Ozzy Splits With Sony Records Due To Kelly Being Dropped

[Liz]

I'm rolling my eyes so hard they're going to pop out of my head.

Kelly O was dropped from Epic/Sony sometime this week due to poor record sales. No one saw that coming, right? Right?

(insert eye roll)

What would most parents (read mothers) do if that happened to their child? I'd like to think most would be realistic enough to say "Hey, you had a decent run. You didn't sell as many copies as they really wanted, but that's okay. We'll get you on a smaller label, start you back out slowly if you really want to do this." (I won't even get into why Kelly shouldn't have been signed to a mega-label like Epic/Sony anyway--that's a totally different rant for a different day.)

Not Sharon. Sharon marches her ass down to Sony and snatches Ozzy's contract away. The contract he's had with them for thirty effing years that produced twelve plantinum albums.

I swear, I don't know if it's menopause or *what*, but lately it seems as if she's trying to single-handedly dismantle everything he's achieved musically. From the 2002 remasters to the...what? spectacle? debacle? of MTV's The Osbournes, I haven't seen so many truly idiotic, knee-jerk decisions from her in his entire career.

ARGH!

[Bill H.]

My take is that she's the reason he's had such enormous success especially recently, including The Osbournes which is in fact a huge highlight of his career.

And as a manager of two careers, it's her right to negotiate any way she sees fit for her artists.

As to the quality of Kelly's work, I couldn't agree with you more.

[Liz]

I know what you're getting at Bill, but I can't really agree. His last album, Down To Earth, was released at about the same time The Osbournes debuted on MTV. It's been his *poorest* selling work to date. I checked the RIAA the other day, and it's still sitting in gold status, which is unusual.

I don't know if he's more successful now, or just more mainstream. He's always had an enormous fanbase.

Also, I'm not saying Sharon doesn't have the right, per se, to do whatever she pleases with Ozzy's contract. I'm just saying that I highly disagree with her decisions as of late.

:)

[dantheman]

But the fact that his record sales aren't as good as they've been isn't necessarily caused by the TV show. Are people staying away from the new record because they don't like the show? Did they buy more of his older records when the show was new?

Isn't it possible that the record itself simply isn't that good? Isn't it possible that the main audience for the show likes Old Ozzy more than New Ozzy and bought up a lot of copies of the old BS and solo work, rather than the new stuff?

[Liz]

You make a really good point, dantheman. DTE was certainly a different direction in terms of Ozzy's work, especially compared to Diary of a Madman and [/i]Bark at the Moon[/i]. The only thing that makes me *not* have a lot of faith in that explanation is that Ozzy has done majorly different work before. Both No More Tears and Ozzmosis were wildly different from the rest of his catalog (DTE is in the flavor of No More Tears)...and those are the albums that won him Grammies. They sold platinum with no problem at all.

I don't think it's exactly that people didn't like the show that caused the surprisingly low sales. More that a large percentage of his fanbase all sighed "sell out", and the new fans he garnered because of the show all laughed and said "This dude could make a decent album? Come on! He can barely string two words together!"

As far as I know, the sales of his old albums didn't go up. However, they also didn't *decline*, IIRC, so you may be on to something.

:)

[Liz]

Oh, god damn not being able to edit posts.

ARGH!

[dantheman]

Well, whether he sold out or not, he's making a bundle and a half from the show (presumably), and that's probably thanks to Sharon's management, not her lack of.

One of the great appeals of the show is seeing an aging rock god in everyday moments. An rock god, not a hip, on the leading edge rock singer from 2003. So people - especially those who were teens when Diary and Bark came out - wax nostalgic and go out and re-buy all of his old stuff.

For a long, long time, of course, you couldn't find any coverage of heavy metal in mainstream media. Even the radio didn't play it, unless you stayed up late to hear Headbangers Ball (before MTV had it). So for a lot of the old Ozzy fans, the show's a mixed blessing. They get to see their favorite icon, but in an almost incongruent setting. :)

[Liz]

So for a lot of the old Ozzy fans, the show's a mixed blessing.

Precisely!

And don't get me wrong, I completely give Sharon her props for holding The Man together. That woman takes a *lot* of shit from him, and she deserves a lot of what she's gotten in terms of the money, fame, success, what have you. I just don't like to think of iconic career being...not destroyed exactly, but tarnished, I guess.

But then, you know how Ozzy fans are, dan.

We're absolutely insane.

:)

[dantheman]

Hey, you can now hear "Crazy Train" in baseball stadiums all the time - never used to. I guess it's not as "dangerous" and "satanic" as it once was portrayed and perceived, huh?

