He often described seeing the Rolling Stones in 1964 at Surrey’s fourth annual National Jazz and Blues Festival as a life-changing experience. “I thought, ‘That looks like a good job,” Wood later told the BBC. “One day, I’m going to be in that band.”
It almost happened in 1969, when Wood said the Rolling Stones initially approached him about possibly joining in the wake of Brian Jones’s departure. Wood said Stones piano player Ian Stewart called with the offer, reaching Faces bassist Ronnie Lane. Lane told him, “Ronnie’s quite happy where he is, thanks,’ and put the phone down,” Wood told the Los Angeles Times. “I think everything is fate. If I had joined the Stones at that time, I’d probably be a total junkie.”
Besides, he was still in the Faces – and “that’s what’s really important to me,” Wood said in Mark Paytress’s Rolling Stones: Off the Record.
Wood reconnected when he co-wrote “It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll (But I Like It)” with Mick Jagger in December 1973, then was joined by Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Jones’ eventual successor Mick Taylor for Wood’s first solo LP, 1974’s I’ve Got My Own Album to Do. Richards made some promotional appearances with Wood for the album, as well.
By then, Taylor was exiting the lineup. Wood took part in March 1975 sessions for Black and Blue while the Rolling Stones considered a series of replacements. Among them were Peter Frampton, Jeff Beck (for whom Wood had played bass on two albums, 1969’s Truth and 1969’s Beck-Ola), Shuggie Otis, Rory Gallagher and Harvey Mandel, among others.
Listen to the Rolling Stones’ ‘Shattered’
When Did Ron Wood Join the Rolling Stones?
Wood was officially announced as Taylor’s replacement on April 14, 1975, then played his first tour with the Rolling Stones across North America before the Faces confirmed their breakup in December 1975. Stepping into Taylor’s shoes felt like destiny, but at the same time, Wood understood the assignment.
“I knew those solos in my head. I could reproduce them, with tremendous respect for Mick,” Wood told Rolling Stone. “Technically, I’m not as good a guitarist as Mick [Taylor] but the only way I can really f— up is by being too loud. That is a sore point with Keith and Mick. I’d get my guitar wrapped ’round my head by Keith.”
Unlike the others, Wood worked as a salaried employee – and that arrangement continued until the early ’90s, after Wood helped broker a shaky peace between Jagger and Richards. “I just looked at it like I was doing my apprenticeship, even though I might have been 50 years old,” Wood told The Guardian. “I was learning, but I was teaching as well: How to let go and enjoy life.”
That’s how Wood eventually came to inhabit a much different space than he had in the Faces. He was a forceful and distinctive contributor on guitar with his former group while memorably co-writing “Stay With Me” and “Ooh La La.” (He also co-wrote two of Faces bandmate Rod Stewart‘s best solo songs, “Every Picture Tells a Story” and “Gasoline Alley,” among others.) That was then.
Listen to the Rolling Stones’ ‘Undercover of the Night’
Could the Rolling Stones Have Survived With Him?
Wood did less writing in the Rolling Stones, with notable exceptions including “Dance,” “Black Limousine” and “One Hit (to the Body).” He was more nastier than Taylor, and faster than Richards. But Wood rarely stepped forward outside of rare solo turns for songs like “Undercover of the Night,” “Shattered,” “Hey Negrita,” “Neighbours,” “Terrifying” and “Saint of Me.” Instead, he often occupied a new role as a fearlessly instinctive rhythm player in and around Richards’ more prominent lines.
More importantly, he served as a fire extinguisher for the combustible Jagger and Richards. “During the Dirty Work days [in the late-’80s], that was a really bad time. I got them through that,” Wood told The Guardian. “I’d be like, ‘You stay near the phone. I’m going to get him on the phone and I’ll ring you back.'”
As with performances where he weaved his way through Richards’ parts, “I knew when to step in – and I instinctively know when to get out of their way,” Wood told Rolling Stone. “But it’s all about keeping that institution – the Rolling Stones – going: ‘Whether you like it or not, you guys are going to have to patch it up, or forget everything.'”
Rolling Stones Album Art: The Stories Behind 27 Famous LP Covers
The Rolling Stones’ album art tells the band’s story as well as any song.
Spin Doctors frontman Chris Barron said he was high on weed during the entirety of the band’s most successful years.
He reported that he only stopped when he became a single parent to his daughter as he looked back on the ebbs and flows of his band’s big era in the ‘90s.
“I was baked outta my mind high 24/7, man,” Barron told Rolling Stone in a new interview. “I was high from the age of, like, 14 to 30. I stopped when my daughter was born.
“I wasn’t together with her mom. And I had this epiphany of like, ‘If I’m getting high all the time, this is an avenue for my kid to be taken away from me.’”
He added: “I think nowadays I would’ve been medicated, on antidepressants. … That was me taking care of my head, you know, and trying to quiet down the voices in my head.”
As they tried to achieve success, the Spin Doctors found themselves placed head-to-head against Pearl Jam by their mutual label, Epic. “I still can’t listen to Pearl Jam,” Barron admitted.”You’d go to the record store; it’d be a big Pearl Jam display and one copy of our record. It was maddening.”
He recalled that his band’s biggest hit, “Two Princes,” came out of a phone call when he was 19. “I ran into the big brother of a guy I grew up with … I was like, ‘I just got a phone call at work from this chick I like.’ He’s like, ‘Oh, just go ahead now.’
“And I was like, ‘But I think she might be mad at me.’ And he was like, ‘Oh, well just go ahead now’ … He just kept saying, ‘Go ahead now, go ahead with it.’ And I just went home and I was like, ‘Go ahead now,’ and that was it. And now I’ll never have to work a normal job again!”
How the Spin Doctors Fell From Grace
The band fell from grace when they chose “Cleopatra’s Cat” as the lead single for their second album. “We got too fucking cute,” Barron reflected. ”That was a funny call, but I was really young … I just kinda, like, went along.”
The Spin Doctors have just released Face Full of Cake, their first album in 12 years, which was produced by Phish bassist Mike Gordon. Barron explained: “Mike is like, ‘You guys have, like, 350 million plays on Spotify — that’s crazy. And we’re like, ‘You guys do 13 nights at Madison Square Garden!’”
