The Ultimate Sin
Cover art by Boris Vallejo
Studio album by
Ozzy Osbourne
Released24 January 1986 (US)[1]
10 February 1986 (UK)[2]
Recorded1985
StudioTownhouse and AIR Studios, London,
Studio Davout, Paris, France
Genre
Length40:51
LabelCBS Associated (US)
Epic (UK)
ProducerRon Nevison
Ozzy Osbourne chronology
Bark at the Moon
(1983)		 The Ultimate Sin
(1986)		 Tribute
(1987)
Singles from The Ultimate Sin
  1. "Shot in the Dark"
    Released: January 1986 (UK)[7]
  2. "The Ultimate Sin"
    Released: July 1986 (UK)
  3. "Lightning Strikes"
    Released: 1986 (Aus)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Martin Popoff[8]
Rolling Stone(favorable)[9]

The Ultimate Sin is the fourth studio album by English heavy metal singer Ozzy Osbourne. It was released on 24 January 1986, and was remastered and re-issued on compact disc on 22 August 1995. It is the second and last of Osbourne's albums to feature lead guitarist Jake E. Lee, the first to feature drummer Randy Castillo, and the only album to feature bassist Phil Soussan, who co-wrote the album's hit single "Shot in the Dark".[10]

The album was awarded Platinum status in May 1986 and was awarded Double Platinum status in October 1994 by the RIAA.[11]

Overview

Upon returning from the Betty Ford Center in 1985 where he had undergone treatment for substance abuse, Osbourne was presented with a substantial quantity of music written by guitarist Jake E. Lee. After having been cheated out of his writing and publishing claims for Osbourne's previous album, 1983's Bark at the Moon, Lee says this time he refused to contribute anything until he had a contract in front of him guaranteeing his writing credit and publishing rights.[12] Much of this music would form the basis of the album. The album's lyrics were largely written by long-time Osbourne bassist and lyricist Bob Daisley.

Daisley left the band prior to recording after having a disagreement with Osbourne, prompting the hiring of Greg Chaisson as his replacement. Chaisson claims to have written many of the bass parts on the album, but he was quickly fired after Osbourne decided his image didn't fit the band.[13] Phil Soussan was ultimately hired just before recording commenced. Neither Daisley nor Chaisson were credited for their songwriting contributions on the initial 1986 pressing of the album, though Daisley did receive credit on subsequent pressings.

Future Y&T and Megadeth drummer Jimmy DeGrasso worked with Lee and Daisley on demos for the album, but this version of the band fell apart due to Osbourne's commitment to the Black Sabbath summer 1985 reunion concert at Live Aid; Castillo and Soussan ultimately replaced DeGrasso and Daisley once recording commenced.[14][15]

The working title for the album was Killer of Giants after the album's song of the same name. Osbourne opted to change the title to The Ultimate Sin at the last minute. On 1 April 1986, a live performance promoting the album in Kansas City, Missouri, was filmed and released later that year as the home video The Ultimate Ozzy. In 1987, after the various tours in support of the album had concluded, guitarist Lee was unexpectedly fired by Osbourne's wife and manager Sharon.[16] The specific justification for Lee's dismissal remains unknown. Bassist Soussan also departed, with Bob Daisley once again entering the fold.

Reception

At the time of its release, The Ultimate Sin was Osbourne's highest-charting studio album, as heavy metal was enjoying a surge in popularity during the mid-1980s. The RIAA awarded the album Platinum status on 14 May 1986, soon after its release; it was awarded Double Platinum status on 26 October 1994.[17] The album sold over 2,000,000 copies worldwide. In the UK, it was the final of four Osbourne albums to attain Silver certification (60,000 units shipped) by the British Phonographic Industry, achieving this in April 1986.[18]

Despite its commercial success, Osbourne cites The Ultimate Sin as his least favorite solo album, saying "If there was ever an album I'd like to remix and do better, it would be The Ultimate Sin." Much of the vocalist's blame has been placed on the shoulders of producer Ron Nevison, saying "(He) didn't really do a great production job. The songs weren't bad, they were just put down weird. Everything felt and sounded the fucking same. There was no imagination."[19][20]

Availability

Despite being one of Osbourne's most successful solo albums, The Ultimate Sin was the only album among Osbourne's back catalog to not be reissued or remastered in 2002. Though no official reason was given, rumors circulated that an ongoing legal struggle with bassist/songwriter Phil Soussan over his song "Shot in the Dark" was responsible for the album's failure to be re-issued. The only available CD version of The Ultimate Sin remains the 1995 remastered version, which is missing four measures of music between the first chorus and second verse of "Shot in the Dark" found on the original CDs, vinyl copies, and cassettes.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Bob Daisley, Jake E. Lee and Ozzy Osbourne, except where noted

