Tribute is a live album by British heavy metal singer Ozzy Osbourne, featuring his work with hard rock guitarist Randy Rhoads, in whose honor the album was released.[1] The album was released in April 1987 in the US[6] and May 1987 in the UK,[7] five years after the death of Rhoads, then it was reissued on 22 August 1995, and again remastered and reissued in 2002. It peaked at number 6 on the US Billboard 200 chart.[8]
| Tribute | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Live album by | ||||
| Released | April 1987 | |||
| Recorded | 1980/1981 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 70:28 | |||
| Label | Epic CBS | |||
| Producer |
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| Ozzy Osbourne chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Tribute | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Martin Popoff |   [4] |
| Rolling Stone | (favorable)[5] |
Background
editThe album was released in memory of Randy Rhoads, guitarist for Osbourne's band between 1979 and 1982 who died in a plane crash while on tour in Florida in 1982. The album also includes studio outtakes of Rhoads recording the classical-influenced acoustic guitar piece "Dee", which Rhoads wrote for his mother Delores and which was originally included on Osbourne's debut solo album Blizzard of Ozz.
A live album consisting entirely of renditions of Black Sabbath songs was originally planned to be recorded at Toronto's Maple Leaf Gardens in mid-1982 with Rhoads. Rhoads and drummer Tommy Aldridge felt that they had established themselves as recording artists and an album of cover songs would be a step backwards artistically, and they refused to participate. Bassist Rudy Sarzo was uncomfortable with refusing to perform, not having the same recording pedigree of his bandmates, but he stood with them and the trio informed management of their decision. Osbourne felt betrayed and his relationship with Rhoads never fully recovered.[9] Plans for this proposed live album crumbled upon Rhoads' sudden death weeks later, though the plan was resurrected with the release of Speak of the Devil later that year with Sarzo and Aldridge joined by Night Ranger guitarist Brad Gillis.
Overview
editThe majority of Tribute, from "I Don't Know" through to "Paranoid", was recorded live in Cleveland, Ohio on 11 May 1981.[10] "Goodbye to Romance" and "No Bone Movies" are taken from an earlier English gig in support of the Blizzard of Ozz album, possibly from Southampton on 2 October 1980. These two tracks feature bassist Bob Daisley and drummer Lee Kerslake.
The versions of "Iron Man", "Children of the Grave", and "Paranoid" featured on Tribute were originally intended to be included on the 1982 live album Speak of the Devil. In the months following Rhoads' death, these three songs were intended to be released in tribute to the guitarist, but a record company decision was made to save them for a full album to be released at a later date.[9]
The recording of "Crazy Train" that appears on this album was also released as the album's only single on 10 February 1987, along with an accompanying music video. The album's cover photo was taken at a performance in Rosemont, Illinois on 24 January 1982, by photographer Paul Natkin.
The operatic music which opens Tribute, as well as all of Osbourne's live shows of that era, is "O Fortuna" from the Carmina Burana scenic cantata by Carl Orff. This introductory music was omitted from the 1995 remaster, with opening track "I Don't Know" subsequently being shortened to 4:43.
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Ozzy Osbourne, Randy Rhoads and Bob Daisley, except where indicated
| No. | Title | Originally from | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Don't Know" | Blizzard of Ozz (1980) | 5:40 |
| 2. | "Crazy Train" | Blizzard of Ozz | 5:19 |
| 3. | "Believer" | Diary of a Madman (1981) | 5:08 |
| 4. | "Mr. Crowley" | Blizzard of Ozz | 5:37 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Originally from | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Flying High Again" | Osbourne, Rhoads, Daisley, Lee Kerslake | Diary of a Madman | 4:17 |
| 2. | "Revelation (Mother Earth)" | Blizzard of Ozz | 5:58 | |
| 3. | "Steal Away (The Night)" | Blizzard of Ozz | 8:04 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Originally from | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Suicide Solution" | Blizzard of Ozz | 7:46 | |
| 2. | "Iron Man" | Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, Bill Ward | Paranoid (1970) | 2:50 |
| 3. | "Children of the Grave" | Osbourne, Iommi, Butler, Ward | Master of Reality (1971) | 5:57 |
| 4. | "Paranoid" | Osbourne, Iommi, Butler, Ward | Paranoid | 2:59 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Originally from | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Goodbye to Romance" | Blizzard of Ozz | 5:33 | |
| 2. | "No Bone Movies" | Osbourne, Rhoads, Daisley, Kerslake | Blizzard of Ozz | 4:02 |
| 3. | "Dee" (Randy Rhoads studio outtakes) | Rhoads | Blizzard of Ozz | 4:22 |
Personnel
edit- Ozzy Osbourne - vocals, executive producer
- Randy Rhoads - guitar
- Rudy Sarzo - bass
- Tommy Aldridge - drums
- Lindsay Bridgwater - keyboards
- Bob Daisley - bass on "Goodbye to Romance" and "No Bone Movies"
- Lee Kerslake - drums on "Goodbye to Romance" and "No Bone Movies"
Production
edit- Max Norman - producer, engineer
- Brian Lee and Bob Ludwig - 1995 remastering
- Bruce Dickinson - 2002 edition executive producer
- Chris Athens - 2002 remastering
Charts
edit
Albumedit
|
Singlesedit
|
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[20] | Gold | 35,000‡ |
| Canada (Music Canada)[21] | Gold | 50,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[22] | 2× Platinum | 2,000,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ a b c Huey, Steve. "Ozzy Osbourne - Tribute". All Music. All Media Network. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
- ^ "Max Norman Interview". Music Legends. 25 May 2013. Retrieved 3 July 2013.
- ^ "Music Week" (PDF). p. 11.
- ^ Popoff, Martin (1 November 2005). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 2: The Eighties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. ISBN 978-1-894959-31-5.
- ^ Coleman, Mark (2 July 1987). "Ozzy Osbourne - Tribute". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 28 August 2006. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
- ^ "RIAA". Recording Industry Association of America.
- ^ Strong, Martin Charles (1995). The Great Rock Discography. Canongate Press. p. 610. ISBN 9780862415419.
- ^ "Tribute Billboard Albums". Billboard 200. Billboard_(magazine). Retrieved 7 June 2023.
- ^ a b Sarzo, Rudy (2017). Off the Rails (third edition). CreateSpace Publishing. ISBN 1-53743-746-1
- ^ Begrand, Adrien (28 May 2002). "Ozzy Osbourne - Tribute". PopMatters. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 0816". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
- ^ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Ozzy Osbourne – Rhandy Rhodes Tribute" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
- ^ "Charts.nz – Ozzy Osbourne – Rhandy Rhodes Tribute". Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
- ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Ozzy Osbourne – Rhandy Rhodes Tribute". Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
- ^ "Ozzy Osbourne | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
- ^ "Ozzy Osbourne Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
- ^ "Ozzy Osbourne Official Charts". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 25 October 2015.
- ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2021 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
- ^ "Canadian album certifications – Ozzy Osbourne – Tribute". Music Canada. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
- ^ "American album certifications – Ozzy Osbourne – Tribute". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
