence of a new act to rival the chart feats of the Small Faces, Arden temporarily revived his own singing career. He was probably influenced by the dramatic rise in sales of ballad material in the UK during the first half of 1967. With Tom Jones, Engelbert Humperdinck, Vince Hill, Frank Sinatra and even Harry Secombe all scoring massive hits Arden must have felt that he stood an outside chance. He even hired a well-known ?promoter? to exploit the sales of his single, investing £250 in the process. ?Sunrise Sunset?, released on Decca, failed to chart, though it is doubtful whether many people expected to see Arden on ?Top Of The Pops?. Don later boasted that the single sold approximately 27,000 copies, though if such a figure is accurate, it is suprising that he decided not to release further material. Perhaps he was distracted by the formidable hit machine which fell into his hands in 1967. When Arden took over the management of Amen Corner from agent Ron King, they had already achieved some chart success. Don was intent on continuing their hit run and it was bizarre to witness how uncannily their career paralleled that of the Small Faces. Lead singer, Andy Fairweather-Low quickly emerged as a pin-up hero in the same manner as his predecessor, Steve Marriot; both singers hit the headlines by collapsing during rehearsals for important television programmes; both groups failed to crack the US market while managed by Arden; both were involved in disputes with their mentor; both prompted Arden to threaten a potential poacher; both left him and signed to Andrew Oldham?s Immediate label. For Amen Corner, 1967-8 was a tremendously exciting and frequently frustrating period which they will never forget. Signing to Arden appeared to guarantee drama and intrigue and under his tutelage they served the equivalent of a university course in the politics of the pop world. By the summer of 1968 they had notched up four hits, ?Gin House?, ?World Of Broken Hearts?, ?Bend Me Shape Me? and ?High In The Sky? and were regarded by the media as a cut above the average pop group. What the press did not reveal was the intense power struggle that served as a backdrop to this group?s short career. Guns, threats of physical violence and even a proposed assassination were just some of the happenings during Arden?s term of management. Events reached a head when Don learned the by now familiar tale that his group were searching for new management and had been approached by certain individuals. On this occasion, however, Arden found himself up against a consortium of wealthy and influential figures backed by a powerful pop music entrepreneur. The aims of the consortium have never been made clear, though Arden suggests that they may have regarded themselves as an independant trade union in search of better deals for pop artistes. However, the involvement of the mysterious pop mogul implies that their prime motive may have been to pressurise Arden into surrendering his more important assets. The first signs of trouble occurred when an intermediary of the consortium phoned Arden and suggested that he might release Amen Corner from their management contract. Arden?s reply was characteristically blunt and intimidating; I warned him that committing suicide might be better than causing trouble for me... The story was that £3000 had been put up to get me ?fixed?. I know full well that it is possible to hire someone to maim or kill for a few thousand pounds. But this time I was scared because there was talk of getting me through my one weakness - my family. Arden has always been strongly protective of his family, so it is not suprising to learn that he acted quickly. Three bodyguards were employed for a three-figure sum to provide round-the-clock protection for Arden?s wife and children while a counter-plot was being hatched. Don then hired a further six bodyguards and briefed them of his plans for frightening off the consortium. Their focus of attention was a patsy whom Don suspected had some connections with the consortium and seemed the single weakest pawn in their richly-funded Mafia-style vendetta. In broad daylight, Arden?s henchmen set out to his mews flat armed with sawn-off shotguns and revolvers. When the potential victim saw these thugs from his upper window, he screamed his lungs out. Having terrified this character out of his wits, the heavies casually returned to their car and drove away. Arden had presented his visiting card and effectively persuaded the consortium that it would be folly to risk taking this dispute to it?s logical extreme. Of course, Arden?s intimidatory retaliation was itself a dangerous ploy which might have backfired on him in various ways. Indeed, during the aftermath of this incident, he was contacted by a senior police officer investigating complaints concerning guns. It took all of Arden?s rhetoric and cunning to persuade the police that their informant was a crank. In spite of flexing his muscles, Arden could not retain the confidence of Amen Corner who left him for another manager shortly afterwards. There was much talk in the press about Don taking legal action to retain his interests in the group, though nothing came of it. Arden later claimed that he had sold Amen Corner?s contract for a profit of £50,000. The employment of minders and persuaders and the frequent disputes with managers and artistes soon earned Don Arden the title ?The Al Capone Of Pop?. An absurd rumour spread that he had been appointed by the Mafia to supervise their activities in London. Amused by the anxiety this caused in some quarters, Don actively perpetuated the myth by refusing to comment on the matter. The notorious reputation he acquired in the late sixties may have alarmed some of his acts, but many others were flattered by their association with such a powerful entrepreneur. Such was evidently the case with Skip Bifferty, another of Arden?s rare failures. During the early stages of their career, the group harboured ambitions of achieving overnight success. However, the grinding