Side A
No.TitleLength
1."The Ultimate Sin"3:45
2."Secret Loser"4:08
3."Never Know Why"4:27
4."Thank God for the Bomb"3:53
5."Never"4:17
Side B
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
6."Lightning Strikes" 5:16
7."Killer of Giants" 5:41
8."Fool Like You" 5:18
9."Shot in the Dark"Phil Soussan, Osbourne4:16

Shot in the Dark runs 4:28 on the original vinyl and CD issues. The 1995 CD reissue uses the 4:16 single edit.

Personnel

Additional performers
Production

Charts

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[36] Gold 35,000‡
Canada (Music Canada)[37] Platinum 100,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[18] Silver 60,000^
United States (RIAA)[11] 2× Platinum 2,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "RIAA certifications". Recording Industry Association of America.
  2. ↑ "Brit certifications for Ozzy Osbourne".
  3. 1 2 Huey, Steve. "Ozzy Osbourne - The Ultimate Sin review". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
  4. ↑ "Top 50 Glam Metal Albums". Metal Rules. Archived from the original on 26 November 2017. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
  5. ↑ "Justify Your Shitty Taste: Ozzy Osbourne's The Ultimate Sin". Decibel Magazine. 10 July 2015. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  6. ↑ November 2016, Paul Elliott14 (14 November 2016). "Ozzy Osbourne solo albums ranked from worst to best". loudersound. Retrieved 7 August 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  7. ↑ Strong, Martin Charles (1995). The Great Rock Discography. p. 610. ISBN 9780862415419.
  8. ↑ Popoff, Martin (1 November 2005). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 2: The Eighties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. ISBN 978-1-894959-31-5.
  9. ↑ Holmes, Tim (24 April 1986). "Ozzy Osbourne: The Ultimate Sin : Music Reviews". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 5 February 2007. Retrieved 4 June 2012.
  10. ↑ Saulnier, Jason (2 October 2008). "Phil Soussan Interview Ozzy Osbourne Bassist talks Jake E. Lee". Music Legends.ca. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
  11. 1 2 "American album certifications – Ozzy Osbourne – The Ultimate Sin". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  12. ↑ "Jake E. Lee: Why I Gave Up Songwriting Credit for Ozzy Osbourne's Bark at the Moon". Blabbermouth.net. 10 December 2014. Retrieved 14 December 2014.
  13. ↑ "Jake E. Lee's Ozzy Warning to Greg Chaisson, "BE AWARE"". fullinbloom.com. Full In Bloom. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
  14. ↑ Syrjälä, Marko (19 January 2010). "Jimmy DeGrasso: Interview and Live Pictures". Metal Rules. Archived from the original on 25 January 2010. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
  15. ↑ "Jimmy DeGrasso of Black Star Riders". They Will Rock You.com. 28 May 2013. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
  16. ↑ "Jake E. Lee Says Interview: He Found Out He Was Fired From Ozzy From His Guitar Tech".
  17. ↑ "OZZY OSBOURNE-THE ULTIMATE SIN".
  18. 1 2 "British album certifications – Ozzy Osbourne – The Ultimate Sin". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  19. ↑ "Why Ozzy Osbourne Hates His Album "The Ultimate Sin"". Society of Rock. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  20. ↑ Grow, Kory. "Fetus Jars and Werewolves: Ozzy Osbourne Looks Back Ahead of Box Set Release". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  21. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 The Ultimate Sin (1995 CD) credits. Epic Records. 1995. p. 10.
  22. ↑ Ozzy Osbourne- The Ultimate Sin album images @Discogs.com Retrieved 3 March 2012.
  23. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  24. ↑ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 0651". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  25. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Ozzy Osbourne – The Ultimate Sin" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  26. ↑ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  27. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Ozzy Osbourne – The Ultimate Sin" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  28. ↑ "Charts.nz – Ozzy Osbourne – The Ultimate Sin". Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  29. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Ozzy Osbourne – The Ultimate Sin". Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  30. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Ozzy Osbourne – The Ultimate Sin". Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  31. ↑ "Ozzy Osbourne | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  32. ↑ "Ozzy Osbourne Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  33. ↑ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1986". Billboard. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  34. 1 2 "Ozzy Osbourne Official Charts". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 25 October 2015.
  35. 1 2 "The Ultimate Sin Billboard Singles". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
  36. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2021 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  37. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Ozzy Osbourne – The Ultimate Sin". Music Canada. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
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