Ozzy Osbourne: My 10 Favorite Metal Albums
When Rolling Stone began compiling the 100 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time, we noticed one trend very early: Ozzy Osbourne was the genre’s MVP. He appears on more records than any other single artist on the list, including five with Black Sabbath and two of his own solo releases. Moreover, he appears on three records in the top 10 – his first solo LP (Blizzard of Ozz, number nine), Black Sabbath’s self-titled debut (number five) and Black Sabbath’s Paranoid, which topped the entire list.
For going on half a century, the singer’s stentorian voice has gamely pierced through the monolithic guitar tones of Tony Iommi, Randy Rhoads and Zakk Wylde. He’s an indefatigable frontman whose onstage and offstage antics have inspired countless legends. And, even though he hasn’t always been the most amenable to being described as a heavy-metal artist (“I hate that terminology,” he told Rolling Stone last year, “because it goes from Poison to fucking Black Sabbath and there is quite a fucking difference”), he’s been an ardent supporter of the genre. He took Metallica, Motörhead and Mötley Crüe out on their first big tours, and on his frequent Ozzfest festival tours, he’s provided stages for Slipknot, Tool, Pantera, Slayer and countless others.
Because Osbourne is not only one of metal’s progenitors but one of its biggest supporters, Rolling Stone reached out to him early in the process of compiling the Greatest Albums list to find out what his favorites were. He emailed us a list of his 10 favorites along with a few words about why they’re cornerstone albums for him and for metal.
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AC/DC, ‘Highway to Hell’ (1979)
I love Brian Johnson but to me my good friend, the
late Bon Scott, was the best singer AC/DC ever had. This album was like an addiction to me. -
Alice in Chains, ‘Facelift’ (1990)
Another amazing debut. “Man in the Box” is a classic. Layne Staley was a lovely guy. It’s such a shame that he couldn’t overcome
his demons. -
Guns N’ Roses, ‘Appetite for Destruction’ (1987)
One of the greatest debut albums of all time. There’s not a weak song in the bunch. I never get tired of hearing it.
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Judas Priest, ‘British Steel’ (1980)
What can I say, the guys in Judas Priest are not only mates of mine from my hometown of Birmingham, but one of the best
metal bands of all time. This album had
“Living After Midnight,” “Breaking the Law” and “Metal Gods.” British Steel
is a classic that will definitely stand the test of time. -
Led Zeppelin, ‘Led Zeppelin IV’ (1971)
I’ve always been a huge Led Zeppelin fan. All of their studio albums are classics but
this is one of my all-time favorites. -
Megadeth, ‘Rust in Peace’ (1990)
I never realized how good this band was until I heard
this album. -
Metallica, ‘Master of Puppets’ (1986)
I took Metallica on tour with me after the release of Master
of Puppets. The album was a
milestone for the band and for heavy metal. -
Motörhead, ‘Ace of Spades’ (1980)
The album that put Motörhead over the top. The title track “Ace of Spades” is Motörhead’s “Paranoid.” It’s one of the great metal anthems and, to me, a band hasn’t made it until they have their own anthem. This is theirs.
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Pantera, ‘Cowboys From Hell’ (1990)
These guys were some of the biggest party animals I
ever toured with. Dimebag’s guitar
playing shines on this album. This one should be in every metal fan’s
collection. -
Rob Zombie, ‘Hellbilly Deluxe’ (1999)
Rob Zombie is also someone I’ve toured with quite a
bit. He’s a true artist in every sense
and Hellbilly Deluxe is Rob’s best in my opinion.