Ozzy's Best Vocal Performances

If I had to choose just one favorite singer, Ozzy Osbourne might be it. Though he lacks the technical ability or range of a Ronnie James Dio or Freddie Mercury, what Ozzy has is a unique, instantly recognizable voice, the voice of heavy metal, one that has deteriorated significantly over the years, but is still a welcome one to my ears. This is a list of my favorite Ozzy performances on record.

Black Sabbath "The Writ"

Be sure to turn it up loud for this one. Ozzy's voice perfectly captures the anger of the lyrics directed towards the band's corrupt management at the time. Possibly his best vocal performance EVER.

Black Sabbath "You Won't Change Me"

This is an obscure track, but one of my favorite Sabbath songs. Ozzy is the voice of despair on this one.

"Crazy Train"

Yeah, it's Crazy Train, everybody knows this one. But it's a classic in every way, and 16 years after I first heard it, it's still in heavy rotation. When Ozzy sings "I'm going off the rails on a crazy train," you believe it.

"So Tired"

I have always enjoyed Ozzy's ballads, and this is one of the best. Somebody has to sing love songs from the loser's perspective. Roy Orbison did it, so does Ozzy.

Black Sabbath "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath"

Ozzy's voice is incredibly high on this track, which may be why he hasn't been able to hit those notes ever since.

"Over The Mountain"

This may be my favorite Ozzy solo track. I wish he did more fast songs like this.

"See You On The Other Side"

Amazing song, written by Lemmy. Another great ballad. If this song isn't played at my funeral someday, I will be disappointed.

"Shot In The Dark"

I'm not sure what I like about this song, as it's a little pop friendly, but it's always been a standout for me.

Black Sabbath "Changes"

This is the song you play your mom when she asks how you can listen to that heavy metal crap. There is no better voice to be featured on such a sad, beautiful song. A showcase for Ozzy's unique talent.

"Time"

This is one of his new songs, and maybe in the scheme of things it's not deserving of inclusion on this list. But when I heard this track last summer for the first time, despite all the heavy doctoring of the vocals, it gave me goosebumps, just like the other classics on this list.

Black Sabbath "Megalomania" (Live version from "Past Lives" album)

This version is not only a lot creepier than the studio version, but just the fact that they played it live is pretty impressive. Ozzy is obviously trashing his voice trying to recreate this song live, but I give him credit for even trying. He sounds absolutely manic on this one.

Earthquake in Japan/ Japan and You

It was about 2:00 Friday morning when I saw the news about an earthquake in northern Japan. Earthquakes in Japan are common, and northern Japan has had quite a few big ones in the past few years, in sparsely populated areas or off the coast. When I hear "northern" Japan, I think of the northern island of Hokkaido with its comparatively smaller population, so I assumed this earthquake happened there, and probably didn't affect too many people. I was a bit shocked when I heard that the earthquake happened on Japan's most populated island of Honshu, and early reports talked about flooding and fires in Tokyo. I have a number of friends in Tokyo and all over Japan, so I started sending e-mails immediately to make sure everyone was safe. Soon I found out that the worst effects of the earthquake occurred in Sendai, Northeast of Tokyo. The earthquake there was so strong that even buildings in Tokyo and other cities far from the epicenter were damaged, along with flooding and power outages.

The earthquake itself would have been bad enough, but the resulting tsunami did the most damage. I have heard that entire coastal cities were wiped out by the waves. Entire populations were swept away. In church today, one of the pastors told us an affiliate church was completely destroyed in the tsunami, and all of its congregation is missing. The potential death toll from the earthquake and tsunami is at least 10,000, a conservative estimate. In addition to the earthquake and numerous aftershocks large enough to be considered major earthquakes themselves, several nuclear plants have been damaged and one facility in Fukushima is experiencing radiation leaks and faces possible meltdown as a result of the earthquake damages.

I'm happy to report that I have heard back from nearly all of my friends in Japan, and most of them are located far away from the earthquake's epicenter and the northeast coast. I anxiously await news of two other friends I have not heard from, but I have reason to believe they are safe. I have been talking to friends in Tokyo and other cities, and I understand that many stores are selling out of essential supplies and food, gas is selling out, and now rolling blackouts will be instituted to offset the damages done to the nuclear plants. Tokyo is the world's largest city in terms of population, a city dependent on public transportation. It's an understatement to say this disruption of services will have a huge impact on the people there.

Obviously, this series of catastrophic events is a lot to deal with. Too much. But I believe the Japanese people will endure this disaster and emerge stronger as a result. Anyone who really knows me knows what Japan means to me, and what I admire about so many Japanese I have known is their tenacity, their positivity and determination. I wish I was as strong as them.

I always try to detach from massive events like this, things so terrible they seem unreal. They are almost too much to take in. But I had tears in my eyes as I watched news footage today and saw people suffering so much, saw how much destruction was done, and it really hit me because I feel like Japan is part of me. Many of the best people I have ever known were from Japan, and I think of all they taught me and have done for me, and I feel a kinship with them.

Japan is one of the largest economies in the world, with resources that countries like Haiti lacked when disasters of this sort struck them. People might think that a nation like Japan doesn't need help because it's a rich country prepared for disasters, but my feeling is this: If donating money can expedite aid to anybody who is suffering in this situation, it's worth it to me. If for no other reason, I want to help the people of Japan as a way of saying "I care about you."

