Ozzy Osbourne Has More Songs Featuring Taylor Hawkins

Ozzy Osbourne producer Andrew Watt revealed that the Black Sabbath legend recorded several unreleased tracks with Taylor Hawkins, which will be released at some point.

The singer didn't meet Foo Fighters drummer Hawkins before he took part in sessions for Osbourne's new album Patient Number 9. The late drummer is heard on three tracks, for which he also received writing credits. In a Rolling Stone article featuring parts of an Osbourne interview that didn't previously run, it was noted that more tracks featuring Hawkins existed.

“Watt enlisted two drummers on Patient Number 9: the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Chad Smith and Foo Fighters’ Taylor Hawkins, who died unexpectedly this past March,” the story explained. “Watt says there are more recordings with Hawkins, to whom Osbourne dedicated the album. ‘There’s a bunch of other stuff with Ozzy and Taylor, as well, that’s going to be used for another thing,’ the producer says.”

In the same article, Billy Idol guitarist Billy Morrison said longtime friend Osbourne didn’t get enough credit for his understanding of music. “Ozzy will sit and listen to a piece of music and he’ll point out a fucking cowbell that no one else has heard,” Morrison said. “And he’ll go, ‘That cowbell’s too loud.’ Or he’ll say, ‘There’s something up with the bass in the verse. And upon looking at it, the frequency’s wrong or some shit like that.’ He has an ear that hears everything. It’s really incredible. And I’ve got to tell you, having recorded songs with him, it’s mind-blowing.”

Morrison went on to recall the experience of working with Osbourne on the song “Gods,” which was included on his 2015 solo album, God Shaped Hole. “He was only there 20 minutes,” the guitarist said. “He came in, he walked into the vocal booth and he went, ‘Right, I’m ready.’ And we ran the song. He nailed it, one take. And when he finished, he said, ‘OK, now quickly do it again.’ … He said to [producer] Mike [Clink], ‘Do you have what you want?’ And Mike’s jaw was on the floor. He went, ‘Yeah.’ And Oz looks at me and went, ‘All right, Billy, I’ll see you later.’ And he fucked off.”

Watt also revealed Osbourne’s secret to making heavy music: “He said to me, ‘When you listen to Sabbath or Zeppelin, what’s the loudest thing in the mix? … Bass is the loudest thing. That’s what makes it so heavy. And if you listen to [Zeppelin’s] ‘Whole Lotta Love,’ ‘Heartbreaker’ or ‘Dazed and Confused,’ the bass is allowed to sing, and that’s what makes it so heavy.’”