Customer Reviews

Speak of the Devil

5 star:		(69)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

One thing you have to give Ozzy, he has always surrounded himself with the best musical talent around. And nobody, nobody, has ever played with as many legendary guitar players. Perhaps the one that gets talked about the least is Brad Gillis and anybody that has ever heard this album would have to scream why!? Gillis absolutley shreds, playing as energetic and crisp notes as I have ever heard. I have always felt that this album had to have been double tracked in the studio, but have later found out that it was all live, Gillis is a freak! It is too bad that Gillis did not opt to stay with Ozzy, especially since he left Oz to go do that NightRanger crap. If you like Ozzy and his Sabbath hits and love incredible guitar playing, you cannot go wrong with this album.

This record is on its way to become a true rarity: deleted from the remastered Ozzy catalog, it is now only available as an import item or leftover from the `95 remaster. For years I hesitated about buying this, as I considered it to be something of an oddity, an apocryphal release of sorts, caught right in the no-man's-land: it was an Ozzy solo record, but it contained no solo songs. Instead, it contained only Black Sabbath songs recorded during his US '82 tour at a show in New York, just a few months after Randy Rhoads tragic death.

Being a major Randy fan, I really didn't know what to make of this release, and I was frustrated `cause it wasn't either a true Black Sabbath or Ozzy record, but rather some kind of hybrid. I didn't know it at the time, but there were a lot of reasons that justified this release, at least for Ozzy: first, Ozzy had planned to release a live record featuring Randy, but the idea was scrapped after his untimely death.

Second, Sharon and Ozzy were trying to negotiate his release from his original record deal with Sharon's father, Don Arden, who was racking it up taking the lion's share of the revenue generated by record sales; the contract demanded a final record, and it was decided to give him one full of Sabbath material as a retaliation, knowing full well that such a record could not compete with the potential sales of a brand new studio record.

Third, Ozzy hated the poorly mixed, rush-released "Live at Last" album, which was released in Europe and constituted the only Sabbath live document at the time; and last but not least, Ozzy and Sharon heard that Sabbath were planning to release a live album with their (then) current lineup with Ronnie James Dio, so they thought this was a perfect occasion to annoy them. Finally, after listening to some of it and having my curiosity whet, I decided to get it and therefore complete my Ozzy collection. The end result? A live album that's surprisingly good, sounding way better than "Live at Last", on a par with "Live Evil" and miles ahead of "Reunion" (I can't comment on "Past Lives" since I haven't heard it).

That being said, and especially if you compare this album with other Ozzy live releases (especially "Tribute", which features live recordings only a year or so older), this one sounds a little too good, suspiciously good, at least as far as the vocals are concerned. I'm willing to bet that Ozzy punched-those-in in the studio. But that doesn't really take away from the album, as the rest of the performance sounds quite honest, specially `cause there are noticeable glitches here and there! Remember folks, guitarist Brad Gillis had been in the band for a short time and had to rush-learn and rehearse the material, so very often in the recording, you can hear him having to resort to extensive use of his whammy bar in order to hide mistakes and find his way back in.

But he ultimately pulls off an great job, masterfully backed by Rudy Sarzo on bass and Tommy Aldridge on drums, by far Ozzy's best rhythm section ever. The band, for the most part, sounds tight and strong, making great performances of these Sabbath tracks, which remain for the most part quite respectul to the originals. As Ozzy himself points out, some of these songs, such as "The Wizard" and/or `Symptom of the Universe" were rarities seldom included in Sabbath's set list, so this is a wonderful chance to hear those songs in a live context, "The Wizard" in particular being a highlight (at least it is for me).

Some of the songs have minor changes in their structure, and I think I can hear at least one edit in there, but probably the thing that I was the most surprised of was to hear that Ozzy skipped singing the last part of "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath", though: I mean, I understood his doing that for "Reunion" since he simply could no longer reach those high notes, but in 1982, I would have expected him to go for the big ones...oh well, no matter...