The singer admitted that lifestyle once appealed to him, but it didn’t any more. “I live in a two-bedroom apartment in New York City. Drive my Subaru. Got a 26-year-old daughter. I’m super-happily married. I got two cats.
“And I get to sing ‘Two Princes,’ which is a really good fucking song, man. And ‘Little Miss Can’t be Wrong.’ I love singing those tunes. People go nuts when we play them.”
Top 100 ’90s Rock Albums
Any discussion of the Top 100 ’90s Rock Albums will have to include some grunge, and this one is no different.
Feature Photo: Columbia Records: Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Firesign Field Guide: Listening to the Future from the PastA guide for the bewildered, the bozos, and the brave
The Firesign Theatre were not just a comedy troupe—they were sonic alchemists, cultural critics, and prophets of media overload. Active from the late 1960s through the early 2000s, they created surreal, densely layered audio dramas that challenged perception, satirized authority, and gleefully twisted the American psyche into knots of laughter and confusion. Listening to Firesign isn’t passive; it’s an act of exploration.
The group consisted of four core writer-performers: Peter Bergman, Philip Proctor, Phil Austin, and David Ossman. Bergman was widely regarded as the conceptual architect of the troupe, though all four members contributed equally to the writing and performing. Their name — Firesign Theatre — was a tongue-in-cheek reference to the fact that all four were born under the astrological fire signs of Aries (Austin), Leo (Proctor), and Sagittarius (Bergman and Ossman)
To a new listener, their work might feel like wandering into a dream with the TV on in the background—half news, half commercial, all strange. But give it time, give it headphones, and let yourself get lost. You’re in good company.
Essential Albums
How Can You Be in Two Places at Once When You’re Not Anywhere at All – (1969)
A two-part experience: one half featuring the surreal exploits of Babe (in a car dealership turned Cold War fever dream), and the other half introducing detective Nick Danger in a parody of old radio noir. It’s a brilliant entry point into their warped reality.
Don’t Crush That Dwarf, Hand Me the Pliers – (1970)
Often considered their masterpiece, this album follows aging actor George Tirebiter as he flips through channels of his own life. A satire on media, memory, and the American Dream, it’s packed with recurring motifs and looping logic.
I Think We’re All Bozos on This Bus (1971)
Set in a futuristic theme park run by malfunctioning computers and automated politicians. Clem, our unlikely hero, poses the fatal question: “Why does the porridge bird lay his egg in the air?” A devastatingly prescient look at technology, politics, and control. A Frank Zappa favorite.
Waiting for the Electrician or Someone Like Him (1968)
Their first major release, showcasing their early form—absurdist radio plays, international misadventures, and a darkly comic dystopia in the final act (Covid-19 with a twist). A signpost of where they were headed.
The Giant Rat Of Sumatra (1974)
A tour de force of multi leveled puns and a hilarious spoof on Sherlock Holmes. In this case it’s Hemlock Stones taking the lead. The lightning back and forth dialog is akin to jazz musicians playing off one another. A polished offering making full use of the recording studio and bringing the listener into an absurd Victorian soundscape.
Everything You Know Is Wrong (1974)
A direct spoof of New Age mysticism, UFO cults, and conspiracy theory culture. This one feels especially relevant today, in an age of internet rabbit holes and epistemic chaos. “Dig a hole deep enough and everyone will wanna jump in.”
In The Next World You’re On Your Own (1975)
Primarily written by Ossman and Austin but also including contributions by Proctor and Bergman. This 70’s cop show / soap opera / game show / night at the Oscars / baseball played by insects is a tight work that truly pulls the listener into an alternate universe where TV and reality become one. Sit back and enjoy the ride. Don’t worry about the bars in the police car, they are for your protection.
Eat Or Be Eaten (1985)
This is the first CD to be released with CD+G graphics. Though only three of the four members appear on the disc, it still retains the FST absurdity and use of satire to explore video game obsession and popular TV commercials and trends in the 1980s.
Give Me Immortality or Give Me Death (1998)
A Grammy nominated come back centered around the then dubious Y2K threat and the identity loss of terrestrial radio with it’s superficial minute by minute change of format. A very melancholy, funny and witty homage to the end of the 20th Century.
Boom Dot Bust (1999)
Another Grammy nominated work that is set in the heartland town of Billville. The residents are all named Bill, and there’s a long history of natural disasters and lynching politicians and a Martha Stewart spoof.
Bride of Firesign (2001)
The final Firesign Theatre work which brings back recurring characters from the 70’s: Nick Danger, Peorgie, Mudhead, Ray Hamberger, Harold Hiphugger, Ralph Spoilsport, Bebop Loco, Rocky Rococo, Lt. Bradshaw. A very self referential CD with private eye Nick Danger in a noirish, tongue-in-cheek “L-O-S- T G-A-L-S” and explores subjects like biogenetics and stem-cell research.
Recurring Themes
Media Saturation and Simulation Firesign saw the rise of a world where reality is mediated through screens and voices. Their characters flip channels, live inside ads, and can’t distinguish memory from media.
Paranoia and Bureaucracy Their worlds are filled with malfunctioning systems, senseless paperwork, and overlords who speak in slogans. Everyone’s a cog, but no one knows what machine they’re in.
Fractured Identity Who are we when media, politics, and consumerism are constantly reshaping our minds? Firesign lets characters split, double, and contradict themselves—mirroring the disorientation of modern life.
Surrealism and Wordplay Puns, malapropisms, loops, and language games abound. Firesign creates dream logic: it makes sense while you’re in it, but try explaining it to someone and you’ll sound insane.
Studio Sorcery
The Firesign Theatre treated the studio as a tool for storytelling, layering voices, music, sound effects, and dialogue into rich audio environments. Their albums were made for headphones, long before that was a thing. They pioneered the use of multi-track recording for narrative comedy, doing for spoken word what The Beatles did for pop.
Their producer, engineer, and creative partner Fred Jones was integral to this process, as was the group’s insistence on writing and performing for the tape, not just the stage. They built complex worlds you could walk around in with your ears.
Deep Cuts and Hidden Gems
Nick Danger: Third Eye
A standalone classic. Noir parody with layers of ridiculousness and unforgettable one-liners: “I had just finished shaving a customer when she came in.”
Dear Friends / Let’s Eat
Their radio shows, compiled and remixed for LP. Looser than the studio albums but full of brilliant sketches, musical bits, and weird interstitials.