toll of endless one-nighters that Arden so favoured frustrated and disillusioned them. Arden was less than impressed by their seeming lack of commitment and endurance: They weren?t tough enough to make it.... They wanted to become stars, but just when we got them from £10 to £100 a night, they went to pieces. They seemed to forget that nothing comes easy, you?ve got to work for what you get. They had no staying power, no patience and they wouldn?t accept guidance. And artistes have to co-operate with me. Skip Bifferty not only refused to co-operate with Arden, but actively sought to terminate their management contract, a course of action guaranteed to inflame their mentor?s wrath. Following a disagreement, they spent most of their time outside London, unsure of what to do next. Frightened and emotionally intimidated, they confessed their worst fears to Beckenham police and were advised by Detective Inspector John MacNamara to report any threats, unexpected visits or disturbances. Shortly afterwards, two cars pulled up outside their house and they were confronted by several thugs brandishing firearms and threatening dire consequences. Wisely, they telephoned MacNamara and after a lengthy chase one of the cars was stopped in London?s Tottenham Court Road. Several offensive weapons were discovered in the vehicle and the heavies were duly charged. It was another astonishing episode in the career of an Arden group who found themselves hopelessly out of depth in their dealings with the all-powerful Al Capone of Pop. The grandly-named Electric Light Orchestra was finally launched in Early 1972 and Arden booked an impressive tour, spending lavishly on billboard and trade announcements. After 18 months of preparation, however, the group was still not ready and the tour was postponed. When they eventually made an uneasy debut at the Fox and Greyhound, Croyden, the audience merely registered perplexity and Arden expressed concern about the over-ambitious nature of the project. By the late seventies, Arden has established himself as one of the most successful entrepreneurs in the music business with an international record label, Jet. His son, David, helped run the affairs of the UK company while daughter Sharon served an equally tough apprenticeship on the road looking after ELO and others. Flamboyant, outspoken, garrulous and high-living, Sharon shared many of her father?s personality traits and was no stranger to the excesses of road life, which included loud parties, food fights and hotel room demolishing. Her ?rock ?n? roll? lifestyle was welcomed by ELO and applauded by her greatest admirer, Ozzy Osbourne. Since leaving Don Arden, Ozzy has seen many lawsuits. The most bizarre of these was served backstage a Live Aid after Ozzy had appeared briefly onstage with his old friends from Black Sabbath. The writ alleged that Osbourne was attempting to reform the original group as a performing unit and actively discouraging them from associating with their former manager. Ozzy was astonished by the implications of the legal document and could be heard fulminating: ?If Don thinks I?m going back to Black Sabbath, he must be crazy!? Clearly, with a solo career in bloom, the last thing he envisaged was a Sabbath revival. Osbourne still seems unsure whether Arden is genuinely aggrieved or merely playing some clever game. Who can fathom this entrepreneur who never forgets or forgives past transgressions and appears to regard management contracts as eternally binding? Of course, such a controversial character is always likely to invite unwanted scrutiny and in 1979 Arden found himself under investigation by the BBC?s watchdog programme ?Checkpoint?. Roger Cook?s team made some damning comments on Arden?s business methods which greatly upset the man. Faced by Cook?s relentless questioning, Arden became increasingly evasive and frequently appeared bamboozled by the sheer weight of the accusations levelled against him. He swore at Cook, conjured up spurious rumours of homosexuality, and even threatened on air, to break the neck of any person found tailing him! It was a remarkable and chilling confrontation. There was one final footnote to the Arden/BBC extravaganza which neither party had anticipated. One of Don?s sixties groups, the Nashville Teens, took advantage of his plight in order to promote a comeback single, ?Midnight?, which they cheekily dedicated to the man. Extending the ironic gesture still further, they embarked on a ?Be nice to Don Arden? tour and even offered to play a benefit concert for the beleaguered rock mogul. It was a delightful spoof and a pleasing reminder that after all the financial disputes, harsh criticisms and bitterness, this hard-working, stoical group had somehow retained its sense of humour. Don Arden assumed a lower profile in the eighties, leading to speculation that he had mellowed with passing years. It was a happy delusion broken by newspaper headlines in 1985 and 1986 suggesting that he was in more trouble than ever. On 19th March 1986, David Arden appeared at the Old Bailey charged with carrying out his father?s instructions to blackmail and imprison Harshad Patel, an accountant who rose to power in the Jet organisation to become Don?s partner. Patel had fallen out with Arden, who accused him of extorting company funds in excess of $100,000. It was not a vast sum by Arden?s financial standards, but rather than pursuing his allegations through the courts, Don allegedly decided to take the law into his own hands using strong-arm methods. One evening, Don and David Arden, accompanied by two thugs, allegedly held Patel captive for over 24 hours. During his long ordeal, the unfortunate accountant was verbally abused by Arden Snr, who at one point allegedly flew into a rage and threw a cup of coffee over his victim. In an earlier hearing, it was suggested that Patel had been ?beaten up? and forced to sign a letter of credit for £69,000. Evidently, Arden had not bargained upon Patel?s indignation and willingness to contact the police about the