1222. Ozzy Osbourne / No Rest for the Wicked. 1988. 4/5

By the time this album came around to being released, it had been well over 2.5 years since Ozzy Osbourne and his band had released a studio album. The fan response to “The Ultimate Sin” album has been less pronounced than it had for the other albums released during the 1980’s, and had been beset by problems from its inception and through to the tour that followed to promote it. Ozzy himself had the usual dependencies that haunted him over the decade, while the battle behind the scenes in regards to publishing rights and writing credits continued to be problematic. Some fans also felt that “The Ultimate Sin” album had gone too far towards a hair or glam metal sound than the music which they had enjoyed from him from Ozzy’s Sabbath days and even the Randy Rhodes albums. The end result of this was that guitarist Jake E. Lee was fired, for which there was never a full explanation given, and bass guitarist Phil Soussan also left the band. It seems probable that a combination of all of these factors – Ozzy's drug and alcohol problems, the refusal of both Lee and Soussan to give up their royalty rights, and the slight ambivalence of his long term fans over the recent release – all contributed to this situation occurring. It meant that the Ozzy Osbourne band required rebuilding.
Audition tapes were received from hundreds of guitarists, but eventually it was one from a young unknown guitarist by the name of Zakk Wylde that caught their attention. After auditioning for the spot Wylde was hired soon after, and became a major part of Osbourne’s resurgence into the next decade. The bass player’s spot was more inconclusive, and eventually it was through mutual benefit that former Ozzy band player Bob Daisley returned to the fold once again. Despite having been burned in the past and having issues over the same songwriting credits issue that had forced two members from the most recent line up of the band, Daisley returned to play bass and also contribute to the writing process for what became the album “No Rest for the Wicked”. Daisley had been bypassed for “The Ultimate Sin” album after having been heavily involved in Osbourne’s first three album after his leaving from Balck Sabbath, and his troubles with Ozzy’s management in that time are well known. However, his desire and enjoyment of being involved with Ozzy and his music again saw his return. Of course, as seems to be a recurring them in this story, it didn’t end well for him on this occasion either.

There is little doubt that the music direction here on “No Rest for the Wicked” moves itself forward from the previous album. You can name any number of reasons why this may be the case. The obvious one is the change of personnel. Both Zakk and Bob play their instruments in a different style from their predecessors, and as a result the music here is different. They both also write differently, which is a big thing to take under consideration. And we are now coming towards the end of 1988 and not at the end of 1985, so the style of heavy metal has also changed. Just take a look at Ozzy’s hairstyle as the main piece of knowledge for that! But in the main, Zakk comes in with a heavier riff style which is the dominant factor of the songs on this album.
The mood is set from the outset, with Zakk’s wonderful opening riff on “Miracle Man” tearing up the playbook and making his mark from the start. The fact that his guitar style is again different from all of the players Ozzy has had – Tony Iommi, Randy Rhodes and Jake E Lee – makes him the focal point again, and in the direction the music is taking. Along for the ride again is Bob’s wonderfully written and performed bass work, the perfect undertone to emphasise each track with Randy’s fantastic drumming, precision perfect and annunciating each musical portion of the song. These three combine superbly throughout this album, which only makes it slightly disappointing it was the only time they played together. Zakk and Bob were the main contributors to the songwriting process and they seem to have paired up well.
Ozzy comes back firing vocally, especially on that opening track “Miracle Man”, pointedly another song by a metal band of this era that gets stuck into the televangelism of the day, and the hypocritical acts of those involved. It’s a great song highlighted by Zakk’s terrific solo slot. This is followed by “Devil’s Daughter” and “Crazy Babies” that also feel dominated by the arrival of Zakk Wylde. While the tempo of the songs is not overly fast, they feel as though they are by Zakk’s unique guitar sound and his wailing guitar squeal. The intro and chorus of “Devil’s Daughter” is especially fun and driven, while Crazy Babies is dominated by Ozzy’s lyrical slinging after that initial opening crunching riff from Zakk – magnificent.
Then you have songs such as “Breakin’ All the Rules” and “Fire in the Sky” that slot right into that mid-tempo style and where Ozzy makes the songs what they are, with great vocal lines and melodies over the rhythm of the song. Ozzy is quite brilliant at being able to make these kinds of songs so entertaining and interesting, where other artists would be unable to make them so enjoyable. They are of a slightly different tone that sometimes halt the momentum of albums of other artists, but Ozzy and his crew make them much more than that.
“Bloodbath in Paradise” uses mentions of Charles Manson and the Manson family within its lyrics, while “Demon Alcohol” is so obviously written for Ozzy to sing about himself by Daisley that it should certainly be referred to as biographical. “Tattooed Dancer” also has its obvious reference points, and again is dominated by Zakk’s amazing guitaring, and his couple of riffs prior to and concluding the chorus especially being game changers. The album concludes with “Hero”, with more biographical lyrics from Zakk and Bob that continue to allow Ozzy to sing loudly about himself and be the hero to his fans that he sometimes doesn’t understand that he is.

Ozzy and his music has been a big part of my life since I first discovered it back in the mid-1980's, and while “The Ultimate Sin” had been the first album I had heard at the time (or around the time at least) it had been released, it was this one that was truly a ‘discovered on release’ moment for me. And yes, it is fair to say that the differences between what had come before, and this one, were obvious from the start. Which, at the time for me, was a big thing to take in. I loved the Randy era, and I loved the Jake E Lee era. But this was newer, bolder, brasher than any of that. And that was quite something to take in initially. But it didn’t take long to take the lacquer off the new ball. Zakk’s unique guitaring was a hit from the beginning. Just listening to it in songs like “Miracle Man”, “Crazy Babies”, “Tattooed Dancer” and “Demon Alcohol” was mesmerising, and everything fell into place after that.
This is still a great album, but often you will get asked where it fits in your own personal music rating for the artist. And if you ignore everything after 1994 – which was when Ozzy was going to retire from everything or just from touring or just from doing albums, or whatever that whole kerfuffle ending up being about – then this for me is the least interesting of Ozzy’s albums. His first two Blizzard of Ozz albums with Randy, Bob and Lee Kerslake are magnificent. His next two with Jake E Lee are the perfect 80’s hair metal albums. And the follow up to this, the amazing “No More Tears” speaks for itself. Sas much as I still enjoy this album, it is middle range when you think of the band’s albums as a whole.
After recording this album, Bob Daisley was ushered out the door again, to be replaced in the touring band by Ozzy former bandmate Geezer Butler, only for Bob to be recalled to play (but not write) on this album’s follow up. But that story is available on the episode dedicated to it in season 1 for those that are interested. This album is still an entertaining album of the age, and kept the Osbourne torch aflame into the next decade and beyond.

1208. Ozzy Osbourne / Live & Loud [Live]. 1993. 5/5

By the time Ozzy Osbourne had released his “No More Tears“ album, an episode of which you can listen to on Season 1 of this podcast, he had decided that he had become jaded and sick of touring, and that he would go out on one final world tour, calling it the “No More Tours” tour, and that a resulting live album recorded on that tour would be his final album. Looking back now, thirty years ago, it seems like a facetious remark, given that even into his 70’s now and suffering from a number of ailments including Parkinson’s disease, he’s still out there making live appearances. And given that there have been a number of things said over the years that appear to be more of a promoting of Ozzy and his music, and things including reality shows and series made which, in the long run, come across as brazen promotion of the artist and his music, is it so wild to believe that the whole “No More Tours” thing was just a way of selling out more shows and selling more albums? Or was it simply a case that once he had gone on a break following this tour, that he realised how bored he was, and that it was making music that was keep him going? In the long run, it probably doesn’t matter, that even if it was a promotional tool it turned out to be a good one, but other things that went into it did create some ructions.
As it was going to be his last time out, Ozzy invited the other three original members of Black Sabbath to come out on his final night and have a reunion for the encore, and asked the band to play as support for that night. At the time, Sabbath was touring on their “Dehumanizer” album with Ronnie James Dio back as lead singer. When Iommi and Butler agreed to this, Dio dead set refused, saying that to be considered as a support act for Ozzy was degrading for the band and not what their status demanded. It caused this second formation of this lineup of Sabbath to dissolve immediately (although the band played the support slot with Rob Halford filling in on vocals), and also eventually led to a reunion of the original foursome for a tour in 1997, though a new album did not eventuate from this.
All in all, lots of consequences came from the tour that this live album was recorded on. Most of all, it produced a cracking live album of some of the best music Ozzy and his bandmates ever produced.

