Brad was under the gun & did everything he could to learn a dozen or so songs in days & perform at a super elite level at a moments notice! He didn't try to imitate anyone & did his own thing.. which made the songs sound raunchier & gave them more balls! His interpretation of how those songs should be... in my eyes.. made the songs sound better than they originally did. Much respect!
Sure Brad was good for the music he was playing. As a huge fan of both bands, the lead solos and bass were a bit of a mess compared to the true master(s) who created them. Too many replacement guitar players simply try to enhance the original notes, partly because they aren't really capable of playing it properly. Of course, the same could be said for Dio's version of songs on 'Live/Evil.' Still, the band were tight and I enjoyed it.
Man, I loved Speak of the Devil, still do. A good friend and I would always crank this when we were in highschool, we're 50 now and when we get together, we still crank it up. It somehow sounded better on a dark, rainy day. I had the vinyl and bought it on cd. I bought the dvd when it came out. I remember reading how pissed Ozzy was at Sabbath back in the day, in Circus and Hit Parader magazines. I rank this up there with KISS Alive and UFO Strangers in the Night.
The live version of Fairies Wear Boots and War Pigs on this album are absolutely the best ever. Brads solos are so raw and full of energy , they're legendary.
Fairies, War Pigs and The Wizard are the heart of the album to me. just awesome. if i just want a quick shot of this album, i listen to those 3 songs. Gillis became a legend after this album. rightly so.
Brad's tone on this album is F-ing awesome. I got into these Sabbath tunes from this album I was 14 or so. Symptom of the Universe is so ballsy. Thanks Dr.🖕!
I fucking love this album. Brad Gillis kills it and his guitar tone is just awesome! The Speak of the Devil concert video of this band is my all time favorite Ozzy video. Ralph you forgot to mention the hidden messages in the borders around the photos on the cover. I was such a nerd I actually used a rune alphabet that I got out of an encyclopedia to decode them. No internet back then!
The band was awesome and the time was magical. The audience had a lot to do with it as well. They fueled the fire 🔥 I'm glad they had the sense to record it.
One of the best if not the best "live" albums of all time! The production is excellent and Brad's guitar tone is the best I've heard to this day. The Wizzard, Sweet Leaf and Snow Blind are my favorites. Who cares if it was retouched in the studio. The end result kicks major ass!
I'm in the camp that loves this album. Still have my original vinyl release. I didn't know the history of the album though until now. It sure is interesting and thanks for telling us. Doesn't change how I feel about the LP. So what if the vocals were redone. It rocks. It delivers on the experience and that's all that matters to me.
Speak Of The Devil was one of my all time fav Ozzy albums from the 80s. It really got me heavily into Ozzy back then. I started out with Bark At The Moon (I was a little too young when Blizzard came out), but then I got Diary, Blizzard, and Speak Of right after. Then my father bought me Black Sabbath Paranoid LP and I was an official Ozzyhead for the rest of the decade. But Speak Of was really the one that got me hooked.
Speak Of The Devil is the very first live album I ever got from Ozzy Osbourne/ Black Sabbath back in the early 90's . I have listened to it 1000's of times since. It has a very special place in my heart. It is still one of my all time favorite live albums ever.
I've always loved this album , and he does sound great , even if it's re-recorded in studio. Brad Gillis' use of effects and his attack on this album is great.
My sister's friend Freddie was like an older brother to me. He had this album and gave it to my sister before he passed away. RIP Freddie. It's been 29 years but I still think of him and miss him every day. Also, dude...every time I see the cover of this album I feel the urge to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich! 😁
I wouldn't have the nerve to comment on here if I wasn't there in that time as an adult to make the instant comparisons and feelings I had. A lot of young punks remembering their kiddie days. Still I'm glad to be old enough to remember these bands' and their live concerts along with many others as there is no replacement for the tremendous experiences.
This is my all time favorite live album. The instruments are super clear to hear, I’m a huge Tommy Aldridge fan, an his playing is so crisp. And I love Brad Gillis, he did an awesome job and has been on my top 5 favorite guitar players list for over 30 years, mostly because if the album.I also love Rudy’s tone, it’s so tight. Thanks for the record review and history behind that album.
Same here..I was there with two friends at the nightime show. Still the best Ozzy show I'd ever seen. Really lucky we got in too cause the Ritz was either 18 or 21 and over.. we were 17 and a bouncer did us a huge favor and let us in. Freakin phenomenal show!!
Totally agree with our take. I love your take. When I first Symptom of the Universe, I was blown away. Brad Gillis does an excellent job covering the Sabbath songs, giving them an updated supercharged sound. LIke you said, a lot of live albums are touched up, like Kiss Alive, but who cares. They are great pieces of work, as this album really is, especially with the classic album cover:)
What a year!!! 1982 1983. I was 13 when i heard this album, Blizzard and Diary for the first time, then Sabbaths Live at Last,We sold our souls and Live Evil albums.Then Born Again, Heaven and Hell and Mob Rules were dropped on me like bombs all in a 12 month period. Total music overload. Never again will I fall into such a life changing musical tarpit of great music. I'm forever in debt to these my first introductions of Metal, which was my entrance into heavy music and guitar playing. Thanx!!!
It was redone in the studio twice by Max Norman, The producers he even said he didn't like the vocals at all so he had to redo the vocals twice, you can tell it's recorded in the studio you can hear it
I think part of the reason why the album succeeds are because Ozzy is so coked up and insane but his voice is still not too far from the peak years of Sabbath Bloody Sabbath/Sabotage (overdubbed or not), along with the clear production makes it a damn underrated (though with dubious origins) record. It's intense as hell! That along with the killer tone and performance from Gillis and the rhythm section puts it up there with some of the great "live" albums. Sure it's blasphemy, but I dig the album
I agree with like everything you said man...However, I have raw bootlegs of the September 26th & September 27th 1982 shows that are used for the Speak of the Devil recordings and Ozzy sounds absolutely terrible some of Ozzy's worst vocals ever. What's released on the album is great but yeah the bootleg raw versions he's terrible. Just in case anyone is thinking bout this-the release that's also called Speak of the Devil that's a VHS released originally in Japan is from December 1982 in Irvine Meadows, not the same as this album featured here.