incident. In the past, Don?s intimidatory tactics had attracted enquiries from the police, but these allegations were arguably the most serious yet, and, if proven, would almost certainly place Arden behind bars. The Old Bailey trial ended with Arden?s son, David, being sentenced to two years? imprisonment, albeit with one suspended. Meanwhile, Arden Snr remained in Los Angeles awaiting his fate. In open court, it was confidently stated that Arden would be brought back to England at the earliest opportunity to face these charges. An extradition order followed and, 20 months after his son?s incarceration, Arden arrived at the Old Bailey for one of the most dramatic court cases in pop history. Don Arden was arrested in the US in late 1985 and prior to extradition proceedings voluntarily returned to the UK where he was charged under his family name, Harry Levy, on two separate counts of false imprisonment and blackmail. During November 1987, the Old Bailey heard a staggering series of accusations from Harshad Patel, Arden?s former book-keeper/accountant. Patel explained that Arden suspected him of misappropriating funds from Jet Records and during a stormy meeting in November 1983 allegedly attacked him with a hatstand, pulled a gun from his briefcase and threatened: ?I?m going to shoot you?. The accountant was then dispossessed of several post-dated cheques and car keys before being unceremoniously sacked. He claims Arden demanded ?substantial compensation? for the supposed fraudulency and threatened to recruit Mafia associates to take care of matters. The perturbed Patel returned to England, but further trouble followed. On 7th December 1983 at 1 a.m., Patel was asleep at his house in Harrow when an American heavy named Charlie Holbrook alleged unless he accompanied him immediately to Arden?s Wimbledon home. There, Patel was supposedly interrogated by the son of a leading New York Mafia boss and physically assaulted by Arden, resulting in superficial injuries including a fractured rib. Following his alleged night of captivity, Patel claims he was taken to Arden?s accountants and persuaded to sign a bank draft for £69,132.37. That he assumed, was the end of the matter. Two months later, however, Arden discovered further irregularities. On 14th February 1984, Patel claims he received a second visit from Charlie. This time he was taken to Arden?s office in Portland Place and supposedly held prisoner for 24 hours, a period in which he claims to have been attacked by Arden, punched in the face and stomach, showered with coffee and water, consistently hit over the head with a 16 oz.paperweight, suffered danger from various flying missiles including an ashtray, prevented from leaving his seat or going to the lavatory for agonising spells in excess of 14 hours, and threatened with the possibility of being beaten with a baseball bat and chained up and done away with, along with his parents. The alleged presence of another Mafia persuader and the suggestion that David Arden alluded to Muslims chopping off the hands of thieves completed the accountant?s grim scenario. Eventually, Patel claims, he was released, bloodied and bruised, and warned that he must repay a further £10,000 compensation to Arden within one month, Soon afterwards, Patel contacted solicitors and police intervention followed. During the two-week trial, Arden strenuously denied Patel?s allegations, flew in several star witnesses from the States and focused considerable attention on a separate civil action concerning Patel?s alleged fraudulency of Jet. On 19th November 1987, a jury of eight men and three women found Arden ?Not Guilty? on all charges. At the age of 62, his character remains unblemished by a criminal record. (Source: The Don Arden Story from 'King Of The Universe' Fanzine in 1997 & 1998. Edited but used with permission from Jim Hoban, Carlisle, Cumbria, U.K) --------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- 1.9 Manager Number Two --------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- After leaving Sabbath and in need of a new manager, Don Arden was hired. Ozzy and Sharon met when Ozzy walked into Don's office wearing a tap faucet around his neck and sat on the floor - refusing to use a chair. Sharon was terrified of Ozzy upon first sight. She even tried to get another woman working in the office to bring him a cup of tea, rather than bring it to him herself. The two of them would get to know one another quite well over the years as Don and the Sab four conducted business. Money and fame were no longer problems for the four of them, instead the only challenge was how to come up with another best selling album. A very audible change in the bands musical direction began to show in their 1974 album, "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath". Despite the title, the album contains deep lyrics with many different musical arrangements. The songs seemed more uplifting and vibrant than their previous dark, gloomy sounding material and a more energetic sound. Electronic instruments also changed the way they were able to record songs. This album, probably their best album with Ozzy as vocalist, placed 4th and 11th respectively in UK and American charts. TECHNICAL ECSTASY ----------------- "Technical Ecstasy" was released in 1976. This album was considerably less heavy then previous albums, and perhaps was due to the band just being fed up with it all. They had succeeded in making a lot of money, owned as many cars as we own socks, and were getting burned out from constant touring. T.E. would contain a song titled, "It's Alright" featuring Bill the drummer on vocals, a very gentle song. The album cover also set the stage for something entirely new from the band. No more dark images, this artistic cover showed two robots having sex (or so it has been said). Sadly, Technical Ecstasy did not sell very well. The late 1970's also saw some deep trouble for the band. On January 20,1978 Ozzy's father passed away. Here is a small portion of an interview with Ozzy regarding his