Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi Ozzy Osbourne 's solo albums , but says he appreciates them from afar.
In a conversation with Eddie Trunk last month, Iommi was asked if he had ever compared Ozzy's solo albums to those that Black Sabbath released during the same period.
According to the guitarist, he only knew the Ozzy songs that were played on the radio. He considers Randy Rhoads a "brilliant" guitarist. However, he was more concerned with the challenges Black Sabbath was facing at the time, and therefore didn't pay attention to what Ozzy was doing.
Looking back, Tony Iommi believes that Ozzy's success as a solo artist was good for everyone in his circle. "I think it was the best thing for Ozzy. It was the best thing for all of us because it made us work again," said the artist. According to him, the situation made the other members realize that something needed to be done.
"And it was great because Sharon [Osbourne] got Ozzy back in action. I mean, Ozzy went through some tough times and managed to pull himself out of it. And he still had a good band backing him up," he added.
Ozzy's departure from Black Sabbath was difficult for everyone involved. Bassist Geezer Butler said in an interview with Guitar Magazine that Ozzy's dismissal was the worst day of his career.
After a decade with the band, Ozzy had no idea what he would do on his own. Because of this, he found himself depressed and struggling with drug abuse. The artist assumed this would lead to his death. Starting a solo project with Sharon's help gave him a purpose again and forced him to pull himself together.
Iommi believes that the structure of having a band again, as well as the various hit songs, did wonders for Ozzy's prospects. It also helped draw attention to the version of Black Sabbath led by Ronnie James Dio , which released two classic albums before Dio himself went solo.
"People got two bands for the price of one, really," Iommi concluded.