Nice mention of PROJECT: DRIVER!! I love this record! It’s one of the best mixes, best rhythm sections. Saw them with Randy in 1981 and they were unbelievable! Just an amazing band.
Great video dude. This album rules! Has been one of my all-time favs since it came out. Still have the vinyl and still play it regularly. Just never gets old. 👊💪🤘
That rythum section was like magic to me, and I feel the same man, don't care what was over dubbed later, doesn't matter, thru the yrs i grew up listening to sod ! Well, I've tried to anyway ! Lol, another cool video man, as always.. \m/
I honestly don't give a s*** how they put that album together with the sound with Brad gills tone in the Rhythm Section to me is the best live album. Just absolutely amazing how he did and Ivy in his soloing in his technique with no time to practice in my opinion he is the best guitarist out there
WOW!!!! To this day I love that album beginning to end!!! Ralph Viera Please do a track by track of this vs the Randy Rhoads Tribute album!!!!! Thanks again Ralph I love that review, just awesome!!!
I absolutely love "Speak Of The Devil" done by Ozzy and his band in 1982, featuring Brad Gillis-guitar, Rudy Sarzo-bass, Don Airey-keys, and Tommy Aldridge-drums. I love the original Sabbath versions and Black Sabbath's live versions, but I still love the versions by Ozzy's band on this album! I always have. I first got this in 1982 when I was 10. I started with KISS and later Ozzy and Sabbath around 8/9 years old between 1980/81. I started originally with a KISS ALIVE II album at 8, given to me by an older Mexican friend in 1980 and then moved on to Ozzy and Sabbath as well after my Uncle Dave gave me "Blizzard Of Ozz", "Diary Of A Madman"and Black Sabbath "Paranoid" as gifts when I was 9 in 1981. When I was at the mall record store in Chicago/Norridge area, I first saw "Speak Of The Devil" on the shelf and instantly felt like I had to have it! To this day, its my favorite Ozzy album cover ever! When I finally returned after I saved my money from mowing lawns and doing household chores,and got it, I absolutely loved it. I still love it. I own this album in many formats, LP, cassette, CD,and remastered CD, and a few years ago, I bought a mint 1982 vinyl on EBay of it from a guy in Canada. And its awesome!!! I still play it all the time. It remains a killer album.
I was a kid when this came out. I remember this album, Live Evil, Black Sabbath Greatest Hits, and Live At Last all appeared around the same time frame. Or at least all within a year, year and half of each other. Those were all the first additions to my Sabbath collection. Loved them all.
Had this LP the first week of release.(Which was around Thanksgiving 1982).I remember that because the "gore"on the front cover looked a lot like cranberry sauce to me.This was the day after Thanksgiving when I bought it.Kinda lost my appetite for leftover cranberry sauce that night.100% fuckin' true.
When Bob Daisley and Lee Kerslake, (who both came from Uriah Heep) agreed to join Ozzy’s new band, they were told the band would be called ‘Blizzard of Ozz’ - Randy also was told this. They weren’t too happy after finding out, they were more or less Ozzy’s band, under Ozzy’s name. I believe that was Sharon’s doing, but not positive… After Sharon fired Bob and Lee after the recording of ‘Diary of a Madman’ Randy was not happy because of the chemistry they had, and was planning his exit…
Yup that was Sharon's doing. They were all pissed about that and you're right....Randy was not happy about them firing Bob and Lee. The only reason he didn't complain more and leave is cause he was so new to being a massive rock star/gtr hero and he felt like he just couldn't do anything about it. She ruined such a great band!!! Rudy and Tommy are great but they couldn't have written both albums even if they tried and I'd say Bob and Lee were at a whole other level musically.
@@mbass718 yeah and when Speak of the Devil was proposed to Randy he was very much against it as was the rest of the band as he saw it as a blatant cash grab that Don Arden wanted to do and wanted no part of it, so Ozzy got into a fistfight with Randy over it and called him ungrateful and fired him and the rest of the band and Sharon had to talk them into staying for at least the rest of the tour, Randy made it clear this was his last tour with Ozzy as afterwards he wanted to go back to school to get his masters and focus on Classical music.
@@jadedheartsz I think Randy would have done the album /sabbath show had he lived. And he was definitely gonna fulfill his contract for 3 albums. I'm not sure if he would have toured for the 3rd one but it kills me that he died a few weeks before playing MSG. That was the saddest show I've ever been to.
SOTD was my 1st ever "metal" record I bought at 11... I initially wanted Bark at the moon but it wasn't in stock. It was a great album with amazing musicians!
Brad Gillis, Brad Gillis, Brad Gillis.... just cannot say enough about his contribution. This record is GREAT because of him. I absolutely wore this vinyl out when I was 14-15 years old.
This is an absolutely one of the best records I have ever owned! The band is awesome, Brad is the man ! I would love to have heard Brad record a studio album with Ozzy .
I got this album when I was 14 yrs old when it came out. I had read or heard about everything you said, thank you for setting the record straight. No pun intended....ha,ha, & l love this album! I don't break it down into pieces it is what it is. It sounds good!! & Then I bought live evil. You may know this but Tommy Aldridge started with Black Oak Arkansas back in the early 70's. Then to Pat Travers & then to Ozzy. & Whitesnake. What a career he has had. Keep Rocking Brother.
I remember getting this double album when I was young from my mom . Literally in my Easter basket with my candy. She knew I was a brooding metal head then and still to this day. I beat this one to absolute death ended getting another one then the cassette then finally the cd but man this still is my fave live cd and fave from ozzy. Brad was just unfrigginreal. A hero of mine and an influence to why I play guitar still! 🤘🤘🤘🤘now I’m 50 and still listen to this a lot.
Killer record, very high up there in my favorite albums of all time list. For some reason, I don't know if it went out of print for a while or what, but you couldn't find it anywhere and it seemed like nobody ever heard of it, I swear there was a point where I questioned the very existence of this record and actually wondered if I maybe just made it up in my head or something. But all is good now, it's up on RUclips, people are talking about it again, I love it. I give major props to Brad Gillis for this and the Randy songs he had to learn on zero notice, he killed and he's an amazing fucking player and I've never been a Night Ranger fan. As for Tommy and Rudy, those guys are fucking legends and they let the music do the talking.
