I know it looks like “just another Ozzy release review” from Dawn of the Deadwax, but I assure you that this one’s special in more than one way. Regular readers will notice right away that this is another Sweet Leaf Productions release, and that I have already covered a couple of them so far for this new, but very exciting label. They don’t just do Ozzy and Sabbath either… I have seen a ton of different titles from them hitting the market, and there’s sure to be something to interest all collectors. I have an Aerosmith set that I plan on reviewing soon, and their Audioslave and Nirvana releases look so cool that I want both of them, even though I don’t listen to those bands at all. There’s also a Stone Temple Pilots title that I’d like to have, even though it’s been at least a decade since I’ve listened to those guys. Trust me, if you are a collector, you should be checking out these very limited sets.
Valley Of The Sun is a heavyweight, 3 LP set pressed on red and black splatter wax. The red is a bit transparent and is one of the nicest looking designs I have seen in a while. Sweet Leaf is really pushing the envelope on beautiful record designs, and this one is no exception. The jacket itself looks great and has the trademark zombie style character on the front, looking just like Ozzy. The artwork and fonts look nice and crisp, and triple gatefold design has several great pictures, a complete track listing, and is hand numbered. There are only 200 copies of this one (I think all SLP releases are this limited), so they’re going to be gone before you know it. The jacket and records are extra heavy, so it’s great that mine arrived ready to go in a nice plastic outer sleeve, and with poly-lined inner sleeves as well.
There are two factors here that make this set very interesting for me as a fan and collector. To begin with, this is the first time that one of the best Ozzy recordings ever, a radio broadcast from 13th April 1996 at the Blockbuster Desert Sky Pavilion in Arizona, has ever been released on vinyl. It’s had a couple CD releases out of Japan, and I own all of them. The audio quality for this show is stunning. It was broadcast to tons of listeners, and thankfully, several people must have recorded it. The quality is so high though, that this audio actually seems like it could have been taken direct from the soundboard instead of a captured radio signal.
The second factor that makes this release special is that Joe Holmes is on guitar. So, this is the first Ozzy review on this site that doesn’t have either Randy, Jake or Zakk wielding the axe for the Prince of Darkness. Joe is a fantastic guitar player, and he managed to cover all of the Ozzy eras with amazing tone and accuracy, all while playing a Fender Stratocaster guitar. The last Fender Strat in the band would have been while Brad Gillis (I have some reviews covering Brad, but he returned to Night Ranger instead of becoming a full-time band member) was playing with Ozzy during the Speak of the Devil period. Jake E. Lee technically had a Fender…but it was reworked into a Charvel, which is much, much cooler.
Joe Holmes never really got much recognition during the period he was with Ozzy, which would have been between late 1995 until early 1999. He toured extensively with him and did live shows after Zakk temporarily stepped away, but he never played on an album with the Ozzman. He did record one of my favorite Ozzy singles ever though… “Walk On Water” from the Beavis and Butt-Head Do America soundtrack. I can’t say it’s a guitar heavy song, but it is a great one. As a matter of fact, there is a newer release of this show on CD from Zodiac out of Japan that also has this song on it, as well as band interviews and all of the original radio commentary. Joe ended up being replaced again by Zakk, and then by Gus G., but had already contributed to the writing for “Can You Hear Them?”, “Junkie”, and “That I Never Had”. All of those were fantastic songs and would appear on the album Down To Earth in 2001. You can also see Joe in the “Perry Mason” music video.
Valley Of The Sun really showcases Joe’s great guitar work, and if you haven’t heard him play before, this is a fantastic place to start. If we didn’t have live recordings like this, his playing would be lost to history, and what a shame that would have been. This show took place during the Retirement Sucks tour, during the Ozzmosis era, and featured some excellent musicians:
The Lineup
Guitar – Joe Holmes
Bass – Robert Trujillo (Metallica)
Drums – Mike Bordin (Faith No More)
Keyboards – Jon Sinclair
FM Broadcast Recording – Blockbuster Desert Sky Pavilion, Phoenix, Arizona, USA – 13th April, 1996
A1 Paranoid
A2 I Don’t Know
A3 Flying High Again
B1 Goodbye To Romance
B2 Perry Mason
B3 No More Tears
C1 I Just Want You
C2 I Don’t Wanna Change The World
C3 Suicide Solution
D1 Sabbath Bloody Sabbath/Iron Man/Sweet Leaf/Children Of The Grave
E1 Mr. Crowley
E2 War Pigs
F1 Crazy Train
F2 Mama, I’m Coming Home
F3 Bark At The Moon
The Show
Ozzy starts out by getting the crowd hyped up and letting them know that millions of people will be listening on the radio. How odd to look back at 1996 and realize that basically no one listens to radio anymore. Another weird thing is that the concert starts out with “Paranoid”, but it’s a very powerful version. The audio quality is so good that I can’t believe that no one put this out on vinyl yet. I know that lots of labels don’t want to mess with a 3 LP release, or don’t have the money to fund it, but they really missed the boat here. All the swearing is intact as well, which makes me believe that this was recorded for radio, but must have come directly from the soundboard. I don’t think this is simply from a cassette tape a fan recorded on their boombox.
