It’s already been known that Ozzy Osbourne has been recording songs with Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins – but it turns out there’s more of it than meets the eye. The previously unreleased recordings are to be released. A release date is still in the stars.
The musicians’ paths only crossed when the two collaborated on Osbourne’s current album Patient Number 9, on which Hawkins can be heard on three tracks. Unpublished parts of an Osbourne interview for ROLLING STONE have now indicated that other recordings with Hawkins exist: “Watt hired two drummers for Patient Number 9: Chad Smith from the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Taylor Hawkins from the Foo Fighters, who died unexpectedly last March. Watt says there are more recordings with Hawkins, to whom Osbourne dedicated the album. There’s also a bunch of other stuff with Ozzy and Taylor that’s being used for another cause.”
“It’s amazing to have recorded songs with him”
The same source also reports that Billy Idol guitarist Billy Morrison has said that Osbourne’s musical talent is underestimated: “Ozzy is going to sit down and listen to a piece of music and he’s going to point out a damn cowbell that no one else hears Has. And he says, ‘That cowbell is too loud.’ Or he says, ‘There’s something wrong with the bass in the verse. And when I look at it, the frequency is wrong or some shit.’ He has an ear that hears everything. It is really incredible. And I gotta tell you, it’s amazing to have recorded songs with him.”
He then recalled working together on his song “Gods” and continued: “He was only there for twenty minutes. He walked in, walked into the studio and said, ‘Fine, I’m ready.’ And we let the song play. He did it, one take. And when he was done, he said, ‘Okay, now do it again quickly.’ … He said yes [Produzent] mike [Clink]: ‘Do you have what you want?’ And Mike’s jaw was on the floor. He said: ‘Yes.’ And Oz looked at me and said, ‘All right, Billy, see you later.’ And he took off.”
Ozzy even taught his producer
Osbourne’s producer Andrew Watt is also aware of his abilities. Recounting the moment Osbourne explained to him how to create a heavy style of music, he said, “He said to me, ‘If you’re listening to Sabbath or Zeppelin, what’s the loudest thing in the mix? … The bass is the loudest thing. That’s what makes them so difficult. And if you [Zeppelins] If you’re listening to ‘Whole Lotta Love’ or ‘Heartbreaker’ or ‘Dazed and Confused’, the bass gets to sing and that’s what makes it so heavy”.
Osbourne’s album Patient Number 9 was released on September 9th. The record includes features starring Tony Iommi, Zakk Wylde and Eric Clapton, with whom he recently got into an argument over Clapton wanting to swap the word “Jesus” in One Of Those Days. Ozzy, on the other hand, was adamant that “it makes a lot more sense to lose faith in Jesus when the world is turning to crap,” according to the singer.