I
saw a news article this past week that kind of saddened me a bit. In
hindsight, I'm kind of surprised that it saddened me at all... and I'm
not easily surprised. In fact, twenty years ago, the story probably
wouldn't have fazed me at all. I'm amazed how much I appreciate certain
music now that I didn't then. It's weird how, as I age, I seem to
become more open-minded about certain things--I thought I was supposed
to do just the opposite. (Now if I could just apply this to every
aspect of my life!)
I read that last Saturday, Ozzy Osbourne gave his final concert in his hometown of Birmingham, England. As Alex Marshall of The New York Times reported,
"This was not his first announcement of a retirement from touring or
live performance, but this time he seems to have meant it." At 76, Ozzy
("The Prince of Darkness") has had numerous health issues over the last
few years and was even recently diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease.
The
10-hour affair at the Villa Park soccer stadium, dubbed "Back to the
Beginning," seemed to be a chance for Ozzy to bid farewell to his fans
who seemed to come from all over the world to show their appreciation.
Much of the day's festivities featured other artists who had been
influenced by his music over the years paying tribute to their hero,
including Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax, Gun 'N Roses, and Alice in Chains,
among others. There were even tributes from famous fans like Dolly
Parton, Elton John, and Cyndi Lauper.
At
9pm local time, the main attraction/guest of honour rose from below the
stage. Unable to walk, he was seated on a black throne adorned with a
bat on its top and a skull on each armrest. In spite of his medical
condition(s), he was still able to whip the crowd into a frenzy, even
dousing the front rows with a water gun that was next to his throne.
But
that whole spectacle was just a teaser for the real main
attraction--around 10pm, Ozzy reunited with his former bandmates Tony
Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward. For the first time in 20
years--and, apparently, for the last time--Black Sabbath performed
together. As you can imagine, this created quite a stir in the heavy
metal community.
I
was never a huge metal fan growing up. It's only been in the last 15
to 20 years that I've grown to appreciate at least some of it.
Particularly in the last decade, I've grown quite fond of Black Sabbath,
although I haven't really acquainted myself with Ozzy's solo work.
Along with Led Zeppelin (who I've loved since high school), the thing
that really stood out to me with Sabbath is the obvious influence of the
blues in their music, which was not uncommon in bands--especially
British bands--that formed in the late 1960s. Like a lot of artists, I
would hear one or two songs on a "classic rock" station or in a movie
and I would find myself liking the song enough to buy at least one of
their albums.
This
week's album, while a bit obvious, is arguably their masterpiece.
Released in 1970, mere months after their eponymous debut, it's still my favourite. Please enjoy Black Sabbath with Paranoid. As a
side note, I also feel obliged to point out that in the opening track,
"War Pigs/Luke's Wall," that they did, in fact, rhyme the word "masses"
with... (wait for it)... "masses." As I also discovered, you can sing
it to the tune of "Deck the Halls" during the holidays. All together
now...
"Generals gathered in their masses, fa la la la la, la la la la.
Just like witches at black masses, fa la la la la, la la la la.
Evil minds that plot destruction, fa la la, la la la, la la la.
Sorcerers of death's construction, fa la la la, la la la la."
On
that note, stay safe, be good to your neighbours, and please remember
that if at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for
you.
Yours in peace, love, and rock and roll!
The Reverend Will the Thrill
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