Never Say Die! Celebrating Ozzy on His Birthday
Sean MurphyHappy 70th birthday to Ozzy Osbourne, the self-proclaimed Prince of Darkness. If you'd guessed, circa 1974, or 1984 (or 1994, etc.), that any of us would be celebrating John Michael…
Never Say Die: Celebrating Ozzy at 70
The Prince, on his Throne Happy 70th birthday to Ozzy Osbourne, the self-proclaimed Prince of Darkness. If you'd guessed, circa 1974, or 1984 (or 1994, etc.), that any of…
None More Black: Reassessing Black Sabbath’s First Three Albums (or, The Unholy Trinity)
In the classic movie Chinatown, the villainous Noah Cross offers a sardonic take on his longevity. “I’m old,” he laughs, adding the immortal line, “Politicians, ugly buildings and whores all…
Ten Albums That Supposedly Suck (But Do Not): #2 (Revisited)
2. Black Sabbath, Never Say Die! (1978) Maybe Ozzy really did sell his soul to the devil. How else to explain his solo albums getting more love—even amongst old school…
Black Magic: 15 Essential Black Sabbath Songs
Yes, they created the template for heavy metal and thrash, but even now it’s instructive to acknowledge just how unique Black Sabbath was; how different from anything else anyone was…
Ten Albums That Supposedly Suck (But Do Not): #2
2. Black Sabbath, Never Say Die! (1978) Maybe Ozzy really did sell his soul to the devil. How else to explain his solo albums getting more love—even amongst old school…
Every Day is Earth Day (Redux)
I'm so proud of my Pops. Last night, quite out of the blue (or, out of the black as the case may be), he said he had to ask…
Earth Day (Revisited): An Appreciation of Black Sabbath
Every day is Earth Day. Question: Is it possible that a band could sell over one hundred million albums, be referenced constantly by groups spanning multiple genres, and whose very…