Ozzy Osbourne - Blizzard of Ozz/Diary of a Madman (Album Reviews)
Sunday, 26 June 2011
Written by Heather McDaid
Call him what you will: the Godfather of Heavy Metal, the Prince of Darkness, that crazy guy who famously bit the head off a bat... the point is, regardless of the title of you choose to place upon Ozzy Osbourne, the man is legendary in his own right. Longstanding in the rock community, the Black Sabbath frontman is considered to be one of the pioneers of heavy metal. It is now, 30 years on from his first real solo efforts, that the feat is truly being celebrated.
His career literally spans upwards of four decades and the list of his accomplishments could go on and on... and on. Having toured the world countless times, the Prince of Darkness finally hit 100 million album sales in his career as of late last year. He created Ozzfest with his family, performing and promoting several hard-rock acts as of 1996. His award collection includes a Grammy Award for ‘Best Metal Performance’ to an NME award for ‘Godlike Genius.’ His truly groundbreaking musical moments, however, began three decades ago as he embarked on his solo career.
Joining in a musically revolutionary union with the infamous young guitarist Randy Rhoads back in the 80s, Ozzy created two of his greatest and most illustrious albums in the form of ‘Blizzard of Ozz’ and ‘Diary of a Madman’. These fantastic records have been restored, remastered and now re-released for fan’s listening pleasure.
Ozzy’s first true step into a solo project came in the form of ‘Blizzard of Ozz’, which now sits as a 4x Platinum selling record in the United States. Following his abrupt depature from Black Sabbath in 1979 - due to his well-documented alcohol and drug problems - Ozzy was put in the studio to begin work on his very dark and direct musical vision. ‘I’m going off the rails on a crazy train,’ his distinctive vocals proclaim – an apt summary of his lifestyle choices at the time. ‘The media sells it and you live the role’ sums up the rock star lifestyle that had forced Ozzy out of Black Sabbath. Lyrically, a lot of it seems to capture sentiments of this change in his life, amidst other subjects throughout.
Rhoads has pushed for an array of deep-rooted riffs with the little flourishes key to his style and success. Playing around with bends, harmonics and tricky licks, the guitar on the album becomes just as, if not more, pleasing than the iconic vocals working in the partnership. Randy’s solos don’t drag on, but they successfully flaunt the young guitarist’s talent and work seamlessly into the tracks.
‘Dee’, the 50 second acoustic track totally shakes up the sound of the album, showcasing a fantastic usage of the classical, acoustic guitar sound. ‘Mr. Crowley’ is the solo-heavy track that, alongside ‘Crazy Train’, sells the album, personally at least. The sheer variation in styles and sounds makes these tracks most appealing,
With this remastered version, there is obviously the treat of a few bonus tracks. ‘You Looking At Me, Looking At You’ – a non-LP B-side – is another perfect showcase of Randy’s fantastic musical capability teamed with a ridiculously catch chorus featuring the title in lyrics. The other key, and probably most impressive, bonus feature of ‘Blizzard of Ozz’ is the track that lasts 1.14 and 100% reaffirms the sheer talent and rhythm that run through Randy’s veins.
For a solo debut, Ozzy simply excelled himself in creating a psychotic, heavy assortment of tracks and the bonus tracks featured in this re-release give the listener a further insight into the sheer genius and talent of those surrounding that album.
Wasting no time between releases, Ozzy had his second solo effort ‘Diary Of A Madman’ released by 1981. The album, which Ozzy openly admits to be his own personal favourite, was to be the last full recording by Randy as he was killed the following year in a tragic accident. With these facts in mind, this record has always held a certain poignancy to some.
Ozzy kicked off this album with more of an attack, launching straight into the anarchic ‘Over The Mountain’, another source to witness Randy’s flair for guitar. ‘You Can’t Kill Rock and Roll’ subdues the welcome harshness momentarily, citing, “Leave me alone, don't want your promises no more ‘cause rock & roll is my religion and my law.”
‘Little Dolls’ typifies that rock ‘n’ roll that Ozzy talks so lovingly of; dirty riffs, sleek solos and the classic Ozzy vocals that have become identifiable to generation after generation of metal lovers. ‘Diary Of A Madman’ steadily draws the listener into the album’s climax, varying evenly between that more restrained, calm sound and bursts of a solo extravaganza.
It’s unquestionable that Ozzy Osbourne – the man, the legend – is going nowhere any time soon, so you might as well start listening to all that he has to offer. Some recommend to start from current releases and work back; no. The best and most defining albums of Ozzy Osbourne’s musical career are rooted deep in the 80’s, so pick up these re-releases, stick in your headphones and become completely immersed in the wondrous sounds that the Prince of Darkness has to offer.
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His career literally spans upwards of four decades and the list of his accomplishments could go on and on... and on. Having toured the world countless times, the Prince of Darkness finally hit 100 million album sales in his career as of late last year. He created Ozzfest with his family, performing and promoting several hard-rock acts as of 1996. His award collection includes a Grammy Award for ‘Best Metal Performance’ to an NME award for ‘Godlike Genius.’ His truly groundbreaking musical moments, however, began three decades ago as he embarked on his solo career. 
