Ozzy Osbourne

#1242: How My Brand New Ruko U11MINI 4K Drone Ended Up on the Bottom of Lake Huron

RECORD STORE TALES #1242: How My Brand New Ruko U11MINI 4K Drone Ended Up on the Bottom of Lake Huron

It was like watching time stand still.  First, I heard the motors fall silent.  Then, I watched it begin to fall like a stone.  I calmly and solemnly thought, “There is nothing I can do.  It is going right into the water, and there won’t even be point in fishing it out.  It is what it is.”  It made a satisfying “THONK!” sound as it crashed into the nearby rock pile.  I stood a moment in silence as I considered any options, and concluded there were none, so I turned around and walked the path back up to the cottage.

How did we get here?  Let’s rewind.

In 2024,  I took a chance and indulged myself in my first and most trustworthy drone:  the Potensic Atom SE.  It was a revelation to me, as readers know.  I took the drone to the cottage and flew it over Lake Huron repeatedly.  Stunt flying over the rocks is a treat and results in amazing “feels like flying” video footage.  My review of the Potensic went viral with a modest 4000 views.  It was enough to get the attention of the Ruko company in 2025, who offered to send me their brand new U11Mini 4K in exchange for a review.  It had two advantages over the Potensic that I hoped to exploit.  The first is the 3-axis brushless camera gimble, which enables level images no matter what angle your drone is flying at.  The other is the 4K camera, a step up from the Potensic.  Imagine the video of Lake Huron I could capture with that!


First Flight of 2026 with the Potensic Atom SE drone

I flew the Ruko twice and wrote a positive review.  I did struggle a bit with the controls, but chalked it up to inexperience.   I expected to get the hang of it, but that never happened.  It was just a really difficult drone to fly, and that did not improve after I wrote the review.  Landing on a specific target was simply impossible, and the drone would fly off on its own without any input from the controls.  I re-calibrated the Ruko and fiddled with the settings.  It could not hover in place, moved on its own, and crashed into a tree.  I sent an email to the Ruko company, who asked for my flight logs.  After reviewing them, they sent me a replacement Ruko.  This arrived in the winter, so I had to wait until spring 2026 to try it.  I fully expected all issues would be resolved.

One thing I noticed about the Ruko is that it couldn’t handle light winds as well as the Potensic.  The Ruko tends to drift while the Potensic is still as a stone.  I waited for the first quiet morning before removing the second Ruko from its packaging and preparing it for first flight.  I had already had my first flight of 2026 with the Potensic, which performed up to its exemplary standards.  There was less wind on the morning I tested the Ruko.  I began in a small clearing as I usually do.  The Ruko always takes time connecting to the GPS, which is a much faster process with the Potensic.  (On my original Ruko, there were days it could not connect to GPS at all, and I had to pack it up again.)  Once connected, I started the motors and began to hover.

The new Ruko was still not as rock-steady as the Potensic, but it was a marked improvement over the original Ruko.  I felt reassured that whatever was wrong with the original drone (they never told me) had been fixed.  I had a very early U11Mini, one of the first in Canada.  It is possible improvements or corrections were made after.  With my new drone now in the air, I marveled at the clarity of the video.  I took it up higher, with the intention of flying it over the lake and capturing those misty greens and blues.

With great care, I drifted slowly over the trees, and down to the beach.  The drone seemed to be performing acceptably.  Time to test the camera.  I wanted to get some footage of the rock piles and compare the quality to the Potensic.  Already, I was impressed with the level camera.  I panned straight down to capture the rocks.  The drone seemed to struggle a little over the rocks.  It lost altitude, so I raised it again.  It started to drift downwards again, so I raised it.   I panned back up to the horizon with the intention to fly back in, when suddenly the motors died.  They just stopped completely, and the drone fell from the sky, into the water and rocks below.


First and Final Flight 2026 with the RukoU11Mini 4k drone

“It didn’t cost me anything,” I lamented I walked back up the trail to the cottage.  “Except the memory card!”  I shared the memory card between the Potensic and the Ruko, so there would be no more flying at all for me this weekend.

The Ruko company advised me not to fly the drone over water, but at this point I have two years’ experience doing just that with my Potensic.  I have a cottage on Lake Huron:  of course that’s what I’m going to film with my drone!  If I cant fly over water, then I’m not interested in a drone.  The Potensic flies like a slalom skier through the rocks, but the Ruko couldn’t even hover over them.  Even if I chose to ignore the Ruko company’s directions, it was with the experience I’ve gained, and the certainty that I would chose the Potensic over the Ruko every time if I couldn’t fly over water.

