Ozzy, Geezer and Tony could be the names of three children’s TV characters; or perhaps a group of underworld comedy gangsters from a Guy Richie film.
They, don’t, however, sound like the names of one Britain’s biggest musical exports. But that they are.
Black Sabbath have been around in one form or another since the ’60s, and unlike a lot of “vintage” bands they still can make music that is both credible and successful. Last year’s album 13 was their first American No 1 and made it to the top of the charts in 13 countries. They play Abu Dhabi tonight with a new lease of life: Frontman Ozzy Osbourne is sober after a recent slip, guitarist Tony Iommi has recovered from cancer and bassist Geezer Butler is playing with his two teenage friends once again.
“I have to pinch myself to see if it’s really happening,” says Osbourne over the phone from Los Angeles before heading to the UAE. It’s not the first time the band have reunited, but with 40 years between No 1 albums, somehow both the band and their fans feel the magic is back.
“We all really wanted to do it and my treatment for cancer really focused everybody into getting the job done, which we did in spectacular fashion,” adds Iommi.
tabloid! spoke to all three on life, music and the behemoth that is Black Sabbath.
Q&A with Ozzy Osbourne
Sparky: So big question: Do you ever get tired of being called the Prince of Darkness?
Ozzy: No, it’s just what people want to call me and it’s better than a lot of the names they could call me.
Sparky: You had an over 40-year gap between No one albums. Was that a surprise?
Ozzy: You can say that again!
Sparky: What was the magic?
Ozzy: We tried a couple of times but it felt forced. This time the juices got flowing and we got going. We knew though that we couldn’t wait anymore with Tony’s illness; we had to do it then and there. We are in our mid-60s, so we can’t wait another 10 years. We will be dead.
Sparky: Do you know when you are recording the album that it is a bit special?
Ozzy: No not really, Rick Rubin, the producer, told us to forget heavy metal and remember the early days of Sabbath. I though ‘what the hell is he on about?’ and then the penny dropped. We started out as blues band and we returned to that freedom of writing. Rick recorded really basically and left the effects out. I thought ‘what is he thinking?’, but it worked.
Sparky: Is there one moment you can pick out as you crowning moment?
Ozzy: Every day, every single day. I did OzzFest and had all these people and bands coming up to me saying ‘I love what Sabbath did’ and ‘you were my biggest influence’ and I just didn’t get it. It took me a long time to realise what an influence were and are.
Sparky: Does now feel better than the first time?
Ozzy: Now to get the American No 1 is unbelievable. We got No 1 in thirteen countries, which means 13 is [now] one of my favourite numbers, whereas I used to be superstitious about it.
Sparky: Rock’n’roll cliche — and you have done many — but how about throwing a TV out of a hotel window?
Ozzy: I did and it cost me $50,000 (Dh183,649) and nearly killed someone. He was standing below my room and I launched the TV through the closed window and it landed literally inches from him whilst he was smoking. I think it was as good as reason as any to give up smoking.
Q&A with Geezer Butler (bass and lyrics)
Sparky: Let’s start with your not-so-rock’n’roll past. You started out as an accountant?
Geezer: I started training as one just to get out of working in a factory like the rest of my family. I saw the job that involved three years at college. I started and then I was late a few times, eventually getting sacked — which was the best thing that ever happened to me.
Sparky: Did it stand you in good stead for life with the band?
Geezer: Yeah! I used to be the guy who got the five quid at the end of the night and I made sure the guys didn’t spend it all on booze as I knew we had to save some for petrol to get back to Birmingham at the end of the night, so it came in useful.
Sparky: You were a hippy then transformed to hard rock. Does that seem a bit strange?
Geezer: Not really, if you listen to Sabbath’s lyrics, we were talking about saving the Earth and I was very anti-war. It was the same as when I was wearing kaftans and beads. The lyrics of War Pigs and Children of the Grave reflect that, so it came in useful in the end. The whole band were all into different things — Tony was an Elvis fan, Ozzy was a Mod with short hair and Bill was into Big Band stuff. We all had different musical ideas but we all liked blues music like Cream, Eric Clapton and Hendrix. When Led Zeppelin came along we loved them because they were Birmingham people and we thought, if they can do it, then we can do it.
Sparky: Do you think there is a misconception that all heavy rock is evil?
Geezer: It’s totally the opposite if you listen to the lyrics. The song Black Sabbath is a warning about Satanism and about finding your own spirituality.
Sparky: How does the writing process work?
Geezer: Ozzy always comes up with the vocal melody and he has a real knack of being able to come up with a good line that just boosts your imagination.
Sparky: What was it like working with the old Sabbath and the new Sabbath?
Geezer: We never really left each other, we had done the Oz Fest on and off since 1998, plus Tony and myself had worked together a lot. The difference this time was that we said we couldn’t just go on tour and play the same old stuff. We had to make something new or forget it.
Sparky: You got together in 2001, which didn’t work out.
Geezer: It just didn’t feel like Sabbath — we left after six weeks, not feeling like we had done anything.
Sparky: What was the difference this time?
Geezer: The main one was that Tony had tons and tons of riffs. He has his own in-house studio and his own sound engineer so he came prepared.
Q&A with Tony Iommi (guitar and lyrics)
Sparky: You invented your own guitar stings. How and why?
Tony: I had an accident that took off the edge of my fingers when I was young and it meant I couldn’t play with heavy strings. The light gauge strings hadn’t been invented so I was using banjo strings and other strings. I ended up going to a few companies and one, Picarto, agreed to make them. That was the very first set of light gauge strings and now a lot of people use them.
Sparky: Are you tempted to walk into a music shop and stand next to someone looking at the strings, nudge them and say ‘I invented those’.
Tony: [Laughs] No, I don’t actually. I just did it for me and I came up with the idea of the 24-fret guitar. I tried to get companies to build it and they all refused, saying it wouldn’t work. I ended up investing in a guitar company just so they would build it — and now everyone has one.
Sparky: You have been voted the greatest ever ‘riffs man’ by Metal Hammer Magazine. Do these wards mean anything to you?
Tony: Oh yes, they mean a lot. We were at the Grammys and for our type of music to win there is rare, as it is usually the more pop-type music that wins. I like winning the awards, and as I said they mean a lot.
Sparky: The renaissance of Black Sabbath must be very gratifying for you?
Tony: Yeah to get No 1 in America and pretty much everywhere was very gratifying. It was our first American No 1.
Sparky: No disrespect to the Rolling Stones, but they do not have the same record sales as before and are now a touring band. You, however, have managed to gain success in both.
Tony: Absolutely and gain a lot of new fans in the process. It’s grandparents with parents with kids. The range was phenomenal and it was the same for the album sales.
Sparky: What was the magic this time?
Tony: We all really wanted to do it and my treatment for cancer really focused everybody into getting the job done, which we did in spectacular fashion.
