Ozzy Osbourne – Speak of the Devil (1982) Review | The Unspeakably Evil Rows of Sharon
Kronomyth 3.0: A stab in the black.
This double live album is brought to you by Sharon Osbourne, who saw in it an opportunity to screw both Ozzy’s current label (Jet) and former bandmates (Black Sabbath) at the same time. Jet got two albums in one release, effectively ending Ozzy’s contractual obligations with the label. Sabbath got pre-empted with a live album of Sabbath songs released just before the band’s planned Live Evil. In Ozzy’s defense, he felt that releasing live material from his first two albums with a new band would have been a disservice to the memory of Randy Rhoads, and having heard Tribute I would have to agree. So, what you get here is a Black Sabbath retrospective with a remarkably tight band and the irreplaceable Ozzy at the head. Ozzy’s voice sounds great (no doubt the beneficiary of some post-doctoring), Brad Gillis (ex-Night Ranger) nails the original riffs, and the rhythm section of Tommy Aldridge and Rudi Sarzo are jazz-level proficient. That said, the timing was odd to resurrect the songs of Black Sabbath. Gillis and Sarzo only stuck around long enough for the tour, and the whole band (including Aldridge) were recent hires. Sure, Ozzy is the perfect mouthpiece for these songs, yet the rest of the band are hired hands. Eminently capable hands who do an amazing job given their short runway, but the nostalgia of seeing Tony Iommi, Randy Rhoads or even Bob Daisley on stage is missing. Fortunately for anyone who picked up Live Evil, the two factions of Black Sabbath choose different ammo. Symptom of the Universe, Snowblind, Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, The Wizard and Sweet Leaf are great choices by Ozzy and the band. As to whether Ozzy or Sabbath do better versions of Black Sabbath, War Pigs, Children of the Grave, Iron Man or N.I.B., better not to look a gift horse in the mouth. Despite its dubious origins, I was really impressed with Speak of the Devil. Mind you, I went into this with my Night Ranger jokes already locked and loaded, but it’s the band who comes out with guns a-blazing. Compared to Live at Last, this is a revelation.
The Product
A1. Symptom of the Universe (5:19)
A2. Snowblind (4:40)
A3. Black Sabbath (6:41)
B1. Fairies Wear Boots (6:16)
B2. War Pigs (8:15)
B3. The Wizard (5:30)
C1. N.I.B. (5:45)
C2. Sweet Leaf (5:44)
C3. Never Say Die (4:54)
D1. Sabbath, Bloody Sabbath (5:34)
D2. Iron Man/Children of the Grave (8:36)
D3. Paranoid (4:04)
All songs written by Tony Iommi/Bill Ward/Terence Butler/Ozzy Osbourne.
The Players
Ozzy Osbourne (vocals, harmonica), Tommy Aldridge (drums), Brad Gillis (guitar), Rudi Sarzo (bass). Produced & engineered by Max Norman; live sound by Chuck Weisner.
The Pictures
Photos by Neal Preston. Cover design & artwork by Steve Joule.
The Plastic
Released on 2LP and cassette on November 27, 1982 in the UK (Jet, JETDP 401), the US (Jet, ZGT/XT2 38350), Canada (Jet, Z 38410) and Japan (Jet, 40AP 2481-3). Reached #21 on the UK charts and #14 on the US charts (RIAA-certified gold record).
- Re-issued on compact disc in 1989 in the US (Columbia, 38350) with some editing.
- Re-issued on remastered compact disc and cassette in November 1995 in the US (Epic, 67237).
