Customer Reviews

Blizzard of Ozz

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When I first heard about Ozzy Osbourne when I was 13 years old back in 1980, I was told by a sort-of friend who hated him so vociferously that to me at the time, Ozzy sounded like a real no-talent slimeball. I knew nothing of Ozzy's seminal influence as the original lead singer of Black Sabbath; in fact, I didn't even *know* Black Sabbath for anything other than their demonic-sounding name! I wasn't even into heavy Metal at all back then. I certainly knew nothing of Ozzy's talent or influence on heavy rock. Then, later that year, I first heard "Crazy Train" and I was stunned: *This* was the same guy who likes to pee on things, inlcuding the Alamo, and bites the heads off birds??

Of course, I became fascinated with Ozzy in part because of his contradictory aspects. I fell in love with "Crazy Train" and as soon as I first heard "I Don't Know" a couple of years later, I had to FINALLY go out & get the album. I purchased BLIZZARD OF OZZ (1980) on vinyl---of course---in 1983. I purchased the 1995 remaster on CD just a couple of years ago. As influential an album as this was back then, we really take for granted the fact that, when Ozzy assembled himself on lead vocals, Randy Rhoads on lead guitar, Don Airey on keyboards, Bob Daisley on bass guitar and Lee Kerslake on drums, Ozzy was operating heavily on a wing and a prayer---and on heavily controlled substances. His attempt at a comeback after being dismissed from Black Sabbath for good after their so-so NEVER SAY DIE! (1978) album was almost not to be.

As I and many others have learned in the past few years, thanks to Ozzy's candor on VH1, Ozzy was down & out in 1978 when he met Sharon Arden, the daughter of a record company exec who had given up on Ozzy as a drugged-out has-been. Sharon saw something special in him. Soon, they became romantically involved, then married. She tried to shop BLIZZARD OF OZZ around to everybody, and was soundly rejected over & over again---until a growing division of Columbia, Jet Records, decided to give him a shot. (Of course, it was at the release party for the record that Ozzy got drunk and bit the head off a dove that had been released as a sign of goodwill!) Ozzy waded through his newfound infamy while many people---like me---became awed by his music.

After all, what's not to love about his music? On Black Sabbath's NEVER SAY DIE, Ozzy and his soon-to-be-former bandmates sounded rather disjointed & tired. Just as Sabbath became re-energized by the arrival of Ronnie James Dio (culiminating in their own great 1980 album HEAVEN AND HELL), Ozzy became re-energized as well. Working with great British Metal veterans Daisley & Kerslake, and especially with young up-and-coming Californian guitar virtuoso, Randy Rhoads, Ozzy finally re-found his musical inspiration. Ozzy's sound was now very modern and very American. Even with his penchant for drugs and drink, his high tenor voice was in great form. The great, fast-riffing, heart-pumping opening song "I Don't Know" became an anthem for disaffected youth, and the equally-driving "Crazy Train" became the most popular Heavy Metal song of 1980, directly causing a huge resurgence in the popularity of heavy Metal, which in the wake of Disco in the late '70's had been dismissed as "dead music." Talk about rebirth!!

Thanks to this rebirth, I became a huge fan of the music that ended up informing my high school years. I appreciated the melody that went along with the heaviness of the music. All of Ozzy's songs on this album are melodic, and not all of them are heavy. Witness "Goodbye To Romance," a non-heavy, acoustic ballad that shows Ozzy did have a heart, after all! Randy Rhoads' light, acoustic instrumental "Dee" also shows that metallers are not just about "noise." Then, we have the song which actually took four years to become controversial, the unfairly-maligned "Suicide Solution." Let me tell you something about my experience listening to this song: No, I didn't take drugs, I didn't drink, I didn't worhip Satan and this song certainly didn't make me want to kill myself. Enough said. :)

"Mr. Crowley" has a great keyboard intro courtesy of Don Airey, again showing that guitar isn't the *only* instrument used in Heavy Metal. The last three songs never really made much of an impression on me, but that's probably because I played the other songs hundreds of times each! Maybe one of these days, I will revisit "No Bone Movies," "Revelation (Mother Earth)" and "Steal Away (The Night)." Even just on the basis of the first five classic 80's tunes alone, Ozzy Osbourne fully deserved his comeback all the way, and BLIZZARD OF OZZ became his first of many multi-Platinum albums which all shared incredibly smooth production values, great blazing guitar riffs and melodic singing by Ozzy, who never gave himself enough credit for his unique voice. This is still one of the all-time greatest rock albums of the 1980's.

MOST RECOMMENDED

i am a girl, and it pains me to see 2 girls below me who can't decipher sarcasm when it slaps them across the face. beethoven a crappy piano player? ashlee simpson punk rock genius? ozzy a metal poser? c'mon girls obviously MTV Rocks is just kidding. that said, this album is probably the best thing ozzy did since paranoid w/ black sabbath. (or has done since.) if you have to own ONE ozzy record, this is it. (and don't get that crappy 'remix' version with the extra songs, get this used or the one with the little album cover in the middle of the swirly background.)

