Ozzy Osbourne - Speak of the Devil (1982)^{Release ID: 1179}

I was too young to be affected by Randy’s death at the time but I’d be lying if I said that it hadn’t affected me in subsequent years given just how influential he was on me as a musician. I’ve often struggled to come to grips with his unfulfilled genius & can’t imagine the heights he may have reached had he been given the chance. It’s worth noting that Randy’s death hit Ozzy Osbourne particularly hard. In fact it’s common knowledge that he was completely devastated by the news but despite this fact Ozzy managed to pull himself together enough to get the show back on the road. Ozzy & Sharon Arden had been planning to release a live album for some time before Randy’s death as they still owed Sharon’s father two more albums at Jet Records & wanted to get them out of the way quickly so that they could move to a deal with Jet’s distribution company CBS. A double live album would count for two albums & would cost very little to make. But preparations for that record were scrapped immediately after Randy’s death. Ozzy simply wasn’t comfortable with the idea of recording a live set of Randy’s songs with another guitarist & Sharon didn’t want to give her father the pleasure of releasing the last great Randy Rhoads record so she came up with a more leftfield idea to fulfill his contractual obligations in the short-term. She decided to record a live album comprised entirely of classic Black Sabbath material instead. No one saw this move coming & Randy hadn’t been comfortable with the idea when it had been tossed around while he was alive but now it seemed to make sense to Ozzy & Sharon although it has to be said that not everyone’s been able to understand the value in the concept since. Ozzy recruited Night Ranger guitar shredder Brad Gillis as Randy’s replacement & the rhythm section was comprised of drummer Tommy Aldridge & former Quiet Riot bassist Randy Sarzo who were both credited on the sleeve notes for 1981’s “Diary Of A Madman” album despite not appearing on the album. The recordings were scheduled for two nights at The Ritz in New York on the 26th & 27th of September 1982. Producer Max Norman must have realized that Ozzy’s ability to handle the old Sabbath material was in question because he actually had Ozzy perform the whole show to an empty room on one of the days before the show so that he’d have some additional vocal tracks to choose from if the real ones were a complete write-off. Apparently three songs that made the final cut are actually taken from that session with crowd noise layered over the top later which doesn’t surprise me at all because Ozzy’s vocal performance really does seem far too polished to my ears. Plus there’s double tracking going on at times too. Not that I’m complaining because I really enjoy Ozzy’s performance here & I couldn’t care less what they’ve done to enhance it although I have read that Ozzy had to read some of the lyrics from a book that he had on stage with him which is a bit embarrassing. Apparently all of the songs with the exception of “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath” were taken from the 27th of September show. The desk recordings later proved that “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath” wasn’t played on either night so it’s anyone’s guess as to where that performance came from. These aren’t strictly faithful renditions of the 70’s Sabbath material either. “Speak Of The Devil” offers a distinctly modernized 80’s take on the songs with the band sticking to the style of Ozzy’s solo material over the warmer & less flashy 70’s feel of the originals. And for that reason this is an extremely divisive release. Some fans can’t stand to hear anyone but the classic Sabbath lineup perform these pieces & any drifting from the traditional arrangements is cause for immediate scorn & banishment. Children of the 80’s however tend to really enjoy these versions as an interesting & exciting alternative. Personally I fall well & truly on the latter side of the fence. This is Ozzy’s only release with this lineup but it’s a terrible shame because this is an awesome band. Firstly Brad Gillis may not be Randy Rhoads but he’s a damn fine shredder in his own right. His guitar tone absolutely slays & although his performance is not flawless it’s very exciting & keeps me fully engaged as I eagerly wait to find out just how he’ll take on each of these classics. Rudy Sarzo & Tommy Aldridge’s performances are fucking brilliant too & they’re a much better match for Ozzy than Bob Daisley & Lee Kerslake were in my opinion. This is a real supergroup & when you throw in an outstanding production job with every instrument presented in a beautifully bright, balanced & powerful fashion you’ve got all the ingredients for a very high quality live release. It was my favourite of Ozzy’s solo releases to that time.