Bob Daisley recently recalled how Randy Rhoads didn’t enjoy performing Black Sabbath material with Ozzy, noting that he and the guitarist were “adamant” about having a band with a name, instead of just performing as “Ozzy Osbourne.”
Randy Rhoads Was Destined To Leave Ozzy Osbourne
Given that the world got to watch Black Sabbath make rock history in real time only a few years before, it’s safe to say that Ozzy Osbourne debuted as a solo artist to great expectations. While the original Ozzy Osbourne lineup, consisting of Randy Rhoads on guitar, Lee Kerslake on drums, and Bob Daisley on bass, was a very different beast from Sabbath, the magic it had was undeniable. That magic was tragically cut short with the untimely passing of Randy Rhoads in 1981, while Daisley and Kerslake had been dismissed the year prior.
However, Daisley believes that the original Ozzy Osbourne lineup would come to an end, even if Randy Rhoads lived, and had he and Kerslake remained in the band, as the bassist said during a recent interview on the “Artists on Record” podcast that, the guitarist’s desire to return to school was unrelenting.
“It was getting to the point where Randy didn’t want to be in a rock band, because he wanted to pursue his studies and get his master’s degree. So, he wanted to leave anyway, whether we would have gotten another album, or maybe two, out of that lineup before Randy left.”
Randy Rhoads Didn’t Like Performing Black Sabbath Songs
Daisley recalled that Randy Rhoads disliked performing Black Sabbath songs during live shows, as he wasn’t a fan of the band. While they sometimes included a Sabbath medley in their UK tour, Rhoads was more focused on his classical style of playing. Daisley reflected that Rhoads’ evolving interests might have shaped future albums, though it’s impossible to know for sure.
“Randy… He didn’t like playing the Black Sabbath songs. He was not a Black Sabbath fan. We used to do a medley of Sabbath songs at the end of the set when we did the UK tour, ‘Paranoid’, ‘Iron Man’, and I think ‘Children of the Grave.’ He didn’t like doing those. But yeah, Randy was becoming more and more serious about his classical playing, so it may have lasted a third and a fourth album. I really don’t know, but it’s a nice thought. But who knows?”