Bottom Line: this is a CD worth checking out, if nothing else for its historical value, but I truly believe that Ozzy and Sabbath fans alike can truly enjoy this. This is the greatest live album Sabbath never made. Get it before it becomes unavailable.

This is an excellent live performance of Ozzy/Black Sabbath's greatest hits. What's cool is that there are many songs on this album that aren't normally found outside their original recordings. "Never Say Die", "The Wizard", and "Symptom of The Universe" are killer hits that deserved their place on the performance stage. Ozzy and Brad Gillis know just how to do these cuts justice, and bring down the house with their performance. This is a clear, distinct recording, even including Ozzy talking to the crowd in-between songs. For anyone who has gone to an Ozzy Osbourne concert ,or anyone who's never been able to make it, this album will get you into a head-banging, moshing mood.

The first live release from Ozzy came out at a troubling time. Ozzy was still coming to terms with the loss of his guitarist and best friend Randy Rhoads. Initially, the record company wanted live recordings of Ozzy & Randy released as Speak of the Devil, but coming so soon after the tragedy Ozzy didn't want to do that. So, with his new guitarist Brad Gillis and his remaining members Rudy Sarzo on bass and Tommy Aldridge on drums, he recorded two shows at the Ritz in New York. Unfortunately, the fact that the album consisted only of Sabbath songs, he came under fire from his former band mates, as Black Sabbath's 'Live Evil' was out at the same time. I don't know if they played any 'Blizzard' or 'Diary' material with Brad Gillis or not. Personally, I'm kind of curious how he would have sounded on that. I wonder if there's any recordings in a vault somewhere? Or, any recordings featuring Ozzy's temporary guitarist Bernie Torme, who filled in between Randy and Brad Gillis? I think it's cool to have alternate versions of these songs. The band did a good job on them, especially Rudy Sarzo's bass, which is really up-front in the mix, and the bass lines audible. It's too bad the rhythm section of Aldridge/Sarzo doesn't play together as much anymore. They should do a side project some time.

speak of the devil is an under-rated and hard to find, if u are lucky to find this album it is a great listen every song is greatly done , ozzy took a pretty much unheard of guitarist in brad gill and showed the world that he could indeed play guitar.some people would say that ozzy put this album out for nonthing more then money,but the reason this album was even made was because the record company forced ozzy to put out another album, right after the tragic death of fellow guitarist and best friend randy rhoads , which is how this album got its name speak of the devil ( hints the record company) . they wanted ozzy to put out an album of randy rhoads on guitar, which was too soon and ozzy felt it would be disrespectful , so instead ozzy recorded a live concert with brad gill on guitar , who did a fantastic job and sent that to the company,ozzy himself says and i quote I dont give a f#$k about this album. That is why ozzy doesnt like this album and why it was done of all black sabbath songs, but still it is a great album , i was lucky and found it one day , bought it and couldnt stop listening to it.

over all i give this album a 10/10

By now everyone knows the story - Ozzy had a contractual obligation in late 1982 to deliver a live album, but didn't want to (so he claims) release any of Randy's recordings so close to the guitarist's death only six months earlier, feeling that this would be unfairly capitalizing on the tragedy of March 19, 1982. Instead, he opted to record his live band; with Night Ranger guitarist Brad Gillis filling in for Rhoads since the previous April, the band had just finished touring in support of Diary Of A Madman, and they were tight - no question about it. That Brad Gillis is a monster guitar player is also not in question; whatever one may think of Night Ranger's power pop, there is no denying that Gillis had completely mastered the genre in a way that can't help but make me wonder what might have been, had Gillis decided to stay on w/Ozzy and record at least one studio album. Listen to Gillis on the opening cut, Symptom Of The Universe. Gone is Tony Iommi's de-tuned guitar and somewhat anemic tone (I am a huge Iommi fan, but his tone on some of the studio albums left much to be desired) - in its place is a liquid-sounding Mesa Boogie tone that to these ears, even twenty years later - has yet to be equalled. Brad Gillis took classic songs - songs that in of themselves are definitive of an entire genre - and made some of them (dare I say?) better... He did this not by deconstructing the originals, but by respecting them enough to treat them to an outing that they had never had in the (very capable) hands of Tony Iommi - Gillis really sounds like he's having a blast playing these songs! At the very least, I think that fans of Black Sabbath who don't feel that these versions are necessarily "better" than the originals will at least see them for the gems they are in their own right. A legendary guitar performance, captured in all its glory. Five stars easy.

