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Black Rain (Ozzy Osbourne album)

 

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Black Rain (Ozzy Osbourne album)



 
 
Black Rain is the title of Ozzy Osbourne
Ozzy Osbourne

John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne is a Grammy Award winning England singer-songwriter, whose career has now spanned four decades. Osbourne rose to prominence as lead vocalist of pioneering English heavy metal music band Black Sabbath, and eventually achieved a multi-RIAA certification solo career which revolutionized the heavy metal genre....
's ninth studio album, released 22 May 2007 on Epic Records
Epic Records

Epic Records is an United States record label. It is owned and operated by Sony Music Entertainment. The label was founded in 1953 as a jazz label, and was eventually expanded to several genres of music....
.

lack Rain is the follow up to Osbourne's 2001 release Down to Earth
Down to Earth (Ozzy Osbourne album)

Down to Earth the eighth album by Ozzy Osbourne, released on October 16, 2001 . Released as an Enhanced CD, it was the long awaited follow-up to his 1995 studio release Ozzmosis....
. Short previews of most of the songs are available on ozzy.com, and the first single, "I Don't Wanna Stop
I Don't Wanna Stop

"I Don't Wanna Stop" is a Grammy nominated single from heavy metal singer Ozzy Osbourne's 9th studio album, Black Rain . The song was first announced and released through Ozzy's website....
", was released on Ozzy.com on April 13th.

Osbourne has stated that this is the first album he has recorded sober. It featured a new musical style for him and was his first album to feature elements of industrial metal
Industrial metal

Industrial metal is a musical genre that draws from industrial music and Heavy metal music, using repeating Heavy metal music Electric guitar riffs, sampling , synthesizer or music sequencer lines, and distorted vocals....
 and thrash metal
Thrash metal

Thrash metal , is an extreme metal subgenre of heavy metal music that is characterized by its fast tempo and aggression. Thrash metal songs typically use fast, percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with Shred guitar-style lead work....
.






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Encyclopedia


Black Rain is the title of Ozzy Osbourne
Ozzy Osbourne

John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne is a Grammy Award winning England singer-songwriter, whose career has now spanned four decades. Osbourne rose to prominence as lead vocalist of pioneering English heavy metal music band Black Sabbath, and eventually achieved a multi-RIAA certification solo career which revolutionized the heavy metal genre....
's ninth studio album, released 22 May 2007 on Epic Records
Epic Records

Epic Records is an United States record label. It is owned and operated by Sony Music Entertainment. The label was founded in 1953 as a jazz label, and was eventually expanded to several genres of music....
.

History

Black Rain is the follow up to Osbourne's 2001 release Down to Earth
Down to Earth (Ozzy Osbourne album)

Down to Earth the eighth album by Ozzy Osbourne, released on October 16, 2001 . Released as an Enhanced CD, it was the long awaited follow-up to his 1995 studio release Ozzmosis....
. Short previews of most of the songs are available on ozzy.com, and the first single, "I Don't Wanna Stop
I Don't Wanna Stop

"I Don't Wanna Stop" is a Grammy nominated single from heavy metal singer Ozzy Osbourne's 9th studio album, Black Rain . The song was first announced and released through Ozzy's website....
", was released on Ozzy.com on April 13th.

Osbourne has stated that this is the first album he has recorded sober. It featured a new musical style for him and was his first album to feature elements of industrial metal
Industrial metal

Industrial metal is a musical genre that draws from industrial music and Heavy metal music, using repeating Heavy metal music Electric guitar riffs, sampling , synthesizer or music sequencer lines, and distorted vocals....
 and thrash metal
Thrash metal

Thrash metal , is an extreme metal subgenre of heavy metal music that is characterized by its fast tempo and aggression. Thrash metal songs typically use fast, percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with Shred guitar-style lead work....
. Though his lyrical style remained similar to before, the album featured many elements not seen in previous albums, such as distorted vocals, heavier guitars, and the higher usage of synthesizer
Synthesizer

A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing a variety of sounds by generating and combining signals of different frequency....
s. The latter may be because of the fact that this is the first album to not feature a keyboardist
Keyboardist

A keyboardist is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either piano or organ ....
 in Osbourne's backup band, and guitarist
Guitarist

A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may perform solo pieces or play with ensembles and bands of a wide variety of genres....
 Zakk Wylde
Zakk Wylde

Zakk Wylde is an American musician, who is best known for his roles as a guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne and founder of heavy metal music band Black Label Society....
 filled the spot for the album, and sometimes chose to add a keyboard solo
Piano solo

The piano is often used to provide harmony accompaniment to a singer or other instrument . However, solo parts for the piano can be found in some musical styles....
 to a song rather than a guitar solo.