“I Don’t Know” sounds to me like Randy Rhoads is playing out of Zakk Wylde’s rig. There’s definitely some added tone from Joe and his unique setup, but his style really pays tribute to two of Ozzy’s biggest guitar heroes. That makes sense, because Joe Holmes was actually a student of Randy’s at Musonia. Ozzy himself said that when he watched Joe play, his fingers moved just like Randy’s did. Ozzy also said he wanted Joe on future albums, but for whatever reason, that didn’t work out and he was replaced by Gus G. before the next album, Scream was released.
“Flying High Again” starts with a cool drum intro by Mike Bordin from Faith No More, and Ozzy really gets the crowd into it. It’s great to hear Ozzy so enthusiastic, as well as so full of energy and vitality. His voice sounds fantastic, and you can tell he’s really enjoying this show. “Goodbye To Romance” is pretty much note-for-note Randy’s version. I suppose that the stigma of trying to sound just like Randy had passed at this point, when the main focus for Jake and Zakk was probably to keep the feel of the songs there, but to also really make them their own.
“Perry Mason” is next, and this will always be one of my favorite Ozzy songs from any era. I’m so glad to finally hear a live version of this song on vinyl, and it’s an amazing one. It would be nice to have a version with Zakk and Geezer playing, but Joe Holmes and Robert Trujillo more than do it justice. Trujillo’s thundering bass really drives the song, and Ozzy is on top of it with vocals that sound just like the album. For me, this song would have been worth the entire purchase price, even if I hadn’t wanted anything else on here. “No More Tears” also sounds great, but it’s certainly weird to think that someone other than Zakk is playing the guitar parts. The searing guitar tone is still recognizable, but also uniquely Joe at the same time. Trujillo more than does justice to Bob Daisleys’ timeless bass line as well.
“I Just Want You” and “I Don’t Want To Change The World” are cool to hear and not so often played, coming from the Ozzmosis and No More Tears albums respectively. The guitar is really powerful on both, and it’s crazy to think that a Fender Stratocaster, even with modifications, is able to make these sounds. “Suicide Solution” is still used as a lead guitar feature, and Joe really makes the solo his own. I’ve never heard anyone else do anything close to this with this song, so it’s one of those ones you just have to hear for yourself.
Ozzy says that a lot of other bands were paying tribute to Black Sabbath around this time, so he decided to do a couple numbers himself from his old band. What we get is essentially a medley of some heavy hitting Sabbath numbers, including “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath”, “Iron Man”, and “Sweet Leaf”. They are shortened in a similar way to what Ozzy and Randy used to do, cutting out solos here and there and making one long song. “Children Of The Grave” is the complete song, and it’s a killer. For readers who also play guitar, you might notice that this is essentially Randy’s live arrangement from Tribute, performed in E standard rather than Iommi’s original C# tuning. The fills and solo structure closely follow what Randy did on that recording, and it really feels like Joe is paying tribute to his old teacher here.
After “Mr. Crowley”, Ozzy takes a second to tell everyone that Joe has finally broken a guitar string. He says that they have been on the road together for 6 long months, and this is the first and only time it’s happened. Nearly the end of the show, we get a great version of “War Pigs”, which has been changed up a little bit. These aren’t exactly the original guitar parts, but the changes are unique and refreshing. The crowd goes wild for “Crazy Train” as the first encore piece, and the guitar solo is almost note for note Randy.
“Mama I’m Coming Home” is another one of those songs that’s weird to hear without Zakk, but the band pulls it off. They close out the show with “Bark At The Moon”, which is probably the most technically demanding guitar part in any Ozzy song. Joe pulls it off and somehow manages to nail the Jake E. Lee tone, presumably out of the same guitar rig. Everything is pretty much note for note, and it was an extremely strong way to finish out the show. I liked hearing “Bark” as the closer a lot more than “Paranoid”, and I feel like it shook things up a little bit.
The Verdict
If you have read my other Sweet Leaf Productions reviews, then it will be no surprise to hear me say how great Valley Of The Sun is. Everything from the sound quality to the pressing and the artwork are top notch, and an easy 10/10 on all counts. The wax itself is a little deceptive on this one. It looks dark when you pull it out of the sleeve or have it on the turntable, but it’s stunning when you hold it up to a light source. The red and black marbling matches the whole package, and this set looks and sounds great.
I don’t usually mention prices since they can vary wildly, but I will say that what I paid for it was a bargain. Even if you already have the CD, I think this is so well done that the set is worth the investment, even if you aren’t a big vinyl collector. If you love Ozzy, this is one you will want to have. I really hope that eventually we get more releases that feature Joe Holmes, but there’s no way they are going to sound better than this one. I don’t think we could ask for a better performance or a better pressing. Keep in mind that there are only 200 copies of this one, so if you want a one, the time is now!
Good luck in the search and happy digging!