Ozzy Osbourne wanted to keep touring Ozzfest, his own metal festival, the way the Grateful Dead kept their roadshow alive. His label, Epic Records, had other plans: they asked for a new studio album. The result was Down to Earth, the eighth solo record from the former Black Sabbath frontman, released on 16 October 2001.
Recording at Henson Studios
The album was recorded at Henson Studios in Hollywood, with sessions stretching from April 2000 to August 2001. Producer Tim Palmer oversaw the work, and Osbourne later said that without Palmer the album would not exist. The singer compared the collaboration to his early days with guitarist Randy Rhoads, a rare compliment from a man who had seen decades of studio battles.
Down to Earth arrived with a new rhythm section. Bassist Robert Trujillo played on his only Osbourne studio album before joining Metallica in 2003. Drummer Mike Bordin, known for his work with Faith No More, had been touring with Osbourne since 1996 but this was his first album with the band. Guitarist Zakk Wylde returned to play, though for the first time since 1988 he did not write any of the songs.
Songwriting circle and bonus tracks
The songwriting came from a wider circle. Many tracks were written before Wylde rejoined the group, and previous guitarist Joe Holmes contributed ideas. Producer Tim Palmer and songwriter Marti Frederiksen, who had worked with Aerosmith, also helped shape the material. The album's standard edition held 11 tracks. The Japanese edition added a bonus track, "No Place for Angels." Two decades later, the expanded 20th-anniversary release brought that song back alongside an acoustic version of "Dreamer" and the single version of "Gets Me Through."
Two singles carried the record. 'Gets Me Through' arrived on 4 September 2001, just weeks before the album. 'Dreamer' followed in January 2002. Both songs reached the top 10 of the US Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, and both climbed to number 18 on the UK Singles Chart. The softer, piano-led 'Dreamer' showed a side of Osborn that metal fans had rarely heard on a single. The album almost had a very different single. Osbourne had asked Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo for song ideas, and "Hash Pipe" was among the suggestions. Osbourne passed on it, and Weezer kept the track for their own Green Album.
Chart performance and certifications
The album's commercial performance matched the singles. Down to Earth peaked at number 4 on the US Billboard 200 and hit number 1 in Sweden. It earned platinum status in the United States and Canada, and silver status in the United Kingdom. For an artist whose label had to push him back into the studio, the numbers proved the demand was still there.
The record also marked a turning point in Osbourne's band. It was the last album with Zakk Wylde until Black Rain in 2007, and the only one with Robert Trujillo before his move to Metallica. Down to Earth captured a lineup in transition, held together by a producer who convinced Osbourne the songs were worth finishing.
Twenty-five years on, the album stands as a strange moment in Osbourne's career: a record he did not initially want to make, built with a band that would soon scatter, yet one that delivered two of his most memorable singles and a platinum plaque. The label's request turned into one of the strongest late-career statements from the Prince of Darkness.
The label's request turned into one of the strongest late-career statements from the Prince of Darkness.