The “No More Tours” tour stretched through the back half of 1992, and the songs from this live album were taken from several shows on that run, including from Orlando, Atlanta and Cincinatti.
The first thing to consider here are the performances. And they don’t miss a beat. Ozzy is in fine form, no doubt standing in front of his autocue to make sure he doesn’t forget the words, but he sings everything terrifically. Zakk Wylde on guitar is as awesome as ever, every nuance of every song is found with the correct ting of the string, from the ferocity of “War Pigs” and “Bark at the Moon” to the mood swings of “Mama I’m Coming Home” and “Goodbye to Romance”. He was truly on a prominent rise at this stage, before his journey into Black Label Society, when this was the dream gig that he had been waiting for. Mike Inez finds all of those wonderful Bob Daisley written bass runs perfectly through each song, and Randy Castillo is as powerful as ever on the drums. The performance of the band here is second to none.
The song set list is also a who’s who of the best that Ozzy has to offer. The Sabbath tracks “Paranoid” and “War Pigs” are as bombastic as always. The mix of tracks for the rest comes from all six of the studio albums to that point in time, with the focus remaining on the album they were touring on at the time, “No More Tears” with five songs from that album. Only one song appears from each of the mid-era albums, represented by “Bark at the Moon”, “Shot in the Dark” and “Miracle Man”, while the Randy era albums get the six classic tracks played, as one would expect.
At the end of the album we have the aforementioned reunion of the original four members of Black Sabbath performing that title track, which, while it was a somewhat momentous moment at the time, has paled into insignificance in the years since. And for all the grief it caused at the time, with Dio leaving Sabbath again and Tony Martin returning to Sabbath again, and Ozzy deciding he WASN’T going to retire after all and in fact go on for another 30 years of albums and tours, including one more with Black Sabbath again... it feels more and more like an Ozzy promotional exercise than any other possibility. But in the long run, the people behind Ozzy’s career were always looking for those angles.

The most annoying part of this album’s recording and release was that, once again, Australia got looked over for a tour by the band, and as it had been ‘the final tour’ we believed we were never going to get to see him perform these songs live, which was very frustrating.
I got the album on its release and played it on rotation over a long period of time. The live versions of all the songs were just fantastic. Sure, perhaps the Randy era versions on the “Tribute” album were better, but not by much. And it was great to hear songs like “Bark at the Moon” and “Miracle Man” get the live treatment.
And as I’ve said before here when reviewing live albums for this podcast, live albums really all should be brilliant, because you are getting the best songs in their best environment, and that is absolutely true of “Live & Loud”. Great songs, performed by a great band. And there is probably no better way to “finish” your career than for it to be with this song.

1185. Ozzy Osbourne / Patient Number 9. 2022. 4/5

How the hell is Ozzy Osbourne still alive?! After the life he has led, and the substance abuse he has been a part of, it still boggles the mind that firstly he is still alive, and secondly that he is still able to perform on stage as well as he does, though that has certainly almost ceased in recent times. Indeed, following the reunification with Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler for the “13” album for Black Sabbath, it was felt that perhaps that would be the conclusion of his performing career. But no, instead he worked up to and into the covid pandemic period to produce the “Ordinary Man” album, one that utilised a plethora of guest musicians, and changed up his usual style of music. There was some chart success for the album, and also his collaboration on a single with Post Malone, and while this drew in some new fans to his music, it has to be said that many of the long term fans – myself included – felt as though it was a mixed bag, and that after several listens were happy to put it back on the shelves without too much thought of dragging it back out again.
So when it came to announcing this new album, it did come as a surprise. On top of his growing illness with Parkinson’s disease and everything else that he was working with, a new album, coming so soon after his previous one, seemed like a pipe dream. And it wouldn’t be unfair to suggest that my own feelings on a new album were mixed. On one hand, I’m always excited for the release of a new Ozzy album – how could you not be? On the other hand, most of his albums over the last two decades have been uneven, and in places just plain ordinary. You always hope for brilliance, but was there any scope for any of that to remain?
Once again, there were a lot of artists used throughout the album, though the bulk of the songwriting was done by Ozzy (presumably) alongside two other writers, producer, instrumentalist and song writer Andrew Watt, and Alexandra Tamposi who had co-written hit songs with many modern day pop artists. Other artists were then invited to submit guitar riffs and the like, from which they would then join in and help flesh out those riffs that the main writers liked into full songs. In the long run what this created was an eclectic album with different flavours and sounds, while still retaining a core within the tracks to ensure they fit well together on the album, which in my opinion made this album a much better listen than the previous album.

In my opinion, what makes this album an improvement on the previous album is that there has been a better quality of musician brought in to help write and perform on this album. Now that isn’t to decry those who were a part of the last album, but some of the guys brought in on this album KNOW how to write and play on an Ozzy Osbourne album. The number one in this category is Zakk Wylde, whose mysterious absence from Ozzy albums at times over the last two decades is noticed when it happens. It was definitely noticed on “Ordinary Man”. On this album Zakk is back, and plays on many of the songs and is heavily featured on four – the brilliant “Parasite”, “Mr Darkness”, the sensational solo section of “Nothing Feels Right” and “Evil Shuffle”. Ozzy has complained in the past of Zakk’s writing being ‘too Black Label Society’ for his albums, but when Zakk is shredding it feels like Ozzy is at his strength.
Then we have Tony Iommi who contributes to two songs, “No Escape from Now”, which sounds like it could have come straight off that Black Sabbath album ‘13’ with Tony’s solo, and also “Degradation Rules” which tries to hark back to the beginning, with Ozzy joining in on harmonica. It’s great to hear these two together again.
Beyond this, there are some other pretty handy axe wielders on show. Jeff Beck contributes on the first single and title track, as well as the later track “A Thousand Shades”, both excellent songs. Eric Clapton comes on board on “One of Those Days” and does a typically excellent job. And then take a look at the list of other guest musicians who contribute to these tracks. Drummers Chad Smith and Taylor Hawkins before his unfortunate demise, bass guitarists Rob Trujillo and Duff McKagen, as well as Josh Homme and Mike McCreedy. And not to forget the great violins in both “One of Those Days” and the terrific “Dead and Gone”.
All of this – the song writing partners, the amazing musicians involved – has created a wonderful portrait piece, one completed by Ozzy himself. His vocals are still just amazingly good, and how can you not love hearing Ozzy sing? There’s no shouting or screaming, there’s no missed notes or vocals a little off. Every song here sounds terrific, and Ozzy is absolutely on song in every way. And, as I’ve said before, for someone who has had his health issues and at the age of 73 is getting up there, his voice is still the one that many people think of as the best in heavy metal.

I was 50/50 going into this album when I heard of its imminent release. And I love Ozzy, but for me he hadn’t really done a truly Ozzy album since “Ozzmosis” back in 1995. Every album since has been flawed, boring, or pieces of both. He had moved away from the success of his early writing cohorts in Bob Daisley and Zakk Wylde, and gone with different sets of collaborators, and I felt that this harmed the success of those albums. He had even spurned Zakk from playing on some of those albums, and that didn’t feel right either.
But from the moment I hear the first single, which was the title track, it did feel and sound a lot more naturally like Ozzy Osbourne, and that gave me confidence going into the album proper. And I haven’t been disappointed. I don’t think there is a bad track on this album. Sure, there are a few that are a bit slower or go to other others that I am not entirely thrilled about when it comes to my music pleasure, but overall I think this is a triumph. And it is made by the players. It’s hard to dismiss Chad Smith, Rob Trujillo, Zakk, Iommi who are the main players here, along with all the other who make their contributions. The songs are written in the style that allows Ozzy to be himself, and be dragged along into the mix of the excellent musicianship and song structures that exist here. Whether you are a guitar lover, or an Ozzy lover, there is something for everyone here. It is undoubtedly the best album Ozzy has released in 25+ years, which is truly a remarkable achievement in itself, mirroring the recent success of Judas Priest’s “Firepower” album in channelling the past in a positive modern way.
Is this now the final hurrah for Ozzy? It seems almost impossible that he would be able to do any more live tours. But the excellence of this album so soon after “Ordinary Man” could perhaps suggest that, when it comes to releasing another album, or albums, then perhaps we have not heard the end of the great man. No matter what, this is an album to be listened to. In fact, for me, it is probably the album of 2022. And I never thought I’d be saying that about an Ozzy Osbourne album in the 2020’s.

