OZZY OSBOURNE - Live At Budokan
September 23, 2002, 21 years ago
(Epic)
This came fast, out of left field, but of course, opportunistically on schedule, what with The Osbournes flying high and Down To Earth not so altitudinally elevated. And man, does it rip and tear, Zakk stuffing each track down yer gullet like a kerosene-soaked gym sock. The track list leans on the recent studio album for three tracks, all heavy, 'That I Never Had' being my personal hotspot on the whole thing, eclipsing through freshness and His Zakkness, all these tired a-level and b-level hits. No Ozzmosis songs. The sound is killer, each performer cutting through, Bordin and Trujillo pushing and pulling neck and neck with the star of the show, a guitarist whose crowning characteristic is his tug-of-war movement through space and time; essentially Zakk is the Bill Ward of six-stringers. Ozzy is Ozzy, likely technologically cleaned up (who knows?), in there doing his job as only his reedy pipes can. Other pleasant offerings include 'Believer' a scant three tracks in, another Zakk showcase 'I Don't Want To Change The World', and graphics that are stark and surprising.
