Illegal Foreign Object

There aren’t many (if any) more iconic figures in heavy metal history than Ozzy Osbourne. From fronting Black Sabbath (also known as “the” heavy metal band) to countless sold-out tours and platinum albums as a solo artist, Ozzy is (by most accounts) the face of metal.

In 1991, he released arguably his finest album as a solo artist, the quadruple-platinum No More Tears. Thanks in no small part to the title track and “Mama, I’m Coming Home” singles clubbing radio and MTV over the head, Ozzy hit the road for his now hilariously titled “No More Tours” run of live shows. Since then, he’s done about fifty “final” tours (including “No More Tours 2” — bless Sharon’s gold-plated heart).

Preparation for No More Tears began after Ozzy completed a stint in rehab. The stay, a court-ordered affair (and the result of Ozzy going on a drunken, drug-fueled bender, blacking out, and assaulting Sharon), sobered the Ozzman up for the first time in years. Sharon dropped the charges against him, and Ozzy committed to making the first “sober” album of his career. (He has since admitted to abusing prescription pills throughout the recording of the album and to being “drunk out of [his] face” when he came up with the riff to the title track.) Bless Ozzy’s big, dumb heart.

Despite foisting continued abuse upon himself (and those around him, apparently), Ozzy never sounded better than he did during this album and tour. The album, a collection of accessible hard rock numbers (including the Grammy-winning, Lemmy Kilmister-written “I Don’t Want To Change The World”), is a seamless romp. One can’t help but wonder if Kilmister, who co-wrote four of the better songs on the album, didn’t rejoice at the opportunity to spread his wings a little on No More Tears. Motörhead never gave Lemmy the room to demonstrate the vastness of his songwriting prowess. In another galaxy, Lemmy Kilmister is the King of Pop.

Duane Baron, who previously produced radio-friendly smash records from L.A. Guns (Cocked & Loaded) and Kix (Blow My Fuse), and John Purdell, who engineered Poison’s Open Up And Say…Ah!, manned the board. Interestingly enough, they got the gig after initially being fired from it. “The record company called me at the studio to ask what my thoughts were on the demos,” said Baron. “Well, I liked them a lot and thought it was a good direction. They hung up so fast; they hated it — so we got fired!” Ozzy’s label, Epic Records, wanted a bigger name on the project and attempted to reel in Rick Rubin. When Rubin heard the demos, he told guitarist Zakk Wylde, “Zakk, this is like a horrendous Mötley Crüe record. What we really need is some of that “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath” riff — we just need a whole record of that!”  

Michael Wagener, who mixed Metallica’s Master Of Puppets, Megadeth’s So Far, So Good…So What!, Skid Row’s finest moments, and hundreds of other top-selling albums, was tasked with getting all the levels right.

“King” Bob Ludwig, who’s mastered thousands of records in his iconic career, also lent his skill to the album. The Paul McCartney song “Maybe I’m Amazed”? That’s Bob Ludwig. Jimi Hendrix’s brilliant live album Band Of Gypsys? That’s Bob Ludwig’s sound, too (as was James Brown’s Hot Pants, Motörhead’s first album, and the entire back catalogs of Rush, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Dire Straits, and the Rolling Stones). It’s a beautifully crafted album from an all-star team of studio titans.

The tour featured the best solo band Ozzy has ever assembled. On his 3rd album with “The Boss”, No More Tears is guitarist Zakk Wylde’s finest moment. His current live sound resembles a dump truck trying to rev its way out of quicksand, but in ’91, his tone was the perfect balance of bright and punishing. It was slick enough for radio but heavy enough to appease the metal gods. Mike Inez, now better known as the longtime bassist for Alice In Chains, teamed up with Lita Ford’s former drummer, Randy Castillo, to hold down the low end over which Zakk and Ozzy shined. Good God, Randy Castillo hit the shit out of the drums. I mean, he pummeled the damn things. The rock world lost a special one when he passed.

Ozzy Osbourne would go on to work with a gaggle of musicians after this album, but no lineup ever captured the spark of this era. This was a landmark record for the iconic frontman — the first time on record that he gets introspective. Songs like “Mama, I’m I’m Coming Home”, “Time After Time”, and “Road To Nowhere” tug at the heartstrings like no previous Ozzy solo offering.

By 1990, Osbourne’s notoriety had descended into parody. He’d gone so far out of his way to act crazy that his antics overshadowed his music. He’d become a caricature. On lackluster albums like The Ultimate Sin and Just Say Ozzy, perhaps, that wasn’t a bad thing, but No More Tears was arguably the strongest effort of his solo career. 

There’s a weight, whether actively felt or not, to being known as a trailblazer, and despite Sharon’s many marketing efforts to make him look like a clown, Ozzy is a god. When we discuss him, regardless of what is said, it’s important to remember that we’re also talking about one of the architects of heavy fucking metal. It’s also important to note the timing of No More Tears. 1991 saw a seismic shift in the rock landscape. Bands like Poison, Warrant, and Ratt were on their way out — Pearl Jam, Nirvana, and Red Hot Chili Peppers were taking over. Through it all, Ozzy reigned supreme.

Ozzy’s importance to the genre is indisputable. With No More Tears, whether or not he thought it would be his final album, he stepped off the crazy train (for a while) at the absolute height of his superpowers.

Track List:

1. Mr. Tinkertrain 10/10
2. I Don’t Want To Change The World 10/10
3. Mama, I’m Coming Home 10/10
4. Desire 9/10
5. No More Tears 10/10
6. S.I.N. 9/10
7. Hellraiser 10/10
8. Time After Time 9/10
9. Zombie Stomp 8/10
10. A.V.H. 9/10
11. Road To Nowhere 10/10

Grade: 95