1182. Ozzy Osbourne / Speak of the Devil [Live]. 1982. 4.5/5

The fall and rise of Ozzy Osbourne during the years collating the late 1970’s and early 1980’s is one that we have covered a little already on this podcast. There are amazing accounts out there from former bandmates who have documented not only how difficult Ozzy could be to work with due to his vices, and how difficult his management team could be to work with.
Following on from the “Diary of a Madman” album and subsequent tour, the decision had been made by Ozzy and his management (ok, Sharon) that they would do an album focused purely on the songs of Ozzy’s first band, Black Sabbath. There were reasons stated for wanting to do it, which included that the previous publishing deal had now come to an end, which meant that by recording Sabbath songs all of the writers of those songs (which of course included Ozzy) would then reap the profits. It would also serve as a way of getting out of their current record deal in an easier fashion than writing another one or two albums to do so. What to me has always seemed to be the main reason, however, was that the current lineup of Black Sabbath had announced that they were putting together a live album themselves – without Ozzy on it – and there seems little doubt that this had created some angst for the previous lead singer of that band. And it always felt to me that in deciding to go down this path, especially when the band had just released two critically acclaimed albums that they could build upon, that the ONLY reason for it could be ego, and that Ozzy wanted to prove that he was the original and best.
Whichever way you want to look at the reasoning behind it, the tour and album almost didn’t eventuate anyway. When Ozzy announced to his then bandmates about the idea of playing a tour and releasing a live album of completely Black Sabbath material, the band as one revolted. Guitarist Randy Rhoads and drummer Tommy Aldridge both out and out refused to play on it. Both had already expressed their reluctance to play the Sabbath songs that were in their Ozzy sets, as neither felt as though they had anything in common with the style of music those songs sat in. Bass guitarist Rudy Sarzo, though not so adamant about it all, still stuck with his fellow bandmates. This caused Ozzy to go off in a drunken rage, apparently firing all three, but then the next day not remembering that he had done it. Eventually the three agreed to participate, though it is reported that this contributed heavily to Randy making the decision that he would leave the band once it was completed. Unfortunately, a few weeks later, Randy was killed in the accident of the light plane and the bus he was sleeping in, so we will never know what would have happened in that respect.
In order to move forward, Bernie Torme initially took on the guitaring role, but it was Brad Gillis, who was then working on the debut album for his band Night Ranger – an episode posted just recently on this podcast – who came in to take on the role for this live album, one that was still full of problems as they reached the recording phase.

Just to further complicate just how this album came about, imagine being the band – Sarzo, Aldridge and Gillis – and being asked to get together for rehearsals for the upcoming concerts, but being told that the lead singer wouldn’t be attending. I mean, how would you go about processing that? This is what the band was told, that Ozzy wouldn’t be attending rehearsals. They had five days to learn the songs and get them up to speed for a live recording. Which, they then did, apart from three – Iron Man, Children of the Grave and Paranoid – because they were told that earlier recordings of those songs with Randy on guitar would be used on the album. Ozzy didn’t show up until the soundcheck for the first of two shows being recorded, at The Ritz in New York, a club that held up to 1000 people. And, much like Ozzy, even at this point of his career, he had trouble remembering the lyrics. So, for both sold out performances, Ozzy had a chair at the front of the stage, with a book full of lyrics propped up on it, where he planted himself for most of the gigs, reading the lyrics off the pages. The guitarists also had to locate themselves closer to the drum riser to hear the drums as the monitors usually used were not available. And THEN, when they finally reached the time to play the three songs that were not going to be used for the actual album, the band loosened up and showed less care and precision, because they knew that these songs at least would not appear. That was, of course, until the decision was made to retain the Randy live versions for a possible release down the track (the afore-published episode on the “Tribute” album can be heard in season 2 of this podcast) and the band management indeed decided to use these versions, something that displeased Sarzo, Aldridge and Gillis. It was at this time that both Sarzo, who had been recording the Quiet Riot album “Metal Health” in secret at the time, and Gillis, who had been recording “Dawn Patrol” with Night Ranger, left the Osbourne camp to return to their other bands. The band had also recorded an extra day with no audience, to cover all bases in case of any audio trouble form the two gigs done live. All in all, apart from being quite the ordeal, the story seems almost Spinal Tap-ish in retelling. There is even more expansion of these stories, and to know it all it is worth checking out Rudy Sarzo’s autobiography “Off the Rails”, which really lifts the lid on an epic period of music history.

One of the really amazing parts of the Black Sabbath history was the lack of a truly representative live album. Sure, “Live at Last” was released in 1980, but without the band’s input or real knowledge. This was somewhat rectified with the “Past Lives” release in 2002 that utilised that material and other historical live recordings. There was “Cross Purposes Live” in 1995 with Tony Martin. And the “Reunion” live album in 1998 had all but Bill ward back in the saddle, but it was way beyond their prime.
And then we had “Live Evil” which was released a month after this album, with Ronnie James Dio and Vinny Appice, doing songs of both Mark I and II of the band. And that is a great live album – look out for that episode a very episodes after this one.
What I guess I’m getting around to is that, at the time, this album was your best bet to hear Ozzy singing all these classic Sabbath songs live on an album, and so even despite the torment behind getting it up and running, I always enjoyed it. I enjoyed the addition of Brad Gillis’s iconic guitar sound on these songs, and both Tommy and Rudy are terrific players. These versions sound great, and Ozzy sounds great if not a little unhinged between songs with his banter.
It wasn’t until four years after this was released that I came across it, and ironically also “Live Evil”, so I did the same thing as fans would have done on its release – compared it to each other. And I don’t really favour one against the other. They both have their charms, they both have their very slight downturns. It may have been a strange move at the time given the burgeoning success of his new material after leaving Black Sabbath, but it didn’t seem to upset the fans. To be honest, the retrospective look back of live material in recent years on the Deluxe Edition re-releases of some of Sabbath’s greatest albums, which have entire live gigs from that time, is a much better showcasing of Black Sabbath the band in their live days. But this album showcases Ozzy and his bandmates at their time, in 1982, and in that respect this album is still a fun listen, and worthy of many singalong moments of these great songs.

1163. Ozzy Osbourne / Live at Budokan. 2002. 4/5

Given that Ozzy Osbourne had proclaimed that he was going to retire from touring a decade earlier than this live album was released, it seems unnecessary to suggest that a bit had gone on in that ten year span. Those that are avid readers of this blog will have recently read of the debacle that occurred at the end of Black Sabbath’s “Dehumanizer” album, where the four original members of the band reunited for an encore at what was to be Ozzy’s final ever live gig. Well, those plans soon faded, no doubt due to the dollar signs in everyone’s eyes, and the album “Ozzmosis” followed, as well as the following album “Down to Earth” in 2001. Avid readers will also have read the entry dedicated to THAT album on this blog.
The same foursome who recorded that album, Ozzy, guitarist Zakk Wylde, bass guitarist Robert Trujillo and drummer Mike Bordin all toured on this album, and subsequently ended up on the live gig that makes up this album. It was an interesting idea to release a live album and DVD from this tour. Ozzy’s first two live albums had been the Black Sabbath-induced “Speak of the Devil” and was followed by the “Tribute” album in 1987. Then came the “Live and Loud” double live album from that “No More Tours” era, which tied up all the strings nicely. This one, just two albums later, seemed like a marketing decision rather than an opportunity to showcase the band in their element, but then again, Iron Maiden seem to release a live album after every studio effort, so certainly in comparison now, it isn't such a bad decision.

As always, live albums can be split and categorised with the following denominators – the songs from the latest studio album, songs that have not appeared on a live album prior to the one being released, and the old favourites that appear on practically every live album the band or artist releases. And in this way, you can get a feel for just how unique or stock standard the live album is.
Here on “Live at Budokan”, there are three songs that come from the “Down to Earth” album, and it is probably fair to say that they all sound better here in the live environment than they do on the studio album. Those songs are “That I Never Had”, “Junkie” and “Gets Me Through”. Not only does the band sound great playing these live, the songs are enhanced by having Zakk singing on back up vocals. It especially sounds great in “That I Never Had”, a song that would have been the lesser without him helping Ozzy out.
Interestingly, there are four songs from “No More Tears” played here, more songs than from the album they are promoting, and from any other Ozzy album as well. There is no problem with that. “No More Tears” the song is a no brainer, and “Mama I’m Coming Home” given its commercial success is also one that was played a lot on tours following its release. “Road to Nowhere” and “I Don’t Want to Change the World” are probably strange selections, though again Zakk’s backing vocals on “I Don’t Want to Change the World” enhances this version of the song immensely. “I Don’t Know”, “Believer” and “Mr Crowley” pepper the first half of the album, while you Can’t finish an Ozzy gig without “Crazy Train”, “Bark at the Moon” and “Paranoid” now, can you? And perhaps it is a small point, and a bit of a nit-picking point, but “Believer” for instance had appeared on “Tribute”, and while this version is also terrific, wasn’t there an opportunity to play a different track, maybe from the “Ultimate Sin” or “No Rest for the Wicked” era? Because neither of those albums had a song from them in this set list, and it would have been great to have had them represented. On the other hand perhaps, maybe Ozzy was already moving into his habit of playing the same songs and rarely diverging to give other great songs from his past an opportunity, because of the difficulty of representing them live in a fashion that they deserved. I don’t know for sure, but it would have been great to have.