When the water levels drop in the coming weeks, I’ll walk out to the rocks and fish what remains of my drone from the water.  Maybe some adventurous canoer will have already found it by then.  I will never fly a Ruko drone again, but my experience with the 4k camera and the 3-axis gimble was positive.  Potensic have a drone similar to mine, but with the 4k/3-axis camera option.  It’s pricey (about the same as a super deluxe Rush box set), but I am seriously considering that upgrade.

I have flown three drones to date, and I’m still flying the first.  Now that I have a newer and bigger memory card in hand, I look forward to our further adventures this summer.

Rest in peace, Ruko, in your watery grave at the bottom of Lake Huron.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

REVIEW: Judas Priest featuring Ozzy Osbourne – “War Pigs (Charity Version)” (2025)

JUDAS PRIEST featuring OZZY OSBOURNE – “War Pigs (Charity Version)” (2025 Sony)

In one of the most amazing collaborations in all of metal history (no hyperbole), Judas Priest teamed up with Black Sabbath’s Ozzy Osbourne for a cover of the Sab’s “War Pigs”.  In another amazing circumstance, the track wasn’t left to the digital download ether.  No; it was even given a CD release, albeit an expensive one when shipping is factored in.  The best part is that a all profits that the label would have received were donated to the Glenn Tipton Parkinson’s Foundation, and Cure Parkinson’s.   Glenn Tipton was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in 2008, while Ozzy was diagnosed in 2020.  This would be one of the last things Osbourne would ever do in music.

The cover art (credited to Mark Wilkinson) features the six musicians compiled together from separate photos:  Scott Travis (drums), Ian Hill (bass), Rob Halford (vocals), Ozzy Osbourne (vocals), Glenn Tipton (guitars) and Richie Faulkner (guitars).  Priest’s live guitarist, producer Andy Sneap, handled the studio duties and additional guitar for a seven-man lineup.  Trivia buffs would love to know that both Ozzy and Rob Halford have performed as lead singer of Black Sabbath, so Rob is no stranger to this classic.

The first concern upon pushing play was, “How will Judas Priest, a single guitar band, do an old Black Sabbath tune?”  Would the styles mesh?

Yes they would.  Gloriously so.

From the opening chords, it was clear that Priest know how to meld the two metal worlds.  The guitar sounds singular, monolithic, like Iommi, before one comes careening in as if from “Sinner”, merging the two worlds.  The track generally goes this way:  true to the Sabbath sound, with occasional guitar chemistry that only Judas Priest can conjure.  The solo work is Priest, but vintage Priest, not modern-day shred.  Also noteworthy is drummer Scott Travis, who tries his best to inhabit that Sabbath world, especially on the cymbals.  He does a few double bass flipouts, but keeps them sparing and appropriate to the song.

As for the vocals, Ozzy sounds more at home, but the two trade off just as you imagine old pals would.  Ozzy takes the first line; Rob growls the second.  It’s a cool contrast:  the Prince of Darkness and the Metal God, together at last.  The two pair up on some key chill-inducing lines.

Let us be glad that this pairing happened.  It existed, and we have a CD of it.  Magnificent.  Rest in peace, Ozz.

4.5/5 stars

 

 

Tim’s Vinyl Confessions: Ep. 689: Top UK Albums August 2, 1970 (including Black Sabbath)

Join Tim Durling for another one of his channel’s fun features: Music charts from this time in history! This week, Tim goes back 50 years to August 2, 1970. Some interesting charting albums here from the 2001 soundtrack to Black Sabbath’s debut LP. Tim asked me to say a few words about Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath for this episode, so check it out!

Ozzy’s Impact: Peter Kerr, Ashley Geisler, and Jake discuss Osbourne’s Albums

For the love of the Ozzman, friends gathered together to mourn and celebrate the unique talents and charms of one John Michael “Ozzy” Osbourne.

Peter Kerr stated, if you walked up to an average person and asked them to name one icon of heavy metal, they’re likely to answer “Ozzy Osbourne”.  As a founding member of Black Sabbath, whose 1970 debut is generally credited for creating “heavy metal”, Ozzy was on the ground floor as the voice and face of the founding fathers.  Ozzy deserves far more credit than we could shower on him in just 80 minutes.

