138. Ozzy Osbourne / Blizzard Of Ozz. 1980. 5/5.

Two years after the release of Black Sabbath's Never Say Die and his subsequent firing from the band, Ozzy Osbourne found a band that suited what he needed, and between them they came together and wrote and recorded one of the most influential albums of the 1980's. And though the stories that have since come out that surrounded the way the album and band was supposed to be drawn have differed, there is no denying that Blizzard of Ozz was what propelled Ozzy onto a stardom he could not have imagined. That that stardom was not reflected on the other members of the band is still a disappointment and a tragedy on many levels.

 
Ozzy was teamed up with a relatively unknown guitarist called Randy Rhoads, and other hard-working musicians in Bob Daisley, Lee Kerslake and Don Airey. What they produced together is, in my opinion, the equal of what Black Sabbath had done with their self-titled debut album in 1970. Teaming Ozzy's well-known vocals with the amazingly refined guitaring of Randy, then fabulous groove of Daisley’s bass and the drive of Kerslake’s drumming, Blizzard of Ozz is a terrific collection of songs that meld together from different genres to form something far more as the sum of its parts.

On reflection, if you were to take on the songs individually you can probably find some fault or lack of glory. People who have read my reviews throughout this blog know full well I am not a lover of the ballad, be it a power ballad or rock ballad or thrash ballad (there is no such thing, but there should be). And there is no doubt that “Goodbye to Romance” is this, a soft rock ballad. But get beyond this, and listen to Ozzy’s vocal line and Randy’s terrific soloing the middle of the song and you gloss over that entirely. I do anyway, I sing along to it every time I listen to the album. And “Dee” of course is just a Randy ditty which to listen to is an instructional delight, but taken out of the album is nothing special. And “No Bone Movies” was actually only written to be a B-side on a single, but eventually found its way onto the album so that Lee would have a writing credit. And I like the song but it isn’t ground breaking. As it turns out the song that was supposed to be on the album, "You Lookin' at Me Lookin' at You", I think is actually a better song.

So that may seem negative, but it isn’t meant to be, because albums are crafted, and that is certainly the case here. From the opening riff that kickstarts “I Don’t Know”, this album grabs you and sucks you in. Bob Daisley’s lyrics all tell a story, and that story is almost universally Ozzy’s, and having Ozzy singing about himself without really crafting the lyrics himself is something to behold. “I Don’t Know” is a great track, asking questions about the world around us, all the while also being our first introduction to Randy Rhoads and his amazing talent. Then we have the scream of “AAAALLL ABOOOARD!!!” and the forward momentum into what has become one of Ozzy’s signature songs “Crazy Train”, with the wailing guitar riffs, soaring vocals, brilliantly underrated bass line and drum tracking underneath. This is one of the great songs of heavy metal, one that has now even embedded itself into mainstream sports telecasts and the such. Then add to this the wonderful tones of “Suicide Solution”, the song that critics of the band always claimed was suggesting to people they should contemplate suicide, when it actually suggests the exact opposite. More terrific lyrics from Daisley.

The second side of the album provides just as much joy. The complete brilliance of “Mr. Crowley” is in its exuberance, both vocally and instrumentally. Ozzy sounds like he is standing on a pulpit preaching the words to his sermon, while Randy’s guitar solo through the middle and conclusion of the song is just stunningly brilliant, taking this song from a terrific one to out and out brilliance. And the closing two tracks of the album are vastly underrated and complement each other perfectly. “Revelation (Mother Earth)” is a terrifically moody song about destroying the planet (one that is still relevant today), finishing off with a brilliant hard metal solo piece from Randy, Bob and Lee that segues beautifully into the start of “Steal Away (the Night)”, a fantastic fast paced song that is highlighted by Daisley’s perfect running bass line that steals the song. Following on from the slow-paced start to harder finish of “Revelation (Mother Earth)”, this is a sensational way to conclude the album, and beckons to you to turn the album back over and start all over again.

There is a lot to take away from this album. It revitalised Ozzy’s career, giving him the kickstart he needed to fend off the end of his Sabbath years, and allowed him to leap into the new decade, one where his profile eventually outstripped those of his former bandmates. Unfortunately, those that helped to raise him to these heights didn’t get the same credit as they deserved. Randy Rhoads of course was lauded for his guitaring and writing, as he deserved to be, but the contributions of both Daisley and Kerslake would continue to be downplayed and undervalued for years. The fact that the band was actually supposed to be called The Blizzard of Ozz, and not just a solo band of Ozzy Osbourne, is now somewhat lost. It is important to note that without Bob Daisley’s song writing and lyric contributions, this album would have been a far different proposition, and perhaps not as great a success as it became.

Apart from this, the album is still as sensational today as it was on its release all those years ago. Everything about it still hits the right note. The vocals of Osbourne, the genius guitaring from Rhoads, the underrated bass and drums of Daisley and Kerslake, and the songs themselves that still stand the test of time and are as enormous and relevant today as they were back then. And that is what sets this album up as one of the most influential in the heavy metal genre.

Best Songs: “I Don’t Know”, “Crazy Train”, “Suicide Solution”, “Mr. Crowley", “Steal Away (the Night)”.

Rating: “Mental wounds still screaming, driving me insane.” 5/5