Rudy Sarzo recently discussed 1970s-1980s rock music in an interview with Jeremy White.
When White mentioned the lack of bass in some records from that era, Sarzo explained,“When it comes to mixing, and I’m gonna tell you this from experience, not that I experience it myself, but being in the music industry, I understood there were certain people, engineers, mixers, that would partake, that would do blow cocaine in the studio.”
“Cocaine will shut down your high end and will make everything sound bassier, because it has something to do with the blood flow. It cuts the blood flow to your ear canal. Google it. So, that’s why you hear around that time—late ’70s, early ’80s, you can listen to a record, and you go, ‘Wow, it sounds like a frying pan!’ Sizzle. [Makes sizzling noise] No low end. It’s a cocaine mix,” he noted.
Cocaine was widely used in the music industry at the time, including by musicians like Ozzy Osbourne, with whom Sarzo worked for several years.
Osbourne’s drug addiction became a serious issue in the 1980s, affecting both his personal life and career. Sarzo and others who worked with the Black Sabbath frontman have spoken about how the addiction impacted his music and his relationships with bandmates.
Years later, Sarzo also noted that Osbourne was often misunderstood due to his struggle with drugs. “He could have gone off the deep end with drugs and alcohol, but within every day was definitely an intervention, until recently,” the bassist shared with For Bass Players Only. “He’s been sober and clear for a few years now. So yeah, he’s misunderstood. He’s pretty much a product of the environment and of its time.”
“Ozzy is also incredibly astute. He’s always been amazing at recognizing great talent. So many incredible musicians have gone through his band, from Randy Rhoads and Zakk Wylde to Robert Trujillo and Mike Inez and, you know, people like that. He’s got a great talent for discovering great talent.”
Sarzo left Osbourne’s band in the early 1980s after guitarist Randy Rhoads’ death.