I was at the Ritz for Speak of the Devil.... 17 years old and at the nightime show. Me and my two friends were really lucky to get in as the Ritz was either 18 or 21 and over and they weren't gonna let us in but A bouncer who had just beat the hell out of someone took kindly to us and let us in a side door. We didn't know what to expect that night other than it was gonna be all Sabbath. Talk about a dream Sabbath setlist!! Couldn't ask for a better one. When Ozz came out bald and with that new huge tattoo on his chest the crowd freaked and you're right it was a very rowdy crowd! You could tell Ozz wasn't all there but holy smokes did the band nail every Sabbath tune. This show went a long way in soothing me as I was and still am a huge Randy fan. I had just seen Ozz at MSG where Randy was set to play and would have tore the roof off but sadly the crash happened shortly before. That was by far the saddest shittiest concert I've ever seen. This one at the Ritz was a whole other story. Esp due to Brad Gillis. He might have shredded the tunes but he definitely did great justice to the songs and the album still holds up well today. This was by far the best Ozzy show I've seen and easily one of my favorite metal shows. Only thing that would have been better would be if Randy had been there. And maybe if Ozz wasn't so messed up but regardless of that..the band played so great you barely noticed Ozzy's screw ups. Great memories! The only metal shows I can think of that were just as great was Priest at MSG with Maiden opening, Dio and Sabbath for the Mob Rules tour at either the beacon theater or radio city music hall..I forget which but saw them both places and both with Blue oyster cult opening and AC/DC at MSG at the For those about to Rock tour. Such great times!!!
This was the first record I ever bought cause of the cover and I was only 10 years old and couldn't believe my mother bought it for me but she didn't like the title or cover but gave in and I still have it and love the quality of the recording and at the time didn't realize how these live albums were really done but watching this made me remember getting this at a local Sundry Store in the early 80s then I got Bark At The Moon and then became a 10 year old Ozzy Freak. Great Video of the best of times.
The original cd version of this omitted Sweet Left due to time constraints of the original double album. Compression technology wasn't used like it is today, it was in it's infancy with regards to audio. The first pressing of the double cd version literally just converted audio to digital audio and didn't do much for time constraints. Later versions of the cd could fit everything due to the advancements made in lossless audio compression.
Saw Ozzy with Randy in 81 in Hamilton Canada, By the way Ozzy's voice was also overdubbed in the studio for the Tribute album with Randy, the bootleg of that show I believe was called Bat's Head Soup and Ozzy's voice is typically shot so they had to redub it, I think they did the same thing for all Ozzy's subsequent live albums. Ozzy's voice is also unfortunately shot for the Sabbath 1975 Asbury Park show which is included in it's alleged entirety on the Deluxe edition of Sabotage. I say unfortunate because the band is great and one of their best tracks Megalomania is ruined as a result of Ozzy's shot voice as well as many other tracks. The upcoming Deluxe edition of Technical Ecstasy will include a disc of live tracks circa 1976 so will be interesting to see if his voice had recovered for that. Too bad the Oct 1970 Brussels show (mislabeled many times as Paris) has never been officially released as this is Sabbath at their peak and Ozzy's vocals are fine.
First album I ever bought with my own money as a kid was Speak Of The Devil in 1982. I had no idea Randy Rhoads had even died … this was before the days of social media, wiki , etc. So I went to the record store , bought it and was wondering why Randy wasn’t on the back cover. The guy at the record store then told me what happened in March and the plane crash that took Randy … I was devastated . Bummed out , I went home and put on the album …. well Brad’s playing completely floored me and to this day I still prefer some of the Speak Of The Devil versions to the Sabbath originals. His tone was simply monstrous for 1982.
I had the double album & the cassette in the 80's. I remember being disappointed when I got a Walkman (when they first came out) that the tape was missing songs that were on the LP. Ah... the good 'ol days
I was fortunate enough at 15 to catch the second leg of this tour in 83 with Jake Lee and Don Costa,, Fricking great! Costa was a monster bass player!!!!
I was suprised how much they let Sarzo say about the Diary tour in his book. At the same time, I’d love to read what they msde him edit out, lol.. Wore this cassette out big time!🤘🏼
This disc was my introduction to more Sabbath classics & for that, I'm forever grateful! It's ok that it's truly not truly a "live" album. I still love it, nonetheless! Much respect to guitarist Brad Gillis for stepping up along with bassist Rudy Sarzo & drummer Tommy Aldridge!🤘🤘
Rudy Sarzo was told that the Ritz recordings of Iron Man, Children of the Grace and Paranoid were not going to be used. So they played really loose and some parts are kinda sloppy. But honestly I love those tracks. The in between banter is classic. Especially the intro for The Wizard.
I remember seing the cover of this album when I was a kid and freaking out completely (I had never heard of Ozzy before). That dragon tattoo seemed to me like the most radical and extreme thing ever.
Great video! One of my favorite albums honestly. All bands touch up live records, look at what the Stones did with Get Yer YaYa's Out. Where do I find the GOOD DVD? The one you mentioned?
Sweet Leaf didn’t originally fit on a single CD. At the time when this was released on CD, CD specs had a shorter time allocation. Later on, CD specifications were changed to allow more play time on a disc and then Sweet Leaf was added back in.
I grew up loving this album & I gotta agree on Sarzo & Aldrich being an amazing backup band! I got to talk to Rudy at the RR Remembered in RI, super cool guy & hung out with Phil Demel talking about Vio-Lence. Also met Randy’s brother & sister, pretty epic night!
Just discovered your channel my man and I'm diggin it!!! I love the behind the scenes and back stage info that you just don't get in mainstream media. I never knew that Ozzy punched Randy AND Rudy in the face!!!! Alcohol is a beast that's for sure. Thanks for all you do and keep up the great work🤘
I had both versions of this CD- I don't think there's any debate that Sweet Leaf was cut from the original version for time, so that they could fit it all on one disc. A few years later the capacity of CDs was increased from 74 to 80 minutes and Sweet Leaf was added back in.
Actually Brad left the band. He was already signed with Night Ranger and to this day I think he was the best guitar player Ozz had post Randy. But he was probably smart to leave..he avoided the eventual getting shit on by Sharon!
Mike L is correct. Brad said Ozzy was a total dick to him. He grew up with the guys in Night Ranger. They had just got a record deal. They were a pretty successful band. He made the right choice.