father: "In England, they don't tell you, y'know. What they did to my father was, he hadn't eaten a fucking thing because of his -- whatever the fucking tube -- he had a lump here like a fucking black ball, in his sagophagus or whatever the fuck it is; he couldn't eat any food. Plus the fact that he had cancer of the fucking intestines, the bowels, so he couldn't shit. He never ate a thing for thirteen weeks. They operated on him about a fucking week before he died. They took the whole tube out and put a plastic one in. I don't know what it's like in the states, but in England...they put him in a fucking closet with the fucking mops and buckets, because he was on the death ward and it was too distressing for the rest of the patients so they put him in a cot, sort of a crib thing, a giant crib. They strapped him...like a boxer, fucking bandages on his hands, with a glucose drip going into his arm. He was stoned out of his head. You know, the most amazing thing he said to me. I told my father one day, "I take drugs. I said to him, "Before you go, will you take drugs?" He says, "I promise you I'll take drugs." He was on Morphine. Totally out of his mind on Morphine, because the pain must have been horrendous. They had the operation on a Tuesday, and he died on Thursday...No one could understand what he was talking about, because he was so out of it. He says to me -- he only understands drugs as "speed" -- he says, [whispers, a drawn-out, rattling imitation] "ssspeeeeed." And he died in my arms. I haven't got over it yet. The twentieth of January, I'll go freaking like a werewolf. I'll cry and I'll laugh all day long, because it's the day my daughter was born and the day my father died. Like a fucking lunatic. When they go, they're out of their misery. But what freaked me out more than anything else was the funeral. I was singing fucking "Paranoid" in the church...Seconal, drunk... it blew me away. All the family came that I'd never seen for fucking years, and they were making comments. In England, it's a weird scene at a fucking death. My father hated his brother Harold -- my whole family's fucking nuts." This took a toll on Ozzy and he decided to quit Black Sabbath. Ozzy's father, Jack, who thought his son would either end up in prison or end up being someone very special, died knowing his son had made something out of himself. While on his leave of absence, Ozzy asked Glenn Hughes (another vocalist who would eventually spend some time in Sabbath) about the two of them forming a band. Oz was fed up with Sabbath by this time, though he kept his feelings about this to himself. Glenn did not join Ozzy in his desire. Meanwhile the band had to continue work on its upcoming album, "Never Say Die". NEVER SAY DIE ------------- They took in Dave Walker (who used to be with Fleetwood Mac) to write new material for their album. Ozzy decided he wanted to rejoin the band, but he refused to sing any of the songs written with Dave Walker. So Dave left and the band had to rewrite all of their songs. Tony booked a studio in Toronto, Ontario because it was where the Rolling Stones had recorded one of their albums. The band traveled up there in the middle of winter to record the album. Ozzy has since said it was a stupid thing to do and that it was freezing up there. Tony was just trying to keep the band together in a time of turmoil. Ozzy had this to say on the album: "The fucking studio's a pile of shit, the fucking -- we had two songs half- written before we'd gotten into the studio. The reason we'd gone to Canada was because of the tax-exile thing, because the taxes are so high in England. In the end, it cost us nearly 500 fucking thousand dollars to make that album, and it was the biggest pile of horseshit that I've ever made in my life. I'm embarrassed with that album." There is one song titled "Junior's Eyes" which is available on the "Archangel Rides Again" bootleg, featuring Sabbath with Dave Walker on vocals. Junior's Eyes was kept for the final album with the same music but Ozzy rewrote the lyrics in a way as to say goodbye to his father. Junior's Eyes ============= Junior's eyes looked up to the skies in tears He prayed that his maker, the giver and taker, would `pear Junior sighed, as his hands reached out to the sky Junior cried, the day that his best friend died (chorus) You're coming home again tomorrow I'm sorry it won't be for long With all the pain I've watched you live within I'll try my hardest not to cry But it is time to say goodbye Junior's eyes, they couldn't disguise the pain His father was leaving, and Junior is grieving again Innocent eyes watched the man who had gave everything Junior's sorrow, who knew what tomorrow would bring? (chorus) Junior's eyes looked into the skies once more Now he knew well, this life was hell for sure He desperately tried, his fingertips stretched to the stars, yeah Reaching for reason, along with the time and the stars (chorus) --------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- 1.10 When and how did Ozzy leave Black Sabbath? --------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- By now, all four members of the band were staying in their rooms all day and doing hard drugs and booze. They had cars, success, and perhaps little motivation to release another album. Ozzy himself has said he only wanted to release an album to make money and get fat off of beer. Ozzy would subsequently not show up for weeks at a time for practice. They were to begin work on their next album, "Heaven and Hell". Tony, having met Ronnie James Dio (ex-Rainbow) by this time, then asked Bill to get rid of Ozzy. Tony was fed up with Ozzy and was interested in having Dio as a vocalist. After the 1978 NSD tour, Ozzy was told by Bill, that they no longer wanted him in the band. Bill feels bad about doing this because him and Oz were best of friends and yet Bill wanted Ozzy out of the band as well. People still ask how Ozzy left, the truth is that both him and Tony Iommi say he was fired. Ozzy also adds that he was relieved at this. In