Joining me was Peter Kerr from Rock Daydream Nation, his fellow countryman Ash Geisler, and Jake (Not From State Farm) in his live debut on Grab A Stack of Rock.  Each of us brought parts of our collections and stories of the ways in which Ozzy impacted our lives.  We also had a special video clip from Uncle Meat, on Ozzy’s effect on his life trajectory.

Each of us had some stacks of Ozzy rock to show.  Ash had some cool radio broadcast stuff and some interesting early CD pressings of Sabbath classics, not to mention a rare early Sabbath single in a picture sleeve.  Peter and Jake brought their Diary/Blizzard box sets, and some favourite records.  Mike provided Japanese imports, box sets, bonus tracks, and stories of discovery.

Peter came to us with some perspective from Bob Daisley, who he interviewed on Rock Daydream Nation.  Ozzy’s vocal prowess in the early days was emphasized, and we also addressed that final concert that everyone is still talking about.

We ended the show with Uncle Meat’s performance of “Fairies Wear Boots”, with his old band Heavy Cutting.

On a sad note, we also paid tribute to a cast member of the Grab A Stack Gang that we lost this week.  Yes, we didn’t just lose Ozzy, Hulk Hogan, Malcolm Jamal Warner, and Chuck Mangione.  We also lost the beloved, fan favourite Gimley the Cat.  I said a few words for Gimley, who was always by Rob Daniels’ side on his every appearance.  I am sorry for your loss Rob.

Thank you for joining us on this very special episode of Grab A Stack of Rock.  Next week:  back to 50 Years of Iron Maiden.

🅻🅸🆅🅴 Memories of Ozz

GRAB A STACK OF ROCK With Mike and the Mad Metal Man

With special guests Peter Kerr, Ash Geisler and Jake NFSF

Episode 110: Memories of Ozz

We had no plan for this.  Tonight’s episode was supposed to be a regular, old-fashioned Grab A Stack of Rock, where we grab a bunch of albums and talk about them at random.  Unfortunately the Metal gods had another plan, and they called upon Ozzy Osbourne to join them in Rock Heaven.  And so our plans were upturned.

Peter Kerr and Ash Geisler remain on the guestlist to talk about Ozzy Osbourne.  Favourite memories, favourite albums, favourite songs.  Things that mean something to us.  Ways in which Ozzy touched our lives.  Peter has interviewed Bob Daisley and John Sinclair, and has that perspective to add.  Unfortunately Harrison Kopp the Mad Metal Man felt unqualified to join, so in his stead will be Jake (Not From State Farm) for a special appearance.

I will never forget my Grandma buying me an Ozzy tape as a gift.  I don’t think she picked it herself, given the cover art.  I will always smile when I think of road tripping with my friend Peter, to the sound of the early Black Sabbath stuff.  Specifically, “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath” from the recently acquired Ozzy Osbourne Years box set.  Or, my dad discovering Ozzy in the 2000s when he made his mainstream TV debut.

Jake, Ash and Peter will bring their own stories to the fore.  Join us tonight as we salute the original Madman of Metal, on Grab A Stack of Rock.

Friday July 25 at 7:00 PM EST, 8 PM Atlantic.  Enjoy on YouTube or Facebook.

 

Rest In Peace, Ozzy. There will never be another. (John Michael “Ozzy” Osbourne, 3 December 1948 – 22 July 2025)

We all knew this day would come.  We just didn’t know it would be today.

Only a couple weeks after his final concert, Ozzy has joined his bandmates in Rock and Roll Heaven.

I really don’t have the words.  You’d think I’d be prepared for this.  I was not.  The biggest loss in metal, ever?

I’ll think of more to say later.

 

Rest in Peace, Ozzy.

I played Bark At the Moon and No Rest for the Wicked on the weekend.  MY albums.  MY Ozzy.

Ozzy – that guy who I thought was “crazy”!  He looked scary to a 12 year old.

Then I saw a picture of him in a cowboy hat.  “He doesn’t look so scary.”

He wasn’t.

Ozzy wasn’t the prince of darkness.  He was the clown prince of metal, and I think he loved it that way.  Joking, pulling faces, making people laugh just as hard as he made them rock.  Ozzy was my companion during the awkward teenage misfit years.  Ozzy was cool without being cool.  He was simply Ozzy.  There was only one.  He couldn’t be replaced in Black Sabbath.  Any time they tried, they embarked on a new journey, because you cannot replace Ozzy Osbourne.

Ozzy had a knack for a melody, and impeccable taste in guitar players.  From Randy Rhoads to Jake E. Lee to Zakk Wylde, he made them famous.