I first heard this album several months after its release. I didn’t rush out to buy it, at the time I was at a stage where I was listening to other music, and having heard the “Down to Earth” album I was at an ambivalent stage. I eventually saw the DVD on a trip out west to a mates house, where we discussed how great most of the songs were, and how average the new ones were, and that maybe if Zakk Wylde had been involved in the writing process it would have been a whole lot better. First impressions are always interesting.
I now own a copy of this album but not the DVD. I have been listening to it through streaming services for the purpose of this episode, and I can find the video online if I feel the need. But I really don’t. No, this isn’t a bad live album. Bordin and Trujillo are brilliant musicians, and they are great here. Ozzy sings well, and Zakk is still at a peak as a guitarist. But the problem here is that there isn’t anything special brought to the table to inspire you to either purchase it or listen to it. I’ve enjoyed listening to this album again over the last couple of weeks. And I believe that if you put it on, you’ll enjoy it too. The problem is, much like the plethora of Iron Maiden live albums, if you want to listen to an Ozzy live album, then you are either going to reach for “Tribute” to listen to those early songs and Randy Rhoads shred, or you are going to reach for “Live and Loud” that has every great Ozzy song on the two discs and perfectly performed. There hasn’t been as need for me to own this, because apart from this reviewing of the album, I’m just not likely to reach for it on the shelves. And that will always be the conundrum of a live album – no matter how good it sounds and the songs that are on it, if it isn’t one of the better one or two released by the band or artist, it is going to get ignored.

1154. Ozzy Osbourne / Tribute. 1987. 5/5

There is plenty of evidence out there in the music world that Ozzy Osbourne’s career after the conclusion of his years in Black Sabbath was saved by his collaboration with Bob Daisley and Randy Rhoads. If not for their involvement in what became the first two albums of his ‘solo’ career, then there must be questions asked as to whether or not he would ever have become the icon that he now is. Certainly those two albums rely heavily on the magnificence of Randy Rhoads’s guitar playing, and his sudden and tragic death is still mourned to this day. It wasn’t until five years after his death that a live album recorded during those days was released, as a tribute to his special skills. The double album, titled “Tribute” shone a light on just how amazing an artist Randy was.

It’s remarkable that this album came to light in the way it did. The recordings were done without any clear idea as to what they wanted to do with them, just how they were to be released, if at all. At the time Ozzy was still in a period of one-upmanship with his former band, trying to find a way to out manoeuvre them. In the weeks leading up to Randy’s death, Ozzy had wanted to do some shows that included only songs from his Black Sabbath days, to record and release in order to show that he was still more Black Sabbath than his former band. It was only when both Randy and drummer Tommy Aldridge refused to do so that it fell through. And then the accident occurred, Randy was gone, and this was what was left. So, it is truly very fortunate that these recordings were made. Imagine our music world since if we had not had this amazing album, showcasing just how brilliant Randy Rhoads the guitarist was in the live environment, playing on these brilliant songs that he helped to create?
And of course, it would be remiss not to mention the other parties involved. On the majority of the songs played on this album, the band consists of drummer Tommy Aldridge and bass guitarist Rudy Sarzo, and both deliver wonderful performances here. The day and age of live drum solo, in order to give the other band members a rest during proceedings, allows Tommy to show off his amazing skills on this album, and throughout his drum sound is top notch. Rudy’s performance is excellent here too, acting as the lineal standard whenever Randy’s guitar moves off into his own projections of the song. On the two songs at the end of the album, “Goodbye to Romance” and “No Bone Movies”, which are from a different gig a year earlier, original Blizzard of Ozz members, drummer Lee Kerslake and bassist Bob Daisley are playing. And then there is Ozzy himself. It’s interesting to hear him for the majority of this album. By the time this was recorded, he had recovered from the loss he felt of leaving Black Sabbath, his reputation had been restored by the albums “Blizzard of Ozz” and “Diary of a Madman” and the writing and performing efforts of Randy, Bob and Lee, and you can hear that confidence again flowing through him, that he is back on top of the world and his fans are there for him. For him, the world was once again his oyster. All of this never ceases to bring a tinge of sadness when listening to the album, knowing that it was the last we would hear of this band in its current lineup.

When you listen to all of these songs, I still wonder at how bands go about doing their set lists, and then decide what they are going to play and what they are not. Obviously for this release, more than five years after they were recorded, it came out to showcase the marvellous talents of the guitarist. And they all do. “I Don’t Know” is a great opening track, coming in as it does after the band’s intro music, ballsy and ballistic straight from the get-go. Followed by its sister track from the same album, and this version of “Crazy Train” is still probably the ultimate of all of the versions live and studio released over the years. Randy just smokes on guitar throughout, and it is the perfect tribute song for him. But then you have two just majestic songs that also not only showcase his guitar, but the awesome bass lines and improving melody lines of Ozzy’s vocals. “Believer” has such an amazing tone and atmosphere, but this live version just brings it to life more than the studio version does, and it has always been one of my favourites. And then this is followed by “Mr Crowley” which even after all these years perhaps highlights just how good Randy was, his guitar playing on this track is that segue from metal to classical that it feels like he was looking for. Both of these songs gell those pieces together, and are brilliantly done here.
I love that they also did “Revelation Mother Earth” and “Steal Away the Night” back to back like they did on the album, because they fit together so perfectly in that way, and both sound sensational here. “Steal Away the Night” is one of the most underrated songs in the Ozzy Osbourne discography, a song to me that would be a sensational opening to a gig. “Suicide Solution” is also terrific, and is where Randy’s guitar solo is inserted into, which works well in the fact that this is, of course, his tribute. We then have the three Sabbath songs to close out with, which sound terrific. This version of “Children of the Grave” is one of my favourites, and Randy does an outstanding job of playing his own version without trying to pinpoint copy Tony Iommi’s guitar but yet remaining faithful to the original. It is superb.
Getting back to my opening point about set lists, I guess my one regret here is the songs that the band didn’t play. “Over the Mountain”, “S.A.T.O”, “You Can’t Kill Rock n Roll”, “Diary of a Madman”… but that album didn’t come out for another six months after these live recordings were made and so the songs were not played. More is the pity… I just would have loved to have heard Randy play these live.

Randy Rhoads had come and gone before I knew about him, and before I had begun listening to metal music at all. That came a few short years later when, as you do, your group of mates at school all gravitate towards the same kind of music, and begin to share their loves into the conglomerate. About twelve months before this album was released, perhaps had been even thought about being released, one of my best friends – again, my metal music dealer that I have mentioned in past episodes – came back from an expedition to the second hand record stores in Sydney rather excited. He had come across an album that was enclosed in just a white cover, with the simple “Iron Maiden – LIVE!” printed across it. Without any clue as to what was actually on the album he made the purchase, brought it home, put it on… and thought ‘wow, that doesn’t sound like Iron Maiden….’
What he had actually found… was the recordings that ended becoming the basis of this album. Sure, the official release was cleaned up and mastered, but he had essentially found this album, and as a result those of us in our listening circle at Kiama High were listening to this album for pretty much 18 months before we actually got to buy this album. Which was cool before we knew this album was going to be released, but was soooo much cooler once it had been announced, and we heard it for the first time and thought ‘far out we’ve had this for ages!’ I wish I still had that cassette, but it died after being listened to a thousand times.
But I still had this album, and I still play it frequently, because how can you not? Not only because the songs are awesome and the versions are better, but once again because it reminds me of those simpler times back in my last couple of years of high school, when the world seemed a much simpler place.


It is 40 years to the day that Randy was killed while sleeping in a bus that a light plane then flew into, and it is 35 years to the day that this album was released as his Tribute. I don’t think there is a better way to remember his guitar playing by, than to take an hour and a half of your day, put this album on, and let Randy Rhoads amaze you all over again.

1145. Ozzy Osbourne + Motorhead / Hellraiser [Single]. 2021. 5/5

“Hellraiser” was written for the Ozzy Osbourne album No More Tears which was released in 1991. It was one of several songs on that album that was co-written not only with guitarist Zakk Wylde, but with Motorhead bassist and frontman Lemmy Kilmister, a role Lemmy performed with several artists through the years. The lyrics are very much about the touring musician, the life on the road, and would have pulled vey much from the trio’s own experiences and feelings about their life and roles.
The version recorded for Ozzy Osbourne’s No More Tears album is typical Osbourne – the high range vocals filled with melodic choruses, rumbling bass and drums and superb soling and riffing from Wylde at his peak. It has always been considered one of the highlights of the album.
Whether it was the success of Ozzy’s song, or whether Lemmy just enjoyed the song itself as it was, but Lemmy was approached to have Motorhead record their own version of the song, which would then be used on the soundtrack of the film Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth - Movie Soundtrack. The Hellraiser films, conceived from the book of the same name by Clive Barker, were the epitome of horror films in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, and so the addition of this version of the song (which appears over the closing credits) was a winning solution. At the same time, the song also appeared on Motorhead’s album March ör Die which was also released in 1992. It is the Motorhead version of the song, with some of the lyrics changed to suit their own metal style and with different solo riff and singing style.

With 2021 being the 30th anniversary of the song appearing on No More Tears, and with Lemmy now having left us some five years ago, to celebrate the moment a new version of the song has been released. Through the wonders of technology, the two versions of the song you have just heard have been spliced together, in order to create a duet between the two great metal vocalists along with the varied versions of the song itself. An animated music video has also been created which really is a joy to watch, and is worth checking out on YouTube if you have not yet seen it.

For me, each version proves just how good a song it is, that it is able to flex and stretch to each different way it has been put together, and to me that suggests just how strong the bones of the song are.