I want to ask anyone who reads this post today to think about what Japan means to you. Think of how many products you use every day that were either developed in Japan or improved in Japan. Think of the influence of Japan on our culture, our entertainment, our technology. You might be surprised how many things now common here in the US had their roots in Japan. Think of a nation that was once a bitter enemy, and has now become one of our closest friends. I can speak from experience; the Japanese people I know love and care about the US. I hope we will show love to them and support them as the friends they are. For those who pray, please pray that all survivors will be located, that all injured will be cared for, that those who have lost loved ones will be comforted. Pray that the damage to the nuclear plants will be contained and repaired, that hazardous radiation will not become widespread. Pray that Japan will be spared further damage and loss of life from aftershocks and tsunamis. Pray for people who are facing shortages of water and supplies, shelter and transportation. As a Christian, I am praying that people will come to know Jesus through this tragedy, that they will the find peace and comfort He offers, even in terrible, unreal tragedies such as this. "Pray for Japan" has already become a catchphrase over the past few days, but it's something we can all do, and I believe it will yield amazing results.

If you are interested in donating to relief efforts in Japan, here are some links:

American Red Cross

https://american.redcross.org/site/Donation2?idb=0&5052.donation=form1&df_id=5052

Salvation Army

http://blog.salvationarmyusa.org/?p=5642

Save The Children

https://secure.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.6617251/k.7E71/Donate_to_the_Japan_Earthquake_Tsunami_Children_in_Emergency_Fund/apps/ka/sd/donor.asp?msource=wenlpaqk0311

Network for Good

http://www1.networkforgood.org/help-survivors-pacific-quake-tsunami

Songs of the Year

2010 is over, may it rest in peace. These are my top songs of 2010, the songs that meant the most to me. They didn't necessarily come out last year (in fact very few of them did) but they are the songs that I kept returning to the most. I found myself revisiting a lot old favorites, focusing on individual tracks rather than full albums. And unlike previous years where I tried to listen to a lot of new music (new to me anyway), this year I really narrowed down the listening to a couple of handfuls.

Opeth A Fair Judgement, Hessian Peel, Wreath

Hessian Peel has to be one of the most fascinating recordings I have heard in the last five years or so. You wouldn't get it. A Fair Judgement is a song that perfectly captures my general mood of the past six months.

Harry Nilsson Without You, Everybody's Talkin', Don't Forget Me, Save The Last Dance For Me, Many Rivers to Cross

I discovered Harry Nilsson this year, a name I had been familiar with for a long time, but had never listened to any of his stuff before. I can't say that I am love with the majority of his music, but there are songs....songs!

Ozzy Time, Life Won't Wait, Crazy Train

I have always been infatuated with Ozzy's voice, and a new album from him is always cause for celebration. Then you realize a lot of it's not that great, but it's still Ozzy singing so it can't be too bad. Not surprisingly, the two ballads on his new album were my favorites. Crazy Train is a song I have heard hundreds of times over the past 15 years, but now it makes sense.

Rush Time Stand Still, The Larger Bowl, Far Cry, Limelight, Bravado, Mission, Marathon

Rush could be considered my band of the year, either them or Iron Maiden. Rush was definitely the best (out of three) concert I saw last year. All of the above songs have great relevance to me. Limelight never gets old. I also found myself getting into a lot of their mid 80's keyboard stuff. Never would have expected to like those songs.

Metallica Fade to Black, Harvester of Sorrow, all of Death Magnetic

I think ever since I saw the Big Four performance in the theater, I realized that I actually love Metallica. I don't love everything they've ever done, far from it, but those 4 or 5 key albums they made are among the best music I have ever heard. And Fade To Black is such a powerful song, really captures a place not everyone gets to, but those who do appreciate it. I wish I could write songs like that.

Fear Factory Final Exit

Another song about death, I suppose. Don't really care about the message as much as the delivery. Burton C. Bell is not a particularly good singer in the scheme of things, but the contrast between his "soulful" voice and his death metal voice is usually pretty effective.

Black Sabbath Walk Away, Lonely is the Word, Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, Die Young

Well, we lost Dio this year, so Dio-era Black Sabbath was huge on my playlist. But then again, the Ozzy-era stuff never dies.

Thin Lizzy Southbound, That Woman's Gonna Break Your Heart, Didn't I, The Sun Goes Down, Cold Sweat, Killer On The Loose

Phil Lynott was such an amazing songwriter. A song like Southbound...on the surface a western themed track full of cliches, but it's all metaphoric...beautifully so.

Iron Maiden Blood Brothers, Infinite Dreams, The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner, Coming Home, Wasted Years, No More Lies

Maiden was probably second place for band of the year. Their new album was a little underwhelming, and their concert could have used quite a few more classics in the set, but it's Maiden, and they are a staple of mine. I'm still listening to the old songs with as much interest as I did 15 years ago, and I'm even going back to records like Brave New World and Dance of Death years after they came out and realizing how great they were.

The Beach Boys Surf's Up, 'Til I Die, Pet Sounds, 20/20, etc.

No surprises here. Of course the Boys were in heavy rotation last year, because they always are. Pet Sounds is always one of my favorite records, as is 20/20, Sunflower, etc. The Beach Boys never fail to elevate my mood, at least for a couple of minutes.