TV and Live – Occasional appearances on public TV and stage shows showcase their improvisational roots and performance skills.
Solo albums tackling holograms, noir roller maidens and the then burgeoning enterprise of cable TV.
Phil Austin : Roller Maidens from Outta Space (1974)
David Ossman : How Time Flys (1974)
Proctor and Bergman : TV Or Not TV (1973)
How to Listen (Now)
Use headphones. Firesign is stereo sorcery.
Start with Bozos or Dwarf. They’re strange, but accessible.
Listen more than once. Layers reveal themselves.
Relax into the confusion. The jokes often come back around.
Try with friends. Firesign is great for stoners, thinkers, and late-night philosophers.
Firesign Lives On
Though two of the troupe’s members have passed on, (Peter Bergman and Phil Austin), their work remains strikingly relevant. Remaining members David Ossman and Phillip Proctor sill keep the Firesign absurdity alive on facebook. In a world of algorithmic truths, AI voices, fake news, and bureaucratic absurdity, Firesign’s warnings feel like prophecies.
Their DNA lives on in shows like Welcome to Night Vale, Rick and Morty, Mystery Theater 3000, and countless audio dramas and podcasts that blend reality and fiction. But few do it with the elegance, density, or wit of Firesign.
So yes—we’re all bozos on this bus. But thanks to the Firesign Theatre, we know the route is weird, the driver is asleep, and the PA system is lying to us. And somehow, that makes the ride worthwhile.
“I just jumped on the private jet and there we were.” The Libertines’ Pete Doherty shares his memories of holidaying in Thailand with members of Britain’s royal family
(Image credit: Phillip Massey/FilmMagic)
The Libertines frontman Pete Doherty has shared his memories of a holiday in Thailand with members of the British royal family. It didn’t end so well for Doherty, as she recalls.
Doherty, then fronting his post-Libertines band Babyshambles, and his girlfriend at the time, supermodel Kate Moss enjoyed holidaying together in Phuket, and were apparently staying in the exclusive and luxurious Amanpuri resort around Easter 2012 at the same time that Prince Andrew’s former wife Sarah Ferguson was on vacation at the resort with the couple’s then-teenage daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie.
“I think it was a couple of times,” Doherty recalls in an interview with The Irish Independent newspaper. “Sarah was there with her daughters, the princesses.
“I can remember Sarah Ferguson dancing in a bar – on the table,” he continues. “That was quite interesting. One for the memories. I think I just went along for the ride. I didn’t even know where we were going. ‘Are you coming then? Hurry up!’ And I just jumped on the private jet and there we were.”
At the time, writers for Britain’s tabloid newspapers weren’t impressed by the young royals keeping company with Doherty and Moss, not least because some years earlier the Daily Mirror had published a photo of Moss in a recording studio with Doherty above the headline ‘Cocaine Kate: supermodel Kate Moss snorts line after line’.
“The 47-year-old Duchess…is holidaying with her two children, who are fifth and sixth-in-line-to-the-throne,” London’s Evening Standard reported on April 12, 2012. “Just an hour or so after the royal party departed, supermodel Miss Moss, 32, arrived at the airport with her five-year-old daughter, Lila Grace, and a handful of friends – although there was no sign of her heroin junkie boyfriend, Babyshambles singer Pete Doherty – to catch a later British Airways service.”
A ‘friend’ of Ferguson told the newspaper that Ferguson was definitely not holidaying with Moss, however.
“She and the Duchess have met at several of his parties before and are on friendly terms but they are certainly not holidaying together,” this source insisted.
Doherty’s recollection is that his own adventures in Thailand in 2012 were cut short, for reasons unspecified.
“I remember I got deported that summer from Thailand,” he tells The Irish Independent. “I woke up in Heathrow Airport in a pair of Thai policeman’s shorts.”
We’ve all been there….
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A music writer since 1993, formerly Editor of Kerrang! and Planet Rock magazine (RIP), Paul Brannigan is a Contributing Editor to Louder. Having previously written books on Lemmy, Dave Grohl (the Sunday Times best-seller This Is A Call) and Metallica (Birth School Metallica Death, co-authored with Ian Winwood), his Eddie Van Halen biography (Eruption in the UK, Unchained in the US) emerged in 2021. He has written for Rolling Stone, Mojo and Q, hung out with Fugazi at Dischord House, flown on Ozzy Osbourne’s private jet, played Angus Young’s Gibson SG, and interviewed everyone from Aerosmith and Beastie Boys to Young Gods and ZZ Top. Born in the North of Ireland, Brannigan lives in North London and supports The Arsenal.
It’s impossible to imagine heavy metal without Ozzy Osbourne. His despairing wails over the title track of Black Sabbath‘s self-titled debut set the template for doom and metal in general for the half-century to come and even when he was booted from the band in 1979, he found ways to flourish.
Reinvented as a solo artist, Ozzy’s solo output embraced the showmanship and maximalism that would define metal in the 80s as the genre hit arena and stadium level to become a truly global phenomenon. From surviving the advent of grunge with the stellar No More Tears to fostering the next generation of metal star with Ozzfest, Ozzy’s continued impact on the world of rock and metal is testament to indefatigable spirit and triumphing over the odds.
With Ozzy set to take his final bow in his hometown of Aston this summer, we asked some of metal’s biggest names to pick the greatest Ozzy and Black Sabbath tunes of all time to create the ultimate Ozzy playlist.
Black Sabbath – Black Sabbath (Black Sabbath, 1970)
“We covered Black Sabbath’s title track way back. They’ve obviously inspired so many bands, but for me personally I really love that track because it’s so atmospheric. It’s also kind of time-bound for me, as it takes me back to a time where I was discovering all this heavy music that I love so much.” Sharon Den Adel, Within Temptation
Within Temptation – Black Sabbath – Live at Black X-Mas 2016 – YouTube
“War Pigs says it all for me. The lyrics are so fucking relevant – unfortunately even more so as time’s gone on. I’ve met Ozzy twice and he’s a legend, genuinely. No matter what he’s doing – even if he’s just scoffing a bag of chips in the corner – he’s still a proper star. He oozes charisma and it all comes out on that song.” Benji Webbe, Skindred
Black Sabbath – Iron Man (Paranoid, 1970)
“Iron Man is so dark and hypnotic, it’s incredible. It’s the kind of song that transcends any musical style – it could have been written for Stravinsky and we would still be playing it all the time. Therapy? got invited to record a cover of Iron Man with Ozzy singing [for the 1994 Black Sabbath tribute album Nativity In Black], and we ended up changing it up arrangement-wise, making it more Black Flag-ish.
