Guitarist has always defended the singer’s innate talent, even though this aspect is not always properly understood by a portion of the public
Even though he is one of the biggest names in the history of heavy metal and rock as a whole, Ozzy Osbourne He is often not remembered as a great musician. The fact that he was accompanied by extremely skilled instrumentalists throughout his career, curiously, overshadows some of his artistic talent.
In the opinion of Zakk Wyldethis is a great injustice. According to the guitarist, who has worked with the singer for decades, Osbourne has an inexplicable gift for music, especially in the creation process. It is a question that transcends any study or technical domain.
In an interview with Guitar WorldWylde addressed this ability of Madman when recalling the composition of “I Don’t Want to Change the World”. Present in the album No More Tears (1991), the track became one of the great classics of the artist’s solo career — and its live version in Live & Loud (1993) was awarded a Grammy of Best Metal Performance with Vocals in 1994.
Zakk stated:
“The funny thing about Oz is that when I played stuff like ‘I Don’t Wanna Change the World’at first I was just messing around, making riffs, humming crazy things. But Ozzy heard something there that made sense to him. When he picked up the riff, I thought: ‘you’re kidding me, right?’. But he turned it into a Grammy-winning song.”
Afterwards, Wylde brought the realization about Osbourne’s gift. He pointed out:
“Oz has an incredible ability to hear what works and notice where the spark is that the riff created in him. It’s a real gift he has. And he’s been doing this since day one in Black Sabbath and with Randy Rhoads [primeiro guitarrista de sua carreira solo].”
And it wasn’t just with guitar lines that Ozzy demonstrated this innate talent. His own vocal melodies come out “ready”, as punctuated by Zakk.
“I would play riffs for Ozzy, and he would instinctively say ‘yeah, that’s good’ or ‘no, I don’t feel like it’s good’. The same with his vocal lines. I’d say nine times out of ten the first thing he sings is the best. The first thing he creates is the melody. And his great gift is being able to sing a countermelody over a riff.”
Zakk Wylde’s mission when working with Ozzy Osbourne
Still during the interview, Zakk Wylde explained what he considered his mission to be when working with Ozzy Osbourne. The guitarist praised the work of his skilled predecessors in the position — the aforementioned Randy Rhoads, who died in 1982, and Jake E. Leea musician who left in 1987 —, but pointed out that, in contrast to the technique of his instrument colleagues, he aimed for a different approach.
“I know the great guitar lines that were created by Jake E. Lee in ‘Bark at the Moon’ and Randy Rhoads in ‘Crazy Train’for example. These songs are part of my education as a guitarist and I must play them correctly [ao vivo]. But I felt like my job as Ozzy’s guitarist was to bring something that held all the elements of the song together in the same way as my predecessors. Everything I absorbed like a sponge served for my own execution. It’s not stealing or borrowing; it just becomes part of your knowledge.”
A vocal giant
In a 2021 interview with Igor Miranda websiteZakk Wylde said he sees Ozzy Osbourne as one of the greatest vocalists in rock history — although it is rare for him to receive such credit. The musician compared the “boss” to contemporaries like Robert Plant (Led Zeppelin), Ian Gillan (Deep Purple), Rod Stewart and Steve Marriott (Small Faces, Humble Pie), best remembered for their capabilities.
“I never understood this talk about Ozzy. Ozzy is a great singer, just listen to everything by Sabbath. It’s f*ck, his vocals… I’d put his vocals on Sabotage (1975 album) against any of his contemporaries. Be it Robert Plant, Ian Gillan, Rod Stewart, Steve Marriott, anyone of them. His vocals on Sabotage They are incredible.”
Osbourne’s creative ability was also praised by Wylde on the occasion. He said:
“In all my years with Oz, rarely what he sang on the record wasn’t the first thing he came up with. That he kept tinkering, didn’t like what he was singing and was trying to find the melody. I kept playing, he kept looking and I guarantee you that the first thing that came out of his mouth was the good thing. Everything in the songs ‘No More Tears’, ‘Mama I’m Coming Home’, ‘Miracle Man’, ‘Crazy Babies’…everything was top notch and it was always a blast.”
Zakk also revealed a very particular theory regarding Ozzy’s talent for creating melodies. For the guitarist, the vocalist’s passion for Beatles made him develop a very strong musical sense as a composer.
“It comes from his love for the Beatles. It’s natural, because that’s how he hears. The melody he puts on ‘Symptom of the Universe’How did he come up with that? It was simply what he heard and sang. It’s phenomenal. I’d say he’s the king of melody really, man.”
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Source: Rollingstone
Earl Johnson is a music writer at Gossipify, known for his in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the industry. A graduate of USC with a degree in Music, he brings years of experience and passion to his writing. He covers the latest releases and trends, always on the lookout for the next big thing in music.
