Ozzy at 75

by Daniel Bukszpan

With this unique book, explore the outrageous history of the godfather of heavy metal through 75 career accomplishments and life events. Black Sabbath, “Crazy Train,” one alleged unfortunate bat…Ozzy Osbourne is widely considered the founder of heavy metal, an artist whose outlandish off- and onstage antics and songcraft have spanned the entirety of the genre. In Ozzy at 75, veteran rock journalist Daniel Bukszpan celebrates and examines the “Prince of Darkness” through the lens of 75 milestones. This exquisite volume   Stunning concert and candid offstage photography Images of memorabilia, including gig posters, ticket stubs, and more Ozzy timeline Key studio albums are featured, of course, but Bukszpan delves deeper to reveal the events that helped chart the course of Ozzy’s   Key albums, both with Black Sabbath and as a solo artist Ventures like Black Sabbath reunions, Ozzfest, and his autobiography Collaborations with guitarists like Randy Rhoads, Jake E. Lee, and Zakk Wylde His diagnosis of Parkinson’s Induction in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Collaborations with wife Sharon and children Jack and Kelly …and of course the mythic offstage misadventures Beginning with his cofounding of Black Sabbath, Ozzy Osbourne is regarded as one of the most influential musicians and entertaining performers of the previous five decades. Bukszpan’s insightful and entertaining prose provides a unique presentation of Ozzy’s career arc, from his first steps as a solo artist to the breakthrough album Blizzard of Ozz and Diary of a Madman to his mythic offstage misadventures, and beyond. The result is a rollicking tribute to one of the most admired stars in rock—in a milestone year.

200 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 5, 2023

Reviews

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Coffee-Table Book zur musikalischen und schöpferischen Karriere von Ozzy Osbourne. Sein frühes Leben in Birmingham, Black Sabbath, die Solo und TV-Karriere, Exzesse, Krankheiten alles dabei. Das Ganze geht bis zu seinem letzten Album Patient Number 9 2022 und dem Auftritt beim Super Bowl 2022. Die letzten drei Jahre bis zu seinem Tod in diesem Jahr (2025) fehlen also.
Schöne Discographie, für interessierte, mit einigen Reviews, Zitaten aus anderen Büchern. Guter Einstieg, unterhaltsam.

[Helen Marquis · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's worth noting that there is no new content in this book, which appears to have been written without any participation from anyone in the Osbourne family. Instead, it's a collection of quotes from Ozzy and everyone in his orbit, pulled from interviews, documentaries, live shows, etc.
Bukszpan's tone is kinda odd throughout - swerving from extreme reverence to flippant jokey comments so quickly it'll give you whiplash, Also, bluntly saying Taylor Hawkins died of a drug overdose, feels jarring when you know the circumstances of his death and subsequent post mortem findings.
I have to say I struggled to understand who the audience for this book is - the content is way too basic for an Ozzy fan, but the text is way too knowingly smug for the uninitiated. The last few pages felt like a waste of time, dedicating way too much space to the fact Ozzy and Sharon got Covid, going into minute detail about a very small event in the vast universe of Ozzy.
While it's' an okay beginners' guide to Ozzy, serious fans should probably look elsewhere to spend their money.

[Laurie A Friedman · Rating 4 out of 5]

While there was not a lot of new information about Ozzy in this retrospective, it was a fun overview of his amazing career with a lot of great photos.
The book touches on his albums with Black Sabbath and solo recordings, all interspersed with anecdotes culled from interviews and previous publications.
Very enjoyable for a quick over view of one of the great of metal/rock history!