Blizzard of ozz is a superb album from the mater of doom and the former talented vocalist of black sabbath.this is a great album from featuring crazy train and i highly recommend this album along with bark at the moon and the ultimate sin from him.five stars.

Whoa! Was I cryogenically frozen and stored in a cave for years to not know about the redos on Ozzy's first two albums? How did I miss out on that kind of info for all of these years?

I just happened to be going through my old CD collection and found the 1995 versions and since it's been awhile since I last listened to them I figured I'd catch up with a couple of old classic albums, gave them a listen and then went online which I then read all the hoopla concerning the 2002 reissues and all I can say is, Wow, that's just nuts. Thank God I own the originals! - UPDATE: I just read that they will be re-releasing Blizzard of Ozz with the original bass and drum tracks added back to the mix the way they originally were recorded for the 30th anniversary editions of the album.

Now let's go to the wayback machine and set it for 1982...<Zeeeooop!> Way back in 1982, I had a friend who worked part time at a radio station somewhere in the suburbs of Detroit. I forget which radio station? But anyway, he would give me promotional albums now and then that the radio station did not want. Two of those albums were Blizzard of Ozz, and Diary of a Madman. The albums sat ignored for weeks in with my other collection of albums. I knew who Ozzy was at the time, and I'd heard some of his songs on the radio and liked them, but I never really paid much attention to the albums until one day when I was bored of listening to my other favorite albums of the time, I decided to give the Ozzy albums a try. Wow, was I ever glad that I did! I thought the albums were great, and I wanted to hear more, which eventually led me to the awesome and legendary Black Sabbath albums, and...well, that's a story for another day.

So these albums have a long history with me. And to now find out that Ozzy and Sharon have tampered with their greatness is just kind of shocking to me. Out of curiousity I will definitely have to give some of the 2002 reissued songs a listen when I get the chance to.

Anywhoo...I really like this collection of songs. It is Ozzy's very first solo album after his departure with Black Sabbath, and it showed a lot of promise. It features some cool songs, two or three of which receive a fair amount of radio airplay, and the others are all really good as well.

There's not much more I can add. It's a very, very good Heavy Metal classic album that any fan of this kind of music will enjoy, so get it if you don't already have it. Just make sure you get the 1995 version.

Standout Tracks are: I Don't Know, Crazy Train, Mr. Crowley, and Revelation (Mother Earth).

Fresh from a painful split with former band Black Sabbath, and spiralling in an alcohol and drug frenzy, Ozzy broke all expectations with 1980's multiplatinum 'Blizzard of Ozz'. Partnered with Quiet Riot's guitar sensation Randy Rhoads, former Rainbow basist Bob Daisley and Uriah Heep's drummer Lee Kerslake, Ozzy was back to his hard rocking glory. 'Blizzard' pushes the boudries of Heavy Metal and is surly one of the most influencial Metal albums of the 80's. Rife with controversy (Ozzy was taken to court for the song 'Suicide Solution' after a teenage suicide in the US) and musical genious, it confirmed Ozzy's place as the God Father of Heavey Metal.

I DON'T KNOW - Still the opening track of Ozzy's sets today. Timeless indroducaton to the new Ozzy

CRAZY TRAIN - Ozzy's coronation as a solo artist. Rhoads at his devestating best, and Ozzy documenting his life with pin-point accuracy - "I'm going off the rails in a crazy train!"

GOODBYE TO ROMANCE - A Farewell and ode to Black Sabbath. Beautifully constructed melodies with fantastic keyboard work

DEE - Rhoads' instrumental to his mother. Offers the audience an alternative side to Randy Rhodes and reminds us of his classical heritage on the guitar

SUICIDE SOLUTION - The infamous track that landed Ozzy a court hearing for alledged subliminal messaging within his records. A foolish young teenager in the states decided to take his own life after hearing ozzy tell him to fetch the gun and "shoot, shoot, shoot" B#ll#cks. The song is in fact dedicated to the late Bon Scott of AC/DC who died tragically at the hands of alcohol. Fantastic riffing once more from Rhoads

MR. CROWLEY - A dedication to Occult figurehead Aleister Crowley. A dark opeing sequence followed by more crushing riff work from Rhoads. Randy's solo work is sublime

NO BONE MOVIES - Rock and Roll at its purist from Ozzy. A number about his addiction to (among others) pornography

REVELATION (MOTHER EARTH) - Sensational. The mecurial highlight of the album. Rhoads is out of this world...A masterpiece that can not be done justice through words. A musical journey that reminds us that while Ozzy can bite a good bat, he can sure as hell write songs

STEAL AWAY (THE NIGHT) - Ends the album on a high. An easy listener from Ozzy with a great riff that follows nicely from Revelation

This is it! If you can't understand that this is the greatest heavy metal album of all time, then you just don't understand the entire concept of metal. Since Ozzy pretty much helped to invent heavy metal with Black Sabbath, it is only fitting that he inherit the claim to the it's most superior album. Randy Rhoads make this album perfect. Rhoads is God here. Don't believe me? Listen to those licks! Jesus! He was a monster! Crazy Train, I Don't Know, Mr. Crowley, Suicide Solution, Revelation (Mother Earth)....every track is a certified classic. Un-f*cking-believable! Listen and learn!