actual fact Ozzy was asked many times on the last day to leave before being fired. For some time now Ozzy wanted to go into a new musical direction and perhaps was unable to do so with the politics of the band being the way they were. Tony, being the transportation, would never be spoken against by the other members of the band. 1978 saw the end of the original Black Sabbath. Their last tour would be the "Never Say Die" tour. Appropriately named. --------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- 2.0 Ozzy and Randy --------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- After being fired from Sabbath, Ozzy spent three months staying in the Le Parc Hotel in Los Angeles. He would order out for pizza and booze and have his dealer drop off cocaine for him. He basically thought his life was over. It was around this time that his friend Sharon Arden suggested he start a new band. Over in Los Angeles, a 23 year old guitar player named Randall William Rhoads was turning heads. Randy's father was a music teacher and his mother ran a music school. The following comes from the Official Randy Rhoads Web site: "His love and understanding for music can rightfully be traced back to his mother, Delores Rhoads, and to his introduction to music at such a young age. Mrs. Rhoads has owned and operated the Musonia School of music in Burbank, CA since 1949. After graduating from UCLA with a bachelors degree in music she taught in the Los Angeles School system before leaving to play professionally and to start her Musonia. Randy's father was a music teacher himself, but he left when Randy was 17 months old, leaving Mrs. Rhoads to raise her three children, Randy, Kellie and Kathy, and to head the music programs Musonia school of Music, Burbank, CA." The website is: www(dot)csun(dot)edu/~igra/rhoads/ Born Dec. 6, 1956 in Santa Monica, Randy was with Quiet Riot (who are best remembered for their hit "Cum On Feel The Noize"). Randy had recorded two albums with Quiet Riot, released only in Japan. Randy was introduced to Ozzy through Dana Strum (now of Slaughter). Randy showed up at Ozzy's audition and reportedly played for just five minutes before Oz said he was in. With Bob Daisley on bass and Lee Kerslake on drums, they recorded an album, "Blizzard of Ozz", in England. The album would also contain a melody titled "Dee" which was dedicated to Randy's mother, Dolores, a source of inspiration for Randy. The album was released on Don Arden's JET Record label. What about Don Arden and Black Sabbath? Well when Ozzy was fired, and Ozzy went solo, the record company said bye-bye to the Sabs. Ozzy then decided to tour, with his first solo concert in Glasgow, Scotland on September 12, 1980. What you probably don't know is that Ozzy had two shows before his debut under the band name of "Law". The opening day of his first solo concert he and Sharon paced the streets nervously. Since people in Scotland usually showed up at the concert without prepaying for tickets, they had no way of knowing how many people would show up. As it turned out it was a big success. Ozzy played all of his Blizzard of Ozz album and some Sabbath songs. Eventually he broke down and cried because he realized that he could make it on his own without the other three Sabbath members with whom he had paved the road to success. You must realize that when Ozzy was in Sabbath he was really not a contributing member of the band. Geezer wrote most of the song lyrics and Ozzy would come by and sing the words, but he had little to do with the actual contributions to the songs[*]. Now Ozzy and Randy were the main writers and had equal say as to what went into the songs. [*] Ozzy did write 'Am I Going Insane' (his feelings about society's views towards him and his anger towards society) and 'Who Are You?' Since this chapter will be the end of the Black Sabbath era, here is a list of the albums which were recorded with any of the original members. As you can see, in the end only Tony chose to remain in the group: Ozzy Tony Bill Geezer ======================================================= Black Sabbath * * * * Paranoid * * * * Master of Reality * * * * Volume 4 * * * * Sabbath Bloody * * * * Sabotage * * * * We Sold Our Soul * * * * Technical Ecstasy * * * * Never Say Die * * * * Heaven and Hell * * * Mob Rules * * Live Evil * * Born Again * * * Seventh Star (was to be solo) * Eternal Idol * Headless Cross * Tyr * Dehumanizer * * Cross Purposes * * "Who do you think you were in previous incarnations?" "I think I was a bat" ... Ozzy some years before the "incident" --------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- 2.1 What the hell is this about biting a bat? (Diary of a Madman) --------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- The following year, "Diary of a Madman" was released. An interesting note, Ozzy's son, Elliot is shown on the album cover. Though production of the album was rushed towards the end so that the band could get out and tour, Ozzy has said he liked this album better of the two. The album came out the same time as Sabbath's Mob Rules album. Diary soared to the top 15 on US charts while Mob Rules remained at #29. Ozzy's first two albums would sell over 6 million copies. As they toured, Randy would often hold a guitar clinic for kids who wanted to learn to play guitar. A kid named Joe Holmes took lessons from Randy, and would later have an impact on Ozzy's life as well. The Diary tour was nicknamed Night of the Living Dead tour due to various misfortunes: The entire band was expelled from a San Diego over Ozzy's reputation, the prop truck broke down, and in Minneapolis a crane fell and crushed $8000 worth of synthesizers. On the upside, the stage setting for Diary of a Madman was a huge castle complete with fog. The drummer was situated on a raised platform, and there was an opening in the center of the stage where a dwarf would come out to give Ozzy water and towels. The dwarf was actually Little John Allen who played R2D2 in Star Wars. It has been brought to my attention