The Ozzman Cometh

The Ozzman Cometh
Compilation album by Ozzy Osbourne
Released	11 November 1997
Recorded	1970 1980–1997
Genre	Heavy metal [1] hard rock [1]
Length	77:00
Label	Epic
Producer	Roy Thomas Baker Duane Baron Michael Beinhorn Ron Nevison Max Norman Keith Olsen Ozzy Osbourne John Purdell Randy Rhoads
Ozzy Osbourne chronology
Ozzmosis (1995) The Ozzman Cometh (1997) Down to Earth (2001)
Singles from The Ozzman Cometh
"Back on Earth" Released: 1997

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]

The Ozzman Cometh is a compilation album by British heavy metal singer Ozzy Osbourne released in 1997. It is his third greatest hits collection. Its initial, limited-edition 2-CD pressing contained five previously unreleased songs. Versions released in 2002 later have only one disc, and the song "Shot in the Dark" is replaced by "Miracle Man". This was due to a legal action brought about by the song's co-writer, Phil Soussan, for unpaid royalties.

The CD version is digitally labeled as The Ozzman Cometh: Greatest Hits. The tracks "Black Sabbath", "War Pigs", "Fairies Wear Boots", and "Behind the Wall of Sleep" are performed by Osbourne's previous band Black Sabbath during a 26 April 1970 performance on the BBC Radio 1 show "John Peel's Sunday Show", conducted by British DJ John Peel. "Fairies Wear Boots" and "War Pigs" are early versions of tracks that would be recorded and released on the band's second album Paranoid with new lyrics.

Track listing

Disc one

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Originally from	Length
1.	"Black Sabbath" (previously unreleased, featuring extra verse not on album Black Sabbath (1970))	Ozzy Osbourne Tony Iommi Geezer Butler Bill Ward	"The John Peel Sessions" of 26 April 1970	9:25
2.	"War Pigs" (previously unreleased, early version titled "Walpurgis" with different lyrics)	Osbourne Iommi Butler Ward	"The John Peel Sessions" of 26 April 1970	8:15
3.	"Goodbye to Romance"	Osbourne Randy Rhoads Bob Daisley	Blizzard of Ozz (1980)	5:35
4.	"Crazy Train"	Osbourne Rhoads Daisley	Blizzard of Ozz	4:51
5.	"Mr. Crowley"	Osbourne Rhoads Daisley	Blizzard of Ozz	4:56
6.	"Over the Mountain"	Osbourne Rhoads Daisley Lee Kerslake	Diary of a Madman (1981)	4:32
7.	"Paranoid" (live)	Osbourne Iommi Butler Ward	Tribute (1987)	2:53
8.	"Bark at the Moon"	Osbourne Jake E. Lee Daisley	Bark at the Moon (1983)	4:17
9.	"Shot in the Dark" (original release) "Miracle Man" (2002 reissue)	Osborne Phil Soussan Osbourne Wylde Daisley	The Ultimate Sin (1986) No Rest for the Wicked (1988)	4:17 3:44
10.	"Crazy Babies"	Osbourne Zakk Wylde Daisley Randy Castillo	No Rest for the Wicked	4:14
11.	"No More Tears" (radio edit)	Osbourne Wylde Mike Inez Castillo John Purdell	No More Tears (1991)	5:54
12.	"Mama, I'm Coming Home"	Osbourne Wylde Lemmy Kilmister	No More Tears	4:11
13.	"I Don't Want to Change the World" (live)	Osbourne Wylde Castillo Kilmister	Live & Loud (1993)	4:00
14.	"I Just Want You"	Osbourne Jim Vallance	Ozzmosis (1995)	4:57
15.	"Back on Earth" (previously unreleased)	Richard Supa Taylor Rhodes	Ozzmosis sessions	5:00

Disc two

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Originally from	Length
1.	"Fairies Wear Boots" (previously unreleased)	Osbourne Iommi Butler Ward	"The John Peel Sessions" of 26 April 1970	6:53
2.	"Behind the Wall of Sleep" (previously unreleased)	Osbourne Iommi Butler Ward	"The John Peel Sessions" of 26 April 1970	5:09
3.	"Walk on Water" (Japanese edition bonus track)	Osbourne Vallance	Beavis and Butt-Head Do America soundtrack (1996)	4:19
4.	"Pictures of Matchstick Men" (Status Quo cover, recorded with Type O Negative, Japanese edition bonus track)	Francis Rossi	Private Parts: The Album (1997)	6:05
5.	"Interview with Ozzy 1988"			17:45

Charts

Album Year Chart Position 1997 Australian Albums (ARIA) [3] 62 Canadian Albums Chart [4] 7 Swedish Albums Chart [5] 21 UK Albums Chart [6] 68 US Billboard 200 [4] 13 1998 New Zealand Albums Chart [7] 12 2002 Finnish Albums Chart [8] 7

Singles Year Single Chart Position 1997 "Back on Earth" Mainstream Rock (USA) [9] 3

Certifications and sales

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada) [10]	Platinum	100,000^
Czech Republic	—	28,000 [11]
Finland (Musiikkituottajat) [12]	Gold	31,901 [12]
United States (RIAA) [13]	2× Platinum	2,000,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. Allmusic: The Ozzman Cometh
2. Weber, Barry. "Ozzy Osbourne - The Ozzman Cometh: Greatest Hits review". AllMusic . All Media Network . Retrieved 22 November 2015.
3. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 210.
4. "The Ozzman Cometh: Greatest Hits Billboard Albums". AllMusic . All Media Network . Retrieved 22 November 2015.
5. "Ozzy Osbourne – The Ozzman Cometh (Album)". Swedishcharts.com. Media Control Charts . Retrieved 22 November 2015.
6. "Ozzy Osbourne Official Charts". Official Charts Company . Retrieved 25 October 2015.
7. "Ozzy Osbourne – The Ozzman Cometh (Album)". charts.nz. Media Control Charts . Retrieved 22 November 2015.
8. "Ozzy Osbourne – The Ozzman Cometh (Album)". Finnishcharts.com. Media Control Charts . Retrieved 22 November 2015.
9. "The Ozzman Cometh: Greatest Hits Billboard Singles". AllMusic . All Media Network . Retrieved 22 November 2015.
10. "Canadian album certifications – Ozzy Osbourne – The Ozzman Cometh". Music Canada . Retrieved 19 June 2019.
11. Legge, Michelle (21 March 1998). "Global Music Pulse - Czech Republic". Billboard. p. 59. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
12. "Ozzy Osbourne" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland . Retrieved 19 June 2019.
13. "American album certifications – Ozzy Osbourne – The Ozzman Cometh". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved 19 June 2019.