Having recently celebrated the 30th anniversary of his “No More Tears” album with an expanded digital audio release, Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductee and Grammy-winning singer and songwriter Ozzy Osbourne will mark another album anniversary this month. To commemorate the 20th anniversary of 2001’s “Down To Earth”, three rare Ozzy tracks — “No Place For Angels”, “Dreamer” (Acoustic Version) and “Gets Me Through” (Single Version) — will be released on October 15 on digital platforms as part of a 20th anniversary expanded digital edition.
The platinum-selling “Down To Earth” was Ozzy‘s eighth album and reached #4 on the Billboard Top 200 chart in the U.S and #19 on the U.K. Albums chart. It produced two Top 10 singles on the U.S. Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart: “Gets Me Through” and “Dreamer”. Recorded in Los Angeles and produced by Tim Palmer, who co-wrote some of the album’s songs with Ozzy, the album’s players include Ozzy‘s longtime collaborator and guitarist Zakk Wylde along with bassist Robert Trujillo (METALLICA) and drummer Mike Bordin (FAITH NO MORE).
Rolling Stone said of the album: “Ozzy Osbourne is the most sentimental man in metal — and tough enough to let it show in ‘Gets Me Through’ and ‘Dreamer’, the two best songs on ‘Down To Earth’. The first is a thumping thanksgiving, Osbourne‘s admission that he is nothing like you think and would be even less without his fans… ‘Dreamer’ is Osbourne imagining himself as John Lennon: pleading for calm and sense over piano, strings and, at the end, an ELO-style choir… He writes and sings about looking into the abyss — so you know which way to run. He’s never done it better.” Elsewhere, Amazon.com said: “‘Down To Earth’ displays enough eccentricity to keep one entertained and brimming with respect.”
As previously announced, last month, Ozzy‘s sixth solo album — the Top 10 (No. 7) and quadruple platinum “No More Tears” (Sony) — was celebrated with an expanded digital audio album and two special editions — a 2LP black vinyl version and a special yellow and red 2LP vinyl version with a specially created booklet (exclusively at www.towerrecords.com).
The expanded “Down To Earth” track listing is as follows:
01. Gets Me Through
02. Facing Hell
03. Dreamer
04. No Easy Way Out
05. That I Never Had
06. You Know… (Pt. 1)
07. Junkie
08. Running Out Of Time
09. Black Illusion
10. Alive
11. Can You Hear Them?
12. No Place For Angels **
13. Dreamer (Acoustic Version) **
14. Gets Me Through (Single Version) **
** Previously unavailable for streaming
Photo credit: Nitin Vadukul