that Kenny Baker actually played R2D2 so I don't know which name is correct. John Allen suffered mock abuse by having pig entrails tossed at him, he was stuffed into a hole and he was even hanged for prolonged periods from a noose (as shown on some videos). This was accomplished with a harness so as not to really choke him, but how did he manage to stay up for so long?? During the Diary tour, Ozzy would throw raw meat at his audience. It was even part of his contract that 25 pounds of calves livers and pigs intestines be thrown. A parent once phoned the promoter of the show asking how to get blood out of the clothes. As the tour continued, people would bring meat to the show to throw back at him. As time passed, the audience brought dead frogs, cats, snakes, etc. to throw onto the stage. Once, someone threw a toy doll onto the stage and Ozzy freaked out thinking that someone had thrown a real infant up on stage. On Jan. 20 at a Des Moines, Iowa concert some winner threw a real bat up on stage. The bat lay still because of the spotlights on the stage, and so Ozzy picked it up, THINKING IT WAS A TOY RUBBER BAT. He bit into the bat, taking off its head. Immediately the audience and Sharon freaked out. Ozzy was rushed to emergency to have rabies shots. It is reported that at the time he was treating the whole thing as a joke, apparently barking like a dog when wheeled into the hospital. He sent the crew back to find the bat to find out if it was in fact real or not, the bat could not be found. The shots would continue for about a week, with needles in each buttock, arms and leg. Ozzy would also faint or collapse at the concerts which followed. Ozzy's advice on the situation is, "if you want to be a complete dick, try it". Subsequently the bat would become a symbol for Ozzy on his upcoming albums, and even a tattoo. The animal humane society would become involved and show up to boycott Ozzy concerts. From this point on, he was marked a madman and his reputation began to precede him. One such nasty rumor, and sure sign of people's ability to go overboard with gossip and rumors is this little gem: Before one concert even started, Ozzy supposedly threw three small dogs into the audience. He refused to play the show until all the dogs came back to him dead. The story is not true. It was the honest mistake with a bat which would cement itself in people's minds, even to this day. [Ed: I can recall when Ozzy came to my home town on the Diary tour, the SPCA and police were there threatening to take action if any animals were harmed on stage. Ozzy has never returned.] "If they were buzzing the bus, like people say, it probably meant that Randy was struggling with the pilot to stop him from crashing it" -Kevin Dubrow of Quiet Riot --------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- 2.2 When and how did Randy Rhoads die? --------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- In 1981, Ozzy divorced his first wife, Thelma. They were separated soon after the day he came home (drunk) to find a bailiff at the door, and all of his belongings outside. He was told that if he stepped inside the house he would be arrested. Ozzy was not exactly what you would call a father figure. He would leave home for days, weeks, at a time and stay at friends places until they kicked him out. Rather than go through the divorce proceedings, Ozzy told her to just keep everything. By now Ozzy and Sharon had gotten to the point where they decided to get married. Sharon had been hoping this would also get Ozzy a better deal since her father was the one managing the recording and managerial contracts. On March 19th, 1982 Ozzy and his band were on their way to Orlando, FL from Knoxville, TN. The show was to feature Foreigner and UFO. Ozzy and Randy had been talking about their recent success. Randy mentioned wanting to leave to pursue a degree in classical guitar at UCLA. Ozzy has said that if Randy were still alive, it is doubtful that Randy would still be playing with him.] During the trip, they stopped to do some repairs on the tour bus at its base near Leesburg, Florida. The bus driver, Andrew Aycock (36) invited some of the people for a ride in his Beechcraft Bonanza airplane (9-10 am). The bus driver took Don Airey and Jake Duncan (the tour manager) for a spin. Aycock had been involved in a previous accident in which a young boy was killed. When the plane landed, the driver went for another ride, this time with Randy and Ozzy's seamstress, Rachael Youngblood, 58. The pilot of the plane was presumably under the influence of cocaine (it was later found in drug tests). The pilot's ex-wife was standing outside the bus and it is assumed the pilot dove the plane into the bus in an attempt to kill her. Aycock circled the bus three times, and on the fourth pass, the plane clipped the tour bus and careened into a nearby house where it exploded. Ozzy ran into the house and pulled out a deaf man, who was unaware of the fire. Rachel and Randy were both killed in the crash. The fire destroyed the home, and adjacent garage. Ozzy's new solo career had come to a screeching halt. He would continue the tour in April with a quick shoe in of Bernie Torme. Bernie used to play guitar for Gillan (Ian Gillan, who would join Sabbath). Bernie would not stay with Ozzy long however. Bernie left Ozzy's band. The reason is not known for sure. Some people say he was not used to playing big gigs. What is known is that Bernie had a UK tour lined up for his 'Electric Gypsies' album. His departure from Ozzy was bound to happen. Brad Gillis left 'Night Ranger' to replace Torme for the remainder of the tour. Brad Gillis also appeared on the 'Speak of the Devil' LP. After the tour Ozzy would hire Jakey Lou Williams (Jake E. Lee) with whom he recorded 1984's 'Bark At The Moon' album. Gillis would later rejoin Night Ranger. Brad may have wanted to stay on with Ozzy but Oz didn't really think the two of them were compatible. On Feb. 19, 1982, while visiting San Antonio, Texas, Ozzy was again drunk after drinking a bottle