Brad didn't want to continue because Sharon kept insisting that he turned his amps up louder and then didn't want to replace them when they got blown. I saw that in an interview with him once. He said he would have probably just ended up getting fired like everybody else and he had his own band going on
Yeah, Gillis did a fantastic job on this but him leaving afterwards to rejoin Night Ranger, smart move. He avoided the eventual drama that would unfold due to Ozzy's addictions.
I wasn't a BS fan so I learned these songs from this album. Saw the tour in early 1983 but Jake was with them then. I think Don Costa was on bass also. Battle Creek, Michigan March 18 1983. Near a yr after Randy passed. Vandenberg opened..
Legendary performance by the band! Before I knew anything about anyone I listened to this and was completely blown away! Didn’t know this was Gillis for years!
I saw them on the Blizzard tour in Phoenix, AZ- June '81 with Motorhead opening. It was the first leg of the tour. I was 15 years old and it changed my life... I'm sure you feel the same.
The original CD version was when they could only put 74 minutes on it. They later where able to put 80 minutes on, hence the reissue had Sweet Leaf included.
This album was my main introduction to Black Sabbath... and after this I got the real deal and went down that rabbit hole... I will always love this album though.
According to a RECENT interview with Kell (or Kelly Rhoads) Randy Rhoads's older brother, Randy WAS NOT quitting after "the Diary tour" to do Classical Guitar. Supposedly? According to Kell, Randy "was on contract to do another legit Ozzy release/ 3rd ACTUAL STUDIO ALBUM, THEN...HE wanted to go do classical guitar."....THAT'S WHAT Kell and supposedly other close Rhoads family members are saying, now, anyways....Right on YT....So, that's WHAT I seen.....(DK ANY of the specifics about the Speak album other than what Big Ralph HAS said here in THIS vid) And yeah, it IS a great album! (considering what HAD JUST happened with the tragedy etc.)....ROCK ON.....
I ordered the speak evil of ozz from Brazil that has a remastered audio from the concert DVD on one disk and the other is the Ritz show you mentioned and only cost 40.00 and free shipping.
I got this album for Christmas the year it came out and played the grooves off that album.I had awesome parents that got me that album and I was 11yo and they were cool with it.They hated it but let me listen to what I wanted.
Remember on the fade out on one of the vinyls ...” does anybody here wanna buy a cheap watch?” BTW the closing trio of numbers are killer - Sarzo’s concerns not warranted to my ears. And finally I thought Live Evil was awful.
10:17 - I bet David Coverdale loved that rhythm section as well given he poached them in one of the post-1987 Whitesnake lineups This is the second Ozzy record i got during my teenage years (with Tribute being my 1st one) and was really into it because i was more of a Sabbath fan but never heard such songs "live". I fell for it like they originally intended then haha. Cool to find other people who enjoy this too!
My Ozzy / Sabbath introduction. It still rules today. Thank God it happened. Couldn’t get into Tribute like I did with this one. The live video is also awesome. My question is, why didn’t Sharon get live video footage when Randy was still alive. Music video? Concert footage? Anything
Oh she did!! It's the biggest bunch of BS that there's no concert videos with Randy. Look how they've treated his legacy/memory. They haven't done shite to honor him the way he deserves. The Capital theatre show in Jersey was absolutely filmed. They filmed every show and Randy sent a postcard to his girlfriend that they were gonna be filming. That all comes down to Money and Sharon's greediness. Day on the Green also filmed every year. But Randy's set just happened to not be?? BS!!!! And there's more.
They also wouldn't let Pete Margolis use any of Randy's music for Ozz in the documentary he almost got to release about Randy. All that footage gone to waste
Yes, the band is totally live. Sharon told the band that they wouldn't get any overdubs. I do prefer most of these versions compared to Sabbaths original recordings.
Brad Gillis never sounded better than on this album. Absolutely killer.
DIDO and The Ritz Shows Sound Great Remastered Masters Gillis Became a Legend
So true! 🤘
Absolutely, his finest hour
I could not agree more Jon........that guitar tone at the beginning of Symptom of the Universe is truly unreal.
Very true! Not to take away from the rest of brads career. But that guitar sound on speak is absolutely killer! I chased that sound for a long time.
I love the recording quality and Brad Gillis was just phenomenal
Brad Gillis was spectacular by paying homage and respect to Iommi's guitar work, while adding great flavor.
Brad Gillis most definitely was phenomenal! I was highly impressed with just how great he was! It was like he's been playing the songs for years
110%
Brad was under the gun & did everything he could to learn a dozen or so songs in days & perform at a super elite level at a moments notice! He didn't try to imitate anyone & did his own thing.. which made the songs sound raunchier & gave them more balls! His interpretation of how those songs should be... in my eyes.. made the songs sound better than they originally did. Much respect!
Brad Gillis was so incredible. I'm not sure he could write well but damn could he shred as good as anyone. Unsung guitar hero.
Sure Brad was good for the music he was playing. As a huge fan of both bands, the lead solos and bass were a bit of a mess compared to the true master(s) who created them. Too many replacement guitar players simply try to enhance the original notes, partly because they aren't really capable of playing it properly. Of course, the same could be said for Dio's version of songs on 'Live/Evil.' Still, the band were tight and I enjoyed it.
Man, I loved Speak of the Devil, still do. A good friend and I would always crank this when we were in highschool, we're 50 now and when we get together, we still crank it up. It somehow sounded better on a dark, rainy day. I had the vinyl and bought it on cd. I bought the dvd when it came out. I remember reading how pissed Ozzy was at Sabbath back in the day, in Circus and Hit Parader magazines. I rank this up there with KISS Alive and UFO Strangers in the Night.
The live version of Fairies Wear Boots and War Pigs on this album are absolutely the best ever. Brads solos are so raw and full of energy , they're legendary.
Fairies, War Pigs and The Wizard are the heart of the album to me. just awesome. if i just want a quick shot of this album, i listen to those 3 songs. Gillis became a legend after this album. rightly so.
I feel the exact same way. The sound is so amazing! And the guys had such good timing and tempo, and the emotion was amazing :)
Symptom of the universe
Brad's tone on this album is F-ing awesome. I got into these Sabbath tunes from this album I was 14 or so. Symptom of the Universe is so ballsy. Thanks Dr.🖕!
