Blizzard of Ozz
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| Blizzard of Ozz | ||
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| Missing image OzzyOsbourneBlizzardofOzz.jpg Album cover | ||
| Album by Ozzy Osbourne | ||
| Released | January 15, 1981 & August 22, 1995 (re-issue) | |
| Recorded | March 22 to April 19, 1980 | |
| Genre | Heavy Metal | |
| Length | 39 min 19 sec | |
| Record label | Jet/Epic Records | |
| Producer | Ozzy Osbourne | |
| Professional reviews | ||
| All Music Guide review | 4.5/5 | link (http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=&sql=10:pnev97l7krat) |
| Ozzy Osbourne Chronology | ||
| Blizzard of Ozz (1981) | Diary of a Madman (1981) | |
Blizzard of Ozz is a heavy metal album by Ozzy Osbourne, released on January 15, 1981 (see 1981 in music) and recorded in 1980 (see 1980 in music). Randy Rhoads played acoustic on "Dee" (the instrumental track). This is Ozzy's first solo album; and one of the two studio albums he recorded before Rhoads's death in March 1982. Blizzard of Ozz includes one of Osbourne's signature songs, "Crazy Train".
The 1990s Blizzard of Ozz reissue was derided by fans due to its replacement of the original bass and drum tracks by Bob Daisley and Lee Kerslake. Osbourne's 90s touring band replaced the Daisley's and Kerslake's original instrumentations; fans and critics generally felt the move was dishonest and resulted in a far inferior product. In 1986 (see 1986 in music), Diasley and Kerslake had pressed charges against Osbourne, eventually winning songwriting credits on Blizzard of Ozz; the lawsuit has not been finalized, and official credit was still being given to Tommy Aldridge and Rudy Sarzo. Osbourne's wife and manager, Sharon, said in a press conference that "because of [Daisley and Kerslake's] abusive and unjust behavior, Ozzy wanted to remove them from these recordings. We turned a negative into a positive by adding a fresh sound to the original albums." Daisley and Kerslake deny the allegations of "abusive behavior" and continue to press for receiving credit for their work on Blizzard of Ozz.
The song "Suicide Solution" has been criticized as containing allegedly Satanic lyrics encouraging suicide (cited as a direct cause in one case). In fact, according to Ozzy, the song is explicitly anti-suicide, condemning the slow alcoholic suicide of friend Bon Scott (AC/DC). However Bob Daisley claims he wrote this song about Ozzy doing drugs, and basically killing himself.
Blizzard of Ozz peaked at #21 on Billboard's Pop Albums chart, while the single "Crazy Train" peaked at #9 on the Mainstream Rock Charts.
Tracks
- "I Don't Know"
- "Crazy Train"
- "Goodbye to Romance"
- "Dee" - (Instrumental)
- "Suicide Solution"
- "Mr. Crowley"
- "No Bone Movies"
- "Revelation (Mother Earth)"
- "Steal Away (The Night)"
Personnel
- Ozzy Osbourne - Vocals, Producer, Harmony Vocals
- Don Airey - Keyboards
- Bob Daisley - Bass, Gong, Guitar (Bass), Vocals, Producer, Harmony Vocals
- Lee Kerslake - Percussion, Drums, Bells, Producer, Tympani [Timpani]
- Max Norman - Engineer
- Randy Rhoads - Guitar, Producerfi:Blizzard of Ozz