I wasn’t sure how Ozzy would feel about it and he came back like, ‘Yes, make it your own!’ We got invited out to Los Angeles to work with Terry Date on the final mix. Ozzy specifically came into the studio to see us. We heard the full track for the first time and we were like, ‘It sounds incredible!’ and Ozzy pipes in, ‘Well, I’ve only been singing it for 20 years!’” Andy Cairns, Therapy?
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Black Sabbath – Sweet Leaf (Master Of Reality, 1971)
“I must’ve listened to Sweet Leaf constantly when I heard it for the first time. It was maybe ’76 or ’77, I’d go out riding dirt bikes with my friends and our dads. We’d all get together out in the desert and gather round a camp fire. I remember someone put it on and it was extremely loud and that coughing at the start made me go, ‘What the hell is going on?’ It remains my favourite Sabbath song – I love Ozzy’s vocals so much on it, especially the live version that they put out because it’s so heavy!” Scott Hill, Fu Manchu
Black Sabbath – Solitude (Master Of Reality, 1971)
“I’m a huge Sabbath fan, and so is my son. He loves a lot of that classic rock stuff and I won’t even pretend that wasn’t my doing – it’s all me! I really love Solitude – I can’t believe he sings that. It’s such a beautiful song and his voice is so different. It’s incredibly English too, almost riffing on this Celtic folk idea, and the production sounds so simple even though there’s so much going on in both his vocals and the instrumentals.
The lyrics are very unusual too – it’s not really a metal thing to be like ‘I’m sad, I’m lonely’, it’s almost more like an old folk singer. It’s such a beautiful song; I wish they’d made a whole album like that. But then I guess we’d miss the riffs! Ozzy’s vocal range is insane.” Myrkur
“Those early Sabbath tracks are just brilliant, but when they went out to America and there’s a real mix of styles it really takes off for me. These Brummie rockers meeting West Coast lifestyles on tracks like Snowblind. There’s a kind of swagger and swing to them that I really like. Ozzy really lets loose, and it feels like a hint of who he was before he became this media construct of Ozzy Osbourne, where he’s this figure of fun after the TV show. There was something about that time, the looseness of it all.” Bill Bailey
Black Sabbath – Supernaut (Vol. 4, 1972)
“To me, Vol. 4 is still to this day Black Sabbath’s best album. We decided to cover Supernaut back in the day [as Ministry side-project 1000 Homo DJs]. I think we drove it a little bit further because it was driving to start with, but it was hypnotic, we just kind of shoved it in your face a little bit closer.
[Billy Idol guitarist and Ozzy confidante] Billy Morrison, who we worked with on Hopeiumforthemasses and for Moral Hygiene, is like best friends with Ozzy. He eats lunch with him once a week. He told us that Ozzy is just over the moon about that one. Which is incredible! He’s a fucking genius, just like Lemmy, you know. They were true to their selves.” Al Jourgensen, Ministry
Black Sabbath – A National Acrobat (Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, 1973)
“A National Acrobat from Sabbath Bloody Sabbath has always been one of my favourite songs with Ozzy on. Like, Black Sabbath the song is probably the most impactful song ever and the first time I heard it I remember getting scared, but discovering that band was like a drawing a line through who I was. There was before Black Sabbath, and after. But A National Acrobat is still my favourite, there’s just something about it, man. Ozzy’s voice is incredible on that whole record. They were at their most creative at that point, but Black Sabbath are Bible.” Kenny Hickey, Type O Negative / Silvertomb / Sun Don’t Shine
Black Sabbath – Gypsy (Technical Ecstasy, 1976)
“I’m a huge fan of metal songs called Gypsy: Gypsy Road by Cinderella, Gypsy by Mercyful Fate… there’s loads! Black Sabbath’s is the best, though – people underestimate just how good Technical Ecstasy and Never Say Die! are. Yes, there’s some crap, but there’s also this wonderful stuff like Bill Ward doing a Beatles-style piano ballad on It’s Alright. Gypsy is the best of those songs.
I discovered Black Sabbath when I went to King’s Lynn Corn Exchange when I was 12 for ‘A Night Of Metal’, which had Carl Sentance from Krokus, various session guys and Tony Martin of late Black Sabbath fame. I ended up listening to the first seven Sabbath albums so often it felt like everything else sucked! There’s a musicality and colour to the last two albums that I think is really interesting, this almost prog thing where they’re trying to keep up with the soft rock bands like Kansas and failing hard. Gypsy is cool because it’s the Sabbath we never saw. It’s better than anything on the first two Ozzy [solo] albums!” Tom Templar, Green Lung
“There’s a song called Air Dance on the last Sabbath album with Ozzy from the 70s. It’s an odd song, but that’s fine – Opeth are an odd band too. Lots of people will talk about Iron Man or Black Sabbath, which are great, but they also have shitloads of experimentation on. Never Say Die! might not be their most popular record, but it also proved they were still trying new things and it’s probably got the weirdest songs of the entire Ozzy era. It wasn’t written to be a super-hit, but it’s so great regardless.” Mikael Akerfeldt, Opeth
Ozzy Osbourne – Crazy Train (Blizzard Of Ozz, 1980)
“Crazy Train is my jam, bro! I first heard it on a skate video and fell for it. Then I learned how to play it and loved it more. It’s such a good song. It’s also that little bit left of centre as well, especially for Ozzy. It’s not as dark. It’s almost groovy. It’s that reminder that we can always do more than what people perceive us to be. I really like that Ozzy’s always pushed people in a way that only he could. I’m a fan of him going that far and living through it. That’s pretty gangster. If nothing else, I need more of that energy in the world.” Jason Aalon Butler, Fever 333 / Letlive.
Ozzy Osbourne – I Don’t Know (Blizzard Of Ozz, 1980)
“I love Ozzy. We [Skid Row] opened up for Ozzy Osbourne in Moscow in 1989 when it was still communist. I recently hung out with Ozzy and Sharon at one of Billy Morrison’s art shows. Me and Ozzy just talked about singing and in-ear monitors and looking after your voice, and it was a joy to talk shop with him.