Ozzy’s real talent was as a facilitator of talent.  He brought together drummers, bassists and guitarists.  He formed bands that we still talk about today, from the original Blizzard of Ozz to the Wylde/Butler/Castillo lineup that is my personal favourite.  His knack for bringing people together, both in bands and in audiences was unparalleled.

There will NEVER be another Ozzy.  Only pretenders to the throne.

Rest in peace.

Top Five Ozzy Tunes on Grab A Stack of Rock with Peter Kerr, Mike Slayen and John Clauser

Hot on the heels of his excellent interview with bassist Bob Daisley, Peter Kerr suggested we run through the Top Five Ozzy Osbourne solo songs, and a brilliant idea it was!  Ozzy’s solo career is rich, especially in the early years, with beautiful ballads and incendiary metal.  There are heavy progressive moments, advanced arrangements, and brilliant lyrics. We gave Ozzy’s career a solid listen this week and extracted our lists, and not without difficulty!

Your panel this week:

  • Peter Kerr of Rock Daydream Nation with loads of insight and some great picks.
  • John Clauser of My Music Corner, with a guest list from Jake Not-From-State-Farm.
  • The “Dude” Mike Slayen, from San Diego, home of Jake E. Lee, and that little bit of extra guitar knowledge we needed.

I bought a guest list from Jex Russell, and the combined six lists covered a lot of ground!  Hits, deep cuts, lots of ballads, and almost every lead guitarist who played with Ozzy.  Lots of love for Randy and Jake here especially.  Besides the first two classic Ozzy records, there was a lot of respect here for No Rest for the Wicked.  The Ultimate Sin, Ozzmosis, No More Tears and Scream were mentioned multiple times.  There were a number of B-sides mentioned, and one track that almost got me disqualified!

Stay tuned for some cool honourable mentions!

Thank you everyone for watching tonight, and we’ll see you Monday with brand new guest Len Labelle, and a run through the discography of Brighton Rock.  See you then!

 

ALL ABOARD! Top Five Ozzy Tunes on Grab A Stack of Rock with Peter Kerr, Mike Slayen and John Clauser

GRAB A STACK OF ROCK With Mike and the Mad Metal Man

Episode 53:  Top Five Ozzy Tracks with Peter Kerr, John Clauser, and the return of Mike Slayen!

All aboard!  Ah ha ha ha ha!

Peter Kerr is back, having survived his encounter with Stevie Rachelle and his army of trolls!  He is also fresh from an interview with bassist Bob Daisley, so why not do a list show on our Top Five Ozzy Osbourne songs?

For this epic topic, spanning Ozzy’s solo career, I have recruited a special panel:

We continue to wish Harrison a speedy recovery.  I hope to see you back on the show soon, my friend.  We all miss you.

Tonight will be all about the Prince of Darkness, and together we will list Ozzy’s Top Fives according to each of our tastes.  Deep cuts guaranteed!

Friday March 1 at 7:00 P.M. E.S.T. / 4:00 P.M. Pacific.   Enjoy on YouTube, or Twitter!!  (Facebook has been problematic of late.)

Youtubin’: Ozzy Osbourne Says ‘Black Sabbath Is Over’

And it should be over; it had its run. It had a start, middle, and a couple endings. And it should be over now. Ozzy is right and this is good.

Ozzy is also right when he says the music he recorded with Tony Iommi on the excellent Patient Number 9 could have made great Black Sabbath tracks.  He also sounds legitimately sad that he’s not touring and his health isn’t up to it.

All things considered (and there is a lot to consider), Ozzy looks pretty good here.  Rock on Ozz.

REVIEW: Ozzy Osbourne – Patient Number 9 (2022)

OZZY OSBOURNE – Patient Number 9 (2022 Epic)

It’s very easy to be cynical about any new Ozzy album since about Down To Earth and onwards.  Corporate constructions.  Special guest writers and performers. “Here Ozzy, sing these new songs we wrote for you.”  Prior to that, it felt like Ozzy had a band, and that band took different directions on each album.  Now Ozzy has Andrew Watt and a slate of big-namers.  It’s been this way a while.  This time the difference is, the process resulted in a pretty decent album.  Sure it’s still Watt at the helm, with special guests in big letters on the back cover and front stick.  Jeff Beck!  Eric Clapton!  Tony Iommi!  Zakk Wylde!  Of course without a real band, you don’t get that cohesive band sound, but what you do get ain’t bad indeed.

