Ozzy - Blain Rain

[T_R_S]

The new Ozzy CD was totally done in Protools, only plug-ins, no outboard, no summing box!
It sounds *ucking gr8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glbHnKWDnDU

[The Byre]

So were the ones before it.

On one of them, the MD decided to change the tune AFTER Ozzy had sung the line, so it was just retuned in PT using AutoTune.

Ozzy came to the studio to hear how they were getting on and he heard the changed line.

"I fookin' never sung that line! You bastards have completely retuned me. Fookin' technology!" he said and walked out.

[el cochino]

Originally Posted by zaza

i heard the sample. im excited to get a copy, i just hope ZW is not playing on it, if he is looks likes hes not over playing on the song i heard, i think he over plays and turns me off. I would have to say i live most all of Oz guitar players but ZW put too much in the his playing.

That's Zakk playing.

[camerondye]

The last studio albums sucked for ZW, but No More Tears to me is legendary. No Rest For The Wicked and Ozzmosis are very good though. I think Zakk is definitely better than Jake E Lee but not better than RR. Besides Bark at The Moon (which is epic), Jake E Lee was kind of a wanker. That song on Youtube sounds pretty good though, who knows maybe he'll have another re-birth. Go Ozman
Cameron

[not_so_new]

Okay, just to get on the top of the thread before it turns into a flat out bitch session.

I heard the album last week as a pre-release. I think it sounds great from a production stand point and I think the music kicks serious ass.... best Ozzy release since the 80's if you ask me, I am really geeked up about it.

Yes ZW really bothers me as well but this release is about the best I have heard from him. It is also heavy as all hell which is VERY cool.

I will point out that the last Tool CD was bashed to hell and back here as well and that was a complete analog recording, they only dumped to Protools as a safety copy. And there was the same complaints from the new RHCP CD, and they you all complained about Audioslave, and before that it was someone else and someone else before that as well.

For a bunch of guys who got into recording because they like music you sure do spend allot of time bitching about it.



This new release from Ozzy sounds great and the music is kick ass. Before you get all negative about it stop and think, what do you actually like? Is it the older music or is it the nostalgia of music released when you were younger? Because the CD's that get diss'd around here sometimes make me wonder.

Yes MUCH of the music released today sucks but there are a few things that have a connection to the past, good playing, production and songwritting but people around here seem to lump everything into new = bad and old = good….. that is a very limited view of the world don't ya think?

Rock on….

[dropblacksky]

Originally Posted by camerondye

The last studio albums sucked for ZW, but No More Tears to me is legendary. No Rest For The Wicked and Ozzmosis are very good though. I think Zakk is definitely better than Jake E Lee but not better than RR. Besides Bark at The Moon (which is epic), Jake E Lee was kind of a wanker. That song on Youtube sounds pretty good though, who knows maybe he'll have another re-birth. Go Ozman
Cameron

Zakk is my favorite of all Ozzy's guitarists. Yeah, he does have an obsession with playing a pinch harmonic in every measure, but he has by the far the most soulful playing. Haven't listened to much past No More Tears though, so that's my reference. Bark at the Moon is f'n sick...Lee didn't do much else though. Rhoads (RiP) was too "classical" inspired like Yngwie for me...plus he had the thinnest, buzziest, boss stompbox guitar tone ever. Horrible.

[not_so_new]

Originally Posted by camerondye

The last studio albums sucked for ZW, but No More Tears to me is legendary. No Rest For The Wicked and Ozzmosis are very good though. I think Zakk is definitely better than Jake E Lee but not better than RR. Besides Bark at The Moon (which is epic), Jake E Lee was kind of a wanker. That song on Youtube sounds pretty good though, who knows maybe he'll have another re-birth. Go Ozman
Cameron

I feel the complete opposite way about Zakk and Jake.

The solos from The Ultimate Sin are very memorable, you can sing them they are so melodic and catchy. Zakk to me is just a pinch harmonic, whammy bar flash player, nothing even close to Randy or Jake... or even Brad...... but that is just my take.

I guess it depends on what era you picked up Ozzy for the first time. Me, I started listening to him on Blizzard (well Sabbath really) so I watched the whole progression and Zakk was always a step down for me as a guitar player.

No More Tears is great for sure.

[not_so_new]

Originally Posted by dropblacksky

Zakk is my favorite of all Ozzy's guitarists. Yeah, he does have an obsession with playing a pinch harmonic in every measure, but he has by the far the most soulful playing. Haven't listened to much past No More Tears though, so that's my reference. Bark at the Moon is f'n sick...Lee didn't do much else though. Rhoads (RiP) was too "classical" inspired like Yngwie for me...plus he had the thinnest, buzziest, boss stompbox guitar tone ever. Horrible.

