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Ozzy and Randy when they created The band!

Posted: Wed Nov 01, 2017 9:10 am
by Trigger
We all know that when ozzy and Randy began to write and build the band he was in Staffordshire/Stafford and they played some of the tracks at the pub Ozzy lived close too.

I was having dinner last night with another couple, and we were talking about about our musical heroes? I mentioned my heroe Bowie and how I like sabbath and the ozzy band and its amazing young guitarist!

The husband said his mums claim to fame was playing darts with Ozzy, a few minutes later it became clear his mum was the owner of the pub where Ozzy drank and visited while he was creating the Blizzard of Ozz.
He was too young to know anything and sadly his mother passed away about 25 years ago.
I am sorry that I couldn't get more info but it is amazing how people who had a connection back to Randy and that important time might be sitting at the same table as you, and you might never know?

Re: Ozzy and Randy when they created The band!

Posted: Wed Nov 01, 2017 11:37 pm
by orion_damage
Awesome story, a conversation with someone around during that time would be so interesting.

Re: Ozzy and Randy when they created The band!

Posted: Thu Nov 02, 2017 8:03 am
by Sky
Sorry Trigger but I would've thought that by now most of us knew that Randy didn't live with with Ozzy, Thelma & their kids in Staffordshire when he first came to England. I'm 100% sure that when he first arrived, Randy stayed at the Montcalm hotel near Marble Arch, London. Later he rented flats in Notting Hill Gate and Shepherd's Bush, both close to where I lived at the time. But what's funny about your post is that Bob Daisley brought Ozzy to my mum's pub the day that Randy arrived in the UK and that was definitely after Daisley and Ozzy had begun putting the Blizzard of Ozz together. They all drank in my mum's pub, it was across the road from where Bob lived, it was his 'local'. I used to help out in the bar or play darts with the customers after school and that's why I remember it all so clearly.

Re: Ozzy and Randy when they created The band!

Posted: Thu Nov 02, 2017 10:07 am
by Trigger
Sky wrote:Sorry Trigger but I would've thought that by now most of us knew that Randy didn't live with with Ozzy, Thelma & their kids in Staffordshire when he first came to England. I'm 100% sure that when he first arrived, Randy stayed at the Montcalm hotel near Marble Arch, London. Later he rented flats in Notting Hill Gate and Shepherd's Bush, both close to where I lived at the time. But what's funny about your post is that Bob Daisley brought Ozzy to my mum's pub the day that Randy arrived in the UK and that was definitely after Daisley and Ozzy had begun putting the Blizzard of Ozz together. They all drank in my mum's pub, it was across the road from where Bob lived, it was his 'local'. I used to help out in the bar or play darts with the customers after school and that's why I remember it all so clearly.

That might well be the case, he would have been about 8 and has no knowledge of it, his parents definitely had a pub close to where ozzy lived and ozzy was a regular visitor. But his knowledge relies on conversation with his late mother who died when he was a teenager. And we do know that Randy was in Stafford even if the rest is muddy? With Ozzy's proclivity for alcohol it is probable he took Randy to the pub and introduced him to the other locals. And as you said it doesn't really mean that they played but everyone would have known ozzy was thrown out of Sabbath and know he was likely to build a new band? After all that was his job.

It was still an unexpected link to the story of the band.

Re: Ozzy and Randy when they created The band!

Posted: Thu Nov 02, 2017 11:09 am
by Sky
I know that Ozzy sometimes stayed at Randy's flat if he came down to London, it'd make sense because his house in Staffordshire was about 160 miles away. Randy might well have stayed in Staffordshire at some point, if he did I'm sure that Ozzy would've taken him to the pub. I can well believe that Ozzy played darts with the landlady of his local. I bet there are quite of few publicans all over the UK with some very interesting stories to tell about musicians who drank in their pubs. :D

Re: Ozzy and Randy when they created The band!

Posted: Thu Nov 02, 2017 3:18 pm
by skezza
Pretty sure I read something about Bob Daisley meeting Randy at Stafford station?

Re: Ozzy and Randy when they created The band!

Posted: Thu Nov 02, 2017 8:57 pm
by Trigger
skezza wrote:Pretty sure I read something about Bob Daisley meeting Randy at Stafford station?

I have a recollection that Randy flew to Britain and went by train straight from London to Stafford.

Re: Ozzy and Randy when they created The band!

Posted: Thu Nov 02, 2017 8:58 pm
by Trigger
Trigger wrote:
skezza wrote:Pretty sure I read something about Bob Daisley meeting Randy at Stafford station?

I have a recollection that Randy flew to Britain and went by train straight from London to Stafford.
I think it might have been written on a postcard to frank?

Re: Ozzy and Randy when they created The band!

Posted: Fri Nov 03, 2017 9:44 am
by Sky
Trigger wrote:
Trigger wrote:
skezza wrote:Pretty sure I read something about Bob Daisley meeting Randy at Stafford station?

I have a recollection that Randy flew to Britain and went by train straight from London to Stafford.
I think it might have been written on a postcard to frank?
Well, it would be interesting to see the date of Frank's postcard and I'd be also be interested to see what Randy says. But I know he flew into Heathrow at the end of November '79 and that same day he had a meeting at Jet in London with David Arden, Ozzy and Bob. There's no way Randy went straight to Ozzy's, the reason that I remember so clearly is because the 3 of them had already been celebrating at Randy's hotel near Marble Arch before Bob brought Ozzy and Randy to my mum's pub. Ozzy threw up outside as they arrived. That was the first time I saw Randy. Would any of you forget that if you were in my shoes?

Re: Ozzy and Randy when they created The band!

