There have been so many tributes to Ozzy Osbourne that I don't even know whether to add mine, as it would sound trite and would just echo what so many others have already said, both on this website and on others I frequent. I've been known to do a few music-related blogs on here from time to time; a lot of people do this and our musical taste is a part of who we are. Ozzy's first couple albums were a huge part of my early teenage years, and I loved both the electrifying guitar work, screaming solos and riffs, as much as Ozzy's unequaled persona. He sold the image of the rebellious and slightly edgy rock n' roll rebel, but compared to, say, the likes of GG Allin, or some of the more blatantly satanic themed bands like Venom, he was fairly tame by comparison (so much so, that my parents didn't really mind me listening to him, objecting more to the volume at which I played his music as opposed to the music itself. And I never really liked Venom anyway.)
I know, a lot of people, including a lot of you people reading this, probably weren't Ozzy fans. So with that said, I can't help but look back on the death of another rock icon, nearly 30 years ago now (Wow, time has flown.) This was Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead, a man who commanded not just a huge following, but an entire lifestyle devoted to him and his music. I remember the Deadheads, travelling tie-dyed hippies, following the band around and listening to their music, almost exclusively, for days on end. I knew a ton of these people. I myself was never a particular fan of the Grateful Dead. I always thought they were over-rated, and that their music was kinda boring, to be honest. But yet, I couldn't help but feel a little bit of sorrow nonetheless when he passed away. Here was a guy who gave so much to so many people for such a long time, bringing happiness to a lot of people who might not have been in the best space. How can you not appreciate that?
The main difference between Jerry Garcia and Ozzy was that, when he stepped off that stage for the last time, Jerry never realized that it would be the last time. He had hoped to continue for many long years. So he never really got to say goodbye, which was kind of sad. Ozzy, on the other hand, knew that it would be his last show. He was dying, he knew it, but he wanted to get one final chance for a final good-bye. And he did. It was still bittersweet, but listening to the footage, he sounded fine, and the crowd got to sing with him, and it was so sweet that he got to tell the crowd he loved them one last time, and feel the love from the crowd for one last time. It was the perfect send off, and even though I'm sad, I'm glad that he got to go out on his terms the way he did. I wish, for all those Grateful Dead fans, that Jerry had been able to do the same.
So with that I'll leave you with, you guessed it.... well, how about this. I'll leave you with one of his lesser known songs. This was an early rare b-side and a lot of fans probably haven't heard this song before. Thanks for reading one last Ozzy tribute.