1129. Ozzy Osbourne / No More Tears. 1991. 5/5

Through the 1980’s Ozzy Osbourne had taken all before him, forging out a career apart from Black Sabbath that eventually outstripped his former band in both popularity and album sales during that decade, thanks to some fortuitous meetings with musicians such as Randy Rhoads, Jake E. Lee and Bob Daisley. Though there were obvious behind the scenes things that went on that were not as wonderful, including a consistent attempt to not give those who helped compose the songs that made him famous the credit they deserved before casting them aside, along with his own alcohol and drug problems, Ozzy marched through the decade of the 1980’s as a hero to the kids and with a string of brilliant albums.

For his previous album No Rest for the Wicked Ozzy had procured a brash young brilliant guitarist named Zakk Wylde, whose signature wailing created the kind of sound that he wanted to continue moving forward and improving the material that was being produced.

When it came to writing and recording this album, No More Tears, there was still plenty happening inside and outside the band. Not for the first time, but in essence probably the last time, Bob Daisley was the musician who was required when it came to putting it all together. The history between Ozzy and Bob is better left to other sources, and the story is both euphoric and inherently sad, but Daisley was brought in again to help with the recording of the album and to find the heart within the songs that were written. Alongside Randy Castillo on drums, these four recorded an album that for its time was just amazing. The 1980’s had been drained away, and in its place was a polished and mature album for the new decade, one that not only sounded like the most well-rounded album Ozzy had ever put his name to, but one which looked like it could push the foursome to even greater heights than they had ever known.

No More Tears takes some interesting paths, ones that wind off onto different parts of the forest of musical styles that the band has drawn from. Opening with “Mr Tinkertrain”, it’s a subject that lyrically at least makes you wonder if this song could be written in this day and age. You get the feeling that the ‘cancel culture’ of today’s protesters may see it as ‘inappropriate’. Despite this it is a great opening to the album, one where all four musicians come at you from the outset.
Lemmy Kilmister has writing credits on four of the songs of the album, and they are a diverse set of tracks. The second song “I Don’t Want to Change the World” is the first with Lemmy’s input, with a rocking track and thoughtful vocals over the top. Lemmy’s influence in the lyrics to both “Hellraiser” and “Desire” especially seem obvious. As it turn out his band Motorhead eventually did their own versions of both these songs, with “Hellraiser” not only appearing on Motorhead’s March ör Die album in 1992 but in the movie and on the soundtrack to Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth - Movie Soundtrack, while Lemmy’s version of “Desire” appeared on the Ozzy Osbourne tribute album A Tribute to Ozzy: Bat Head Soup.
The final song with Lemmy involved is “Mama I’m Coming Home” which was not only the main power ballad on the album and the second single, it also became one of the biggest selling singles of Ozzy’s career.

The songs here vary from the instrumentally technical and heavy in nature to the power ballad styles of “Mama I’m Coming Home” and “Road to Nowhere” and “Time After Time”. These songs still seem to be able to slip into the usual Ozzy narrative without appearing overtly as though they are looking for commercial success. The fact that “Mama I’m Coming Home” was so successful in this perhaps shone a focus on those three songs more heavily than would otherwise have been the case. I get the feeling that it proved to influence the way future albums were written in a way, but this may well just have been because Bob Daisley was not utilised in any fashion beyond this album, and that Zakk Wylde was not always involved in the writing process after this album as much as he had been. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve always enjoyed all three of those songs, and indeed quite love “Mama I’m Coming Home” - I think it just fits so smoothly into the concept of the album and its positioning in the track list works best in its favour. It’s interesting though that this style of song finds its way back into the mix, and both “Road to Nowhere” and “Time after Time” as well. I think the length of the album works in its favour. At almost an hour it is the longest of Ozzy’s albums to this point, and that allows these songs to sit within the mix without dominating the album.
Pack this alongside the fast tempo songs that are still what drives the album, and you can hear what makes this version of the band one of its best. "Won't Be Coming Home (S.I.N.)" is a great track where I still have no idea what the SIN stands for. “Desire”, “Hellraiser”, “Zombie Stomp”, “A.V.H”... they are all just fantastic. Indeed, that is definitely done with the songs that have the harder drums and utilise the brilliance of Zakk Wylde’s guitar. “Hellraiser” in particular is a gem, with great lyrics and Zakk’s guitar that dominates.
“No More Tears” is the epic, the track that binds the whole album together, and perfectly showcases the still brilliant sound and skill of Bob Daisley on bass guitar, the thrumming drum timing of Randy Castillo and that brutal and precision perfect guitar playing of Zakk Wylde, topped off by Ozzy’s still wonderful vocals over the top of it all. Of all the tracks that have appeared on Ozzy’s albums with his name on the cover – and there have been plenty – this track perhaps still showcases the best of everything that the band and the writing can offer.

When this was released in 1991, it was huge. As I have mentioned of the other albums I have reviewed that were released in that year, grunge had begun to squeeze its tentacles around the music industry, with its leading album just a few days away from being released itself. That this album still sold so well within this environment is perhaps somewhat remarkable, but it does truly show the high esteem that Ozzy Osbourne himself was held in, and his ability to cross genres was probably perfectly shown because of “No More Tears”.
I adored this album when it was released. Even amongst the plethora of albums that seemed to come out around this time, “No More Tears” still managed to take up a fair amount of my music listening time. For quite some time I even rated this as my favourite Ozzy Osbourne album, such was the overall standard of the songs and musicianship and song writing. Further contemplation beyond that period led me to re-evaluate and come back to the conclusion that those albums of the ‘Blizzard of Ozz’ band, the Rhoads-Daisley-Kerslake days, are quite special, but this album continues to rank barely behind them.

This was arguably Ozzy’s last great moment in music. The following album Ozzmosis was on a hiding to nothing in following this but still has some great material, but the lack of inspiration beyond that release has been quite noticeable. The tour that supported this album was called “No More Tours” as it was going to be the final time Ozzy went out and played live. There is good and bad in the fact that it proved not to be the case. The live album recorded on the tour, Live & Loud, is a cracker. It also meant that in 1998 Ozzy toured Australia on a greatest hits setlist that was one of the best concerts I have ever seen. And of course at the final two nights of this ‘supposed’ last tours he played two songs as an encore with the original Black Sabbath band, which... eventually.... led them to further tours and a final album some 20 years later.

No More Tears sometimes doesn’t get the credit and kudos it deserves. I think it is a brilliant album, one that everyone should own.

1030. Ozzy Osbourne / The Ultimate Sin. 1986. 5/5

By the time the mid-1980’s had rolled around, Ozzy Osbourne has already done just about everything there was to do in music. His storied past in outlandish behaviour was also well documented. Coming into 1986 he had three best-selling solo albums behind him and the music world at his feet. As with most of Ozzy’s albums during this decade (at least) there is the usual contention over who actually wrote the songs. At least here on The Ultimate Sin guitarist Jake E. Lee and oft-collaborator Bob Daisley have been given their dues. There’s little doubt that the pair of Lee and Daisley can write great songs. Apart from the great tracks on Bark at the Moon they write some cracking tunes here. The two videos released from the album show Ozzy in full 80’s regalia, in overblown sparkly coats and jewellery and that massively teased peroxided hair, but still singing up a storm no matter what the exterior was like.

The first side of the album I feel is underrated, and is often cited by those who aren’t as keen on the album as the reason why. I think it more than holds its own. It may not have any of the most revered Ozzy songs of his career on it, but neither are they the weakest. The self-titled opening track starts off with a thumping drum beat from Randy Castillo before the rhythmic bass and guitar riff kicks in. the tempo sticks to a solid beat, energised through the middle of the song by Jake’s solo. This moves straight into the guitar riffing beginning of “Secret Loser”, one of my favourite Ozzy tracks. The faster pace pulls you along in its wake, joining in as Ozzy serenades you with “Loser, I’m a secret loser!” The Lee solo is followed by a great piece in the middle of the song where Randy plays along on his toms with barely a ripple from the guitars while Ozzy sings over the top, only to crash back into the chorus through the guitar and bass riffing back in hard and heavy. Great stuff.
“Never Know Why” settles in the same tempo that most of the album resides in, with the heavy 2/4 beat on the drums allowing Ozzy to follow the tempo vocally over the top of the simple riff structure. It sounds simple enough and doesn’t require much effort, but is effective In that it allows the guitar solo to be hero of the song while the rhythm is prominent throughout. The anti-war song “Thank God for the Bomb” follows, and uses a similar technique in the middle of the song with the tom roll followed by the guitar solo, and is just as enjoyable. “Never” rounds out the first side of the album – and really, who was doing the titles of these songs? “Never Know Why” closely followed by “Never”? Isn’t that confusing?
The second half of the album is where the real money shots reside. It starts off with the excellent “Lightning Strikes” which is prefaced by a great entry guitar riff from Jake before Ozzy gives it all on vocals. This is a quintessential Ozzy song from the era, and anyone who has seen the video for it, with Ozzy in all his glory, will know it. The lyrics sum it all up as well, and that Jake solo in the middle is just fantastic. This is followed by what is arguably the best song on the album, “Killer of Giants”. The opening guitar, bass and keys sequence, followed by Ozzy’s perfect vocal for the lyrics, before crashing into the harder edge of the song itself, is one of the best moments in all of Ozzy’s solo material. The second anti-war song on the album also brings to notice the tension that was in the air around the world at this point in the decade.
“Fool Like You” and “Shot in the Dark” complete the album in style. “Fool Like You” was the perfect song for singing at fellow students back in high school when they questioned what you were doing and how you were going about it. One of the problems of being a heavy metal nerd, there were plenty of ‘cool’ people who wanted to have a go at you. I loved singing this song at them. Jake’s solo again is top shelf. “Shot in the Dark”, co-written by bass guitarist Phil Soussan, was the first single from the album and got regular airplay on music video programs. It is a great way to finish off the album.

