Count Five: Ozzy Osbourne's Favorite Hard Rock Bands
- Posted on Jun 27th 2007 5:00PM by Steve Baltin
- Comments (35)
Talking to Ozzy Osbourne about hard rock is like talking to Tony Soprano about crime, Tiger Woods about golf, Jessica Alba about beauty -- you get the idea. The point being that the man known as the Prince of Darkness practically invented the genre with Black Sabbath, then perfected it during the past three decades, culminating with the recently released 'Back Rain' album. Osbourne has been a witness on the front lines of hard-rock history, as evidenced by his insanely colorful stories about meeting Robert Plant, Kurt Cobain and many more rock icons. Here then are Osbourne's favorite hard-rock bands as they could only be described by the Godfather of Metal himself.1. Led Zeppelin: The first two Zeppelin albums had a magic about them. I can remember walking through Birmingham with Geezer Butler, the bass player from Sabbath, and he knew Robert Plant. Plant was walking through the subway and I'd heard his voice. And Geezer says to him, "What are you up to?" Plant says, "Well, they asked me to join a band called the New Yardbirds." And that was it. Then the next thing I know we're doing a club in London, and in between the sets they keep playing these songs. I said to [the DJ], "What's the name of this band?" He went, "Led Zeppelin." And I went, "Oh, f**k, I must be mistaken." I went back and I said, "Now tell me the name of the singer." He goes, "Robert Plant." The first two albums had such an impact on my voice, and on my life, similar to the Beatles when I first heard them, similar to when I heard 'You Really Got Me,' by the Kinks. I played it to death.
2. Motorhead: Lemmy's just great. In the '80s, anybody with, like, one blond and three black-haired guys were called heavy metal. That term "heavy metal" used to really piss me off, because it just had no musical connotations. So you're in Poison and you've got Black Sabbath on the road, or Motorhead, you're typecast. "Oh, you're one of those heavy lads, aren't you?"
3. Black Sabbath: Up to 'Sabbath, Bloody, Sabbath' -- I think it's really hard. I don't think any of us said, 'You know what? I'm going to go into the studio and make a bad album.' One of the things with Sabbath: We had full control over what we were doing and how we wanted it laid out. People would come in the studio and give us a suggestion and we'd go, "Would you f***ing get out of here right now?" We had full artistic control.
4. Nirvana: Apparently I met [Kurt Cobain], 'cause I was talking to Dave Grohl and he said, "You probably don't remember this, but when you were in Devonshire Studios in the [San Fernando] Valley, me and Kurt were in the room where they had a pool table. When you walked in we were like, 'F***ing hell.'" They'd both written "OZZY" on their fingers in indelible ink. They're playing pool and he said, "We were both trying to hide our hands."
5. Green Day: My album of the last year was ['American Idiot']. I thought it was f***ing brilliant.
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Reader Comments(1 of 2)
LCat 4-20-2008
ok
ozzy osborne
is f**king amazing the man is a legend
i love that he has the balls to put his own band on there hahah.
and i love love love nirvana and greenday and black sabbath and well pretty much all of them on there.
and the reason people arnt 'pissing themselves' about Nirvana being alternative rock well first there not ALT rock, OR hard rock there Grunge, considering they pretty much created it. and second of all sadly the '12 year old girls molesting this page' dont no who Nirvana is. and well any of the others on there. and when you dont no who those AMAZING bands are then dont go f**king commenting on music forums
mmmk thanks.
Naomiat 6-30-2007
ok thats really cool...but i didnt ever think of green day as HARD rock...just like punkrock or alternative rock...hard rock is like evanescence or something...
Chiaraat 7-01-2007
I agree with Naomi...Green Day are punkrock.... however.... Green Day...only to the fifth place?? Na na...Green Day ar the best!!!