Now, where is my concert shirt with the white sleeves . . .

[Doomtrain]

Originally posted by dantheman

For a long, long time, of course, you couldn't find any coverage of heavy metal in mainstream media. Even the radio didn't play it, unless you stayed up late to hear Headbangers Ball (before MTV had it). So for a lot of the old Ozzy fans, the show's a mixed blessing. They get to see their favorite icon, but in an almost incongruent setting. :)

I hear MTV is bringing back the Ball. As for Ozzy, I still place him among the Gods of Rock, but I've gotten out of my metal phase. I didn't know he had a new album out.

[Anonymous Coward]

Heh, Ozzy is playing in Ottawa next month. I've got my tickets!

I've never been to an Ozzy concert before, so I hope he puts on a good show.

[Doomtrain]

Originally posted by dantheman
Hey, you can now hear "Crazy Train" in baseball stadiums all the time - never used to. I guess it's not as "dangerous" and "satanic" as it once was portrayed and perceived, huh?

Now, where is my concert shirt with the white sleeves . . .

I wonder if Suicide Solution is still making kids kill themselves. Or has Manson taken over that duty now?

[Liz]

I didn't know he had a new album out.
He's slated to drop a new one at the end of this year.

I've never been to an Ozzy concert before, so I hope he puts on a good show.
Ozzy's voice during live shows is somewhat of a coin toss, but he's fun. No one can take that away from him...his live shows are a *blast*. Uh, just watch out for his high-powered water jets.

I wonder if Suicide Solution is still making kids kill themselves. Or has Manson taken over that duty now?
No, no. Manson makes kids kill each other, a la Columbine. I think Ozzy still holds the title of "Making Kids Commit Suicide: One Angsty Teen At A Time!"

;)

[I can't believe that's butter!]

I've seen Ozzy playing live on TV; it looks to be a good show, for sure. While his voice quality in general is a coin-toss at times, his band areactual musicians who play music, perhaps loudly, but with skill and none of the instrument-trashing that is apparently in fashion these days.

That's their daughter who was dropped. Sharon didn't agree and retaliated in a mature (if unconventional) manner. Sounds like a good clean, if not somewhat questionable, action to me. She didn't throw a ham this time, at least.

[Skillet38]

Originally posted by GMRyujin
I wonder if Suicide Solution is still making kids kill themselves. Or has Manson taken over that duty now?


The song "Suicide Solution" is an anti-alcohol song remarking upon the story of AC/DC's singer Bon Scott.

Solution = liquid, in the context of the song.

[Liz]

I think GMRyujin was being sarcastic.

;)

[Skillet38]

Originally posted by QueerGeekGirl
I think GMRyujin was being sarcastic.

;)

yes indeedy, and he makes that fairly obvious, but there's a lot of folks who misconstrued the meaning of that and Many of Oz's tunes. Especially back in his "Sabbath" days. I'm so used to defending his lyrical content that it's become second nature.

:cool:

[Liz]

I hear ya, Skillet. God, do I ever. How tiresome is that, I ask you? "For the four HUNDRETH AND EIGHTY SEVENTH TIME, he did NOT SAY GET THE GUN!"

Hee.

[Doomtrain]

I was sarcastically commenting on the trial over Suicide Solution.

Though I've never seen the Ozzman solo, I caught Sab on their Reunion tour. They fawkin rawked, man!

[Skillet38]

I caught Ozzy with Randy Rhoads on the first leg of the "Diary of a Madman" tour.

March 2nd 1982- Hirsch Coliseum, Shreveport, LA
Randy died on March 19th

I've seen a lot of musicians up close and I've been playing guitar since the late '70s. Watching Randy Rhodes bordered on a religious experience with my 18 year old self. His solos were clean, and stunningly virtuosic, and yet, it "wasn't" like listening to "Blizzard" and "Diary", because he had had time to improve/ further personalize his playing.

I found his performance to be so mesmerizing that here, some twenty years later I hardly remember Ozzy so much as Randy. I caught the next tour "Bark at the Moon" ? with Jake E. Lee on guitar and was nonplussed.

I hold Ozzy's first two releases in great esteem, and, well, the less said about the rest of it the better, as it's just my opinion.

I know we've gone way off on a tangent with this thread, but, thats the way the bat head crumbles

:P

[hebesphenomegacorona]

Originally posted by GMRyujin
I wonder if Suicide Solution is still making kids kill themselves. Or has Manson taken over that duty now?

