Ozzy Osbourne's Voice

[HarleyQuinn]

Figured I'd start this discussion after the following comments in the Dio thread...

AboveAverage484

Technically Ozzy isn't that great (especially in the last twenty years), but I think his voice was such an integral part of early Sabbath that he has to be ranked at least in the top four or five. He was great at making the paranoid (no pun intended) and drugged out nature of his songs shine through in his voice. "Black Sabbath" is a great example.

Red Baron

Ozzy's voice was only good for their first album.

I've always personally liked Ozzy's voice. While he may not have the range of a Dio or Dickinson, I thought his voice really fit the mood and tone of Black Sabbath.

Examples of Ozzy's Voice
Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath 1970 (Vinyl)

Black Sabbath War Pigs

Black Sabbath - Electric Funeral

Black Sabbath - Snowblind (album version)

Ozzy Osbourne - Suicide Solution (with original bass and drum parts)

 

[Incandenza]

I can't imagine the early Sabbath records without him, but really, he was always the band's weakest link. Early Sabbath would've been (even) better with someone with a huskier growl and not Osbourne's thin, nasally whine.

 

[Big Papa Paegan]

His voice stands out from most other frontmen, and his on-stage charisma and off-stage antics are what really aided in Black Sabbath's rise to fame. He was definitely the weakest link of the original lineup, but he was the attention-getter that they needed.

I don't mind his voice, really. I won't argue that there's plenty of better vocalists out there, especially at the time, but his voice was unique enough to help Sabbath stand out beyond just the music itself.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

I agree somewhat with what Laz and Inc said. Ozzy's a lot like David Lee Roth. Technically speaking, they're probably the worst part of the band but their charisma and general personality more than makes up for it and neither band is quite as good without them.

 

[Incandenza]

Get out of here. David Lee Roth was the best thing about Van Halen. You can shove Eddie Van Halen's guitar heroics.

 

[Big Papa Paegan]

Eh. EVH's influence lead to a decent bit of the music that a lot of people listen to, whereas Roth has squandered in relative obscurity outside of people going "hey, remember when Van Halen was good?"

 

[Incandenza]

What David Lee Roth did with himself post-1984 (year and album) has no bearing on his singing ability and the top-flight rockin'-the-fuck-out stylings as exhibited on those early albums. Who cares about influence?

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

Get out of here. David Lee Roth was the best thing about Van Halen. You can shove Eddie Van Halen's guitar heroics.

I agree. I'm just saying purely on a technical basis, he's the worst. In every other aspect, he's the best. He wasn't a very good singer but his voice fit in perfectly with their sound if that makes any sense. It was just a case of the right musicians coming together at the right time.

Just for the hell of it, once again...

Van Halen 1983 US Festival - Jamies Crying

 

[The Metal Maniac]

You know, to this very day it drives me a little bit crazy that Ozzy went on to become a solo star while the rest of Sabbath kind of lingered. I've actually had conversations with people who liked Ozzy's solo stuff, but had never heard of Black Sabbath.

I personally think that the stuff he did with Sabbath was 10X better then anything else he's ever done, and I think that Sabbath was best with him, even if it wasn't due to his vocal skills. I dunno, I just think he meshed with the rest of the band in a perfect way; I can't imagine anyone else doing the vocals for Sabbath's early albums and them being quite as good. Well, I mean, I can imagine the vocals being technically better, but I can't imagine the albums as a whole would be better. There's just something about Ozzy that made him a perfect fit.

 

[Agent of Oblivion]

I think the element that makes Ozzy perfect for early Sabbath is that he almost sounds sarcastic in places. Like "Oh please god help me..." in the title track of the s/t. Or "Your love for me has just got to be real..."

The comparison to Dio is stupid because those were completely different bands with completely different goals at that point.

Solo Ozzy is great when he's being totally ridiculous like Bark at the Moon.