Posted: Sat Nov 04, 2017 3:58 am
by GUITARIDOL5682
Pete Mertons mentioned a few pubs that he 'we' stayed in.
One was outside of John Henry's studios in London. Pete said that was the first time he had met Randy and put that time around December 1979. They then moved to Shepperton studios and they stayed in a local pub just outside of the studios. We had some fun and games with Randy but Ozzy was the biggest prankster of all. He was so much fun especially when he'd had a few drinks. He was a real funny guy. When we were at Shepperton, we were all staying in a pub, and it was getting wild. We had a lot of fun guys. Imagine living in a pub? They'd rehearse for a couple of hours and had the rest of the time to stay in the pub.
We lived together for a while in a place called Kensington Gardens in London in what was like a bachelor pad. That got a bit wild. I remember coming back from the pub on night with Randy and Ozzy, and someone had some mallard ducks out to dry out and season on some railings and we stole them and proceeded to get on the roof of the apartment and shoved them down the chimney. But the chimney’s were blocked so all they did was stay behind the block rotting. They are probably still there to this day.

I remember reading something in $haron O's book about her and Ozzy staying in Randy's flat and boiling up a pan of shit and other nasty stuff. They'd tip it over the drunks as they came out the pub. I'd have to read that from the book to see if it highlighted where abouts she was etc..

Re: Ozzy and Randy when they created The band!

Posted: Sat Nov 04, 2017 4:21 am
by GUITARIDOL5682
Trigger wrote:
Trigger wrote:
skezza wrote:Pretty sure I read something about Bob Daisley meeting Randy at Stafford station?

I have a recollection that Randy flew to Britain and went by train straight from London to Stafford.
I think it might have been written on a postcard to frank?
Ian it gives a good time line onto what is happening but no mention of a train from London to Stafford.

Image

Re: Ozzy and Randy when they created The band!

Posted: Sat Nov 04, 2017 7:25 am
by Sky
It's great to see Frank's postcard, thanks for posting. Randy's talking about the house in Monmouth which is on the border of England and Wales as you no doubt know. Yes, that's where the writing took place with Randy, Ozzy & Bob. They were back there in early January. I don't know where Randy stayed over Christmas when Jodi came over, I wouldn't be surprised if they stayed with Ozzy and Thelma. The postcard shows where Randy was in December.
Pete Merton's recollections seem to be a bit confused. They'd already recorded the demo in Birmingham with Dixie Lee on drums before they went to Shepperton in March to continue auditioning drummers. That's where Lee Kerslake's audition took place
Randy's flat was in Vicarage Gardens, Notting Hill Gate. My secondary school was near there. Kensington Gardens is the name of the park :D
Cheers Shaun, I enjoyed that.

Re: Ozzy and Randy when they created The band!

Posted: Sat Nov 04, 2017 9:19 am
by Trigger
Thanks Shaun, that has certainly answered that quiery? Unless their was another card but I only remember seeing the one.
But I do remember reading about Randy taking a train to Stafford station? I wonder if it was in some of bobs answers to us from a few years ago. I do remember that when it was mentioned here I spoke with joe about meeting at Stafford station to take photographs so they could be added here, to give that location some context? And I seem to recall that Stafford station wasn't a huge distance from the house Ozzy shared with Thelma.

Sky, how far is St John Wood from where the pub was? I only ask because SJW features in the early story and that where I thought RR was living in London?

Re: Ozzy and Randy when they created The band!

Posted: Sat Nov 04, 2017 12:00 pm
by Sky
It was about 3 miles from my mum's pub to St John's Wood. To try to give you an idea of the area, the hotel that Randy stayed in was near Marble Arch, it took about 5 minutes to walk from there to Jet Records office in Gloucester Place which was near Baker Street station. From there it's a straight walk to Abbey Road Studios which is in St John's Wood. It was all really close when you think about it.
You're right, Randy and Bob took the train from Stafford station back to London. Ozzy's house was in Ranton, it was a small village back then, about 4 miles away from the station.
I think it helps to know where places are especially when there are different versions of what happened and when, but maybe that's just the way my mind works.
I remember reading an article with Jake saying that he went up to Scotland to record BATM, and I was thinking, no you didn't mate you recorded it at Ridge Farm which is about 500 miles from there in the south of England :D
Cheers, Troy

Re: Ozzy and Randy when they created The band!

Posted: Sat Nov 04, 2017 12:03 pm
by GUITARIDOL5682
Sky wrote:It's great to see Frank's postcard, thanks for posting. Randy's talking about the house in Monmouth which is on the border of England and Wales as you no doubt know. Yes, that's where the writing took place with Randy, Ozzy & Bob. They were back there in early January. I don't know where Randy stayed over Christmas when Jodi came over, I wouldn't be surprised if they stayed with Ozzy and Thelma. The postcard shows where Randy was in December.
Pete Merton's recollections seem to be a bit confused. They'd already recorded the demo in Birmingham with Dixie Lee on drums before they went to Shepperton in March to continue auditioning drummers. That's where Lee Kerslake's audition took place
Randy's flat was in Vicarage Gardens, Notting Hill Gate. My secondary school was near there. Kensington Gardens is the name of the park :D
Cheers Shaun, I enjoyed that.
This card is post dated 20th December 1979 and he is in Wales. So everything that happened in London would now be history John Henry's, Shepperton studios etc. Judy stayed with Randy over Christmas at the house in Monmouth. Bob's book shows both her and Randy together. So that would bring the time line up to the New Year January 1980. I do remember another postcard that Randy sent to Kevin Dubrow which mentions more info about where he is staying. I'll see if i can find it.