Probably.

The guy's voice is so awful that a guy would commit suicide after 30 seconds of hearing the halls spokesman with strep throat scream.


Here is a happy elf
;j

Here is the happy elf after listening to Marylin manson
^
:eek: FIGHT! FIGHT!FIGHT!FIGHT!

The happy elf dies of shock.
^
:eek:

Anyways, why can't you edit your posts or put graphics in?

[Skillet38]

because too many elves could cause mischief

[jack@ss]

I was lucky enough to see Ozzy on the 1983 tour with Motley Crue before he kicked the Crue off his tour. I don't remember for certain, but I believe it was the same tour that he bit the head off the bat & pissed on The Alamo. God, he was one crazy fucker.

[Doomtrain]

I saw his Behind the Music. He snorted a line of ants.

Ahem.

Ozzy snorted a LINE OF FREAKIN' ANTS!

[Skillet38]

yes, but they were ants that had been fed LSD laced bread crumbs ;)

there's a method to his madness

[Diogenes the Cynic]

Originally posted by Skillet38
I caught Ozzy with Randy Rhoads on the first leg of the "Diary of a Madman" tour.

March 2nd 1982- Hirsch Coliseum, Shreveport, LA
Randy died on March 19th

I've seen a lot of musicians up close and I've been playing guitar since the late '70s. Watching Randy Rhodes bordered on a religious experience with my 18 year old self. His solos were clean, and stunningly virtuosic, and yet, it "wasn't" like listening to "Blizzard" and "Diary", because he had had time to improve/ further personalize his playing.

I found his performance to be so mesmerizing that here, some twenty years later I hardly remember Ozzy so much as Randy. I caught the next tour "Bark at the Moon" ? with Jake E. Lee on guitar and was nonplussed.

I hold Ozzy's first two releases in great esteem, and, well, the less said about the rest of it the better, as it's just my opinion.

I know we've gone way off on a tangent with this thread, but, thats the way the bat head crumbles

:P
Sorry to continue the hijack but I just have to agree that Randy Rhoads was one of the most talented and intelligent guitarists I've ever heard. His early death was truly a loss. I think he would have been one of the all-time greats. I wore those two albums out when I was younger. His solos were like mini compostitions. They were beautifully melodic but also had balls. He had chops to burn and he never sounded cheesy he was amazing.

It is to Ozzy's great credit that he saw Randy's talent just minutes into his audition and hired him on the spot before he was even done warming up. Ozzy's knack for hiring top-notch backing musicians, especially guitarists, is one of strongest reasons for his success and longevity.

[Diogenes the Cynic]

Originally posted by Skillet38
I caught Ozzy with Randy Rhoads on the first leg of the "Diary of a Madman" tour.

March 2nd 1982- Hirsch Coliseum, Shreveport, LA
Randy died on March 19th

I've seen a lot of musicians up close and I've been playing guitar since the late '70s. Watching Randy Rhodes bordered on a religious experience with my 18 year old self. His solos were clean, and stunningly virtuosic, and yet, it "wasn't" like listening to "Blizzard" and "Diary", because he had had time to improve/ further personalize his playing.

I found his performance to be so mesmerizing that here, some twenty years later I hardly remember Ozzy so much as Randy. I caught the next tour "Bark at the Moon" ? with Jake E. Lee on guitar and was nonplussed.

I hold Ozzy's first two releases in great esteem, and, well, the less said about the rest of it the better, as it's just my opinion.

I know we've gone way off on a tangent with this thread, but, thats the way the bat head crumbles

:P
Sorry to continue the hijack but I just have to agree that Randy Rhoads was one of the most talented and intelligent guitarists I've ever heard. His early death was truly a loss. I think he would have been one of the all-time greats. I wore those two albums out when I was younger. His solos were like mini compostitions. They were beautifully melodic but also had balls. He had chops to burn and he never sounded cheesy he was amazing.

It is to Ozzy's great credit that he saw Randy's talent just minutes into his audition and hired him on the spot before he was even done warming up. Ozzy's knack for hiring top-notch backing musicians, especially guitarists, is one of strongest reasons for his success and longevity.

[Diogenes the Cynic]

Shaaaaron! I'm seeing #@&%!%$# double again!

[Liz]

God, he was one crazy fucker.

IIRC, it was Geezer Butler who made the following statement about the God of Rock (aka Ozzy).

"He's the craziest motherfucker I know. . .he hasn't mellowed with age, either. He's just more subtle now."

Heh. Sounds about right!