“If you go on my YouTube channel you can hear me singing I Don’t Know with Wolf Hoffmann from Accept, and if you listen to that you’ll hear my love for the song in that recording. I also recorded Believer with Dimebag Darrell but my personal favourite is I Don’t Know. The breakdown in the middle is so melodic, and then you have the heaviness of the main riff and the ambiguity of the lyric where he’s saying, ‘Don’t look at me for answers / Don’t ask me, I don’t know.’ It’s just a great song, it’s cool, it’s heavy as fuck and it’s my favourite Ozzy song.” Sebastian Bach
Ozzy Osbourne – Goodbye To Romance (Blizzard Of Ozz, 1980)
“Goodbye To Romance, I love that song. We did a special tribute to Randy Rhoads last year at a Santa Ana show and I sang that, it was so nice. Eventually I would like to record that cover, I love the emotion.” Doro Pesch
RANDY RHOADS REMEMBERED GOODBYE TO ROMANCE DORO PESCH RUDY SARZO Santa Ana CA 2019 – YouTube
Ozzy Osbourne – Mr. Crowley (Blizzard Of Ozz, 1980)
“We ripped off Mr. Crowley at the very start of our song The Abyss. The intro to it is one of the most terrifying pieces of music, that really crazy synth… On The Abyss I wanted to channel that, really try to replicate it. I loved it so much as a kid and have loved Black Sabbath forever too; we even used to cover Black Sabbath in my old hardcore band. To this day, Ozzy influences us.” Will Gould, Creeper/ Salem
Ozzy Osbourne – Over The Mountain (Diary Of A Madman, 1981)
“Ozzy doesn’t get nearly enough praise for his vocals, especially on his early solo stuff. In a way it’s a bit like his performances on Sabotage stuff like Supertzar or Megalomania, these absolutely massive melodies. In Sabbath he’d got Geezer Butler writing the tunes, but solo he has to work that much harder, and some of the stuff he comes up with sits so perfectly with what Randy Rhoads comes up with.
Ozzy has always had that knack for finding the right vocal melody to fit a riff, and I’ve always really wanted to replicate that. He’s not the most technical singer, but he’s always himself and has made himself stand out. I reckon that comes from his love of The Beatles – you can hear that Lennon-McCartney element in his own style.” Ben Ward, Orange Goblin
Ozzy Osbourne – Over The Mountain (Live) – YouTube
Ozzy Osbourne – S.A.T.O. (Diary Of A Madman, 1981)
“Randy Rhoads is my favourite guitar player of all time. He was the poster on my wall when I was practising eight hours a day – hugely inspirational. He not only resuscitated Ozzy’s career, but the chemistry between Ozzy’s ‘Prince of Darkness’ vibe and Randy’s shredding professionalism is unique in the annals of rock’n’roll. S.A.T.O. has all those elements: it’s spooky, it’s heavy, it’s got some of the greatest Randy Rhoads guitar playing, and it really shows him as an apex artist, bringing Ozzy Osbourne to a brand new audience.” Tom Morello
Ozzy Osbourne – Diary Of A Madman (Diary Of A Madman, 1981)
“There are so many incredible songs you can relate to Ozzy, but if we go just for his solo career and pick stand-outs, I would pick one that I’ve actually had the good fortune of playing with him on two occasions. Diary Of A Madman for me is just one of the most complete songs in hard rock and metal – it’s incredibly dynamic in terms of the way it grooves and builds really well. It’s a beautiful song, and I’m so happy we got to play it, because when it comes to picking songs for live, Ozzy wants to be very comfortable with what he’s doing, so it was a special moment for me when we did that.” Rob Trujillo, Metallica
Ozzy Osbourne – Bark At The Moon (Bark At The Moon, 1983)
“The one that always stood out to me was Bark At The Moon. When I saw that video as a kid, there was just something about it that made me laugh so much. It’s so silly, so campy, and it was everything I really wanted from metal. It also has great melodies and Ozzy’s voice is really showcased on it. Plus, who doesn’t love werewolves?!” Djamila Azzouz, Ithaca
Ozzy Osbourne – Bark at the Moon (Official Music Video) – YouTube
Ozzy Osbourne – Shot In The Dark (The Ultimate Sin, 1986)
“Shot In The Dark comes out number one for me. We actually used to play that as a stage outro after we were done. We considered a cover for a while, but it’s a very weird tuning. It’s like the top two strings are tuned down a full step, so it’s fucking odd as a guitarist, and we’d have to have extra guitars set up specifically for it and fly around with those. The Ultimate Sin record rules, though.” Gabriel Franco, Unto Others
OZZY OSBOURNE – Shot In The Dark – Official (Remastered, 4K, 60 fps, best quality) – YouTube
Ozzy Osbourne – Bloodbath In Paradise (No Rest For The Wicked, 1988)
“Bloodbath In Paradise has always been one of my favourite Ozzy Osbourne songs. The first time I saw Ozzy was on the No Rest For The Wicked tour back in 1988 or 1989. I’m a real hair metal guy. I like The Ultimate Sin and I like No Rest For The Wicked a lot, especially Bloodbath In Paradise. Because of the horror element in the intro, I really, really dig that song.” Mr. Lordi, Lordi
Ozzy & Lita Ford – Close My Eyes Forever (Lita, 1988)
“Back in the 80s, Ozzy did this incredible duet with Lita Ford, Close My Eyes Forever. The first time I heard it I was just a kid, but it was the era of MTV, and I can remember in the video whenever he sings he looks possessed. There was so much rumour around him back then that it scared me, and Lita Ford had kind of that hot older sister vibe… The two of them together in that duet is brilliant.