I fucking love this album. Brad Gillis kills it and his guitar tone is just awesome! The Speak of the Devil concert video of this band is my all time favorite Ozzy video. Ralph you forgot to mention the hidden messages in the borders around the photos on the cover. I was such a nerd I actually used a rune alphabet that I got out of an encyclopedia to decode them. No internet back then!
Howdy! Dial A Demon Productions…
What does it say ?
Brad used an experimental rig consisting of two Mesa Boogie Mark llC heads in stereo, with an ever so slight touch of chorus.
The band was awesome and the time was magical. The audience had a lot to do with it as well.
They fueled the fire 🔥 I'm glad they had the sense to record it.
What did the hidden messages say?
One of the best if not the best "live" albums of all time! The production is excellent and Brad's guitar tone is the best I've heard to this day. The Wizzard, Sweet Leaf and Snow Blind are my favorites. Who cares if it was retouched in the studio. The end result kicks major ass!
I'm in the camp that loves this album. Still have my original vinyl release. I didn't know the history of the album though until now. It sure is interesting and thanks for telling us. Doesn't change how I feel about the LP. So what if the vocals were redone. It rocks. It delivers on the experience and that's all that matters to me.
Speak Of The Devil was one of my all time fav Ozzy albums from the 80s. It really got me heavily into Ozzy back then. I started out with Bark At The Moon (I was a little too young when Blizzard came out), but then I got Diary, Blizzard, and Speak Of right after. Then my father bought me Black Sabbath Paranoid LP and I was an official Ozzyhead for the rest of the decade. But Speak Of was really the one that got me hooked.
This album is one of the best live albums. The rhythm section is insane!
Speak Of The Devil is the very first live album I ever got from Ozzy Osbourne/ Black Sabbath back in the early 90's . I have listened to it 1000's of times since. It has a very special place in my heart. It is still one of my all time favorite live albums ever.
This was the album that introduced me to Sabbath. The live version of Never Say Die is my favorite as well.
Dude,thanks for all the insight.This was one of the first live albums I ever owned.
I've always loved this album , and he does sound great , even if it's re-recorded in studio. Brad Gillis' use of effects and his attack on this album is great.
My sister's friend Freddie was like an older brother to me. He had this album and gave it to my sister before he passed away. RIP Freddie. It's been 29 years but I still think of him and miss him every day.
Also, dude...every time I see the cover of this album I feel the urge to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich! 😁
I wouldn't have the nerve to comment on here if I wasn't there in that time as an adult to make the instant comparisons and feelings I had. A lot of young punks remembering their kiddie days. Still I'm glad to be old enough to remember these bands' and their live concerts along with many others as there is no replacement for the tremendous experiences.
@@alwilson3204 I guess none of us could comment on Beethoven or Mozart then.
I always like that album too, I’ve got an original vinyl of it!
Man, I love your videos! They are so informative and talk about albums I loved
I appreciate that!
This is my all time favorite live album. The instruments are super clear to hear, I’m a huge Tommy Aldridge fan, an his playing is so crisp. And I love Brad Gillis, he did an awesome job and has been on my top 5 favorite guitar players list for over 30 years, mostly because if the album.I also love Rudy’s tone, it’s so tight. Thanks for the record review and history behind that album.
Even the chorus on Ozzy's voice has chorus.
I was at one of the shows. Ozzy was bald and had the lyrics on a chair. I was upfront and took some photos. Great show.
Same here..I was there with two friends at the nightime show. Still the best Ozzy show I'd ever seen. Really lucky we got in too cause the Ritz was either 18 or 21 and over.. we were 17 and a bouncer did us a huge favor and let us in. Freakin phenomenal show!!
Would you mind sharing the photos with us all?
Totally agree with our take. I love your take. When I first Symptom of the Universe, I was blown away. Brad Gillis does an excellent job covering the Sabbath songs, giving them an updated supercharged sound. LIke you said, a lot of live albums are touched up, like Kiss Alive, but who cares. They are great pieces of work, as this album really is, especially with the classic album cover:)
What a year!!! 1982 1983. I was 13 when i heard this album, Blizzard and Diary for the first time, then Sabbaths Live at Last,We sold our souls and Live Evil albums.Then Born Again, Heaven and Hell and Mob Rules were dropped on me like bombs all in a 12 month period. Total music overload. Never again will I fall into such a life changing musical tarpit of great music. I'm forever in debt to these my first introductions of Metal, which was my entrance into heavy music and guitar playing. Thanx!!!
Highschool days and this album just out, Great memories and times
Ozzy's voice is amazing on that album. Especially on 'Black Sabbath'.
Definitely..but it was heavily fixed in the studio
Vocals were all redone in the studio.
It was redone in the studio twice by Max Norman, The producers he even said he didn't like the vocals at all so he had to redo the vocals twice, you can tell it's recorded in the studio you can hear it
Great video DR. Fffffffffukk!!
I think part of the reason why the album succeeds are because Ozzy is so coked up and insane but his voice is still not too far from the peak years of Sabbath Bloody Sabbath/Sabotage (overdubbed or not), along with the clear production makes it a damn underrated (though with dubious origins) record. It's intense as hell! That along with the killer tone and performance from Gillis and the rhythm section puts it up there with some of the great "live" albums. Sure it's blasphemy, but I dig the album
I agree with like everything you said man...However, I have raw bootlegs of the September 26th & September 27th 1982 shows that are used for the Speak of the Devil recordings and Ozzy sounds absolutely terrible some of Ozzy's worst vocals ever. What's released on the album is great but yeah the bootleg raw versions he's terrible.
Just in case anyone is thinking bout this-the release that's also called Speak of the Devil that's a VHS released originally in Japan is from December 1982 in Irvine Meadows, not the same as this album featured here.
All of Ozzy's vocals were done over in a studio
Nice mention of PROJECT: DRIVER!!
I love this record! It’s one of the best mixes, best rhythm sections. Saw them with Randy in 1981 and they were unbelievable! Just an amazing band.
Randy's solo on Children of the Grave on tribute is unreal..I think a hidden gem on that album..some of the runs he does on there are insane!
