Speak Of The Devil (DVD)

Ozzy Osbourne

Eagle Vision, 2012

http://www.ozzy.com

REVIEW BY: Paul Hanson

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 09/25/2012

If I still drank alcohol (I have been sober since 1/1/10), this would be a great DVD to play as a drinking game. Take a drink every time Ozzy Osbourne puts his microphone on its stand and takes it off within five seconds – that alone would have you drunk within the first song. Take a drink every time drummer Tommy Aldridge is shown. Take a drink every time bassist Rudy Sarzo uses his fist to hit his bass. Take a drink every time guitarist Brad Gillis plays a solo and you cannot see his hands, just his face contorting. Alternatively, simply, take a drink every time Ozzy asks the crowd if they are having fun and/or every time he says “C’mon!” All of these, of course, would introduce debate amongst your fellow partiers so maybe that is not the greatest idea.

Filmed in 1982, shortly after the death of guitarist Randy Rhoads (RIP), Ozzy Osbourne played a gig in the Irvine Meadows on June 12, 1982. That much you can learn from just looking at the back cover of this DVD. What that back cover does not prepare you for is the musically inspiring set guitarist Brad Gillis plays. Often overlooked when citing Ozzy’s guitarists, Gillis nails his instrument to the wall and picks it apart while playing all the guitar solos the way you expect them to be played. Why he is not given more credit is beyond me.my_heart_sings_the_harmony_web_ad_alt_250

To look at Ozzy Osbourne as he was 30 years ago is quite the spectacle. His voice sounds like his records and he sounds good especially during “Over The Mountain” and “Flying High Again.” There is not really a song on this DVD where you will cringe – given that you like his music, of course; I do not expect this DVD to gain any new fans. His stage presence is spectacular. He does all the things that lead vocalists do, asking the crowd if they are having a good time and getting them to clap along to the beat of the bass drum when “Iron Man” begins. Ozzy, as he was in 1982, is still legendary.

Now that Ozzy’s performance is out of the way, the rest of Ozzy’s band is legendary as well. Watching this DVD means you see legendary bassist Rudy Sarzo and equally legendary drummer Tommy Aldridge as Ozzy’s rhythm section. It is why I wanted to watch it. I have been aware of both of them as musicians since about when this DVD was filmed. While they ended up leaving Ozzy’s band at the same time, they were a very tight rhythm section. For those not paying attention, they left Ozzy to go play together in Project:Driver with guitarist Tony MacAlpine and vocalist Bob Rock (no, not that Bob Rock) in what turned out to be a single album project, though they wound up together in Whitesnake. They are explosive during “I Don’t Know,” nailing all the syncopated hits under the guitar.

Moreover, as far as the set list goes, it is as good as it could be. I still just do not like some of his material from this era, specifically, “Mr. Crowley,” “Revelation (Mother Earth),” and “Goodbye To Romance.” I know they are considered prime Ozzy slabs of his material, but I’d rather listen to “Over The Mountain,” “Crazy Train,” “I Don’t Know,” and “Flying High Again.” I still enjoy Black Sabbath’s “Iron Man” and “Paranoid” as set closers. For me, the set list is as good as it could be for 1982. If you like the material Ozzy had in his repertoire in 1982, this DVD is for you.

Rating: A

User Rating: Not Yet Rated


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© 2012 Paul Hanson and The Daily Vault. All rights reserved. Review or any portion may not be reproduced without written permission. Cover art is the intellectual property of Eagle Vision, and is used for informational purposes only.