Whatsherfaceat 7-02-2007
Well put it this way, at least he reconizes that green are one of the fucking greatest bands in punk rock, some of their stuff though can be classified as "hard rock" songs such as "Brain Stew", "Jaded" , Platypus (god i'm australian and i can't even spell the animals name) and possibly even "sweet children". But yeah American idiot definetly, as far as songwriting goes was definetly a hard record.
Katieat 7-06-2007
Woooot! All of those albums ROCK
Especially Green Day. I personally think Dookie was better. But I do loove American Idiot! It did take the world by storm.. but Dookie was popular too! lol
ROCK ON OZZZZZY!
Nathan Hevenstoneat 7-07-2007
Led Zeppelin his #1 favorite band? I knew there was a reason I liked Ozzy so much... :D
Skyeat 7-07-2007
Did that Naomi person seriously say Evanescence was Hard rock? Wow.
Evanescence sucks.
Maria Luisaat 7-15-2007
green day are the best group!!!!
isn't true that they song an alternative rock!!!!they make the best punk rock music!!!!
they are special!!!
i love green day....and love billie joe armstrong!!!!
he's beautiful!!!
and he have a beautiful voice!!!i love its!!!!
jovanaat 7-15-2007
HE SAD THAT EVANESCENCE SUCK?!!! o my god, i`m going to kill that skye! I LOVE nirvana they are great! i love kurt cobain, but GREEN DAY IS THE BEST!!!!!!!! I LOVE BILLIE JOE ARMSTRONG!!!!!!!!! I LOVE AMERICAN IDIOT!!!!!
THEY ARE BEST PUNK ROCKERS ON THE WORLD!!!
jovanaat 7-15-2007
oh, and i love billie joe more then that maria luisa!!!!!!!!!! and she don`t know to write- you have to tell ``he HAS a beautiful voice``!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
amyat 7-16-2007
I think he meant 'hard rock' as in 'not soft rock,' so don't have the audacity to complain when an icon like Ozzy admits he likes Green Day. Nirvana are more 'alternative' as well; I'm surprised you aren't pissing yourselves about that. Anyway, all those bands are awesome; Ozzy's f*cking awesome. And I don't think that this is the time or place to discuss the merits of Evanescence; they're stuff's all right, but they didn't make Ozzy's top, did they? Oh, and technically, they're 'alternative' as well. Twelve-year-old girls should not be molesting these pages.
Kelbiezat 7-17-2007
Wow. I love GREEN DAY... not just Billie Joe... god... and I probably know a lot fuckin' more about Green Day than any of you people screaming 'omfg i looovveee billy joe!!!!1111!!"
Yes, I spelt it wrong on purpose.
greenday_rocksat 7-20-2007
green day are the best!!and they deserved to be on the 1st place!!
Maddieat 7-17-2007
GREEN DAY ROCK!!! W00T!! OZZY ROCKS TO =P
anavrinat 7-17-2007
Thank god Nirvana was ranked higher than Green Day! Even though my favourite album by Nirvana isn't 'Nevermind', but 'In Utero'.
And, I don't agree with that Green Day is Punk. They DRESS punk, but their music is NOT punk, their Pop/Rock.
If the Sex Pistols are punk. Green Day isn't anywhere close to being punk!
RubbishGator101at 7-18-2007
Green Day Authority rocks
RubbishGator101at 7-18-2007
^^ Yes they are punk. Its a genre called Punk Pop.
Dont believe me?
Google search PUNK POP and click on the first site you see
or...
Define: Punk Pop
jovanaat 7-19-2007
how can you compare green day and sex pistols? green day is punk rock from the 90`s, and sex pistols are the first version of punk rock, green day isn`t PUNK rock but they have punk rock attitude, and they are far from pop rock.
mercedesat 7-19-2007
green day is such an awsome band they rock....I LOVE BILLIE JOE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ozzy rocks
Billieat 7-21-2007
Green Day are my favourite band, so I'm glad an icon such ad Ozzy Osbourne likes them.
Although, by some of the other fans that have posted here I'm kind of embarrassed to say that.
Nirvana is in there too?
I love them, grunge is my favourite genre of music.