I'm a old head to I love this album Brad Gillis he shredded on it
Great video dude. This album rules! Has been one of my all-time favs since it came out. Still have the vinyl and still play it regularly. Just never gets old. 👊💪🤘
That rythum section was like magic to me, and I feel the same man, don't care what was over dubbed later, doesn't matter, thru the yrs i grew up listening to sod ! Well, I've tried to anyway ! Lol, another cool video man, as always.. \m/
I honestly don't give a s*** how they put that album together with the sound with Brad gills tone in the Rhythm Section to me is the best live album. Just absolutely amazing how he did and Ivy in his soloing in his technique with no time to practice in my opinion he is the best guitarist out there
I love Black Sabbath but I also love these versions of these great songs. I still have my double LP Jet Records version.
WOW!!!! To this day I love that album beginning to end!!! Ralph Viera Please do a track by track of this vs the Randy Rhoads Tribute album!!!!! Thanks again Ralph I love that review, just awesome!!!
Crazy stuff, Doc! Another great video! SHMACKEMAGOB!
I absolutely love "Speak Of The Devil" done by Ozzy and his band in 1982, featuring Brad Gillis-guitar, Rudy Sarzo-bass, Don Airey-keys, and Tommy Aldridge-drums. I love the original Sabbath versions and Black Sabbath's live versions, but I still love the versions by Ozzy's band on this album! I always have. I first got this in 1982 when I was 10. I started with KISS and later Ozzy and Sabbath around 8/9 years old between 1980/81. I started originally with a KISS ALIVE II album at 8, given to me by an older Mexican friend in 1980 and then moved on to Ozzy and Sabbath as well after my Uncle Dave gave me "Blizzard Of Ozz", "Diary Of A Madman"and Black Sabbath "Paranoid" as gifts when I was 9 in 1981. When I was at the mall record store in Chicago/Norridge area, I first saw "Speak Of The Devil" on the shelf and instantly felt like I had to have it! To this day, its my favorite Ozzy album cover ever! When I finally returned after I saved my money from mowing lawns and doing household chores,and got it, I absolutely loved it. I still love it. I own this album in many formats, LP, cassette, CD,and remastered CD, and a few years ago, I bought a mint 1982 vinyl on EBay of it from a guy in Canada. And its awesome!!! I still play it all the time. It remains a killer album.
I was a kid when this came out. I remember this album, Live Evil, Black Sabbath Greatest Hits, and Live At Last all appeared around the same time frame. Or at least all within a year, year and half of each other. Those were all the first additions to my Sabbath collection. Loved them all.
Had this LP the first week of release.(Which was around Thanksgiving 1982).I remember that because the "gore"on the front cover looked a lot like cranberry sauce to me.This was the day after Thanksgiving when I bought it.Kinda lost my appetite for leftover cranberry sauce that night.100% fuckin' true.
Love this album. Wish I had it on vinyl. Great hearing its backstory...!!
Thanks for listening
When Bob Daisley and Lee Kerslake, (who both came from Uriah Heep) agreed to join Ozzy’s new band, they were told the band would be called ‘Blizzard of Ozz’ - Randy also was told this. They weren’t too happy after finding out, they were more or less Ozzy’s band, under Ozzy’s name. I believe that was Sharon’s doing, but not positive… After Sharon fired Bob and Lee after the recording of ‘Diary of a Madman’ Randy was not happy because of the chemistry they had, and was planning his exit…
Yup that was Sharon's doing. They were all pissed about that and you're right....Randy was not happy about them firing Bob and Lee. The only reason he didn't complain more and leave is cause he was so new to being a massive rock star/gtr hero and he felt like he just couldn't do anything about it. She ruined such a great band!!! Rudy and Tommy are great but they couldn't have written both albums even if they tried and I'd say Bob and Lee were at a whole other level musically.
@@mbass718 yeah and when Speak of the Devil was proposed to Randy he was very much against it as was the rest of the band as he saw it as a blatant cash grab that Don Arden wanted to do and wanted no part of it, so Ozzy got into a fistfight with Randy over it and called him ungrateful and fired him and the rest of the band and Sharon had to talk them into staying for at least the rest of the tour, Randy made it clear this was his last tour with Ozzy as afterwards he wanted to go back to school to get his masters and focus on Classical music.
@@jadedheartsz Yeah I know that.
@@jadedheartsz I think Randy would have done the album /sabbath show had he lived. And he was definitely gonna fulfill his contract for 3 albums. I'm not sure if he would have toured for the 3rd one but it kills me that he died a few weeks before playing MSG. That was the saddest show I've ever been to.
I was an Ozzy solo fan first, and this was my first exposure to Black Sabbath. Love this record.
SOTD was my 1st ever "metal" record I bought at 11...
I initially wanted Bark at the moon but it wasn't in stock.
It was a great album with amazing musicians!
Brad Gillis, Brad Gillis, Brad Gillis.... just cannot say enough about his contribution. This record is GREAT because of him. I absolutely wore this vinyl out when I was 14-15 years old.
Am I the only one who would rather of heard Randy's version of the guitar on the Sabbath songs?
Brad Gillis is the highlight of the album. I love Night Ranger but come on, Brad Gillis destroyed it on this album!
Awesome album. Brad Gillis guitar playing and tone is incredible on this album. 🤘
This is an absolutely one of the best records I have ever owned!
The band is awesome, Brad is the man ! I would love to have heard Brad record a studio album with Ozzy .
I had this amazing album when I was 16 back in 1983..thanx
I got this album when I was 14 yrs old when it came out. I had read or heard about everything you said, thank you for setting the record straight. No pun intended....ha,ha, & l love this album! I don't break it down into pieces it is what it is. It sounds good!! & Then I bought live evil. You may know this but Tommy Aldridge started with Black Oak Arkansas back in the early 70's. Then to Pat Travers & then to Ozzy. & Whitesnake. What a career he has had. Keep Rocking Brother.
I remember getting this double album when I was young from my mom . Literally in my Easter basket with my candy. She knew I was a brooding metal head then and still to this day. I beat this one to absolute death ended getting another one then the cassette then finally the cd but man this still is my fave live cd and fave from ozzy. Brad was just unfrigginreal. A hero of mine and an influence to why I play guitar still! 🤘🤘🤘🤘now I’m 50 and still listen to this a lot.