The question could well then be asked – why do I love this album so much when others will find its simplicity to be boring and uninteresting? It’s a fair question, and the answer will reside on the fact that I grew up with the album from the time of its release. It was one that my friends and I lived off, and it speaks as much about my youth as it does about whether the songs on the album sound simplistic or awesomely technical. The three musicians in Jake E. Lee, Bob Daisley and Randy Castillo are just terrific here, and it is somewhat of a pity that they didn’t collaborate and play together more. Music speaks to different people in different ways. I still find this as enjoyable and entertaining as I did thirty years ago.

Best Songs: "The Ultimate Sin", "Secret Loser", "Lightning Strikes", "Killer of Giants", "Fool Like You", "Shot in the Dark"

Rating:  “If none of us believe in war, then can you tell me what the weapons are for?”   5/5

630. Ozzy Osbourne / Just Say Ozzy. 1990. 4/5

The late 1980’s was an interesting period in Ozzy Osbourne’s career, with changes and rearrangements being made on the fly, often on the whim of Ozzy’s management and generally in the name of discourse. Following the dismissal of Jake E. Lee after the tour to promote “The Ultimate Sin” album, Zakk Wylde was hired as guitarist and Bob Daisley returned as bass guitarist and co-writer for the follow up album “No Rest for the Wicked”. Once the album was completed, Daisley was (once again) informed his services were no longer required, and Ozzy’s former Sabbath bass guitarist Geezer Butler came on board to perform those duties on the tour that followed. At the time it was seen as massive news. Ozzy and Geezer back in the same band, at the same time that Black Sabbath was still recording and touring with Tony Iommi.
This is another of those live albums that has a questionable heritage. Given that the sleeve of the album suggests that this recording was taken from a performance at London's Brixton Academy in November 1989 it makes it difficult to believe, given there are no known tour dates that correspond to this. The final gig of the tour was when they played in Moscow in August of that year. There is then then the appearance that the music has been re-recorded and mixed at Electric Lady Studios in New York with engineer Adam Yellin, with the audience noise and some tracks kept from the original live recording. So, in many ways it is a mystery as to when and when this compilation comes from.
As with those other questionable ‘live’ albums from other bands over the years, does it really matter whether or not it is a true full live performance? That’s an individual thing, but for me it isn’t something that is worth losing sleep over. If it sounds great, then as a music lover that is all that matters. Does this EP fit that bill? Well... I guess that is open to question.

When you go about reviewing an EP, the episode is by natural causes going to be a shorter and less informative affair. There are less songs for a start. And when it comes to an EP that is also full of live songs, then there is no new material in which to pontificate over. And to be perfectly honest i could have skipped this release and I don’t think anyone would have been the poorer for it. But seeing as you are here, and you are expecting something amazing, I’ll give you the best I’ve got with the material available.
Three of the tracks here are from the band’s latest album that they were touring on at the time, “No Rest for the Wicked”. And as it turns out, all three are great stomping tracks that sound brilliant on the original album and do so again here. Zakk’s squealing guitar opening of “Miracle Man” is just as potent here as it is on the album. “Bloodbath in Paradise” is another wild ride that again accentuates Zakk’s wonderful guitaring in particular, and “Tattooed Dancer” sound great musically, but perhaps is lacking in the same power in the vocal live. It is also interesting that Geezer’s bass guitar seems lost in the mix, not as prevalent or as powerful as you would normally associate it. Now, this could have been a mixing issue, or it may just be that because he didn’t write the bass to these songs – that was Bob Daisley, whose style is significantly different from Gezer’s - that perhaps his influence here on these tracks is not as significant.
The fourth song of these six is “Shot in the Dark” from “The Ultimate Sin” album. And it sounds great here, it’s a terrific song and definitely is a live song. However, given the history of the song and its background, one feels that the Osbourne camp are now ruing the fact that they put it on this EP. The original song was composed by a band called Wildfire, of whom bass guitarist Phil Soussan was a member. It was never released, and when Soussan joined the Osbourne camp they reconfigured it to appear on “The Ultimate Sin” album, credited to Ozzy and Soussan, and not the original writers. Since then, after Soussan’s departure, the Osbournes tried to buy out his rights to the song, to which he refused, and numerous court cases followed (sound familiar?), and as a result, both “The Ultimate Sin” and “Just Say Ozzy” were deleted from the Osbourne catalogue in 2002. They really don’t like sharing royalties. Anyway, that’s the background. If this song hadn’t been added to this EP, it would still be out there available for you to buy.
The final two tracks are, as ever, Black Sabbath cover songs. To this point, Ozzy had made a habit of covering Iron Man, Children of the Grave and Paranoid in his set lists. However, with Geezer now in his band, they decided to bring in some new (old) material, and play “Sweet Leaf” and “War Pigs”, two of that other bands biggest tracks with biting lyrics from Geezer. And those songs are good versions here, as you would expect. However, as a fan, on a live album that is only an EP with a limited number of songs, would you not prefer to hear two other Ozzy Osbourne songs that had not been released on a live album to this point in time? Something else from “The Ultimate Sin”? Or from “Bark at the Moon”? Would that not have been a better use of the space provided than hearing those Sabbath songs live again? No doubt they felt this would be a selling point for the EP, and I’m sure they were right. But for me, as much as this is worth listening to, I think it could have been better without those songs.

In the awesome year that 1990 was for music releases, this was one of the first, though I didn’t get it until a few months after it came out. It wasn’t until I bought my own stereo in mid-1990 with my first CD player in it that I went out and began to buy CDs as well, and this was one of those. And I guess it got played a lot at the time mainly because it was a short sharp jolt (well... to be fair it was 30 minutes of music which isn’t really an EP at all) and so I would play it back-to-back for some time rather than change CDs. No five stacker in those days, just the single file only thank you!
I enjoyed this at the time, but like a lot of people I guess what we wanted was a full live album, not a part-time one. Ozzy had released the Randy Rhoads Tribute album just 2.5 years earlier, but that had been recorded even before Diary of a Madman was released, so there was a lot of material that could have been put on a new full length live album. As it turns out, we only had to wait another two years before “Live and Loud” came out, which did make up for that entirely.
There really isn’t a lot more to be said about this release. It is almost a forgotten album in the Ozzy discography, mainly because it had been made redundant and without any re-releases over the years because of the aforementioned trouble over one song. And is it really an absolute necessity to either listen to or own this EP. I wouldn’t think so, except for completionists such as myself. I honestly cannot remember the last time I put this CD on and listened to it. It hasn’t been while living in this house where we have been for 15 years. It wasn’t at our first house we purchased, where we lived for the ten years prior to that. In all probability, I would doubt I have listened to this anytime since 1992. That’s a long time to have owned an album and not listened to it, and I guess that shows how forgotten it has become, for me as well. Because it doesn’t exist on any streaming service either, that makes it even more difficult.
So I’ve taken it out over the last couple of days, and I have played it four times in those two days. And yes, it has been enjoyable. “Miracle Man” and “Shot in the Dark” both appear on “Live and Loud”, but this is the only official live release for “Bloodbath in Paradise” and “Tattooed Dancer”, so for those two songs alone, it was worth the relisten again.
The changes kept on coming following this. Geezer left after this tour, and soon reunited with Iommi, Dio and Appice to record the “Dehumanizer” album under the Black Sabbath name. Bob Daisley returned to Ozzy’s band – again – to play on their next album “No More Tears” - before being dismissed – again – this time for the final time, as Mike Inez joined to play on what Ozzy announced would be his final ever tour – not the last time that would occur, before they all converged on the final gig of Ozzy’s “No More Tours” tour, and the original foursome of Black Sabbath played together for the first time since Live Aid in 1985. A busy time indeed. Sort of makes this EP feel a bit insignificant in the long run, doesn’t it?

583. Ozzy Osbourne / Scream. 2010. 2/5

As per usual, no one really seems to know what is happening with Ozzy Osbourne. In a lot of ways, that is as good as any other explanation for this album, its production and writing and its eventual release. Even for Ozzy there seems to be a lot of action going on in his life without him actually doing anything, and on this album there feels like there has been a lot of rush to produce the songs, get them recorded and get them released, without any real substance being attached to them.