The album was released in several different versions. The original US version was released in a thin, brown digipak with the crowned skull Ozzy logo (pictured lower right), and for the rest of the world, it was released in a standard jewel case featuring cover art of Osbourne with "Black Rain" falling (pictured right). This cover included a booklet complete with lyrics and album credits. The US version did not include a booklet, lyrics, or album credits. The Japanese release was the same as the other releases outside of the US, except for the fact that it included two bonus tracks, "I Can't Save You," and "Nightmare." The iTunes release of the album included the aforementioned "Nightmare," plus an exclusive bonus track, (only for those who preordered through iTunes) "Love to Hate." It also included a printable pdf file of the booklet, complete with lyrics and album credits. This same booklet was later made available as a free pdf download from Osbourne's website on 1 June. The song "I Don't Wanna Stop" was also featured as the theme song for WWE Judgment Day 2007
Judgment Day (2007)

Judgment Day was the ninth annual WWE Judgment Day professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on May 20, 2007 from the Scottrade Center in St....
.

Releases

In the US, limited edition copies of the album were sold, with special codes inside of the packets. The codes were for a pair of OzzFest
Ozzfest

Ozzfest is an annual festival tour of the United States featuring performances by many heavy metal music and hard rock musical groups. It was founded by Ozzy Osbourne and his wife Sharon Osbourne, both of whom also organize each yearly tour with their son Jack Osbourne....
 2007 tickets. OzzFest 2007 was nicknamed "Freefest" because all tickets were free.

The album was reissued in the US on August 14th in a new jewel-case package containing the full booklet with lyrics and new colour cover art and photos, also containing CD extra bonus content featuring behind-the-scenes footage from the "Black Rain" photo shoot.

A "tour edition" version of the album was released on November 20, 2007. This release includes an extra CD with 3 recently recorded live tracks and 3 studio tracks originally available on international releases and/or digital versions.

Track listing

All songs written by Ozzy Osbourne, Zakk Wylde, and Kevin Churko except where noted.
  1. "Not Going Away
    Not Going Away

    "Not Going Away" is the second Single released from Ozzy Osbourne's 2007 album Black Rain . The single peaked at number 14 on Billboard s Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks....
    " - 4:32
  2. "I Don't Wanna Stop
    I Don't Wanna Stop

    "I Don't Wanna Stop" is a Grammy nominated single from heavy metal singer Ozzy Osbourne's 9th studio album, Black Rain . The song was first announced and released through Ozzy's website....
    " - 3:59
  3. "Black Rain
    Black Rain (song)

    "Black Rain" is the third Single from Ozzy Osbourne's ninth studio album Black Rain . The single peaked at number 19 on Billboard s Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks....
    " - 4:42
  4. "Lay Your World on Me" - 4:16
  5. "The Almighty Dollar
    The Almighty Dollar (Ozzy Osbourne song)

    The Almighty Dollar is an industrial metal song by Ozzy Osbourne from his 2007 album Black Rain . It is the fifth track on the album.The song's lyrics blame the intentional ignoring of problems such as global warming and pollution due to greed on the condition our planet is in....
    " (Osbourne, Churko) - 6:57
  6. "11 Silver
    11 Silver

    "11 Silver" is a track on Ozzy Osbourne's new album Black Rain . Osbourne has described the song to be about "our world", although some reports have said the song is about being addicted to methamphetamines....
    " - 3:42
  7. "Civilize the Universe" - 4:43
  8. "Here for You" - 4:37
  9. "Countdown's Begun" - 4:53
  10. "Trap Door" (Osbourne, Churko) - 4:03


Tour Edition bonus tracks

  1. "I Don't Wanna Stop
    I Don't Wanna Stop

    "I Don't Wanna Stop" is a Grammy nominated single from heavy metal singer Ozzy Osbourne's 9th studio album, Black Rain . The song was first announced and released through Ozzy's website....
    " (Live) - 3:44
  2. "Not Going Away
    Not Going Away

    "Not Going Away" is the second Single released from Ozzy Osbourne's 2007 album Black Rain . The single peaked at number 14 on Billboard s Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks....
    " (Live) - 4:36
  3. "Here for You" (Live) - 4:51
  4. "Nightmare" (originally a Japanese and iTunes
    ITunes

    iTunes is a Proprietary software digital media media player application, used for playing and organizing digital music and video files. The program is also an interface to manage the contents on Apple's popular iPod digital media players as well as the iPhone....
     Bonus Track) - 4:40
  5. "I Can't Save You" (originally a Japanese Bonus Track) - 3:32
  6. "Love to Hate" (originally an iTunes
    ITunes

    iTunes is a Proprietary software digital media media player application, used for playing and organizing digital music and video files. The program is also an interface to manage the contents on Apple's popular iPod digital media players as well as the iPhone....
     pre-order only Bonus track) - 3:57

Album sales

Black Rain debuted at #3 on the U.S. Billboard 200
Billboard 200

The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling Albums and extended play in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine....
, selling about 152,000 copies in its first week.; making it Osbourne's highest debut to date. It peaked at number 37 on the Australian ARIA Album Chart
ARIA Charts

File:ARIA Charts Logo.pngThe ARIA charts are the main Australia record charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling single and albums in various genres in Australia....
. As of September 29, 2007, the album has sold 406,053 copies in the US, and has been declared Gold
Gold

Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and atomic number 79. It is a highly sought-after precious metal, having been used as money, as a store of value, in jewelry, in sculpture, and for ornamentation since the beginning of recorded history....
.

