Firewind guitarist Gus G. recalled how he had to re-record a solo for one of the songs he did for Ozzy Osbourne’s 2010 album “Scream” after Ozzy’s manager and wife, Sharon Osbourne, asked him to.
The Greek guitar virtuoso had the privilege to be a member of the legendary metal singer’s band in the 2010s. Although he only did one record with Ozzy, the fans accepted him and were more than impressed with his guitar skills. Going on the Ozzy and Friends tour back in 2012 and 2015, he got the chance to play alongside some of the greatest legends of rock ‘n’ roll — Geezer Butler, Slash, Zakk Wylde, and Tom Morello.
But as it turns out, Sharon wasn’t super-happy about Gus’ solo for the “Let Me Hear You Scream” from the “Scream” album. As the guitarist revealed in a recent interview with Mike Z, the song was planned to be the lead single, and the solo was supposed to reflect that.
When asked whether there’s a song from this album that’s particularly dear to him and that put him on the map in the metal world, Gus replied (transcribed by Killer Guitar Rigs):
“The lead single, ‘Let Me Hear You Scream’ — that’s the one. Because I remember recording the album in Ozzy’s studio and spending four or five weeks there doing guitars. And I remember flying back to Greece because that’s where I live, and I remember I was like, ‘Okay, I’m done with guitars. Everything is done.'”
But things didn’t go as smoothly as he planned. Not long after, Sharon reached out to him for an additional request.
“And then I got an email from Sharon,” the guitarist added. “And she was like, ‘We need you to come back to re-record one solo for ‘Let Me Hear You Scream.” And I’m like, ‘Why? I thought it was great!'”
“And she’s like, ‘Well, look, this is going to be the first song that people will hear you on. You’re gonna be the new guy and people will be checking you out on that one. So I just think you can do better.'”
This isn’t an easy situation to be in. Although an incredible musician, Gus still had to fit what Ozzy’s camp was trying to achieve. Despite getting this sort of feedback, Gus G. realized that Sharon did have a point.
“And, man, she was right,” he explained. “I was taken aback for a little bit. I was like, ‘What?’ But then I sat down, and I just dissected each part down. It was kind of a different vibe going into it like, ‘Okay, I have to think that this is going to be the first thing that somebody is going to hear me on — [someone] that has no idea who this guy is. So we have to grab their attention.'”
But in the end, Gus actually liked what he did and finds this final version of the solo to be the best representative of his work with Ozzy. He added:
“So I think that solo is very representative of my style. It has a lot of those kinds of things that I do a lot on my playing. And it’s just such a cool track. It’s a big song, man. So I’m really proud of that.”
When further pressed whether he plans a whole solo or if he improvises and sees what comes up, Gus said that he prefers to have something prepared in advance. And this is something that, as he explains, is what a “Randy Rhoads school” of sorts.
“No, I do write the solos,” Gus said. “I come from the Randy Rhoads kind of school, as I construct the solos part by part. I do think the parts out.”
Of course, there’s improvisation and jamming involved in the writing process. But when it comes to the final product, Gus prefers to have a planned solo. He concluded by saying:
“I mean, I do improvise a little bit over the backing track to get some initial ideas, then I narrow it down to what it would be like, and then piece it all together.”
Photos: Alberto Cabello (Gus G (Ozzy Osbourne)), Kyle Overholtzer (Ozzy Osbourne 2008-03-15)