One of the major holes with this album is the (what appears to be final) parting of ways with long time guitarist and collaborator Zakk Wylde - for whatever reason, and from whatever quarter. As always there isn’t a lot of information coming through. Certainly from my point of view, this always meant that there would be a lot more judgement of this album, either positively or negatively. While Zakk has been involved, whether as both songwriter and performer, or even only one of those things, there was a confidence that what was going to be on the album would have a solid base of hope for the material produced. That is not to pre-judge new guitarist Gus G, as he is good enough that he doesn't warrant comparisons with any of Ozzy’s previous guitarists, and his contributions can stand alone.

 
That isn't enough to save this album. It is tired. It is formulaic. It pretty much tries to rehash the success of Ozzy from another era, and wash it up to make it sound like a new version. It fails on this level. Artists that have been around as long as Ozzy are often on a hiding to nothing – if you look to change your style you risk alienating your long-term fans. if you look to stay true to your style you’ve cultivated over years, you could be accused of being unimaginative and unable to move with the times. I think the problem with Scream is that it fails to do either, and so it is stuck in the loop.
Why does it not work? I don't claim to know the full answer, all I know is that this doesn't feel like a traditional Ozzy Osbourne album, nor does it feel like a new venture. Apart from the first single, "Let Me Hear You Scream", which in itself is very formula-written and though it is catchy does tend to become repeatable, there is no magic in the remaining songs on the album. Most of it is stuck in a very similar slow and sludgy rhythm. “Soul Sucker” is a good example of this, as is "Latimer's Mercy", just plodding songs that can't get out of first gear, and yet Gus G’s solos try to rip along at a faster pace which just confuses the whole basis of the song. Either be a grunge song or a metal song, but the complete change of tempo within the song doesn’t work. The opening track “Let it Die” seems to drag on forever in a never-ending malaise. “Life Won’t Wait” and “Diggin’ Me Down” tend to do the same. The tempo of the album just doesn’t get to the point that the songs become fun to listen to. “Fearless” comes closest to working here, with its relatively short punch and faster rhythm throughout making it more enjoyable. “Time” feels like it stretches out for eternity. “I Want it More” is tolerable, while the closing hymn of “I Love You All” is a bit schmaltzy even for latter day Ozzy. And, not to mention that a number of the riffs on this album come close to those on some of the songs on the last three albums. Running out of ideas?

 
Ozzy’s co-writer of the album Kevin Churko has worked with a lot of different artists, such as Five Finger Death Punch, Disturbed, Papa Roach and... Shania Twain, so the different track these songs have taken, along with no guidance from Zakk or even Gus G as the hired replacement probably goes some way to explaining the lackluster feel of the album.
I can also add that for me there is no desire to hear any of it live, and after the initial rotation that all new albums get on my stereo and assorted mp3 players, it has remained on the shelf, and I’m not sure it will ever come back off it.

Could this be the end for Ozzy? It's quite possible. With the passing of Ronnie James Dio this year, the possibility of a Black Sabbath reunion album with Ozzy back on vocals will no doubt now be resurrected, especially given the success of the Heaven and Hell project over the last four years. An album co-written with Iommi and Butler may be all Ozzy has left to keep his own career afloat. If this album was to signal the end of his music career, it would be a sad way to bow out.

Best: “Let Me Hear You Scream”, “Fearless”.

Rating: “I'll take this rage, rattle your cage, nobody said it's easy!” 2/5.

313. Ozzy Osbourne / Black Rain. 2007. 3/5

When this album was first released I was way too excited about its contents. Sure, at the time it was exciting because it had been a number of years (six as it turns out) since Ozzy had released an album, and though it had been on the lower scale of Ozzy albums, that didn’t mean that a new one wasn’t going to be great. Lots of things had come together that gave great optimism for what was to come, and some of that was not misplaced. But on reflection it is difficult to see just why I was so excited about it initially, because when listened to retrospectively it seems as though there were some flaws that for some reason I must have glossed over in my enthusiasm. In fact, when I first reviewed this album my opening statement was: “The madman is back, and though he may not be quite as mad as he once was, this is a startling return after so many years out of the recording scene.” Not quite.

Since the amazing No More Tears was released in 1991, Ozzy had released 1995's Ozzmosis, which was generally great, and 2001's Down To Earth, which was generally average. With this being only his third album release in 16 years there is always the chance that the writing could be either chock full of goodness or a little on the stale side. The first thing done right here was the reinstatement of Zakk Wylde to his rightful position of collaborator, guitarist and everyman. Zakk has tuned down for this effort, no doubt in an effort to help Ozzy's vocal range, but it also acts as a stimulus to create a heavier sound in the songs. Having written so much stuff for his own band Black Label Society in recent years, Zakk seems to have brought a similar style to this Ozzy album with him.

So my main gripe with the songs on the album is that the tempo has generally settled into a very slow and steady one, not surprisingly in a similar way that recent Black Label Society albums have done. Songs such as “Lay Your World on Me”, “Here For You” and “Countdown’s Begun” are very much in this category and for me keep the album stuck in second gear without being able to break free. All good enough songs, with great guitar riffs from Zakk, but I was looking for more. Then you have “The Almighty Dollar” and “Civilize the Universe”, which are in much the same style, but both really overextend their welcome. They are slow and samey, and Ozzy stretches out the vocals as well, and even then both songs feel as though they are over about halfway through... but they just keep regenerating and continuing, and it gets to be a real punish to continue on. Once again, after listening to this album a lot, I have gotten used to them and can tolerate them, but it does make it hard now to return to the album with a lot of enthusiasm.

What about the rest? Well, the harmonica in “Black Rain” is a bit naff and feels unnecessary but I enjoy the song despite this. The opening track “Not Going Away” does tend to plod on as well but when in the mood it is an enjoyable enough song. “11 Silver” picks up the middle of the album, while the best songs by quite a stretch are the first single “I Don’t Wanna Stop” and the closing track “Trap Door”, which is where most of the momentum of the album seems to reside.

This came out at around the same time as Megadeth’s “United Abominations” album, and I listen to these both together a lot, so I guess a part of my enjoyment of that album rubbed off on my opinion of this at the time. However, since then I guess a little bit of perspective has crept in, and my initial joy of the album has cooled somewhat. It isn’t a bad album by any stretch of the imagination, and both Zakk’s guitaring and Ozzy’s vocals are always great to listen to. Faith No More’s Mike Bordin on drums and new bassist Rob "Blasko" Nicholson play their roles well. There are probably four songs here that could probably force their way into your Ozzy playlist if you were a mind to do so, but that would probably be it.

Best Songs: “Not Going Away”, “I Don’t Wanna Stop”, “11 Silver”, “Trap Door”.

Rating: “Justify your ego, living with denial, and the thoughts so vile won't fade away.” 3/5

248. Ozzy Osbourne / Down To Earth. 2001. 3/5.

Six years after Ozzmosis was released, and ten years after what was supposed to be Ozzy’s ‘farewell tour’ took place after the release of No More Tears, from out of nowhere and with almost no promotion and fanfare came a new album titled Down to Earth. And given Ozzy’s statement upon its release, something along the lines of he was happy to keep promoting his own brand by his music festival Ozzfest, but the record company wanted a new album, it just seems strange that I and most people I know had zero idea it was in the works. Record companies must be strange beasts.

Anyway, the album arrived, I put it on, and after those first few listens I become aware of a few little things that have changed in the Osbourne music empire. The first was that Zakk Wylde was not involved in the writing of the album due to being away on tour with his other band Black Label Society. That immediately felt like a loss. Secondly, there was a vast array of co-writers of all the tracks, something that always makes me feel that the album itself will not meld together because of the difference of styles and thoughts on songs to write. That isn’t always the way (Alice Cooper’s Hey Stoopid) is a perfect example of this working to perfection) and Ozzy had done this before with success... but I didn’t really know these writers, so I went in with trepidation. And thirdly, well... did Ozzy still have what he needed to produce a great album?
The start of the album comes at you with “Gets Me Through” which while it has a similar energy in the song as other opening tracks on Ozzy albums, it does not have the same speed or momentum as those. It is a sign of things to come, but probably wasn’t unexpected given the way that has begun to be wound back in plenty of American metal music of this vintage. Settling in alongside Mike Bordin’s drumbeat rather than flying over the top of it, it creates the kind of heavy slog paced song that has become the norm for metal bands. It isn’t unpleasant and indeed works well in songs like “Gets Me Through” and “Facing Hell” and “That I Never Had” and “Junkie”, but while giving us a heavy sound it has traded off the faster tempo of earlier albums. Which again, is great when the song works, such as the three I’ve just mentioned, but it makes it harder to enjoy if that combination doesn’t come good. Picky much? Yes, I can admit it certainly is.