of Courvoisier. Sharon decided to lock his clothes in the hotel room so that Ozzy would not go outside and cause trouble. To solve this problem, Ozzy dressed up in one of Sharon's evening gowns. While taking some photos of himself in drag, he had to urinate and did so on the historical Alamo building. The Alamo is the 1836 site of the legendary battle between the Texans and the Mexican army. Ozzy was arrested and charged with defiling a national monument and banned from playing in San Antonio any further. This would be another blow to his image that would haunt him to this day. The ban was eventually lifted. I received a piece of email from one of the officers who arrested Ozzy at the Alamo. Contrary to the dress we was supposed to be wearing, he says Ozzy was not in one. This is just one of the many contradictions in this FAQ. Until they can be proven, they will remain. Here is the e-mail I received (Thanks Sam): "I am one of the officers who arrested Ozzy at the Alamo and to set the record straight he was not wearing a womans clothes. He had on athletic shoes with no socks, a T-shirt and a pair of sweatpants with no underwear. He also had a pack of cigarrettes rolled up in one sleeve. He was wasted and he never spoke. Billy actually arrested him and I was driving the "wagon" that day. The wagon is a van outfitted for prisoner transport. I was called to transport him from the Alamo to jail. The jail was then directly across from the S.A.P.D. and it now is the Wackenhut federal parole violator jail. I've kicked myself several times since then for not having kept copies of the reports. I know what he was wearing because I searched him for weapons and had very close contact with him. Half way to the jail, which was only about a mile away the dispatchers were already calling wanting to know who had him in custody. By the time I dropped him off there was a long black stretch limo waiting for him. You might note for your records he was actually given a big break. He was arrested and booked for public intoxication a class "C" misdemeanor which carries a max $200.00 fine. The law that more appropriately applied was "Desecration of a venerated Object" which covers among other things "Shrines." The Alamo is considered a shrine. You can post my info on your web page if you like. I think it would be cool to hear from fans to answer their questions. Check back later on the report. Send me the exact date again as I really do not remember and I'll try to get it for you. " (Where did you go Sam?) Ozzy married his long time friend Sharon, on a Honolulu-Hawaii beach on July 4, 1982. --------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- 2.3 What is this about a dove? --------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- While the bat incident which still haunts Oz's reputation to this day can be called an accident, the incident with the dove can be called stupidity. Here is the story: After leaving Black Sabbath, Ozzy was rejected by many record labels. Tony Martell, CBS records executive, signed Ozzy to a contract. Ozzy and wife Sharon were being introduced to the head executives of CBS records in Los Angeles (Guitar Magazine claims it was New York). CBS was not too interested in Ozzy because they had just signed Adam Ant. Ozzy was just another album to them, and they were not interested in the person behind the music. Sharon decided it would be a good publicity stunt for Ozzy to walk into the office and throw two doves up into the air. The stunt worked, and made CBS pay attention to Ozzy. It also made the nation pay attention to Ozzy as well: After throwing one dove up in the air, Ozzy bit the head off of the other one. It is not known whether Sharon intended for Ozzy to actually bite the dove's head off or not. Ozzy has already admitted he (not surprisingly) had drunk a bottle of booze beforehand. Make no mistake about it, Sharon Osbourne is a shrewd marketer and I wouldn't put any dirty trick past her. What follows is an interview with an eyewitness (from Epic) who saw the event: Q: What happened? A: It was a normal Thursday morning marketing meeting down in the conference room. It was just prior to the release of Ozzy's first solo album. His management and Jet Records, which is the associated label that puts out his albums, had arranged for him to pay a little surprise visit to us, to say "Hi, my name is Ozzy Osbourne, and let's make this record a hit". Q: Is it unusual for the artist to come to a marketing meeting? A: No, they seldom do. We've had people from time to time just come in. Their manager arranges for them to drop by and say, "Surprise!" just to push the album. Q: Then what happened? A: He walked in with Sharon, who later became his wife, and [withheld] from Jet Records. They introduced Ozzy all around, and there was a photographer with them. They sat him down on the arm of a chair, and he pulled a dove out of his pocket. I looked at it and thought, "Gee how cute!" Q: It was a live dove? A: I'm ninety-nine and nine-tenths sure it was alive, but now I can't say for sure. I remember I was leaning forward and thinking, "How cute," and suddenly he bites its head off. There was blood on the floor. I think he ate the head; he started spitting some feathers out. I was in shock. It's hard to remember too much after that, to tell you the truth. It was horrible. Q: What was the reaction of the people in the room? A: There was a stunned silence, and they got him out of there, fast. It was just very quiet-not a good reaction, I would say. People were going, "Yucch!". Some looked as though they thought it was a fake bird, that it was all just a publicity stunt. And others said "No, it's a real bird and what a horrible thing to do." Personally, I thought it was an awful thing to do even if it was a fake bird. Sharon called up afterward and sort of apologized. Q: Do you think it was her idea all along? A: Oh, I know it was. I said to her, "He's not mad, just desperate for publicity." Q: Did it work? Did he get the publicity? A: I don't think it worked in