I love this song, and every time I hear it on the radio I literally melt.

Over the last few months, I've been trying to find the CD this song was on. I figured since it received regular airplay it would be on the 2 disc "The Essential Ozzy Osbourne" compilation. Nope. If it was there I would have purchased it since it had most of the songs that where on The Ozzman Cometh album I use to have.

Anyway, long story short, I've decided to quit buying CD's and just get DL's for non-VGM music anymore - so I just DL’ed it from Amazon.com. This allowed me to see what album it came from - "The Ultimate Sin" - and lead me to wonder why I've never seen a copy of this album for sale anywhere. After some research, it was clear I wasn't going to find a copy (at least a "new" copy) and I was pretty disgusted with Ozzy "the business man."

Due to unpaid royalties to some of the musicians on some of his previous albums, Ozzy has butchered his discography. In 2002 when the digital re-masters came out, a sizable chunk of the albums where deleted from his catalog - this includes 1986's "The Ultimate Sin." The other, more important albums had the performances of certain members removed and replaced to dodge legal implication.

Am I the only one disturbed by the fact a (very wealthy) musician would go this far to not pay someone and more or less desecrate a chapter of musical history? Also, what's the point of not reprinting the deleted albums but allowing them to be downloaded? IP is still IP even if it's on a disc or stored as a file - hasn't the RIAA driven that idea down out throat? When an artist creates, doesn't what they create belong to society in a certain manner of speaking? (Not legally by any means but at least spiritually?)

Things got worse when I looked up the history of the song itself:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shot_in_th … urne_song)

What makes this even more ironic was the fact Ozzy was listed as the sole composer of the song on the mp3 I downloaded - no mention of Phil Soussan - but if the previous entry is true I honestly wouldn't (and don't) credit Osbourne with having a hand in the song's creation though I'm glad he ("the artist") sang it.

What's even more ironic is "Shot in the Dark" was originally planned to be on "The Ozzman Cometh" but was replaced by "Miracle Man" due to this legal dispute. Funny how it was planned to be on a CD I did own.

So anyhow, I've never liked Sharon Osbourne or their children but now I can just say I don't like any of them. Well, with Ozzy, I like "the artist" but not "the business man."

Sounds about right, and I applaud the fact that you can make the distinction. Lots of folks give me crap because I like MJ, but the personal lives of these people have little to no bearing on the enjoyability of their music.

As for Sharon? She cemented her distaste in my eyes after the whole Iron Maiden debacle in 2005.

Oh yes, my friend who is a Big Maiden fan told me about this. To be honest, I'm not a huge Maiden fan but it is as you say, it was definately a "debacle." I also don't like her stranglehold on the bands and their performances when they perform at Ozzfest. If you're a band looking to shoot some footage there you better forget it, Sharon's long claws will come after you:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Where_the_ … s_Static-X

Wow, a little less than a year. I recently found "The Ultimate Sin" for $8.00 in the used rack at fye. Kind of dumbfounding considering it's out of print, but it felt like uncovering some kind of hidden treasure.

Again, not much of an Ozzy fan although 1995/96's "Ozzmosis" really hits the spot as well.

There is a rather interesting song on the release above: "Thank God for the Bomb." I've heard anti-nuke songs before, but never pro-nuke songs. This is an interesting take on our current situation. I'll admit it's somewhat of an erroneous point-of-view but it gets you thinking... how different would our world be without nukes and the idea they keep the world's nations in check.

Like moths to a flame
Is man ever gonna change?
Time's seen untold aggression
And infliction of pain
If that's the only thing that's stopping war

Then thank God for the bomb
Thank God for the bomb
Thank God for the bomb
Thank God for the bomb
Nuke ya, nuke ya

War is just another game
Tailor made for the insane
But make a threat of their annihilation
And nobody wants to play
If that's the only thing that keeps the peace

Then thank God for the bomb
Thank God for the bomb
Thank God for the bomb
Thank God for the bomb
Nuke ya, nuke ya

Today was tommorow, yesterday
It's funny how time can slip away
The face of the doomsday clock
Has launched a thousand wars
As we near the final hour
Time is the only foe we have

When war is obsolete
I'll thank God for war's defeat
But any talk about hell freezing over
Is all said with tongue in cheek
Until the day the war drums beat no more

I'll thank God for the bomb
Thank God for the bomb
Thank God for the bomb
Thank God for the bomb
Nuke ya, nuke ya

I used to listen to this album constantly when I was 6 or 7 years old. You're really making me feel my age.

That aside, the really amusing thing about Thank God for the Bomb is that it features on the same album as Killer of Giants, which advocates the exact opposite view. As at any other point in his life, Ozzy probably had little idea of what was going on around him.

Edit to add pedantic aside: Thank God for the Bomb is hardly a "take on our current situation" - it was inspired by the Cold War. Now that we live with the threat of suicide bombers, mutually assured destruction is no longer an effective deterrent.

Yeah, I was thinking more along the lines of recognized nations but with certain countries now (Iran, etc.) I guess that really isn't the case anymore.

Speaking of the Cold War however, there is another song - Sonata Arctica's "Destruction Preventer" I was kind of alluding to above that relates to this:

Destruction Preventer (I think there should be a "?" at the end of the title)

I'm at home where my coat's hanging,
I'm a shepherd of raising sun
I believe and trust in my land,
I control, I am in charge of
Everyone's future, red button is mine

Miss the times when I was roaring
in the center of all mankind
I said how they should live their life,
I controlled, I was in charge, now
I thought the red storm would rise and destroy us all.

    Heat in the center, destruction preventer
    If you release one, you release 'em all
    You can't defend Her, kneel down and surrender
    Your end is at hand, if they blow

If you go and have their way now,
you will never have your choice
Catch a breath of air in your lungs,
it might be your never get to
do it again because this is the end

Yesterday I saw a light, moving fast across the sky
Now I see a glow, left and right,
Stars are falling down tonight, I fear...
And the pouring rain, eating my green lawn,
leaving a stain
Never healing back to be the same

Please, tell me who won here tonight
The price, of winning worthless fight
We'll make the same mistakes again
Unless, this is truly the end

    Heat in the center, destruction preventer
    If you release one, you release 'em all
    You can't defend Her, kneel down and surrender
    Your end is at hand, if they blow