Now there are areas where some of the songs don’t work – for me. “Dreamer” is the album’s attempt to find Ozzy’s perfect ballad, and Ozzy can definitely perform them as he has on most of his albums through his career. As per my other reviews, they rarely win me over just because they are not my preferred kind of song. Ozzy sounds great on this song but it isn’t my cup of tea. “No Easy Way Out” is on a similar plane, and is another of the songs that has gone for a keyboard/synth base rather than the guitar strength. Whether this is by the design of the song collaborators or the fact that Zakk wasn’t involved in the writing process, I don’t know. Add in “You Know... (Part 1)” which is really just a filler between two other songs for me. “Running Out of Time” dips into ballad territory again, and finishes with the keys and backing sighs dominating again, in a very 1970’s progressive style. “Black Illusion” doesn’t do anything for me at all, and with the chorused vocals and sludgy tempo and guitar it actually feels as though it would have been a better Black Label Society song if Zakk had taken over the writing of it. “Alive” is very similar, just too darn nu-metal in pace if not musically. And as a closer, “Can You Hear Them?” doesn’t inspire much except some relief that the album has in fact come to an end.

When this came out I was sitting with a couple of friends listening to the whole album a couple of times, drinking beer under the clear skies. All of us came to the same conclusion, which was “What the hell is Ozzy coming to?” It wasn’t as if we hated the album, but it was so very different from what we had loved from him and his various bands in the past that this album was difficult to collate. That feeling hasn’t changed over the years, and I doubt it ever will. There are some very listenable songs on this album but some other pieces that are from another planet, another Ozzy. I have no doubt that the writing of the album was influenced by the kind of bands Ozzy had been playing with at Ozzfest, and that he was trying to incorporate that into his own music. There’s no problem with trying to do that, and maybe the younger fans enjoyed the change. But for those of us who have been around a while, I guess what we wanted was to hear what he usually gave us, and we didn’t get that. Ozzy released his Live at Budokan album from this tour, and to be fair the three songs off this album that he performed live on that all sounded better live.

But overall, I feel as though this was turning point for Ozzy. The past was in the rearview mirror and it felt much different from what the present held, and maybe what the future had in store. Ozzy sounds great here, as do Zakk, Mike and Rob Trujillo. But the songs... well... there is a conflict there.

Best Songs: “Gets Me Through”, “Facing Hell”, “That I Never Had”, “Junkie”.

Rating: “Is it god that sits there waiting or will the darkness suck me in.” 3/5

231. Ozzy Osbourne / Diary Of A Madman. 1981. 5/5.

Ozzy Osbourne’s story through the 1970’s with Black Sabbath is one of outrageous success, incomprehensible drug and alcohol consumption, and a messy break up that left him on his own and bereft of opportunity. The story of his redemption, of coming together with another successful band that recorded and released an album - Blizzard of Ozz - that helped put his name back in lights in the music business, is also worthy of his tale. What is more interesting is what has come to light in recent years about how and who recorded those first two albums, and the cut-throat way that several people involved were treated. It’s not a particularly happy tale. For anyone who is truly interested in what happened with the band, which initially was meant to be called The Blizzard of Ozz rather than have the album of the same name credited solely to Ozzy Osbourne as a solo release, and how things began to fall apart due to the single minded attitude of Sharon Arden, soon to be Sharon Osbourne, then you should most definitely read Bob Daisley’s wonderful autobiography “For Facts Sake...” which gives an in depth and detailed version of the events surrounding this time.

Beyond this though, the same line up that recorded the first album, Ozzy Osbourne, Randy Rhoads, Bob Daisley and Lee Kerslake, again wrote and recorded all the material for the sophomore release, Diary of a Madman. Given the success of that album and the breakthrough performance of previously unknown guitar prodigy Randy Rhoads on it, the chance to follow that up with even more diversified songs and put their stamp on the metal music world as it was at the time would have been uppermost in their minds. Ozzy’s former band Black Sabbath had had a major hit with their Heaven and Hell release at the same time that Blizzard of Ozz came out, and their follow up to that, Mob Rules, was released just three days prior to the release of Diary of a Madman. No matter what was being said around both bands, you can be sure all of the members would have been intensely interested in the success of the other.
Much like the preceding album, this album has a mixture of the true heavy metal songs as well as those that tend toward the side of the rock ballad style. The difference between these songs and normal rock ballads are the musicians involved, because with Randy being trained in classical guitar, as well of the beautiful off beat bass lines of Bob and then Ozzy’s terrific vocals, these songs are not mere rock ballad type songs.
Diary of a Madman kicks off with the brilliant “Over the Mountain”, with Lee Kerslake’s wonderful rolling drum intro bursting into Randy’s guitar riff to get the album off to a great start. This is such a terrific opening track, filled with everything that made this version of the band so good, that it is hard to believe that it has been played live so little. It remains one of my favourite Ozzy songs. “Flying High Again” and “Believer” were both played on the tour that followed this album, before the album had even been released in many areas. The live album Tribute has them as part of its track list, and both are highlighted by Randy’s guitar riffs and soloing. “Flying High Again” feels as though it could have been aimed at the commercial market but without losing its distinct metal features, though sales did not back up that assertion. “Believer” has a much heavier sound and finishes off the first side of the album in style. Between these two songs came “You Can’t Kill Rock and Roll”, one of the rock songs that moves into that softer territory, until you reach the solo of course, where Randy really turns the dial up. The melodic guitar throughout sets the mood of the song perfectly, and it sits in a great place. When I first got this album I used to play this song over and over and just bathe in its excellence, because it is an anthem without the fist pumping, it just says its piece matter of factly, and neither the message of the music take anything away from the other. It is still a wonderful song.

The second side of the album is a different mix altogether, with “Little Dolls” and “Tonight” both the kind of songs that you would never ever consider when you think of the Ozzy Osbourne catalogue. They aren’t obscure as such, but they are ones that pale against the great songs that surround them and so aren’t always front and centre in your mind. Both are great in their own way, “Little Dolls” through the hard driving rhythm of the bass and drums in particular, and “Tonight” as the ballad where Bob’s bass in prominent in being the centre of the song before Randy’s solo in particular steals the show. Ozzy’s vocals here too, as with most of his songs of this style, are at their peak, and are a major reason why Ozzy makes these kind of songs so enjoyable.
Perhaps the best song on the album is “S.A.T.O”, a bombastic hard core fast paced song driven by all three instruments rifling along with great power. I love everything about this song – Lee's drumming is perfect for the feel, Bob’s bass rumbling along the bottom end but still jumping up the strings and the fretboard to have its own unique part of the song, Randy chugging along on guitar before unleashing yet another brilliant solo that steals the show, while Ozzy’s vocals are top shelf. Another of my favourite all time Ozzy songs. And the album ends with the title track which mixes heavy metal with acoustic and the gothic to create an amazing epic song that completes the album in perfection.

I have always had some trouble determining which album of Ozzy’s I have loved best – Blizzard of Ozz or Diary of a Madman, not because they are similar but because each has their positive strengths and their very very slight weaknesses. Back in that magical year of 1986 when I was beginning to discover the dark arts of 1970 and 1980’s heavy metal, I had both albums in a gatefold double album, and I never listened to one without then listening to the other. They are both such extraordinary albums, and I can still see myself sitting in my parents' lounge room in front of the stereo listening to them.
Because that first album introduced me to this foursome, I always think that Diary of a Madman is a triumph because they came back not long after this album’s recording and release, having done the first part of what became a two-part tour, and then wrote and recorded this album. And everything about it seems better. Lee’s drumming is better, more rounded, more settled in the music written, given on this album he was a much bigger part of it rather than coming in late to just perform it as he was on Blizzard of Ozz. Bob’s bass guitar just perforates through each song once again, and it is the little things he throws in that can sometimes make the song, rather than just sitting in the same easy bass riff that WOULD have suited the song, but because he adds bits it makes them even better. And Randy’s playing has grown again, and it isn’t only the solos in the songs that create his standout performance, but the slower and more technical riffs and runs that come across, certainly in the slower songs, where you hear just the kind of guitar player he was becoming. And of course there is Ozzy, who despite the alcohol and drugs and the other distractions that were going on in his life, still managed to sing these songs in a most amazing way, clear, distinct, at a level that is at times astounding.

I listen to this album, and still wonder just what this foursome could have achieved beyond this is if they had been allowed to grow at their own speed and look to take on the world. Because when I listen to it I can still try to imagine what album would have come next, what songs they would have produced, and where that might have taken them. Of course, this was not to be. Bob and Lee were fired from the band after the recording of the album while on holidays, and were replaced on the tour that followed by Rudy Sarzo and Tommy Aldridge. It seemed they had asked for too much in the eyes of one Sharon Arden and were moved along pretty quickly. And of course even more tragically was the death of Randy in a light plane crash on that tour. The band that had created these classics was no more. Bob was to come back several times over the years and either write or record or both with Ozzy, but that was never the same. And the albums that came after this were fantastic with their own stories to tell. But there is always a lingering moment where what could have come from a third album by Rhoads, Daisley, Kerslake and Osbourne still fascinates me.