This Album sounds as great today as it sounded back in the Fall of 1982 when me and my old friend, "DJ" first heard it. This is one of the Greatest Live Recordings ever made: Musically, Sonically & the Quality of the Recording is astounding. For those of you who don't know, Ozzy had just lost his best friend, Randy Rhoads in March 1982 during the "Dairy of a Madman" Tour. Man, you talk about devasted, anyone that was listening to Ozzy back then can tell you the impact Randy had on our lives. Ozzy was crushed. We were crushed.
Ozzy hired an incredible Guitarist, Brad Gillis from the group - Night Ranger. Ozzy decided to Record all Black Sabbath songs which, in my opinion, Black Sabbath are the Fathers of Heavy Metal. In fact, I would say that Ozzy is the Godfather of Metal. Listen to Brad play all those old Sabbath tunes with such conviction - Brad grew up listening to Sabbath - it was in his DNA. Tommy Aldridge - what an incredible drummer and Rudy Sarzo on Bass - I'm talking about heavyweights here. Ozzy has never hired chumps or two-bit players, always the very best and this recording proves it.
Finally, Ozzy's voice on the recording is so dynamic I still get the chills when I listen to the way he delivers "Black Sabbath". Nobody can deliver the goods like Ozzy. I highly recommend this Album - remember those black, round, flat things we used to stick a needle on and music came out - yeah, records..... There is even some of the old Artwork that came with Original Album inside the Jewel Case. This CD is a must have for any Black Sabbath & Ozzy fan. Enjoy!!!!!

George E. Lewis

Ozzy has often credited much of his early success as a solo artist to his first guitarist and beloved friend, Randy Rhoads. While his future wife and manager, Sharon, provided the personal motivation, Randy and his unique blend of Classical and Metal guitar provided the musical inspiration. Their efforts resulted in two studio albums considered by many to be among the best Metal albums of all time: "Blizzard of Ozz" and "Diary of a Madman". On March 19, 1982 in the middle of the "Diary" tour, a tragic plane crash took the life of Randy Rhoads and a few other members of the troupe. It is a loss that Ozzy still mourns to this day.

Ozzy was forced to finish the tour, but his personal pain prevented him from even listening to any of Randy's songs. He chose to finish the tour with Black Sabbath material. The band tried a few different guitarists before settling on Brad Gillis, one of the two guitarists from the then undiscovered band, Night Ranger.

After the tour the record company pressured Ozzy to meet his contractual agreement by releasing another album. Ozzy, still mourning the loss of his friend, could not find the desire to search for a new guitarist or write new songs. Fortunately several of the shows on the "Diary" tour were recorded. The tapes were pulled, the material was mixed and mastered, and "Shout at the Devil" was released as Ozzy's third solo album.

Now that you know the story behind the album you may expect me to use it to excuse a mediocre and uninspiring effort that sounds like it was rushed out to the public. Nothing could be further from the truth. Ozzy had assembled a top-notch band from some of the finest Metal musicians of the day. These warriors were true professionals and despite their pain and loss continued to play their hearts out night after night. Randy would not have wanted it any other way, and they knew that.

