Bob Daisley and Lee Kerslake vs. the Osbournes

Hi Everyone. I know this issue has been beaten to death, but I need to make some comments about it...mostly to shut up some obnoxious hard-core Ozzy fans.

On this particular post: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4f_mQcpNuNA, a discussion about the afforementioned issue has begun with myself and a user by the name of TheJayDeeOldBoy. I need to clarify some stuff about this issue before I go into my argument. This user previously went by the name "Sabbath370". Some of my longtime subscribers may remember him. He was an obnoxious jerk who pretty much had a hard-on for Ozzy Osbourne, hated Dio, hated anyone who argued against Ozzy's contributions to anything, and then when asked to prove his arguments, never could. He thinks he's some kind of expert, but in all reality, he doesn't know shit. He might be the British version of Scott Lifshine (some of you know who he is as well, and that should tell you something). His account was banned by YouTube long before the crusade that groups like WMG have taken on, and I'm fairly sure he was banned by YouTube simply because everything he said was idiotic, annoying, and 100% incorrect. He's like a troll, except trolls usually just do it for attention. He does it because he actually thinks he's correct.

Anyway, as most of you are aware, Bob Daisley and Lee Kerslake were the original bassist and drummer for Ozzy Osbourne's solo band. They played and were credited on the first album, and also recorded the music for the second album, "Diary of A Madman". However, an issue arose about money. Daisley and Kerslake weren't being paid. Then, while on a vacation, Daisley and Kerslake were both fired, completely out of the blue. Rudy Sarzo and Tommy Aldridge were brought in AND given credit for the work on the album, despite the fact they never played a single note. Daisley and Kerslake later sued the Osbournes in 1987 and won a settlement.

I have a book in my personal rock library (that is still quite small), called "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath: The Battle for Black Sabbath", by Garry-Sharpe Young. It consists of many great interviews, although it takes from both the book "Black Sabbath: Never Say Die" and "Ozzy Osbourne: Rockdetector" (both written by Sharpe-Young). It's a good book to have if you want a perspective without shelling out for the latter, which I didn't. There's a good selection on page 59, where Aldridge said this:

"I remember someone (who shall remain nameless) trying to get me to rerecord the drums [on Diary]. I declined saying I couldn't approve upon what he [Kerslake] did. I didn't know it at the time, but I was being approached not to 'improve', but only to 'replace' his performance. I didn't know why but I can only imagine."

That was back in 1982 already. Oddly enough, Daisley returned to the fold and wrote 95% of the lyrics and some of the music for the following three albums after this (mostly because Ozzy's new musicians couldn't write shit either), through "No Rest of the Wicked". He also wrote lyrics for "No More Tears", but these were not used and other musicians and writers wrote that album for Ozzy. The entire Osbourne catalogue was remasted in 1995, and for the first time, people were able to pick up some of the original albums on CD. The catalogue was remastered again in 2002, but here's some important stuff to know:

1) The first two albums have the drums and bass entirely replaced by Mike Bordin and Robert Trujillo, effectively ruining them. (They sound like shit!)
and
2) 'Ultimate Sin' and 'Speak of the Devil' were completely deleted from the catalogue. (Good luck trying to buy those).

All this was done simply because Sharon didn't want Bob Daisley to get royalties for his work on the first two albums, and Ultimate Sin. I suppose there was no way to screw up the other two albums to prevent Bob Daisley from getting royalities from those either, but I doubt he's even getting paid anyway. If you're not aware, you can tell the difference between the '95 remasters and the '02 remasters by the CD cover. The former have "OZZY" in big letters with a small picture of the album, while the '02 remasters have the normal, full-sized cover. If you're looking to hear the original...go to Ebay and look online. They are still around. I actually bought "Ultimate Sin" brand new at Best Buy just over three years ago (2005)...so there's still hope.

So basically, if TheJayDeeOldBoy starts spewing nonsense from his piehole, don't listen to a word he says. Bob Daisley has been criminally mistreated by the Osbournes, and without him, Ozzy wouldn't be shit. That's right. Need further proof, look at the lyrics to Sabbath's "The Eternal Idol"...guess who wrote those?...

Bob Daisley...again.

I'm not going to repeat too much of the discussion on the YouTube page, but just so you are all aware, Ozzy admitted in 2004 that Daisley was the main lyric writer for ALL of his 80's output. Some fans still claim that in '82, Randy Rhoads said that him and Ozzy wrote it and that Bob Daisley didn't. That's a lie, and this is where I can use my history degree (which is given when one figures out how to sift through sources and determine was is actually fact, and what is actually bullshit) to explain why it's a lie. It's actually common sense. Do you really think that in 1982, Randy is going to go to an interview, with Ozzy at his side and Sharon probably in the backroom, and freely say on Radio/TV that an outsider and persona non grata in the Osbourne camp wrote "Diary of a Madman". You bet your ass he wouldn't. You can pretty much write that one off you Ozzy fans. Don't be so gullible...

Anyway, Daisley attempted to sue again in 2002, but his case was dismissed. He hasn't said much about it, but claims that outside influence and threats against him were made if he chose to pursue the matter. He has a book coming out about it, and when it comes out, I'm probably going to purchase it. Besides his work with Ozzy, he's also worked with Sabbath, Gary Moore, Rainbow, and some other amazing musicians. Probably a good buy for any rock music fan.

So anti-Daisley fans...I'll be looking forward to your arguments over at YouTube.

Oh, and TheJayDeeOldBoy...good luck trying to create the "Soon to be best channel for Black Sabbath, Ozzy Osbourne and other related videos". I can't even say that with a straight face.