WOW

[dropblacksky]

Originally Posted by not_so_new

WOW

Are you wow'ing because I prefer Zakk's playing or because Rhoads had a weak guitar tone? All nostalgia aside (and the fact that the song is a classic), do you really think "Crazy Train" has a great guitar sound? Sounds like a DS-1 distortion box through a 10" speaker. Sorry. Playing is good, tone isn't in my opinion.

Was Lee on Ultimate Sin? I agree that is a great album...first Ozzy I owned (besides Sabbath) so if that was Lee I give him more props. For some reason I never realized that was him.

[not_so_new]

Originally Posted by dropblacksky

Are you wow'ing because I prefer Zakk's playing or because Rhoads had a weak guitar tone? All nostalgia aside (and the fact that the song is a classic), do you really think "Crazy Train" has a great guitar sound? Sounds like a DS-1 distortion box through a 10" speaker. Sorry. Playing is good, tone isn't in my opinion.

Was Lee on Ultimate Sin? I agree that is a great album...first Ozzy I owned (besides Sabbath) so if that was Lee I give him more props. For some reason I never realized that was him.

Yes that is Jake on Ultimate Sin, AMAZING solos and songs. What I am surprised about is how people actually LIKE Zakks playing and call it soulful. To each his own it's all good, Zakk is one of my least favorite guitarists ever let alone my least favorite Ozzy guitarist but we all have a different look at the world right?

I agree that Randy's tone was not the best on Blizzard, I think it is really good on Diary. The comment about Yngwie is interesting because Randy was a first in allot of ways. I remember as a young guitarist back then that Eddy blew my mind... and then I heard Randy. Everything after was just a copy of one of these two.... Yngwie, Jake, George Lynch etc. All great players but they were all copying Randy or Eddy. That is pretty respectable. I don't like much in the way of 80's hair bands but Randy will always hold a special place in my hart because he was really unique, a trend setter not a follower.

It is also important to point out that after Ozzy left Sabbath he was a nobody. Sharon found him in a hotel passed out from what I hear (this was before they were a couple). She wanted him to do a solo album but he was not really interested and figured no one else would be either. He had no band and no record contract, she put allot of that together.

The point is they had ZERO budget for the first album, something like $6,000 from what I have heard so what you are hearing there is really a project studio release. Now I might have this all wrong but this is what I have been told. There is no denying that the songs on that release are CLASSIC! Mr. Crowley, I Don't Know, Crazy Train, Goodbye To Romance, some of Ozzy's best work of his entire career if you ask me and songwriting is what separates Randy from Zakk. Besides No More Tears Zakk has very few songs that I think of first when I think of solo Ozzy.

That said the new album just plan ROCKS and HARD. My fav from the "Zakk" era for sure including No More Tears.... blashmy I know.

lol

[not_so_new]

Oh and in case you missed it… the song posted on You Tube above sounds like it was recorded off of some kids home stereo with a camera mic. That is NOT the sound of the release I listened to over and over last week.

[heyman]

Best Ozzy Guitarists... In order of List...

Randy Rhoads..
Brad Gillis
Joe Stump? I believe..
Jake E Lee
Bobo the Chimp
Zakk Wilde..

[Audio_Vault]

Come on guys.....

RANDY ****IN RHOADS

none of ozzies guitarist can will or have been able to play like Randy

[not_so_new]

Originally Posted by heyman

Best Ozzy Guitarists... In order of List...

Randy Rhoads..
Brad Gillis
Joe Stump? I believe..
Jake E Lee
Bobo the Chimp
Zakk Wilde..

Brad was the man. He had to cover the Randy solos note for note and that is no easy task. I rank Jake much higher because he had to cover the Randy stuff too and still came up with very memorable solos of his own.

You know, I heard that when Jake was first in the studio for Bark At The Moon he was a pup and didn't know anything about recording. He was in the control room listening back to a take and he though his guitar was thin so he backed down the EQ on his amp without telling the engineer.

The engineer though the guitar was dark and added a few db of board EQ. They played this back and forth for a while and it ended up that most of the guitars on the album have no top end on the amp and a ton of top end on tape.

I think this accounts for Jake's bad tone on the BATM and helps explain why people don't give him enough credit as a player.... that and the guy to replace the super hero, in this case Jake replacing Randy, is always set up for the fall.

Jake is a MONSTER player, he never gets the respect he deserves. The solos from BATM and Ultimate Sin are sick sick sick, very musical and memorable IMHO. If anyone has a chance they should go back and listen to Ultimate Sin and check out what Jake is doing. Again, he was standing in the shadows of Randy but he was a real monster player in is own right with out a doubt.

