When Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath first on the scene, it was more than just a new band with amazing music; it was a cultural movement. Black Sabbath offered the working class a voice by tapping into topics that others did not sing about and introducing a riff-heavy, low-rumbling sound. Osbourne, the godfather of heavy metal, a genre linked to punk, shares his thoughts on the latter.
Punk was also defined as a musical genre that provided the working class with a voice. Through their raw, unpolished music, they boldly spoke the truth about corruption, defying the mainstream’s aversion to controversy. As a result, there was a lot of comparison between heavy metal and punk, and while the completed products weren’t identical, what people liked about the genres was comparable.
Ozzy Osbourne had little regard for punk music, not because he disliked the way it sounded, but because of how strongly branded it became almost overnight. He explains that whenever people hear anything new, rather than enjoying it, they feel compelled to classify it.
He stated, “Black Sabbath is not a musical band. In reality, the band almost died because we were labeled as heavy metal. I don’t comprehend that. What exactly does the term “heavy metal” mean? Are people wearing diving boots? The trends are the ones that ruin everything by labeling things. It resembles the punk movement. It was a terrific idea.”
Osbourne went on, “But it was inexpensive to produce and a low return for the record corporations. They eventually lost track of what they were producing. I don’t enjoy being branded and I don’t think I’m a star. I am a rock & roll vocalist. And I only let it impact me once: I used to trust whatever I read in the news. “But not anymore.”
Ozzy Osbourne has consistently turned away from punk music, put off by its treatment. However, because the initial sound and ethos were similar to what Sabbath believed in, he is a fan of one of the first punk songs, citing Sex Pistols as a band he really admires.
“Punk was a spinoff of Sabbath,” he explained. “It was anti-establishment.” The only one of them I loved was the Sex Pistols; that one album was fantastic, and it captured something. But Johnny Lydon, whatever his name is, wants to quit talking and make some fucking music.
One of the temptations of the music industry is its desire to harness and mass-produce something new. The tidal wave of hype swept punk off course, eroding its core values. Musicians lost sight of their original values and purpose. Still, some of the early material is a perfect representation of sonic revolt, so it’s no wonder that Osbourne appreciates it.