Killer record, very high up there in my favorite albums of all time list. For some reason, I don't know if it went out of print for a while or what, but you couldn't find it anywhere and it seemed like nobody ever heard of it, I swear there was a point where I questioned the very existence of this record and actually wondered if I maybe just made it up in my head or something. But all is good now, it's up on RUclips, people are talking about it again, I love it. I give major props to Brad Gillis for this and the Randy songs he had to learn on zero notice, he killed and he's an amazing fucking player and I've never been a Night Ranger fan. As for Tommy and Rudy, those guys are fucking legends and they let the music do the talking.
Rudy and Tommy were the rythem section on Tribute Also...Most of it anyway, less the songs from Blizzard tour that are on there
I was going to say the same thing..
Great video Dr. F, but you didn't talk about the hidden messages on the album cover!!
My bad
eeggs.com/items/34169.html
I was at the Ritz for Speak of the Devil.... 17 years old and at the nightime show. Me and my two friends were really lucky to get in as the Ritz was either 18 or 21 and over and they weren't gonna let us in but A bouncer who had just beat the hell out of someone took kindly to us and let us in a side door. We didn't know what to expect that night other than it was gonna be all Sabbath. Talk about a dream Sabbath setlist!! Couldn't ask for a better one. When Ozz came out bald and with that new huge tattoo on his chest the crowd freaked and you're right it was a very rowdy crowd! You could tell Ozz wasn't all there but holy smokes did the band nail every Sabbath tune. This show went a long way in soothing me as I was and still am a huge Randy fan. I had just seen Ozz at MSG where Randy was set to play and would have tore the roof off but sadly the crash happened shortly before. That was by far the saddest shittiest concert I've ever seen. This one at the Ritz was a whole other story. Esp due to Brad Gillis. He might have shredded the tunes but he definitely did great justice to the songs and the album still holds up well today. This was by far the best Ozzy show I've seen and easily one of my favorite metal shows. Only thing that would have been better would be if Randy had been there. And maybe if Ozz wasn't so messed up but regardless of that..the band played so great you barely noticed Ozzy's screw ups. Great memories! The only metal shows I can think of that were just as great was Priest at MSG with Maiden opening, Dio and Sabbath for the Mob Rules tour at either the beacon theater or radio city music hall..I forget which but saw them both places and both with Blue oyster cult opening and AC/DC at MSG at the For those about to Rock tour. Such great times!!!
Brad Gillis' guitar tone on this album is ridiculous. One of the best of the 80s IMO
I have always loved this album. Had it on cassette in the 80's and then bought it on CD. Nice to get some of the back story to go along with it.
This was the first record I ever bought cause of the cover and I was only 10 years old and couldn't believe my mother bought it for me but she didn't like the title or cover but gave in and I still have it and love the quality of the recording and at the time didn't realize how these live albums were really done but watching this made me remember getting this at a local Sundry Store in the early 80s then I got Bark At The Moon and then became a 10 year old Ozzy Freak. Great Video of the best of times.
The original cd version of this omitted Sweet Left due to time constraints of the original double album. Compression technology wasn't used like it is today, it was in it's infancy with regards to audio. The first pressing of the double cd version literally just converted audio to digital audio and didn't do much for time constraints. Later versions of the cd could fit everything due to the advancements made in lossless audio compression.
This album is fucking awesome. One of my favorites since it came out...
Saw Ozzy with Randy in 81 in Hamilton Canada, By the way Ozzy's voice was also overdubbed in the studio for the Tribute album with Randy, the bootleg of that show I believe was called Bat's Head Soup and Ozzy's voice is typically shot so they had to redub it, I think they did the same thing for all Ozzy's subsequent live albums. Ozzy's voice is also unfortunately shot for the Sabbath 1975 Asbury Park show which is included in it's alleged entirety on the Deluxe edition of Sabotage. I say unfortunate because the band is great and one of their best tracks Megalomania is ruined as a result of Ozzy's shot voice as well as many other tracks. The upcoming Deluxe edition of Technical Ecstasy will include a disc of live tracks circa 1976 so will be interesting to see if his voice had recovered for that. Too bad the Oct 1970 Brussels show (mislabeled many times as Paris) has never been officially released as this is Sabbath at their peak and Ozzy's vocals are fine.
Interesting history! Ozzy is a phenomenon, for sure
First album I ever bought with my own money as a kid was Speak Of The Devil in 1982. I had no idea Randy Rhoads had even died … this was before the days of social media, wiki , etc. So I went to the record store , bought it and was wondering why Randy wasn’t on the back cover. The guy at the record store then told me what happened in March and the plane crash that took Randy … I was devastated . Bummed out , I went home and put on the album …. well Brad’s playing completely floored me and to this day I still prefer some of the Speak Of The Devil versions to the Sabbath originals. His tone was simply monstrous for 1982.
Brad was just amazing on this tour , he just killed it man.
I had the double album & the cassette in the 80's. I remember being disappointed when I got a Walkman (when they first came out) that the tape was missing songs that were on the LP. Ah... the good 'ol days
I was fortunate enough at 15 to catch the second leg of this tour in 83 with Jake Lee and Don Costa,, Fricking great! Costa was a monster bass player!!!!
I was suprised how much they let Sarzo say about the Diary tour in his book.
At the same time, I’d love to read what they msde him edit out, lol..
Wore this cassette out big time!🤘🏼
Right on Brother! One of my favorite albums!!!
This disc was my introduction to more Sabbath classics & for that, I'm forever grateful! It's ok that it's truly not truly a "live" album. I still love it, nonetheless! Much respect to guitarist Brad Gillis for stepping up along with bassist Rudy Sarzo & drummer Tommy Aldridge!🤘🤘
Rudy Sarzo was told that the Ritz recordings of Iron Man, Children of the Grace and Paranoid were not going to be used. So they played really loose and some parts are kinda sloppy. But honestly I love those tracks. The in between banter is classic. Especially the intro for The Wizard.
Did you notice I mentioned that?
Oops. I was writing and listening at the same time.
I remember seing the cover of this album when I was a kid and freaking out completely (I had never heard of Ozzy before). That dragon tattoo seemed to me like the most radical and extreme thing ever.
That tattoo was brand new and a surprise to everyone when he came out with it and his head shaved.
Great video! One of my favorite albums honestly. All bands touch up live records, look at what the Stones did with Get Yer YaYa's Out. Where do I find the GOOD DVD? The one you mentioned?
