The band Ozzy said that could have been the next Rolling Stones

Ozzy Osbourne helped to form Black Sabbath in 1968, the band that would create Heavy Metal music and start a huge movement that would influence countless groups in the following years. They quickly became in the early 70s one of the most successful and influential bands in the world. He also managed to reach even bigger audiences on his own when he started his solo career in the 80s.

He had the opportunity to see the evolution of Rock and Roll music up-close since the late 60s and see many bands reach their peak. But some of them threw it all away because they split-up in their prime. He enven named one band that in his opinion could have been the next Rolling Stones.

The band that Ozzy Osbourne said that could have been the next Rolling Stones

After being fired from Black Sabbath in the late 70s, Ozzy Osbourne officially started his successful solo career in 1980 with the release of his praised album “Blizzard of Ozz”. That record featured the late legendary guitarist Randy Rhoads. Always working with accomplished musicians, Ozzy was able to quickly become during that decade one of the most important Metal musicians in the world. So he is one of the few who were able to be successful in that genre as part of a band and as a solo act.

But during those years Rock and Roll and Metal were loosing their roots again. Because they were being overshadowed by all the fashion and the extravagant looks of the so called “Hair Metal”. But in 1987, a band formed in Los Angeles released their groundbreaking debut album that made them huge stars overnight. “Appetite for Destruction” was the first record released by Guns N’ Roses and Ozzy said to VH1 Radio Networks‘ in 2010 that he once told the guitarist Slash that they could have been the next Rolling Stones.

He talked with Slash when he was part of the musician’s first solo record released in 2010. He sang on the song “Crucify The Dead” and he made some changes in the lyrics. As Ozzy revelead, he wrote thinking about what Guns N’ Roses could have been.

“Slash sent me the music of it. I worked on the melody and some lyrics for him. What I did with the lyrics, I thought, what’s always gotten me about the Guns N’ Roses guys. I say to Slash all the time. ‘Do you realize what you guys did? You’ll never understand.”

Ozzy continued:

“You guys could’ve been the next Rolling Stones. The next superband! And what I wrote in the song, ‘Crucify The Dead’, is if I were Slash, what I would send in a message to Axl,” Ozzy Osbourne said.

The Guns N’ Roses classic line-up started to fall apart when Steve Adler was fired in 1990 and Izzy Stradlin left the group in 1991. It really became Axl Rose‘s band after Slash left in 1996 and Duff McKagan also quit in 1997. The guitarist and bassist only returned in 2016 and since then are part of the group. Although they have been touring around the world and playing for millions of fans during the last years they didn’t released a new album.

The most recent one featuring Slash and Duff is the covers album “The Spaghetti Incident?” released in 1993. After that Guns N’ Roses released “Chinese Democracy” in 2008, which had only Axl from that first successful line-up.

He picked “Appetite for Destruction” as one of his favorite albums of all time

Ozzy Osbourne told Rolling Stone in 2017 that “Appetite for Destruction” is one of his favorite albums of all time. He even said that the record is one of the best debut records in history. Which is something that Ozzy understands since Black Sabbath’s first album and Ozzy’s “Blizzard Of Ozz” are frequently featured on lists from the best debuts in music. “One of the greatest debut albums of all time. There’s not a weak song in the bunch. I never get tired of hearing it,” Ozzy said.

Curiously, Ozzy and Guns N’ Roses battled in record sales in 1991 when both acts released praised records in the same day. The British singer released the album “No More Tears” and the American band “Use Your Illusion” I & II in Sept. 17, 1991. Talking with Alice Cooper on his radio show “Night With Alice Cooper” in 2005, Ozzy had already praised the band. He said that they were the biggest tragedy of the last two decades.

“The tragedy of the last 20 years was Guns N’ Roses. They were well up there. Then Axl read the tealeaves in his cup and went nuts or something,” Ozzy said.

Slash and Duff already recorded with Ozzy many times

During the last decade Ozzy had the opportunity to work with Slash and Duff McKagan. Both artists were part of an all-star line-up that helped Ozzy to make the solo records “Ordinary Man” (2020) and “Patient Number 9” (2022). But the first time that Ozzy was with Slash in a song was when both of them were guests on one of the few ballads that Motörhead ever recorded. Both artists appeared on the song “I Ain’t No Nice Guy” released in 1992 on the album “March ör Die”. They were good friends of the late bassist and singer Lemmy Kilmister.