The musicians stayed close enough to the original tunes to satisfy the most ardent Sabbath fans, yet they added enough of their own individual styles to make the songs fresh and unique. Brad Gillis did an excellent job modifying his style to suit a one-guitar band. His rhythm parts were full, and his solos were surprisingly moving and tasteful for being mostly improvised. However drummer Tommy Aldridge and bassist Rudy Sarzo combined to make the best rhythm section I had ever heard in a Metal band. They were incredibly tight, punchy, and just flat out awesome. By no means is this a statement against Brad Gillis, but during solos I found myself concentrating on the bass and drums more often than the guitar. I was a fledgling bassist when this album was released. Rudy Sarzo's playing on this album has influenced me more than any other bassist on any other album, and the quality of the Aldridge/Sarzo combo is the level I strived to reach with every drummer in every band I've been in.

As for the quality of the sound I must give this five stars again. It is very difficult to get a clear sound in a live performance, but the engineers succeeded with this one. Your can clearly hear the vocals and each individual instrument, and they are mixed to provide a heavy yet tight, loud sound.

This album is often compared to "Live Evil" a live album released by Black Sabbath (with Ronnie James Dio on vocals) around the same time as "Speak". Understand that I am also a very big Sabbath & Dio fan, and I will say nothing against them. "Live Evil" is very good and worth buying, but due to the sound quality and powerful rhythm section "Speak of the Devil" is hands down the better album.

This is a must buy for all true Heavy Metal fans. And if you are a Metal musician this album is required listening because this is what world-class Metal musicians should sound like live.

You read right this is the best live Black Sabbath album. Even though Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward aren't on it. This album features the madman himself Ozzy Osbourne backed by an all star band. It features Night Ranger guitarist Brad Gillis, drummer Tommy Aldridge who started out in Ozzy's band and is currently on tour with Ted Nugent, and bassist Rudy Sarzo later of Quiet Riot, Whitesnake, and countless other bands. They perform these songs better than Sabbath ever had and I also think ever will. This album is simply filled with the best versions of some of the best Sabbath songs.

The album opens with my personal favorite Sabbath song, Symptom of the Universe. This is the best song on the album as well as the best Black Sabbath song. I can't say enough about this song. It's truly a metal masterpiece. The next song is the ode to cocaine, Snowblind. Ozzy and his band also pull off this masterpiece better than the original band. The bands title song also sounds amazing. These songs are timeless. They will never fade away. Fairies Wear Boots was never one of my favorite Sabbath songs but they perform it very well on this album that I don't mind listening to it. War Pigs is another classic that sounds amazing. It also proves that Brad Gillis is a much better guitarist tham Tony Iommi. The Wizard features Ozzy's signature harmonica playing as well as amazing drums from Tommy Aldridge. N.I.B. which is also one of my favorite songs sounds amazing as well as the rest of the songs, my only complaint is that the whole bass intro is cut out. This album also includes Sweet Leaf which was originallly omitted from the album. Once again Ozzy and his band pull these songs off amazingly. Never Say Die as well as the classic Sabbath Bloody Sabbath also sound fantastic. The latter is another one of my favorites. The close with Iron Man going directly into Children of the Grave. The show ends with a bang. After about a 3 minute break Ozzy comes out for an encore. He does what he calls his "trademark" Paraniod. That is another amazing performance. This also display's Rudy Sarzo's talents as a bass player. This is a great closing song.

This is an amazing album that any Ozzy/Black Sabbath fan, musician (guitarist, bassist, drummer), or just anyone who loves great music must own. I also highly suggest if you don't have them already Blizzard of Ozz, Diary of a Madman, No Rest for the Wicked, No More Tears, Tribute, and The Ultimatre Sin by Ozzy, and Master of Reality, Black Sabbath, Sabotage, and Paranoid by Black Sabbath.

Years ago, I had this album on vinyl and I have to admit it sounds even better on disc!I have always been a big fan of ozzy to this day!Speak of the devil by far is better then Black sabbaths Live Evil album with ronnie james dio at the helm!I think it was ronnie that did that album.No one can compare to ozzy when it comes to Black Sabbath songs! In my opinion he is Sabbath with his unique vocals!This debate has raged on for many years who is the best.Ozzy wins hands down in my book.I would highly recommend Speak of ths devil to hard core Sabbath fans!

God bless...Hillery Watkins