Sweet Leaf didn’t originally fit on a single CD. At the time when this was released on CD, CD specs had a shorter time allocation. Later on, CD specifications were changed to allow more play time on a disc and then Sweet Leaf was added back in.
I grew up loving this album & I gotta agree on Sarzo & Aldrich being an amazing backup band! I got to talk to Rudy at the RR Remembered in RI, super cool guy & hung out with Phil Demel talking about Vio-Lence. Also met Randy’s brother & sister, pretty epic night!
Just discovered your channel my man and I'm diggin it!!! I love the behind the scenes and back stage info that you just don't get in mainstream media. I never knew that Ozzy punched Randy AND Rudy in the face!!!! Alcohol is a beast that's for sure. Thanks for all you do and keep up the great work🤘
I had both versions of this CD- I don't think there's any debate that Sweet Leaf was cut from the original version for time, so that they could fit it all on one disc. A few years later the capacity of CDs was increased from 74 to 80 minutes and Sweet Leaf was added back in.
Brad Gillis was bad ass on that album. I never knew why he didn't keep him in the band. I love that album.
Actually Brad left the band. He was already signed with Night Ranger and to this day I think he was the best guitar player Ozz had post Randy. But he was probably smart to leave..he avoided the eventual getting shit on by Sharon!
Mike L is correct. Brad said Ozzy was a total dick to him. He grew up with the guys in Night Ranger. They had just got a record deal. They were a pretty successful band. He made the right choice.
Brad didn't want to continue because Sharon kept insisting that he turned his amps up louder and then didn't want to replace them when they got blown. I saw that in an interview with him once. He said he would have probably just ended up getting fired like everybody else and he had his own band going on
Yeah, Gillis did a fantastic job on this but him leaving afterwards to rejoin Night Ranger, smart move. He avoided the eventual drama that would unfold due to Ozzy's addictions.
Dude, I knew the story, but you had me in the first 10 seconds with that album presentation. I knew you knew your stuff!
Thank you!
I wasn't a BS fan so I learned these songs from this album. Saw the tour in early 1983 but Jake was with them then. I think Don Costa was on bass also. Battle Creek, Michigan March 18 1983. Near a yr after Randy passed. Vandenberg opened..
Legendary performance by the band! Before I knew anything about anyone I listened to this and was completely blown away! Didn’t know this was Gillis for years!
Love the beginning. The original is one of my most favorite Sabbath songs. That whole album is dark and heavy. I love it.
I saw them on the Blizzard tour in Phoenix, AZ- June '81 with Motorhead opening. It was the first leg of the tour. I was 15 years old and it changed my life... I'm sure you feel the same.
Great informative video. Subscribed based on this video.
The original CD version was when they could only put 74 minutes on it. They later where able to put 80 minutes on, hence the reissue had Sweet Leaf included.
This album was my main introduction to Black Sabbath... and after this I got the real deal and went down that rabbit hole... I will always love this album though.
I’m a big fan is album. I actually learned something new. Thanks Doc!
Brad guitar tone on this album is amazing! I’d love to know what his set up was for that show?
According to a RECENT interview with Kell (or Kelly Rhoads) Randy Rhoads's older brother, Randy WAS NOT quitting after "the Diary tour" to do Classical Guitar. Supposedly? According to Kell, Randy "was on contract to do another legit Ozzy release/ 3rd ACTUAL STUDIO ALBUM, THEN...HE wanted to go do classical guitar."....THAT'S WHAT Kell and supposedly other close Rhoads family members are saying, now, anyways....Right on YT....So, that's WHAT I seen.....(DK ANY of the specifics about the Speak album other than what Big Ralph HAS said here in THIS vid) And yeah, it IS a great album! (considering what HAD JUST happened with the tragedy etc.)....ROCK ON.....
loved that stereo guitar vibe they developed for Gillis' sound... was also a well mixed album.. even if much of it was studio touched...
When Cds started coming out, I got this as my first CD. 5/5 Killer tone!
I ordered the speak evil of ozz from Brazil that has a remastered audio from the concert DVD on one disk and the other is the Ritz show you mentioned and only cost 40.00 and free shipping.
Wish this album was on iTunes, would love to have it downloaded
Amazing album for sure. Love Gillis, Love Ozzy, damn the whole band! I wish it was on ITunes. Unfortunately it isn't :(
I got this album for Christmas the year it came out and played the grooves off that album.I had awesome parents that got me that album and I was 11yo and they were cool with it.They hated it but let me listen to what I wanted.
I remember buying this - I was 16 years old or so - can't remember if it was on CD or cassette. This interview is amazing.
Wish this album was on iTunes, I would download it great album
Remember on the fade out on one of the vinyls ...” does anybody here wanna buy a cheap watch?” BTW the closing trio of numbers are killer - Sarzo’s concerns not warranted to my ears. And finally I thought Live Evil was awful.
‘This albums for you people man” my favorite Ozzy banter from Speak
10:17 - I bet David Coverdale loved that rhythm section as well given he poached them in one of the post-1987 Whitesnake lineups
This is the second Ozzy record i got during my teenage years (with Tribute being my 1st one) and was really into it because i was more of a Sabbath fan but never heard such songs "live".
I fell for it like they originally intended then haha.
Cool to find other people who enjoy this too!
My Ozzy / Sabbath introduction. It still rules today. Thank God it happened. Couldn’t get into Tribute like I did with this one. The live video is also awesome.
My question is, why didn’t Sharon get live video footage when Randy was still alive. Music video? Concert footage? Anything
Oh she did!! It's the biggest bunch of BS that there's no concert videos with Randy. Look how they've treated his legacy/memory. They haven't done shite to honor him the way he deserves. The Capital theatre show in Jersey was absolutely filmed. They filmed every show and Randy sent a postcard to his girlfriend that they were gonna be filming. That all comes down to Money and Sharon's greediness. Day on the Green also filmed every year. But Randy's set just happened to not be?? BS!!!! And there's more.
They also wouldn't let Pete Margolis use any of Randy's music for Ozz in the documentary he almost got to release about Randy. All that footage gone to waste
Makes no Fn sense. I’ve come to realize that Randy was going to be screwed over just like the rest of em. He just unfortunately died first.
Yes, the band is totally live. Sharon told the band that they wouldn't get any overdubs. I do prefer most of these versions compared to Sabbaths original recordings.