[dropblacksky]

I don't mean any disrespect toward Randy's playing at all....he was an amazing guitarist and obviously highly influential. I just prefer Zakk's style...again, No More Tears is the album I'm referring to...I don't own any other Zakk era Ozzy...

[fuzzface777]

I will chime in. Zakk is an incredible flat picker, the best since Malmsteen, hands down. Zakk knows tons of country, and blues licks. Malmsteen still kills him playing real authentic blues, esp. Hendrix ( if you have never seen a Malmsteen concert, hold your tongues). However, Zakk plays great chicken pickin!
Both of these tireless wizards rely on certain scales exclusively, Malmsteens got the edge on the more difficult minor scales and it's minor modes. Zakk is ALL about pentatontic and nothing more. Malmsteen and Zakk are neck and neck on the boring harmonic content of their compositions, though Malmsteen CAN actually compose and work with classic composers to a degree, but never plays much rhythm or chords. Malmsteen another one up, since he wails equally on acoustic or his PASSIVE pickups versus ZAKK's very easy to play , HIGAIN, EMG's, too many squeals......THat said, check out Zakk in high school on You Tube, he is the REAL DEAL. However, another one up to Malmsteen for his superior brit tones, single coils into vintage plexi's!!! I saw them back stage.

Jake E Lee and Rhandy composed great melodys and strong memoriable rhythms and riffs. Both could wail at ZAKK/MALMSTEEN speed ,but both never could do TIRELESSLY like ZAKK/MALMSTEEN, but so what? That is like saying so and so is better UFC fighter because he strikes more! right? Rhandy's tone was actually killer, his base tone ( the timbre) passive pafs into a vintage plexi, except he ran a mxr distortion + into into and muddied it up. However, the core tone is still there. Jake E Lee tone is more of a late 70's to JCM 800 tone, but still great in my book.

Rhandy's melody's? Haunting, pretty, and passionate. Jake's? Dark, young, exciting. Both cared about the songs from start to end. Rhandy MUCH younger at the time, Jake well seasoned and a little egotistical(why he got fired from Ozzy ). It is easy to think of a song, from Jake or Rhandy and cite an example of their general impression their music gives me, but I have trouble doing that as easily with Zakk, with exception to, no more tears, great song.

that's my take

[not_so_new]

Originally Posted by zaza

Ok guys lets have a guitar idol fight, everyone has there favs, i guess im a a school guy, i will take the old black sabbath guitarist, plain and simple, sabbath rules but without OZ they are crap to me. Oz makes it , and thats what leads me into my next sentence.
I picked up the CD today for 11.99, a great deal, all i can say about the CD is ..................." ITS GOOD ENOUGH" I really wanted to hear this CD because im a OZ fan and also i heard it was done all ITB. well right down to the CD cover it came in was so true, it was in a box as well.
The music and songs are great, ZW did not go crazy with his harmonics which was great, the guitars are a little in the background from what im use to hearing which is OK , its a change, the ONE thing that bothered me the most on the CD was , Oz vocals do not sound the same as all of his other CDs, there is no where near the body in the vocal tracks, this may have to do with plugins, i do not know, his singing is great but the body and depth is missing, the entire mix is a little bodyless, but hey its the new ITB world and everyones is liking it, your average listener cannot tell the difference, in fact OZ new CD might sound a little better in MP3 format vocally. again outside of the vocal sound the CD is "GOOD ENOUGH"

Keep in mind that the difference in the vocals might just be the fact that Ozzy is a whole lot older, has something really wrong physically (a friend of mine is in heath care and she swears Ozzy has Parkinson's but that is just her opinion base on interviews and things she has seen) and hummmm….. let's see…. the fact the guy almost died a little while back....

I really have to wonder if you would say that the vocals had anything wrong with them if you thought the album was mixed off analog and an SSL. Anyway, let's not assume his voice is the same as it was and that the problem is the ITB mix. Hell let's not assume anything, this is a new album with a new sound so we really can't assume anything because we were not there right?



Oh and the "old Black Sabbath guitarist"... that would be Tony Iommi.

[PhiloBeddoe]

Originally Posted by fuzzface777

Both of these tireless wizards rely on certain scales exclusively, Malmsteens got the edge on the more difficult minor scales and it's minor modes. Zakk is ALL about pentatontic and nothing more. Malmsteen and Zakk are neck and neck on the boring harmonic content of their compositions, though Malmsteen CAN actually compose and work with classic composers to a degree, but never plays much rhythm or chords.

These kinds of analyses miss the point. A guy like Zakk can and does play whatever he wants because he likes it. If he doesn't play a harmonic minor scale it's because he doesn't want to, it's not like his fingers or brain are incapable. Yngwie could play power chords all day. So to say that one of these guys has an 'edge' is meaningless. Either you like their styles or you don't.