Dig It!

Blizzard Of Ozz was Ozzy's shineing moment with then guitarist Rhandy Rhoads. This was a land mark album for Metal and Metal guitar. All killer and no filler is a expression that should not be used lightly about this album.

All the songs are Ozzy Classics weither it be 'Goodbye To Romance' 'Crazy Train' or 'Revalation (Mother Earth)' its sure to please. This was Ozzys first album after being fired from his first major band Black Sabbath. This was an instant classic and went multiplatnom.

This was also a landmark album in the guitar world, a little guitar player by the name of Rhandy Rhoads plug in and invented speed metal! And those people that say Rhandy ripped off Eddie Van Halen can just go to hell because the two sound nothing alike! Rhandy is a Neo-Classical prodigy, and a force to be recond with. The solo's on 'Crazy Train' and 'Mr. Crowly' are conciderd my many to be the greatest solos of all time! 'Revelation (Mother Earth)' In my openion is Rhandys best moment on the album. This is a classic Metal album the all metal heads and Black Sabbath fans should own!

I listened to the re-mastered version of Blizzard of Ozz and I agree with the previous reviewers: the new mix compromises the strength of the original recording. However, my review is based on the original recording, which I believe is a landmark Metal album.
Released in 1980, Blizzard was an unprecedented commercial and musical success for Ozzy. Blizzard also introduced to the world the brilliant and influential guitar work of Randy Rhoads, which set a new standard in guitar virtuosity. Blizzard is as much of an Ozzy album as it is a Randy album.

Here is my review by song:

I Don't Know - The backward-recorded gong is the dramatic opening to one of Ozzy's classics. The combination of killer riffs and solos contradicted with a melodic middle eventually become an Ozzy trademark copied later by many other metal bands.

Crazy Train - THE classic Ozzy track. A great example of why legions of Randy fans still consider him one of the best guitarists ever. Randy's fierce distortion doesn't stop us from hearing every single note. His riffs, solo, tone, speed, and clarity of playing are unparalleled. If there's any song that represents Ozzy and Randy at their best, it is this song.

Goodbye to Romance - Ozzy shows us his sensitive side with this ballad, bidding farewell to his old band and moving on. The song ends with a beautiful keyboard outro.

Dee - A short classical piece that Randy wrote for his mom. In 1980, who would have expected this from an Ozzy album? Another small milestone.

Suicide Solution - A song that Ozzy wrote for the late singer of AC/DC. This song would later become one of the targets of PMRC (Parent's Music Resource Center founded by Tipper Gore - Senator Al Gore's wife) and a reason for creating the warning labels on albums. Ozzy had to pay dearly by appearing in court for years for misinterpretation of this song by families that blamed this song for their children's suicide. Suicide is also the only song on the album without a solo. However, Randy more than made up for the missing solo with his awesome solo in the live shows. Check it out on the "Tribute" album.

Mr. Crowley - Another Ozzy classic about the life of the controversial Satanist, Aliester Crowley. It features a great keyboard intro and two killer solos by Randy.

No Bone Movies - Randy shows his versatility as a guitarist by delivering some slide guitar on this otherwise average song.

Revelations (Mother Earth) - Revelations is a song about how society is destroying the earth. Randy's classical influences are highlighted in this song followed by an intense solo. One of my favorites.

Steal Away (the Night) - Randy's intro riff to this song is as cool as it is innovative. It is signature Randy Rhoads that involves some intricate guitar playing.

ok first of all i would like to say what a great album this is (from the awesome guitar solos to crazy train, which is a great song), but i'm not here to talk about how good it is just buy iti am hear because last night i was reading a review of back in black (another great album i would recommend it to anyone) and i read a review by some idiot who said that the only reason every1 likes ac/dc is because of some band named "jet", and i was confused because i have never heard of "jet", and i was also confused because mtv certainly does not rock, it sucks more than anything else. then today i decided i would read some more of his reviews and i discovered he was even more of and idiot. then i got to his review of blizzard of ozz. if you dont know who ozzy osbourne is first of all you might as well just die but then to go on and say bad things about him should be punished by more than death. then to go on and say that it is "poser junk"... dude ozzy invented heavy metal how the heck can u call him a poser u idiot! then you go on and call randy rhoades (one of the greatest guitar players ever) to be to lazy to play the guitar anymore, im sure if someone put a guitar in his grave he would be happy to play it for you so you can see how great of a guitarist he is. yeah thats right hes dead u idiot.
"I lost a ton of respect for this guy when I found out Ozzy had been a member of fake metal bands." do you even know anything about black sabbath? cause they freaking invented heavy metal you idiot. and as my closing comments nobody listen to this idiot he has no idea what he is talking about, go ahead and buy this cd it is great!

this album and the diary of a madman are the best cds oozy ever recorded, period. if it wasn't for randy rhaods, i won't even consider buying this album. randy rhoad along with evh are the best metal guitarist of the 80's. if you want to listen to some great guitar riffs and solos you won't be dissappointed, with classics such as crazy train and i don't know