What I really like is that it’s sad and melancholy – it’s about suicide and death. It’s hot and sexy, but also dark. It’s one of my favourite Ozzy songs, and it just so happens to be with one of the queens of rock’n’roll.” Jesse Leach, Killswitch Engage
Ozzy Osbourne – Mr. Tinkertrain (No More Tears, 1991)
“There’s such a history for Ozzy, starting with Black Sabbath. I love some of the more abstract solo songs, though – the ones you might hear on radio, but not too often. I fucking love Mr. Tinkertrain! It’s a weird fucking topic [paedophilia] for anybody, but for Ozzy especially and that song is super-heavy. Every time I hear it on the radio it’s like ‘YEAH! I’m glad they’re playing this instead of Crazy Train!’ Ha ha ha!” Kerry King
Ozzy Osbourne – No More Tears (No More Tears, 1991)
“No More Tears just kicks ass. Other than being the song I know the best, that’s the song that I think kicks some of the most ass. And you know… kicking ass rules! It’s got huge guitars: riffs, huge pinch harmonics, and I love the structure of it being that kind of, vocal, riff, vocal, riff… I take a lot of influence from that, and I do a lot of that in my own songs. That song rocks.” Caleb Shomo, Beartooth
Ozzy Osbourne – Mama, I’m Coming Home (No More Tears, 1991)
“I’ve got a real soft spot for Mama, I’m Coming Home. I didn’t write the lyrics – Lemmy did – but I told him exactly what I wanted to say. But I tell you what, I don’t really have a personal favourite. People always ask what my favourite album I’ve done is – I don’t have one! They are records of fun, chaos or when I’ve been having a miserable fucking time. Each one is a reflection of me at the time.” Ozzy Osbourne
“My favourite song by Ozzy is Perry Mason, for a couple of different reasons. It was very inspiring for me to listen to a song by the Prince Of Darkness and basically say, ‘Wow, you can write a song about anything.’ But also, before I started out on guitar, I played keyboards, and so that whole intro is amazing – it’s a riff on a keyboard! I’m so glad I still live in a world where Ozzy Osbourne walks the Earth.” Lzzy Hale, Halestorm
“Dreamer is such a fantastic song. It’s dark and mysterious, but also has this cool vibe that exists only in British pop and rock, this echo of Beatles in the melody. It warms my heart to hear. Ozzy is a great singer. He doesn’t fit into any standard way of evaluating a voice, but he has so much character that he’s become distinctive. He also proves that we don’t have to be defined by our character constantly; The Prince Of Darkness is also the guy who sings Dreamer, and that’s great!” Eicca Toppinen, Apocalyptica
“God Is Dead is such a highlight on the last Black Sabbath album, 13. Not just because Ozzy’s voice sounds great – it’s Sabbath so everything sounds great! – but it felt like a very, very expensive wine that’s only got better as it ages. From the lyrics to his voice to the guitars, it’s absolutely perfect.” Jayant Bhadula, Bloodywood
Ozzy Osbourne – Straight To Hell (Ordinary Man, 2020)
“I did two different records with Ozzy, but I’ve gotta say the song Straight To Hell is fucking killer. Working with him on Ordinary Man seemed really important at the time, because he’d had all these different health scares. It became like, ‘Let’s do this and do it fast!’ and he sang great, and wrote so many cool lyrics.
It was such an honour, and working with both him and Iggy Pop back-to-back finally made it feel like, ‘Hey, I’ve arrived!’ But you know, I don’t have a bunch of my own records up at home, but I do have a gold record from Ozzy!” Duff Mckagan, Guns N’ Roses
Ozzy Osbourne – Straight to Hell (Official Music Video) – YouTube
Staff writer for Metal Hammer, Rich has never met a feature he didn’t fancy, which is just as well when it comes to covering everything rock, punk and metal for both print and online, be it legendary events like Rock In Rio or Clash Of The Titans or seeking out exciting new bands like Nine Treasures, Jinjer and Sleep Token.
You can trust Louder Our experienced team has worked for some of the biggest brands in music. From testing headphones to reviewing albums, our experts aim to create reviews you can trust. Find out more about how we review.
In January 2022, two months before Impera had even reached the world’s ears, Ghost founder and frontman Tobias Forge confided to Metal Hammer that he already had its successor mapped out, though demurring on details.
That path has now become clear – Skeletá is Ghost at their most confident, flamboyant and defiant. If Impera was the band’s ascension into the stratosphere, their latest collection finds them looking down from above, unconcerned with whether the world can keep up.
Peacefield’s baroque choral incantations give way to shimmering synths and a creeping sense of grandeur. It sets the tone for an album that leans harder into the polished, late-70s AOR influences that have lurked at Ghost’s edges since their inception. Lachryma flaunts an anthemic, Def Leppard-sized chorus that shimmers with layered harmonies. Then comes Satanized, a devotional masquerade where the language of love and worship entwine, leaving the listener to wonder whether they’ve eavesdropped on a lover’s vow or a disciple’s prayer.
Guiding Lights drifts in on a bed of acoustic plucking and mournful atmospherics, its restrained grandeur allowing the melody to shine while showcasing Ghost’s ability to weave melancholy into something soaring and cinematic. Elsewhere, Cenotaph delivers a bouncing, infectious energy, its playful riffs and galloping rhythm bringing a moment of lightness before the album plunges back into its darker, more contemplative depths.
While the metal community have emerged as the band’s loudest fanbase, Ghost have never been a metal band – at least not sonically. The heaviness has always been implied rather than explicit, draped in the aesthetics of the dark and the occult rather than the sonic onslaught of their contemporaries.
Their latest campaign makes no effort to bridge that gap. Unlike past Ghost records, where accessibility and catchiness acted as welcome mats for new fans, Skeletá is not calibrated to expand the fanbase. There are no immediate standouts, no easy entries. That said, the album lacks nothing in terms of riffs. Marks Of The Evil One delivers them in taut, measured waves, riding a gooey bassline that’s driving and undeniable.
Umbra follows, with a fist-pumping chorus and labyrinthine keyboards that recall Deep Purple at their proggiest, before leading into the sombre balladry of closer Excelsis. Tobias has long meditated on mortality, but here, his thesis finds its most elegant form: ‘Everybody goes away / You will too / I will too’.
Cynics might accuse him of pandering, but this is Ghost at their most unflinching and, dare it be said, sweetest. It would be easy to dismiss Skeletá as indulgent, immersed in its own brooding sophistication. There is no Rats or Square Hammer here, no immediate anthem for the faithful. Perhaps that’s the point; this was never designed to be easy.