Each track (except for “Darkside Blues” which is either a new version or a new mix of the Japanese bonus track from Ordinary Man) has credits by Andrew Watt and professional songsmith Ali Tamposi.  She’s more known for Kelly Clarkson, Nickelback, and a slew of Justin Bieber and Miley Cyrus hits.  She also co-wrote most of Ordinary Man so there’s a formula at work here.  Other co-writers include Ryan Tedder, Duff McKagan, Chad Smith, Robert Trujillo, Tony Iommi, Chris Chaney, and the late great Taylor Hawkins.

Ozzy falls into his comic horror persona a bit too much.  There was once a time when he was trying to shed that “crazy madman” image but he’s really leaned into it again for the last couple decades.  As such the album opens with silly “insane asylum” sound effects that only delay us getting to the good stuff.  The opening title track is over seven minutes long with that nonsense attached.  It’s also one of the poorer of the new songs, overly formulaic and modern with robotic hooks.  Jeff Beck’s unconventional and slippery solo work makes it worth a listen (Watt and Wylde play the rhythm and fills).

Things really get moving on track two, “Immortal” featuring Mike McCready of Pearl Jam and Duff on bass.  Good riffing and grooving going on here, and the first memorable chorus.  The Hawkins co-penned “Parasite” is another grooving highlight, featuring the Foo Fighter on drums.  The chorus is really solid and just moves like a ‘Vette on the highway.  That’s Zakk on lead guitar, but he’s instantly recognizable.  Former Ozzy bassist and currently Metallicer Rob Trujillo on bass.

What’s really amazing is that with the help of Tony Iommi, this hodge-podge of creators managed to write a seriously Sabbathy dirge called “No Escape From Now”.  You’d swear it’s Geezer Butler on bass, but it’s not.  It’s actually Watt.  It’s as Sabbathy, if not more so, than most of the 13 album.  It feels a bit “token”, like, “Oh hey Sabbath fans, here’s a song with the riffs and time changes that you like.”  Yet it’s one of the songs you’ll keep returning to, and probably for those reasons.  Of note, this is the only song without Andrew Watt on rhythm guitar.  It’s all Tony and only Tony which is the reason it feels heavy as a bloody brick.

In a throwback to Ozzmosis, “One of Those Days” with Eric Clapton really sounds a bit like “I Just Want You”.  Clapton really adds a touch of class.  One could imagine that the chorus will upset certain people with it’s refrain of “I don’t believe in Jesus”, but it is one hell of a chorus – pun intended.  Unfortunately the ballad that follows, “A Thousand Shades”, is a throwaway, aside from the brilliant Jeff Beck guitar solo.  One of the Hawkins co-penned tracks called “Mr. Darkness” takes a minute to get going, seemingly a song about fan letters that Ozzy once received.  It and the next two songs all feature Zakk Wylde on guitar.  Dull verses, but awesome chorus, with an awesome Sabbathy change towards the end.  The only dumb part is the silly ending where Ozzy speaks, “You don’t even know my name you asshole.”  Just…no.

“Nothing Feels Right” is another ballad, very Ozzmosis-y.  Decent song, good chorus, with all the production bells and whistles.  It really smokes during the solo section.  Another Sabbathy sounding riff emerges on “Evil Shuffle” and it really seems clear that Andrew Watt is trying to channel Geezer Butler’s bass playing on this album.  Not that it’s a bad thing.  Then it’s the much-hyped “Degradation Rules” with Tony Iommi, a song about masturbation, but not as good as the prior Iommi song.  The main hook here is Ozzy’s harmonica playing, a great throwback to “The Wizard”.

“Dead and Gone” is a deep cut highlight, with a latter-day Priest-like groove and lots of Zakk Wylde chunk.  An album highlight buried way in the back end.  Finally, “God Only Knows” is the last proper song, but unfortunately sort of a last gasp rather than a late highlight.  Kind of a ballad, with lush backing vocals, but not a “Road to Nowhere” kind of late album winner.

The outro music, “Darkside Blues”, appears to be a remix of the original version from Ordinary Man‘s Japanese release.  You can compare the waveforms below.  It’s a swampy track with more of Ozzy’s harmonica, just a coda to the album.

It’s pretty amazing at this stage of the game that Ozzy is still cranking out new music, but of course he has a huge support team behind him.  This time, the team produced an album better than the last one by a pretty fair margin.  They could have cut two tracks and made it a more engaging and concise listen.  It’s always a balancing act between giving the listener added value, or a streamlined experience.  A minor quibble at the end of the day.

3.5/5 stars