World Album Sales

Week Position Sales
Nº 3 228,000
Nº 7 110,000
Nº 18 79,000
Nº 21 74,000
Nº 31 47,000
Nº 40 42,000
  Total 580,000+

Singles chart history

Billboard (North America)

Appearances in other media


Television

  • "I Don't Wanna Stop
    I Don't Wanna Stop

    "I Don't Wanna Stop" is a Grammy nominated single from heavy metal singer Ozzy Osbourne's 9th studio album, Black Rain . The song was first announced and released through Ozzy's website....
    " was performed live by Osbourne on
    WWE Friday Night SmackDown on May 18, 2007.
  • Osbourne performed on the Jimmy Kimmel Show on May 21st and May 22nd.
  • Osbourne appeared on the second annual VH1 Rock Honors
    VH1 Rock Honors

    The VH1 Rock Honors are an annual ceremony that pays homage to bands who influenced the sound of rock music. This began in 2006, and VH1 has held one of the ceremonies annually ever since....
    , and performed three songs, "Crazy Train
    Crazy Train

    "Crazy Train" is a heavy metal music song written by Ozzy Osbourne, Randy Rhoads and Bob Daisley. It was released in 1980 on the album Blizzard of Ozz....
    ", "Bark at the Moon
    Bark at the Moon

    Bark at the Moon is a Heavy metal music album by Ozzy Osbourne, released on December 10, 1983. This album features former Mickey Ratt, Rough Cutt, and Dio guitarist Jake E....
    " and "I Don't Wanna Stop
    I Don't Wanna Stop

    "I Don't Wanna Stop" is a Grammy nominated single from heavy metal singer Ozzy Osbourne's 9th studio album, Black Rain . The song was first announced and released through Ozzy's website....
    ". It was aired on May 24, 2007 on VH1
    VH1

    VH1 is an United States cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in television, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slighter older demographic than its sister channel, focusing on the lighter, softer side of popular music....
     (TV airing cut the "Bark at the Moon" performance, but it airs as a music video on shows like Rock Fest and Metal Mania.)
  • Osbourne appeared on BBC1's Friday Night with Jonathan Ross
    Friday Night with Jonathan Ross

    Friday Night with Jonathan Ross is a comical chat show presented by Jonathan Ross . It is on the United Kingdom terrestrial TV channel BBC One and is broadcast at 10.35pm on Friday nights....
     on May 25, 2007 and performed "I Don't Wanna Stop".
  • Osbourne performed "Not Going Away
    Not Going Away

    "Not Going Away" is the second Single released from Ozzy Osbourne's 2007 album Black Rain . The single peaked at number 14 on Billboard s Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks....
    " on Spike's Scream Award Ceremony.


Video games

  • Also appears on Madden Football 2008 video game.
  • The song "I Don't Wanna Stop
    I Don't Wanna Stop

    "I Don't Wanna Stop" is a Grammy nominated single from heavy metal singer Ozzy Osbourne's 9th studio album, Black Rain . The song was first announced and released through Ozzy's website....
    " is featured in the video game Guitar Hero: On Tour
    Guitar Hero: On Tour

    Guitar Hero: On Tour is a music video game for the Nintendo DS system, based on the Guitar Hero series of video games. The game is developed by Vicarious Visions and published by RedOctane and Activision....
     on the Nintendo DS.


Personnel

  • Ozzy Osbourne
    Ozzy Osbourne

    John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne is a Grammy Award winning England singer-songwriter, whose career has now spanned four decades. Osbourne rose to prominence as lead vocalist of pioneering English heavy metal music band Black Sabbath, and eventually achieved a multi-RIAA certification solo career which revolutionized the heavy metal genre....
     - Vocals
  • Zakk Wylde
    Zakk Wylde

    Zakk Wylde is an American musician, who is best known for his roles as a guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne and founder of heavy metal music band Black Label Society....
     - Guitar, keyboards, backing vocals
  • Rob "Blasko" Nicholson
    Rob Nicholson (musician)

    Rob "Blasko" Nicholson is a Hard rock bassist who was born on November 24, 1969. His influences include the rock bands Iron Maiden, Mot?rhead, and Corrosion of Conformity....
     - Bass
  • Mike Bordin
    Mike Bordin

    Mike Bordin is a drummer and co-founder of Faith No More. He now plays with Ozzy Osbourne. Notably for a left-handed drummer, he plays a right-handed kit with his ride cymbal on the left....
     - Drums
  • Kevin Churko - Producer, Engineer, Mixer
  • Zack Fagan - Additional Engineering
  • Joshua Marc Levy - Art Direction and New Logo Design