This is an album that demands patience, revealing its seductive charms over multiple listens. And no, that’s not a cop-out, it’s a testament to its depth. This is Ghost freed from expectation. Tobias Forge has nothing left to prove. And so, he does precisely what he wants. The faithful will undoubtedly follow. The rest will be left scratching their heads, unsure whether they missed the point or if Ghost have finally moved beyond their reach.
Hailing from San Diego, California, Joe Daly is an award-winning music journalist with over thirty years experience. Since 2010, Joe has been a regular contributor for Metal Hammer, penning cover features, news stories, album reviews and other content. Joe also writes for Classic Rock, Bass Player, Men’s Health and Outburn magazines. He has served as Music Editor for several online outlets and he has been a contributor for SPIN, the BBC and a frequent guest on several podcasts. When he’s not serenading his neighbours with black metal, Joe enjoys playing hockey, beating on his bass and fawning over his dogs.
The brand new issue of Prog Magazine is on sale now, celebrating 50 years of Hawkwind‘s Warrior On The Edge Of Time on the cover…
Warrior On The Edge Of Time, Hawkwind’s seminal fantasy epic from 1975 has been called “a genuine Hawkwind classic,” band longstanding band leader Dave Brock, who adds, “there’s some really great stuff on it.” The album celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, so Hawkwind biographer and Prog writer Joe Banks spoke to members of the band about how they made the album, under trying circumstances, it appears. Of course, Hawkwind being Hawkwind, they also have a brand-new studio album out. There Is No Space For Us continues the band’s rich vein of form and we talk to the current line-up about that, too.
Elsewhere Van der Graaf Generator founding member Judge Smith reveals a fascinating career, Prog Readers’ Poll winners Solstice tell us all about their new album Clann, Big Big Train look back on the making of Bard, and IQ are back with a terrific new album, Dominion.
There’s a fantastic free sampler from the great Stickman Records label curated by Elder’s Nick DiSalvo and four Hawkwind postcards too.
Inside Prog 159…
Solstice –Prog Readers’ Poll winners continue to ride the wave with new album, Clann.
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The Flower Kings – the world may be in disarray but the Swedish proggers are preaching compassion with Love.
Big Big Train – the multinational proggers finally give Bard the reissue treatment.
Dim Gray – Oslo’s art-rockers continue their evolution with their latest, Shards.
IQ – the UK prog veterans strike gold yet again with Dominion.
Everon – we find out about Shells, the comeback release from the melodic German band.
Mostly Autumn – Yorkshire’s prog institution unveil album number 15, Seawater.
Antimatter – Mick Moss mulls over the ups and downs of Antimatter’s first 25 years.
Gary Kemp – the Saucerful Of Secrets guitarist and singer hits the solo trail again with This Destination.
Sometime In February – young instrumental US prog trio make a big splash with a bit of help from buddies BTBAM.
Bjørn Riis – Airbag guitarist Bjørn Riis explains how he makes his solo records sound different from the day job.
Judge Smith – Van der Graaf Generator founding member Judge Smith on early prog, jazz rock, songstories, requiems and more.
Dominic Sanderson – young UK progger Dominic Sanderson on a prog world full of Dream Theater, Peter Hammill, The Moody Blues and Suede.
Plus reviews of new releases and reissues by IQ, Pink Floyd, The Alan Parsons Project, Hawkwind, The Flower Kings, AVAWAVES, Tangerine Dream, Andy Summers & Robert Fripp, Cosmic Cathedral, Bjørn Riis, Mostly Autumn and loads more…
And this issue we went to Fusion Festival and saw gigs by Fish, Wardruna, Animals As Leaders, Kyros, Lazuli, Mogwai, Lee Abraham and more.
* The easiest option for everyone would be to go digital. You can get single digital issues from the Apple Store, from Zinio and all manner of digital magazine retailers.
* Subscribe to Prog. We are now accepting subscriptions from the rest of the world. Subscriptions available here.
* In North America, Prog is available is branches of Barnes & Noble and Books-A-Million, although new issues do not go on sale until a couple of weeks after they’re published in The UK.
“John’s always been super opinionated. It doesn’t bother me.” Billy Idol laughs off John Lydon’s criticism of his work with Steve Jones and Paul Cook in Generation Sex, gives a thumbs up to the new Sex Pistols line-up
(Image credit: Lorne Thomson/Redferns)
Billy Idol has laughed off John Lydon’s criticism of his work with Sex Pistols duo Steve Jones and Paul Cook in Generation Sex, admitting, “It doesn’t bother me.”
Public Image Ltd frontman, and former Sex Pistol, Lydon has taken every available opportunity to bash his former bandmates’ hugely successful alliance with former Gallows/Rattlesnakes frontman Frank Carter, and in a recent interview with PA News (reported in The Independent) Lydon extended his vitriol to include Jones and Cook’s shortlived project with Idol and Tony James, who played Glastonbury festival and Iggy Pop’s Dog Day Afternoon festival in 2023.
“They had to get Billy Idol last year,” said Lydon, “and now Mr Carter, to come in and listen to them [his lyrics] for them, that’s a clown’s circus at work.”
Billy Idol seems wholly unbothered by the dig.
“John’s always been super opinionated and rightly so, probably,” Idol says graciously in a new interview with Consequence. “He’s never held back what he truly thinks. So, yeah, it doesn’t bother me. I love him and everything, but I know where I’m going with my music and I’m happy with what I’m doing.”
In reference to Lydon’s scathing comments upon the new-look Pistols – who he’s only seen on YouTube – Idol adds, “Of course John’s gonna be pissed. He’s been like this for a while. At the same time, he’s into Public Image. That’s really what he wants to do, so I think we’re all in a good place, really.
“I’m really excited about what I’m doing and I’m excited for them that they’ve found someone that they feel can deliver those songs in the way they want them delivered… I think it makes more sense than me doing it, ’cause I’m really Billy Idol already. I’m better off doing my own music.”
Idol is set to release Dream Into It, his first album of new music in over a decade, on April 25 via Dark Horse Records. The album features guest appearances by Avril Lavigne (on 77), Joan Jett (on Wildside) and Alison Mosshart of The Kills, on a song called John Wayne.
Speaking to Drew Barrymore on her talk show this week, Idol said, “Avril’s just fantastic on 77, it was great working with her. With her on it, it got three times better.”
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Idol also revealed that he’ll be going on tour this year with Joan Jett, who he first met at a Germs / Dead Kennedys gig.
