Ozzy Osbourne Reveals Zakk Wylde, Tony Iommi + Other New Album Collaborations
Ozzy Osbourne may have reunited with producer-guitarist Andrew Watt to work on his next album, but the record will include an expanded lineup of players beyond who he worked with on Ordinary Man. During a chat on SiriusXM's Ozzy's Boneyard channel, the "Prince of Darkness" revealed several name collaborations happening on the record, including two very well known collaborators from his past - Zakk Wylde and Tony Iommi.
But the impressive guest list doesn't stop there, with Osbourne revealing (as transcribed by Blabbermouth), "On this new album, I'm working with Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Tony Iommi and Zakk [Wylde]." The four guitarists rank among the most beloved and respected in music history, showing the drawing power of working on an Ozzy album.
Wylde, who has long been aligned with Osbourne's solo material, was not part of the Ordinary Man album as Watt played guitar in a backing band that included Duff McKagan and Chad Smith. He recently revealed that he will be part of Osbourne's solo touring lineup when Ozzy returns to the stage next year, but kept his collaboration on the new album under wraps.
During an August interview, Wylde complimented Watt's work on the previous recently gold-certified Ordinary Man record stating that he thought he did a "great job," but adding that he wasn't on the new record. But it looks like their reunion on record is now happening, though Osbourne didn't reveal how much Wylde appears on the record. Meanwhile, the Iommi appearance brings the former bandmates back together after Black Sabbath's final live farewell in 2017.
While appearing on the SiriusXM station that bares his name, Osbourne also talked about the collaborative process. "You just write the song and you just ask them to sing [or play] what you [give them]," he explained. "The good thing is it's interesting to work with somebody else. But the bad thing is if it don't work, you can't [just let it go] 'cause they'll get all pissed off."
When asked if he'd ever had a musician send something back he didn't care for, Osbourne said he hadn't, but did relay that Eric Clapton initially had some reservations about a song he worked on for the new album. "Eric Clapton, on this new record, one of the lyrics was about Jesus, and he wasn't sure about that. But it was all right in the end… [The solo he did] is very good," stated Osbourne.
It has not been revealed as of yet when the next Ozzy Osbourne album will arrive, but stay tuned as more details come in. Meanwhile, look for Ozzy returning to touring in early 2022, as the next leg of his "No More Tours 2" trek kicks off Jan. 26 in Berlin, Germany. See all the scheduled dates here.