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Ozzy Osbourne Reveals ‘Ordinary Man’ Track Listing at Premiere Event

14 Feb 2020, 17:48 by Matthew Wilkening, Alex Kluft

A small group of fans and reporters got to hear Ozzy Osbourne's new album, Ordinary Man, in Los Angeles yesterday, a week before its release.

The event, which was taped for a SiriusXM special that will air on Feb. 20, also marked the first time the full track listing was revealed for Osbourne's first solo album in a decade. After Ordinary Man was played back, the singer, producer and guitarist Andrew Watt and Guns N' Roses bassist Duff MacKagan -- who called into the gathering and performs on the entire album alongside Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith -- offered their comments on each song's creation.

The basic tracks for the 10 new songs on Ordinary Man were recorded at a breakneck pace, taking advantage of a rare six-day gap in McKagan's busy schedule. "We did it in four days. Andrew was on fire," the bassist said. "I said to my daughter, 'This is how you want drums to sound, bass to sound, guitar to sound.'"

For his part, Watt confessed he had to be convinced by Smith to take on the project, ultimately deciding, "If you're the worst one in the room, you'll get the best out of you."

The producer revealed he also spent a sleepless night wondering if Osbourne liked his work after playing him the completed instrumental tracks at a dinner meeting. "Can I go now? I'll call you tomorrow," was Osbourne's only feedback. The next morning, Watt was asked a much more encouraging question: "When are we starting?"

Three weeks later, all of Osbourne's parts, plus two guitar solos from McKagan's Guns N' Roses bandmate Slash, were recorded and the album was complete. "After making 10 songs, we knew it was enough," explained Osbourne. "There's no limit to how much you can put on an album, [but] it gets boring."

In addition to the album's previously released advance tracks "Straight to Hell," "Under the Graveyard" and the Beatles-inspired Elton John duet "Ordinary Man," seven new songs were played at the listening session. Highlights include "Scary Little Green Men," which was inspired by Osbourne's love of the History Channel's UFO programs, and "Eat Me," which includes a harmonica introduction.

You can see the track listing below.

The album also includes "Take What You Want," the Post Malone collaboration that originally brought Osbourne and Watt together. "We had this instant bond," the producer said of their relationship. "We had suck a good time, we were laughing, joking, writing."

Coincidentally, the Ordinary Man listening party took place on the 50th anniversary of the release of Black Sabbath's debut album. "I can remember us recording our first album," Osbourne noted. "Had I known, 50 years, and I'd still be doing it ... . You couldn't write my story."

Ozzy Osbourne, 'Ordinary Man' Track Listing
1. "Straight to Hell"
2. "All My Life"
3. "Goodbye"
4. "Ordinary Man" (featuring Elton John)
5. "Under the Graveyard"
6. "Eat Me"
7. "Today is the End"
8. "Scary Little Green Men"
9. "Holy for Tonight"
10. "It's a Raid"
11. "Take What You Want"