getting Epic Records to take notice, but I think it did work as far as getting the kids to take notice. When the story leaked out, with photos and all, it got around everywhere. I'm sure Sharon was calling columns all over the country. That sort of became the Ozzy legend, that and all the other things he did afterwards. Q: Sharon said that Epic wasn't taking any notice of Ozzy before this happened. A: I feel that people were already aware of Ozzy, prior to the meeting. My impression was certainly that he was a major artist we were going to be working with. I doubt if it changed our impression one way or the other, although I could be wrong. Obviously, he went on to great success, and maybe that was part of the reason, but who am I to say? Q: So it was all definitely planned in advance? A: Definitely. It was not a spontaneous act. He just didn't walk in and happen to find a dove hanging out in the CBS reception area and say, "Gee, I'll take this in with me in case I get hungry and they don't have coffee and doughnuts." It was right in his jacket pocket. Come to think of it, he had two of them. That was it: he had two of them, one in each pocket. He let the other one go afterwards. Everyone made him do it. He took the other one out of his pocket and everyone screamed, "No, don't do it again!" Q: Did the second one fly away? That would indicate the first one was alive, wouldn't it? A: Not necessarily. He might have had one live one and one fake one. It's just all so hazy; I was so shocked. --------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- 2.4 Wife as manager/Speak of the Devil --------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- "I am something of a madman. I can do nothing in moderation. If it's booze, I drink the place dry. If it's drugs, I take everything and then scrape the carpet for little crumbs. I took LSD everyday for years - I was spending about $1000 a week on drugs... I OD'd about a dozen times." ...Ozzy on his addictions Once married, the better deal they had hoped for fell through. Sharon did not want her father controlling Ozzy's future any more. It was decided that the two of them would buy out Ozzy's contract from her father. Before they could buy out Ozzy's management and recording contracts, Ozzy still had to deliver an album under his old contract. Since he wanted out badly, the result was the purposely low-budget live album "Speak of the Devil". This album was a live concert recorded Sept. 26 and 27th at The Ritz in New York. After the album was done, Ozzy could then leave his contract with Sharon's father. Don would not give it up so easily though, even for his own daughter. The newly married couple, not having much money, had to buy Ozzy's contract for over $1.5 million dollars from her father. Sharon has not spoken with her father since. Speak of the devil was released in November of 1982. The runes on the border of the 'Speak of the Devil' album and inside cover actually translate into meaningful phrases. The translation is found in Ozzy's autobiography book: "Howdy! Dial-A-Demon productions in conjunction with graveyard graphics proudly presents the madman of rock dumping into El Satanos toiletto. " "A tribute to Randy Rhoads, the axeman. That kid was my lifeline, you know? He was such a dynamic player and I'd rather not talk about it anymore because it cuts me up every day of my life. Randy Rhoads rest in peace and love." One of the conditions for the transfer of Ozzy's contract from Don to Sharon was that she get him to enroll in the Betty Ford center for his drinking problems. She did this by telling him she was "going to teach him to drink like a gentleman". Ozzy took this to mean that he would learn how to drink properly, not at all what the Betty Ford center was for. When he showed up, he asked where he could find the bar. It didn't take long to find out that at Betty Ford there is no bar! Ozzy would also begin work on his next album, Bark at the Moon. --------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- 2.5 Suicide Solution --------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- "I swear on my kid's life I never said 'get the f***ing gun'" ...Ozzy on his Suicide Solution song "They know what they are putting out. There are people who are out there trying to make money, and they have no hesitation to sell your kids down the drain. You see a perfectly normal kid there who doesn't show any signs of depression at all. Then six hours later, he's dead. Nobody can explain it. The only thing we know is that he was listening to this music." ...Father of suicide victim who listened to Ozzy A song on Ozzy's first solo album, "Blizzard of Ozz" would cause a lot of trouble. The song "Suicide Solution" from the start, would have a very misleading title and this was understandable. Ozzy wrote the song after the singer for AC/DC (Bon Scott) died after drinking heavily one winter's night and passing out in his car, dying of hypothermia as a result. Ozzy's intentions were to talk about alcohol as a DEADLY LIQUID ('solution' meaning mixture) but the word 'solution' was looked upon as "an answer" instead. If you are not familiar with Ozzy's lyrics and true intentions, I strongly suggest before you pass judgement, to read the meaning behind the song. Suicide Solution: ================ Wine is fine But whiskey's quicker Suicide is slow with liquor Take a bottle drain your sorrows Then it cuts away tomorrows Evil thoughts and evil doings Cold, alone you hang in ruins Thought that you'd escape the reaper You can't escape the master keeper 'Cause you feel life's unreal and you're living a lie Such a shame who's to blame and you're wondering why Then you ask from your cask is there life after birth What you saw can mean hell on this earth Now you live inside a bottle The reaper's traveling at full throttle It's catching you but you don't see The reaper is you and the reaper is me Breaking laws, knocking doors But there's no one at home Made your bed, rest your head But you lie there and moan Where to hide, suicide