One thing that can't be denied about Zakk is his marketing power. Somehow he really roped in the biker crowd and has a million endorsements.

[Sid Viscous]

Jake was the best! I'm not big Ozzy fan, but if this record is entirely ITB, I'd like to hear it.

[Sid Viscous]

Different/better version on Ozzy's site. Gawd, I hate pinch harmonics.

Black Rain | Ozzy Osbourne

[not_so_new]

Originally Posted by Sid Viscous

Different/better version on Ozzy's site. Gawd, I hate pinch harmonics.

Black Rain | Ozzy Osbourne

ME TOO.... really that is one of my biggest complaints against Zakk.... but this CD has a whole lot less of them than his other stuff.

And just to be clear, I don't think it is "pinch harmonics" that I hate. I think it is the improper or over use of them that I can't stand. Billy Gibbons was a master of pinch harmonics and his stiff is always tasty as all get out... unlike most of Zakk's pinch harmonics which IMHO tend to get in the way of the song more than complement it... but I am sure others disagree.

[max cooper]

Is this now a general Ozzy thread? Cool.

Chock full of Moogy goodness:

<object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/XSnj8X1zAZI"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/XSnj8X1zAZI" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>

[not_so_new]

Originally Posted by max cooper

Is this now a general Ozzy thread? Cool.

Chock full of Moogy goodness:

<object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/XSnj8X1zAZI"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/XSnj8X1zAZI" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>

LOL

I LOVE IT!!!

Just too cool. Really not a great band there in that video but I like what they have going on. Give me that over Beat Detective crap any day of the week.

A good band has highs and lows and THAT is the enjoyable part. It's like watching Zeppelin live.. never sure if they are going to crash and burn, some times they did but then there are the moments when they are teetering on the brink and the bring it back around to create something magical.

That is music, it creates excitement and makes you want to see what happens next. With many bands and CD's today there is no guess work, you know that everything is going to be perfect start to finish from the beat to the vocals to the guitars and the production.

The soul of Rock music lives in the uncertainty not the perfection!

Love live the Oz Man!

[max cooper]

Originally Posted by not_so_new

Really not a great band there in that video but I like what they have going on.

I'll never understand why those guys replaced the original rhythm section who were way better.

Lee Kerslake and Bob Daisley never really got their due. And Ozz replaced their tracks on the old records recently.

Sarzo and Aldridge were okay live. I saw the Blizzard and Madman tours and it was about like the video.

Daisley and Kerslake played on the Madman record, but they used a picture of Sarzo and Aldridge so everyone thought they played on that one.

Anyway, it wasn't really the same after that. Randy had his own T-shirts up there along with the Ozzy ones. I wonder where my Randy shirt has gone.

[audiomichael]

I think the record is pretty decent, but I think Zakk is out of mojo. No Rest For the Wicked and No More Tears has great memorable playing, now he seems a little wanky and has lost that "thing" that I used to love, and I don't think his tone is great anymore. Also, he should shave ;).

Mike Bordin and Blasko on drums and bass, are slammin' though.

[johnwayne]

Randy was definitely by far the best creatively, technically, and emotionally. No Bone Movies has some killer soulful playing. Then Over the Mountain and Mr Crowley, Flying High Again. What more can you ask for. Humongous rhythm guitar tone. He triple tracked alot of rhythms and double tracked his solos. Try doing it exactly note for note and the same feeling.

Randy was a players player. What a loss to never see him fully develop. I cut my teeth on Randy back in the day. Should be required learning of every guitar player. Dee is excellent also.

[dtucker]

Originally Posted by not_so_new

I feel the complete opposite way about Zakk and Jake.

The solos from The Ultimate Sin are very memorable, you can sing them they are so melodic and catchy. Zakk to me is just a pinch harmonic, whammy bar flash player, nothing even close to Randy or Jake... or even Brad...... but that is just my take.

You are WAY off base on this. Zakk never used a whammy..he was always a Les Paul guy. Finger vibrato....all done with the hands.

I think you're being way too harsh on the guy. And he most certainly was far more creative than Jake. I would even go so far as to say that "if it wasn't for Randy dying, he would have never have met Zakk".

Zakk is no slouch...that's all I'm sayin'...

Peace...
BC

[dlmorley]

Originally Posted by not_so_new

Oh and the "old Black Sabbath guitarist"... that would be Tony Iommi.

Or "GOD"

iommi is incredible. massive tone, incredible riffs and unique playing style.
many others will beat him in a guitar widdle and wank fest, but he plays 3 notes and you sit down and listen