Drew Barrymore Reacts to Billy Idol as a Surprise Guest on the Show! | The Drew Barrymore Show – YouTube
A music writer since 1993, formerly Editor of Kerrang! and Planet Rock magazine (RIP), Paul Brannigan is a Contributing Editor to Louder. Having previously written books on Lemmy, Dave Grohl (the Sunday Times best-seller This Is A Call) and Metallica (Birth School Metallica Death, co-authored with Ian Winwood), his Eddie Van Halen biography (Eruption in the UK, Unchained in the US) emerged in 2021. He has written for Rolling Stone, Mojo and Q, hung out with Fugazi at Dischord House, flown on Ozzy Osbourne’s private jet, played Angus Young’s Gibson SG, and interviewed everyone from Aerosmith and Beastie Boys to Young Gods and ZZ Top. Born in the North of Ireland, Brannigan lives in North London and supports The Arsenal.
(Image credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images for ABA | Barry Brecheisen/Getty Images)
System Of A Down bassist Shavo Odadjian insists he never punched ex-Mastodon member Brent Hinds.
In 2007, it was reported that Hinds had been knocked out after attending the MTV Video Music Awards in Las Vegas, and that the guitarist/vocalist suffered a broken nose, two black eyes and a brain haemorrhage.
Some sources named Odadjian as the culprit but, in an exclusive interview with Metal Hammer, the bassist denies punching Hinds and sets the record straight.
“I never knocked out Brent Hinds,” Odadjian tells us. “That’s something that Brent was told by I-don’t-know-who.”
He continues: “What happened was, we were in Las Vegas, outside Mandalay Bay after the MTV Music Awards, and I was with my friend, [rapper] Reverend William Burk. Brent Hinds comes out of a taxi and he’s like, ‘Bro, I love you!’ He was inebriated and swinging his shirt. He kept coming up to hug me. He was very in-my-face.”
After the intense but good-natured interaction, Odadjian got into a taxi of his own. When he looked back, he saw Hinds throw a punch at Burk and miss. Burk retaliated with a swing of his own, which Odadjian says was in “self-defence”.
“Brent fell and hit his head and got knocked out,” the bassist remembers. “I was five, six feet away.”
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Despite his distance from the event, Odadjian says security outside Mandalay Bay “attacked” his taxi. “They put me in cuffs and took me to jail, but I didn’t do anything!” he claims, adding that the security guards’ roughness while putting his hands behind his back gave him a shoulder injury.
Odadjian continues: “I said, ‘Check the fucking cameras [at the front of Mandalay Bay]! I did nothing!’ Once they did, the police came and let me go. I was there for, like, four hours.”
The bassist, who’s Armenian-American, adds that he used to wonder whether him getting swamped by security was an act of racial profiling. “It was a time where there was a lot of tension with the Middle East,” he explains. “There was stuff going on so I thought I might have gotten profiled or something. I don’t know.”
The attack put Hinds in a short coma and was followed by months of rehabilitation. In a 2012 interview with Hysteria Magazine, the musician’s then-bandmate Troy Sanders spoke about the effect that that time had on Hinds and Mastodon as a whole.
“It was a life-changing event,” he said (via Loudwire). “It was a near-death experience, so it was very horrible. It was a very uncertain time – this is 2007, so that’s been five years. There were a lot of question marks at that time and thankfully we prevailed from that whole period and created the music from [2009 album] Crack The Skye. We felt like that was a triumphant way to round out that two-year period of creating music and working together.”
Sanders added that there was no bad blood between System Of A Down and Mastodon: “System Of A Down was there, but they’re our friends. It was a different individual that this altercation went down with, so to set the record straight, to this day all of the System Of A Down guys and Mastodon – we’re all friends.”
Hinds shockingly split with Mastodon earlier this year, ending his 25 years of service. The band described it as a mutual decision in a statement. Hinds is yet to issue a statement of his own.
Odadjian also performs with alt-metal project Seven Hours After Violet. The band will tour Europe in the summer and play a slot at Download festival in the UK.
SEVEN HOURS AFTER VIOLET – Radiance (Official Music Video) – YouTube
Louder’s resident Gojira obsessive was still at uni when he joined the team in 2017. Since then, Matt’s become a regular in Prog and Metal Hammer, at his happiest when interviewing the most forward-thinking artists heavy music can muster. He’s got bylines in The Guardian, The Telegraph, NME, Guitar and many others, too. When he’s not writing, you’ll probably find him skydiving, scuba diving or coasteering.
AC/DC launched their long awaited North American tour Thursday night with a 21-song show in Minneapolis.
You can see photos, the complete set list and fan-shot videos from the show below.
Guitarist Angus Young turned 70 last month but remains an ageless wonder, prowling and duck-walking all over the massive stage while leading his band through their biggest hits and a pair of songs from their most recent Power Up album.
Johnson was able to overcome his hearing problems and return to the road for the band’s 2024 European tour, joining Angus Young, his nephew Stevie Young, drummer Matt Laug and bassist Chris Chaney.
AC/DC’s ‘Power Up’ North American tour continues Monday April 14 in Arlington, Texas and will conclude May 28 in Cleveland. You can get show and ticket information at their official website.
Adam Bettcher, Getty Images
Adam Bettcher, Getty Images
Adam Bettcher, Getty Images
Adam Bettcher, Getty Images
Watch AC/DC Perform ‘If You Want Blood (You’ve Got It)’
Watch AC/DC Perform ‘Thunderstruck’
Watch AC/DC Perform ‘For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)’
AC/DC, 4/10/25, US Bank Stadium, Minneapolis Set List
1. “If You Want Blood (You’ve Got It)” 2. “Back in Black” 3. “Demon Fire” 4. “Shot Down in Flames” 5. “Thunderstruck” 6. “Have a Drink on Me” 7. “Hells Bells” 8. “Shot in the Dark” 9. “Stiff Upper Lip” 10. “Highway to Hell” 11. “Shoot to Thrill” 12. “Sin City” 13. “Rock ‘n’ Roll Train” 14. “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap” 15. “High Voltage” 16. “Riff Raff” 17. “You Shook Me All Night Long” 18. “Whole Lotta Rosie” 19. “Let There Be Rock” 20. “T.N.T.” 21. “For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)”
